JODI NETZER: Biography + Awards/Grants

JODI NETZER is a multi-faceted freelance Graphic Designer, Performing Artist (Dance, Theatre, Stilt-Dancing, Puppetry & Masks, Installation Performance), Video Artist and Editor, Sound Collagist, Poet, and Visual Artist. A graduate of Philadelphia's Drexel University in 1997, Jodi has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Graphic Design with a double concentration in Film & Video and Theatre. With her many skills and talents, she often combines several mediums in her work.

Jodi is the Director / Facilitator for The Conscious Collective, a participatory project-to-project performance group comprised of mixed level of performance experience. All performances include an interactive audience feedback, dialogue and/or workshop session.

In both solo and group projects, she works with themes of interconnectivity, holistic health and well-being, environmental issues, socio-political awareness and arts advocacy — utilizing the arts as creative communication and expression for cultural development and intellectual enhancement.

As part of Jodi's many endeavors, she was the Founder, Artistic Director, Programmer, and Featured Artist for The Bumpin' Big Top, a circus that ran for 2 years during the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Graphic design credits include Art Director of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Book Designer for Whirlwind Press, and Graphic Designer for many other artists, non-profits, and other businesses. Video credits include creating projections for Group Motion Dance Company and a Dance Film presented in Dance Boom!. Jodi has worked with Spiral Q Puppet Theatre and Bread & Puppet in addition to touring nationwide with puppet shows. She also was the lead organizer of the famous large puppet-making warehouse that was preemptively shut down during the 2000 Republican National Convention demonstrations.

Jodi has an eclectic improvisational dance theater movement style that closely resembles Butoh with Modern and African dance influences. She has taken workshops from many national and international performing artists. Jodi also teaches workshops in Butoh, Viewpoints, puppetry, and stilt-dancing.

Jodi Netzer often collaborates with her partner Michael B. Schwartz (murals, painting, drawing, arts education, community arts organizing) on local and national projects, workshops and presentations.