About
Bart.Co Dance
About/Mission Statement
Bart.co dance company was founded by Leigha Bartko in 2023. The company is comprised of all women artists. We use personal experiences, political issues, and human rights issues as a source to create reflective work. We strive to create space for women to be heard and seen, especially in the current social climate. Bart.co Dance will continue to make work that highlights women and shares their perspective.
Artistic Director
Leigha Bartko is a New Jersey based dance artist. She's taken many opportunities starting in high school when she attended a performing arts program, East Brunswick Middlesex County Vocational Technical School, under the mentorship of Cleo Mack. She went onto college for a BFA in dance at Temple University, then finished her degree and studies at Rutgers University. During this time, she attended multiple intensives including Rutgers Summer Intensive, Bates Dance Festival, and Mignolo Dance Center Intensives. She also had the chance to work with many artists; John Evans, Ani Javian, Kim Elliot, Katy Pyle, Andre Zachery, Kun-Yang Lin, Anne Parichon, and Barbra Angaline. Leigha was awarded the Margery J.Turner Choreography Award for her senior thesis work “Codes”. They have been able to perform “Codes” and other new pieces all over the tri-state area with many festivals; Spark Theater Festival, KYLD Inhale/Exhale series, Dance New Jersey Show up and Dance, etc. Leigha has a space fellowship with the studio, Washington Rock Dance, for her newest piece “Are You Listening?”. Leigha continues to learn through intensives such as, Gaga Lab, Think Fast with Madi Hicks, and Vim Vigor Dance Intensive. Leigha currently dances, teaches Pilates and choreographs. They are also the artistic Director of a dance company called “Bart.Co Dance”, an all women run company.
Artistic Statement:
My Choreography currently explores the female body and experience, to show how it has served me and others through the years. My work consists of research of women's rights, political and societal issues through the lens of a woman in America. I take my own experiences as well as others’ to make movements that connect to the viewer. For my explorations, I ask questions of myself and peers about their experience with the topic in mind. I take keywords and apply my findings to the work by constructing idiosyncratic movements that respond to the questions I've posed. The dances I create consist of instinctive moves that are raw, going from one unpleasurable position to the next. I want the viewers to see the body work through weird and uncomfortable states to process past experiences. My movement is grounded and has the body sinking to the ground – with bent knees supporting the movement – exerting the most energy through the work. I want to see the body in all of its effort: heavy breathing, body percussion, recklessness, control, articulation through pelvis and spine. I want to be able to see a dancer’s history through the body and the movement it produces.
