artistic directors jamey hampton + ashley roland
JAMEY HAMPTON (Artistic Director) was born in Portland, Oregon, where he began his dance training in the burgeoning modern dance scene of the early 1970's. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1976 with a BFA degree in Drama. He joined Pilobolus Dance Theater in 1978, setting off for his first tour to the Indian sub-continent. He was an original member of Momix, and in 1987 co-founded ISO Dance. In 1998, he co-founded BodyVox with Ashley Roland.
Mr. Hampton¹s dance and choreography have taken him around the world, performing throughout Europe, the Far and Middle East, South America, the Caribbean, and throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 1989 he was the recipient of an Emmy award for his performance in the KCET television production "Episodes". In 1998, he co-choreographed and performed in the Academy Awards, and in 2002 won an American Choreography Award for his work in the film series "Modern Daydreams". He has created works for Ballet Pacifica, Portland Opera, the Lille Opera, Oregon Ballet Theater, Ririe/Woodbury Dance Company, Trinity Irish Dance Company, the Pacific Northwest Professional Dance Project, as well as the full length Ballet "Peer Gynt" for the Geneva Opera Ballet.
With BodyVox, Mr. Hampton has worked on the creation of seven full evening works as well as numerous chamber pieces for the company. He choreographs for film and opera, and collaborates on a growing body of still image work. He has provided choreographic opportunities for company members, has collaborated with numerous arts organizations and individuals in Portland and beyond, and with the newly established BodyVox Dance Center looks forward to the collaborative opportunities the Center will facilitate.
A firm believer in community service, Mr. Hampton serves on the board of Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Portland Opera. He is a past board member of Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts, Artists for the Arts, and the Northwest Academy. He organized a gala evening of dance at the Joyce Theater in New York to benefit Amnesty International, and another to benefit the Tibetan Resettlement Project of Connecticut. In December of 2003 he organized an evening of music to benefit the international relief organization Mercy Corps.
An accomplished musician, Mr. Hampton has released two CDs of original music, Throw Caution (2000) and Chasing Daylight (2003). He lives in Portland, Oregon with Ashley Roland and their sons, Bowen and Julian.
photo by: J. Dunham Carter, Polara Studios