Velocity Announces New Executive Director Catherine Nueva España

Velocity Dance Center is proud and honored to welcome Catherine Nueva España as our new Executive Director. Nueva España comes to Velocity most recently after serving as the Program Manager for Arts and Development at 501 Commons, where she consulted with arts and other non-profit organizations to increase their organizational capacity. Starting on February 19, she will bring to Velocity a multi-faceted performing arts background as a dancer, actor, and teacher, and nearly 20 years' experience in leadership teams, business operations and development, and consulting for non-profit organizations and for-profit firms in New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

"For over twenty years, Velocity has served as the heart and soul of the contemporary dance community in Seattle. I am honored and excited to steward that vision and to continue to foster a space for all movers, dancers, and art-lovers to learn, play, work, develop, and present. I also hope to continue collaborating with the many arts and cultural organizations in the area who have been integral to our growth. Working together, we can continue to foster and amplify the work of our artists, engage meaningfully with our diverse audiences, and promote a culture of equity, solidarity, and creativity." -Catherine Nueva España, incoming Executive Director, Velocity Dance Center

Velocity's board and staff were immediately struck by Nueva España's impressive history building strong, sustainable business practices for a wide variety of arts organizations and non-profits. Highlights of her career include helping to launch - and grow - the US presence of the London-headquartered environmental design firm Atelier Ten, managing office operations for the New York office, and later on, helping to establish offices in New Haven, Baltimore, and San Francisco where she also managed operations and business development. As Managing Director at MEDIATE Art Group, producers of the Soundwave sound art festival in the San Francisco Bay Area, she developed operations processes and worked closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to increase program revenue and individual donor donations. These experiences coordinating with artists, designers, and administrators to grow and stabilize different kinds of arts non-profits have shaped Nueva España's vision for Velocity moving forward, and manifest in her collaborative, team-oriented, mentorship approach to arts management.

Perhaps even more impressive than Nueva España's extensive background as a non-profit arts leader is her education in and passion for contemporary dance, and her genuine investment in supporting the needs of Seattle's diverse arts communities. From her early days teaching contemporary dance and choreography to local middle and high school students in her hometown of Eastchester, NY to pursuing her MA in Dance Studies from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, to studying and performing contemporary dance with artists like Sabrina Peck, Nueva España's passion clearly lies in making, learning about, and investing in dance. Since moving to Seattle, she has relentlessly supported local arts communities by serving as a grants panelist for the Washington State Arts Commission, a focus group facilitator for the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and a board member of Khambatta Dance Company/Seattle International Dance Festival.

It is Nueva España's evident love and intimate knowledge of Seattle dance combined with her ability to strengthen and invigorate arts non-profits organizations that make her such a perfect leader for Velocity at this pivotal moment in our growth. Nueva España will use her experience and values to build on the successes and strengths of Velocity as a hub for contemporary dance and to continue to steward a space where staff as well as teachers, artists, and dance enthusiasts can participate and contribute meaningfully.

We can't wait for you to meet her, so stop by the office on February 19, introduce yourself, and help us welcome Catherine as the newest member of Velocity's team!

Catherine Nueva España (incoming Executive Director) brings to Velocity Dance Center a multi-faceted performing arts background as a dancer, actor, and teacher, and her nearly 20 years' experience in leadership teams, business operations and development, and consulting for non-profit organizations and for-profit firms in New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

While in New York City, she worked for the design competition phase of the redevelopment project of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a ten-year effort to renovate and redesign the campus. In the San Francisco Bay Area, she worked as a consultant to a variety of arts and design organizations, including Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), Intersection for the Arts, and American Institute of Architects San Francisco (AIASF).

Additional highlights of Catherine's career include helping to launch - and grow - the US presence of the London-headquartered environmental design firm Atelier Ten, managing office operations for the New York office, and later on, helping to establish offices in New Haven, Baltimore, and San Francisco where she also managed operations and business development. As Managing Director at MEDIATE Art Group, producers of the Soundwave sound art festival in the San Francisco Bay Area, she developed operations processes and worked closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to increase program revenue and individual donor donations.

In Seattle, Catherine has supported the arts community by serving as a grants panelist for the Washington State Arts Commission and as a focus group facilitator for the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. She currently serves on the board of Khambatta Dance Company/Seattle International Dance Festival and as a King Street Station Advisor. She was most recently the Program Manager for Arts and Development at 501 Commons, where she consulted with arts and other non-profit organizations to increase their organizational capacity.

Catherine received her classical ballet training at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and her early contemporary dance training from Victoria Marks, Jody Oberfelder, Jane Weiner and Sabrina Peck. Her dancer credits include Interstates (Sabrina Peck) and Newness at Lessness (April Nunes). She received her BA in History and Women's' Studies from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and her MA in Dance Studies from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, UK.

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