Chloe Napoletano
Chloe Napoletano is a Columbus, Ohio based dancer, teacher, choreographer, art administrator, and community dance practitioner. In 2017, Chloe received her BFA in dance from The Ohio State University. She specializes in teaching older adult populations. She co-directs Columbus Dance for Parkinson’s, a community dance program that provides bi-weekly movement classes specifically designed for individuals with Parkinson’s. She teaches weekly classes at BalletMet and Flux + Flow Movement Center. She is a lead teacher for In Motion: Movement Classes for Adults Over 50. She also teaches contemporary dance for Columbus State Community College. Chloe is the Advanced Team Coordinator and an Assistant Teacher for Momentum-Excellence, a dance outreach organization that uses dance, music, and performance to put children on a path towards leading successful lives. She also works for the Learning Department at The Columbus Museum of Art providing educational experiences for CMA visitors. She has been collaborating and performing with SeaBus Dance Company since 2017. Chloe has performed with SeaBus at many venues including the Columbus Arts Festival and the Columbus Museum of Art. Chloe also co-choreographs, co-produces, and performs in original dance pieces with her artistic partner Hana Newfeld. Their work has been performed at The Wexner Center for the Arts and the OhioDance Festival Concert in Columbus, OH.
We are thrilled to feature Chloe as our Community Spotlight artist this month, and to share a deeper dive into her creative impact on the Columbus dance and performance community. We posed some questions, and here is what she had to say:
Q: How would you describe your art?
A: My art is created in collaboration with others and takes different shapes depending on who I am creating with. A through-line in my work no matter the collaborators is a reliance on personal stories and memories. I feel that personal experience often holds universal truths about love, resilience, relationships, and loss that help viewers connect with my work. I also have a tendency to lean into the fantastic or absurd. So though my work may be seeded or rooted in real life experience, I often include elements of fantasy or make-believe.
Photo Credit: Brian Kaiser
Image Description: Color image of Hana Newfeld and Chloe Napoletano (right to left) stand-ing on a concrete floor and bending forward at the waist with Hana supported on Chloe’s back. The are wearing gold and black colored dresses, respectively, and positioned in front of a wall of plate glass windows revealing a city skyline in the background.
Q: What has your experience been making art in the Columbus dance community?
A: I have had the pleasure of making art for several different festivals and showcases in Columbus. Much of my art making is done with my creative partner, Hana Newfeld. We use a balance of careful tenderness and wrecking carelessness to create work that is sharp in wit, empathy, and humor. We create on a project basis - if we see a performance opportunity that feels like a good fit, we will apply with an existing dance or create something new. As I continue participating in these local performances, I see many of the same faces from show to show. I love this familiarity that has formed between performers; as if we are “in this together”.
I make art with a collective in Columbus called SeaBus Dance. Directed by Josh Hines and Kelly Hurburt, the collective is interested in research, improvisation, and performing together. Seabus has forged a different performance path. Though we do apply to festivals/showcases from time to time, creating our own performance opportunities has proved most useful for us. So we will write grants, rehearse, market, and produce our own shows. It is a labor of love for sure but provides us the most creative freedom.
Q: We love that you dance with older adults in Columbus. What are your desires/dreams/goals for increasing visibility and access for this community of dancers?
A: I dream of normalizing older bodies on stage. I feel that there is often an “awww” mentality when audiences see older dancers. But there is rigor, deep embodiment, and plenty of research that goes into these performances. It’s not that I desire for age to not be seen or ignored by the audience, but I think I want it to be seen on stage so often, that it becomes commonplace.
Image Description: Color image of Chloe Napoletano sitting and playfully posing for a photo with InMotion. There are six other InMotion company dancers smiling and laughing together in this image.
There are many dance classes for older adults in Columbus that take place in community centers, studios, and social clubs. Given that all these classes exist, the challenge I see is access for folk who don’t drive or who can’t afford class. So I believe increasing access to dance for older adults in Columbus takes money, time, and conscious effort. Sarah Levitt has paved the way for accessible contemporary dance for older adults in Columbus in recent years. She has a beautiful model that works: create a dance class, make this class affordable and accessible, build community and friendship between members, create performance opportunities for participants.
Q: How do you translate this boundary (between your work with disabled and marginalized dancing communities and your own creative output) through the medium of your body?
There is this Dance Exchange mantra that I am paraphrasing but it goes something like “if you are more (insert class participant name here), I can be more Chloe”. Basically, I am going to bring my fullest dancing self to this activity, and I expect you to do the same. I made a decision years ago to never simplify my own improvised or choreographic choices when working with older adults or people with disabilities.
That being said, there are often physical realities that exist that need addressed. If I am facilitating class or rehearsal, I offer options and try not layer hierarchy onto these options. Seated dance is as valuable as standing dance - and I truly believe that.
Photo Credit: Hana Newfeld
Image Description: Color image of Chloe Napoletano facilitating a class with Columbus Dance for Parkinson’s with hands reaching across the frame from the right and left side to join hands in the middle of the frame. There are 10 total dancers that can be identified participating in this dance experience.
Though I strive to be a better facilitator each day, I am not perfect and neither is my class ethos. A few months ago, I was leading a class and had an experience that led me to feel that the group saw me as the only model for “good” dancing. Since then, I have included much more participant lead demonstrating and sharing. This kind of leadership sharing is another way I aim to dissolve the boundary between my own creative output and the creative output of those I dance with.
Q: What other Columbus based artists are you inspired by right now?
A: I am inspired always by the work of my friends - Megan Davis Bushway, Josh Hines, Kelly Hurlburt, Sarah Levitt, Hana Newfeld, and Gabby Stefura. I am also inspired by Donald Isom and the work he does in Columbus. He’s on Instagram @mrdisom and Youtube @Donald Isom.
I love the Columbus band, Snarls. They put out a GREAT album last year called Burst. They are on Instagram @snarlsband. Sydney McSweeny is a wonderful Columbus artist. She is a model for art done right during the pandemic. I attended one of her backyard performances early this fall and had the best time. Find her on Instagram @sydmcsweeney.
If you are interested in learning more about or supporting Chloe’s ongoing work you can check out her personal website, follow her work with Columbus Dance for Parkinson's by visiting their website highlighting carefully crafted movement, promoting increased strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance specially designed for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's, or donate via Venmo @chloenapoletano.