Eleni Loving makes the action unfold like magic. Dancing percussion by Twyla Tharp fugue (1970/2024) With Gibney, she captured the work’s ethereal grounding with musical precision and deadpan delivery. In Jermaine Spivey and Spencer Tyberg remainsshe is a puppet who has cut her own strings, her gestures precisely calibrated and entirely in the moment, both cerebral and instinctive. Like a master magician, she directs her attention exactly where she wants it, while always maintaining a sense of spontaneity, naturalness, and discovery.
company: free dancer
age: twenty four
hometown: Arlington, Texas
train: Black Dance Academy of Dallas, Fort Worth School of Fine Arts, Mejia Ballet International, Geralyn Del Corso Dance Co, Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Arts, The Juilliard School (B.A. Dance)
honor: 2022 Princess Grace Award Honoraria, 2018 YoungArts Finalist
My own harshest critic: In her early days at Juilliard, Loving’s tendency toward self-criticism was “so intense that it was debilitating,” she said. She credits her teachers Risa Steinberg, Taryn Kaschock Russell and Francesca Harper for noticing what she was going through before it hindered her career. “In their own, more maternal way, they grabbed me by the shoulders and said, ‘Cheer up.'” “
Take action now: Loewen joined the Gibney Company a month before graduating from Juilliard, dividing her time between John Inge’s rehearsals. Bliss and complete her degree.
Sing: Spivey & Seberg 2024 premiere remainsLoving was asked to sing a solo at the end of the piece. “The voice is a muscle just like your calves or delts,” she said, describing how the dance duo “use it as another part of the body.” She took vocal classes at Juilliard and recalled the end-of-year performance: “I had never been so scared in my life. I was shaking. Expanding that skill set remains “Forced me to do a lot of exploration to find the end of my voice.”
Falling into depression: Love has reached a point, she says, where she has learned to see setbacks as “a good thing.” “It’s frustrating to know that I now need a different tool to work further. It’s not necessarily the end; it’s just a matter of getting the right information to solve the problem.
Always question: “Eleni is a thoughtful artist,” said Gilbert T. Small II, a director at Gibney, who described her approach as both cerebral and beautiful. A sense of indulgence. “She constantly comes up with outside-the-box ideas that breathe new life into her dance.”
Process-oriented: Love is energized by the research and discoveries that take place in the studio, whether on her own or with colleagues. “I love asking questions,” she said. This interest may lead her to a career in dance teaching, “It’s all about the issues and you get perspective from other people.”
Check into the McKittrick Hotel: Love joined the cast earlier this year no more sleep This is part of the final act of the legendary immersive show. “It really expanded my thinking,” she said. “Intention is the most important thing because it’s a dance theater show, so you can express a lot through movement.” She chose to leave Gibney in August and plans to pursue a freelance career afterward. no more sleep closure.
Everyone: Outside of the studio, Loving prioritizes spending quality time with friends and community. “Whenever I get lost, they remind me of who I am,” she said. “The dance industry can be really isolating at times. It can be really refreshing just to get an alternative lifestyle. Seeing the people I love, no matter what we’re doing, is what I love.
