Denver, Colorado

Ancestral land of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples

Denver hosts an intimate art community. Gussman’s training began at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and Denver School of the Arts where she was exposed to a diverse arrangement of international artists and companies from a young age. Her education and upbringing nurtured an awareness of the dance community and its involvement within Denver. This environment nurtured a larger vision for herself and her work from a young age. The region’s expansive landscape adds a multitude of different inspirations for HOLDTIGHT’s work; in Denver, there is more literal space to create as well as more spiritual space due to the ability to connect deeply with nature. The slower and more conductive pace of life fosters deep creative dives for Gussman and the company’s many collaborators.

Catalog of Denver Works

  • when the blossom passes, what remains?

    when the blossom passes, what remains? is HOLDTIGHT’s latest site-specific performance piece. This work considers how humans can better live in holistic balance with the earth by tuning in and tending to our own and collective bodies.

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  • What Distracts You?

    What Distracts You? dissects the nature of distraction as both a form of escapism and a method of meditation. There is no limit to what can sidetrack, confuse, and even overwhelm us. We often seek out distractions to divert our attention from more pressing matters.

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  • Why Believe?

    Why Believe? delves into a myriad of questions and feelings surrounding belief, religion, afterlife, spirit and soul. When does belief divide us and when does it bring us together? In today’s world as well as many other times in our history, it can seem that beliefs do more dividing than bringing together. Why Believe? explores what it means to believe in something, what it feels like to lose faith, and if the act of believing even matters at all.

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  • What does it feel like to grow up?

    What does it mean to take responsibility, to fulfill expectations, and to feel disillusionment? How does this vast range of joys and struggles manifest itself within us? Is there ever a point when we stop growing up? What does it feel like to grow up? invites the audience to ponder these sorts of questions throughout the show while experiencing each performer’s inner world and perspective.

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  • What does it feel like to fall in love?

    What does it feel like to fall in love? is an interdisciplinary performance combining dance, live music, theater, visual arts, and projection design paired with chocolates and cocktails.

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Denver Partners and Affiliates

The Rino Arts District
The Olympic Auditorium Complex
Washington Park United Methodist Church
Fleming Mansion, Dept. of Parks and Recreation
Humboldt Street Historic District, Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
MOVE! Arts Space, Lakewood, Colorado
Control Group Productions