ABOUT
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dom Locke is a Fusion dancer and choreographer. She creates performance art inspired by bellydance, photography and music. Her work is experienced through live performance and film.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
In 2010, Dom Locke earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts' degree in Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. It was there, she developed a strong foundation in the visual arts, concept creation and innovative thinking.
"In late 2010, I wanted to create a short film featuring a ballerina or some kind of dancer. This idea shifted my attention to the world of dance. After watching Minnesota Renaissance Festival Belly Dancers and many hours of YouTube, I came across dancers, Zoe Jakes, Rachel Brice, and Sonia Burns. I was awestruck by their serpentine movements. This resonated with me on such a deep level." -Dom Locke
DANCE BACKGROUND
In 2011, Dom Locke took her first class in Raqs Sharqi (Dance of the Middle East, aka Bellydance). In 2018, she began formally training in Transcultural Fusion Dance (formally known as Tribal Fusion Bellydance), a fusion dance form inspired by dances of the MENATH Regions (Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Hellenistic cultures).
In 2019, she began performing around Minnesota, writing choreographies, curating her costumes, and molding her style as a solo artist.
Due to the global pandemic in 2020, she started filming home performance videos in order to keep developing her portfolio. She continues to challenge herself by studying remotely with master Fusion Dancers from all around the globe.
“ I really want to see the way I hear sound and music. ”
-Dom Locke
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a Fusion Dancer, I create performance art. I really want to see the way I hear sound and music.
When I first approach a project, my process starts with visualization. I hear music and it creates an atmosphere and a setting within my mind. This inspires me to treat my performances like photographs. The music, scenery, costuming, and the audience's perspective are just as important to me as the dance itself. Dancer and jewelry artist, Masha Archer took the words right out of my mouth when she described performance, “You’re designing something to see, like a picture, a picture in motion with music.”
Dance and music are equals in my mind. It is my duty to embody and interpret the music through movement and motion. My style involves pop and lock isolations from Hip Hop along with showcasing spinal flexibility through backbends, undulations, and hip isolations from Transnational Fusion Dance. Flexibility, fascia, and muscle control work together to give my movements that slow, serpentine-like aesthetic.
- 2022 Key of Diamonds (Level 1) Certified, Zoe Jakes' DanceCraft (Live Zoom Online)
- 2020 Level 1 Certified, Olga Meos 12 Hour Dance Program Intensive (Live Zoom Online)
- 2019 Level 1 Certified Initiate, Deb Rubin's Dance Therapeutics (Minnesota, USA) 18.5 hours of in-depth study with Deb Rubin, MA, CMT, RYT
- 2021-Present Guild Member, Guild of Middle Eastern Dance (Minnesota, USA)
- 2019-Present Member, A Conspiracy of Strange Girls (Minnesota, USA) Arts Collective