Sydney Donovan
Sydney Donovan is a performer, choreographer, educator, and healer based in Philadelphia. She graduated from the University of The Arts in 2019, receiving her BFA in dance. While at university, Donovan studied the movement language of Gaga under Bobbi Jene Smith. She attended the Jacob’s Pillow Gaga Program led by Bret Easterling and Ohad Naharin. Inspired, she continued her Gaga training at Batsheva Dance Company’s studio in Tel Aviv, Israel. After graduating, Donovan continued working with Uarts as a rehearsal director for Bobbi Jene Smith’s Peoples Faces (2019), Annie Rigney’s Étude for Elbow (2020), and in 2022, she co-directed with Paul Matteson to re-stage his work When/ My/ Love/ Is/ Away? (2018). In 2023, she guest choreographed at Uarts where she premiered her work Thy Spirit like Thy Flesh (2023). As a freelancer, Donovan has performed with Opera Philadelphia in Turandot (2016) choreographed by Renaud Doucet and Semele (2019) choreographed by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano. In 2024, she became Principal Dancer with Opera Philadelphia through her role as the coyote in The Listeners (2023) choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly. She collaborated with Paul Matteson in his work How Many Times (2020); performed in Lilach Orenstein’s She Will Come on Her Own (2021) featured in Dance Magazine and Zoe Scofield’s Princess Grace award winning work The Other Shore (2021). She participated in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival performing in Hillary Pearson’s HAIR (2022) and Susan Marshall’s Rhythm Bath (2023). In Scotland, she performed Fruit of Her Lips (2024) choreographed by Wally Carbonell as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Donovan was movement director of the creative film agency, Wear Your Feelings (2019-2022). She also collaborated with Brandon Graf on a durational film The Poets Divination (2021). Donovan was a 2022 Artist in Residence at MOtiVE Brooklyn where she developed and performed her solo The Many in One are Mingled (2022). Recently, she choreographed an evening length trio titled TRINE, that premiered March of 2024 at The Decon Phl, launching OmenThrice Dance Co. Sydney Donovan is a guest teacher at The University of Pennsylvania as well as a guest choreographer and adjunct dance faculty member at Drexel University.
