Movers & Shapers: Staycee Pearl

Staycee Pearl is the co-artistic director of PearlArts Studios and STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos (SPdp&SS), where she creates artful experiences through dance-centered multimedia works in collaboration with her husband and artistic collaborator, Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl. In 2010, SPdp&SS debuted at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, and served as the theater’s resident dance company for three years. The Pearls proudly opened their dance/art/sound space, PearlArts Studios, in April of 2012. Since, the duo has produced several works including ..on being…, OCTAVIA, and FLOWERZ. They are both passionate about sharing resources and creating opportunities for the arts community and has initiated project-generating programs including the Charrette Series, the In The Studio Series, and the PearlDiving Movement Residency. Staycee has exhibited visual art works in exhibitions curated for SPACE Gallery, Fe Gallery, and The August Wilson Center and is responsible for the choreography of many musicals and operas presented throughout Pittsburgh between 2004 and 2018 including In “The Heights” for the University of Pittsburgh, Drama Department, Nathan Davis’ “Just Above My Head”, and the Alumni Theater Company in “Rent”. SPdp&SS recently toured Italy and New York with their work-in-progress showing of CIRCLES: Black-Grrlness on repeat in early 2020, and in the Summer of 2019, premiered both “sym” and “sol.” at their very first pearlPRESENTS Dance Festival. The festival featured works in collaboration with Island Moving Company (IMC) of Newport R.I., and Sidra Bell Dance New York (SBDNY)