Lida Winfield is an innovative and accomplished dancer, choreographer, spoken word artist and educator. She cares about creating work that directly influences change, merging storytelling, dance and visual art to create captivating and poignant performances. Lida has traveled nationally and internationally working with diverse populations in conventional and unconventional settings. She considers her artistic practice inextricably linked to her role as an educator and is dedicated to using the performing arts as a tool to move herself and others forward intellectually, developmentally, spiritually and socially. Lida’s solo show, In Search of Air: Growing up Dyslexic, shares the gifts and heartache that accompanied Lida’s struggle to learn to read as an adult. The show provides a platform from which to lead discussions and workshops centered on issues of disability, access, education, arts integration, kinesthetic learning and the value of the arts, bringing her to countless communities. Lida has taught and performed in a variety of places, including Roger Williams University, National Dance Association Conference, Skidmore College, the Bates Dance Festival and Habla: The Center for Language and Culture in Mexico. Lida studied at The School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam and earned an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, VT. Lida is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Middlebury College, VT, and is in the process of creating her newest work, IMAGINARY. Project Description: Mixing dance/theater, storytelling, lighting design and original music, Lida Winfield collaborates with performers Laurel Jenkins, Ellen Smith Ahern, Maree ReMalia and Joseph Hall on IMAGINARY, a quirky, innovative yet socially poignant performance that explores perception in relationship to the imagination. IMAGINARY investigates the impact of the imagination and its interplay between social and cultural constructs. IMAGINARY playfully and directly challenges our expectations and perceptions of ourselves, others and our world. At a time where fearmongering about “the other” is at its peak, exploring our perceptions around identity is critical. Creativity, community and strong voices are deeply needed at this time of division, fear and misinformation. IMAGINARY investigates our real and imagined perceptions of each other and the impact these impressions have. What do we have in common? How are we different from each other? How does imagination contribute to our fears? The goal is to make a thoughtful, socially active, innovative performance that engages both the audience and the performers in a cultural commentary. This interdisciplinary full-length performance has received the National Performance Network's Creation and Development Support in partnership with The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, Middlebury College, and The Yard. It premiered at The Flynn Center in February of 2018. Both In Search of Air and IMAGINARY have flexibility regarding technical support, venue and compensation.