COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Collaborating in Community: An Interactive Arts Workshop

Henrietta Public Libary

April 16 | April 27 | May 5 | May 11

Come have a shared experience at the Henrietta Public Library centered around how we build and sustain our communities. Join the professional artists of Kaley Pruitt Dance in a fun, opt in/out workshop where you won’t dance, but instead play games, have conversations, and watch them share short performances created from the interactions with you! This program is offered on four different dates: April 16, April 27, May 5, and May 11 (6:30pm each evening).

This interactive teen and adult program blends playful collaboration with live performance in a relaxed, welcoming environment. Through simple group activities and guided conversation, participants explore themes of connection, teamwork, empathy, and resilience. You are never asked to perform or learn choreography. Instead, your ideas and interactions become inspiration for the artists’ responsive, in-the-moment performances.

The hour flows between playful interaction and live dance created in response to you. As you engage in simple activities and reflection, the artists gather inspiration and transform those interactions into short performances right before your eyes. The setting is casual and community-focused, with participation always opt-in/out, pressure-free, and accessible to all.

Designed for adults and teens, Collaborating in Community invites participants to rediscover the joy of play and experience up-close art shaped by collective input.

This program is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of The Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts.

Register to attend

Project Collaborators

  • Joanna Rodriguez

    Joanna Rodriguez

    COLLABORATOR

    Joanna Rodriguez is a dancer, choreographer, and educator who brings classical ballet and modern dance training—and the lived experience of parenting four children—to her creative work. After training at a pre-professional ballet school in the Chicago suburbs, she earned a B.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography from Hope College in Holland, MI, where she received a Distinguished Artist Award scholarship and the Florence Cavanaugh Award for exceptional achievement in dance. Since relocating to Rochester in 2015 Joanna has presented choreography at the Rochester Fringe Festival, Dances at MuCCC, Rochester Dance Theatre’s Exhilaration, and her first self-produced performance, Goodness Shall Follow. She has performed with Paradigm Shift Dance Company, Commotion Dance Theatre, Ballaro Dance, Coffee Stain Dance Theatre, and at events such as Vision of Sound, Wander & Wonder, and MAD Weekend. In 2025, Joanna received funding to produce her work through the Statewide Community Regrant and Aid to Localities grants through Genesee Valley Council on the Arts. Joanna often integrates live music and narrative elements, seeking to create performances that connect dancers, musicians, and audiences in meaningful and unexpected ways. She is passionate about using dance as a catalyst for connection, imagination, and transformative change. When she’s not dancing, choreographing, or hanging out with her husband and four kids, she can be found at Stilla Dance in Scottsville and The Roost in Rochester teaching dance classes for adults, babies, and everyone in between.

  • Matt McClure

    Matt McClure

    COLLABORATOR

    Matt McClure is a dancer, teaching artist, improviser, and clown in Geneseo, NY. Matt is always wondering, “How can we transform our world through play?” Matt has performed under the direction of Ruben Ornelas, Cat Olson, Jhalak Miller, and Sami L.A. Akuna in cities including Rochester and Honolulu. Matt made his Livingston County choreographic debut in 2025 with a multimodal community performance and Movement and Murals, a site-specific participatory performance exploring movement responses to local murals. Matt has a decade of social partner dance experience and is currently exploring contact improvisation, parkour, and clowning. Matt has taught movement workshops in New York, Hawai’i, California, Illinois, and Korea. The Genesee Valley Council on the Arts has supported his local movement workshops at libraries, elder care facilities, and organizations that work with adults with disabilities. Matt is a certified leader in Laughter Yoga and the multimodal improvisation form of InterPlay. A decade of social partner dancing led him to a Fulbright grant and academic research on gender and social partner dance in Korea. Matt received his BA in French and Comparative Literature from SUNY Geneseo and his MA in Dance from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Follow Matt at @dancewithmatt_ on Instagram

  • Rachel Greene

    Rachel Greene

    COLLABORATOR

    Rachel Greene (she/her) is a contemporary dance artist originally from the Hudson Valley area in New York. She holds a Bachelor's degree in dance from SUNY Brockport where as a student, she performed in faculty and guest artist works, developed a passion for stage management, and honed her choreographic voice through the creation of several original works. Her choreography explores themes of existentialism, absurdism and queer identity and has been presented at the American College Dance Festival, Dances at MuCCC, Atlanta's Fall4Fall dance festival, and commissioned for SUNY Brockport’s New Dancer’s Showcase. Rachel joined Kaley Pruitt Dance in 2025 and also freelances in the Rochester area, frequently performing in the Fringe Festival and at the University of Rochester with Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp.

  • Ryley St. Rose-Finear

    Ryley St. Rose-Finear

    COLLABORATOR

    Ryley is a multi-disciplined artist born and raised in Rochester NY. Past works include: 2026 Art+ Change presenter (University of Rochester), Cassie in Rumors (Blackfriers), Rosamond in Anthology: Volume One (Infinite Sparks Theatre Company), Sunny in Good Goods (SUNY Purchase Repertory Theatre), Amelia in 10 Minute Film (Transparent Projects),  Ruth in Good Goldfish (R.I.T. Student Film), Rebecca in Amerita (Coleman Films), and Professor in The People V Malcolm (Treyscope Films). Ryley would also like to say thank you to their friends and family for their endless love and support.