STEWART/OWEN DANCE 

produces original dance, music, film, and educational programming. 
 

Based in Western North Carolina, our projects aim to engage diverse audiences and take creative and physical risks, while preserving a connection to the roots of classical ballet and modern dance.  Assembled through collaborative research and structured improvisation; our physical language combines timeless elegance with tenacious grit, whimsical theatricality, keen attention to detail and sense of abandon. We strive to produce work that is accessible to a broad viewership, from newcomers to dance enthusiasts. Stewart/Owen Dance is committed to paying professional artists for their work, and is devoted to raising awareness toward the importance of high quality performing arts.​

GAVIN STEWART and VANESSA OWEN (co-founders, choreographers)

Gavin Stewart and Vanessa Owen co-founded Stewart/Owen Dance in 2012. 

Their choreographic collaborations have been presented by the McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival, Malayawork’s Intersections, YES! Dance Virginia, Velocity DC Festival, Outlet Dance Project, CHOP SHOP Contemporary Dance Festival, Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, Shenandoah University Conservatory, Richmond Dance Festival, the Dance Gallery Festival NYC, Charlotte Dance Festival, Stavna Ballet and Company E.  Stewart/Owen Dance won the Audience Choice Award in the 2018 NYC Dance Gallery Festival, and they are Level UP Artists for 2019.

As artists with Company E, Vanessa and Gavin performed regularly at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and worked extensively

through the State Department touring as Cultural Ambassadors. These tours took them to Kazakhstan, Sweden, Turkmenistan, Russia, Cuba, Israel, Palestine, Azerbaijan, China, and Uruguay wherethey taught, performed, and choreographed contemporary dance and musical theater productions.  Their work abroad has influenced Gavin and Vanessa to view dance as a universal language that can connect people across different cultures and beliefs, and they use this as a driving force in their creative collaborations and educational programs.