About Us

We Believe
~ Hands-on professional development opportunities empower teaching artists, educators, and administrators of all levels.
~Teaching artists and educators can learn skills and strategies to build successful partnerships, catalyze communities, and create transformational experiences through the arts.
~ In celebrating and uplifting diverse voices.
~ In learning from and with one another.
Our core tenets include
Active engagement, experiential learning, collaboration, and reflection.

About Us:

Gowri Savoor

Gowri Savoor is a visual-teaching artist, whose practice includes sculpture, illustration, and writing. Born in England, she moved to the US in 2007. Savoor has been a practicing teaching artist for over 20 years, with experience in arts integration and community building. She has partnered with multiple organizations in the UK and across the US, including Community Engagement Lab (VT), Lincoln Center Education (NY), The Learning Alliance (FL), and ITAC—the International Teaching Artist Collaborative. Savoor is the founder of A River of Light, an organization committed to bringing art to the community through participatory art events, parades, and installations.

Heather Bryce

Heather Bryce is a teaching artist, choreographer, and the artistic director of Bryce Dance Company.
Bryce has expertise in working with people of all ages including populations often under-represented in the arts such as older adults, students who have disabilities, and people living with dementia. Bryce has over 20 years of experience as a teaching artist and educator.
She currently works as a teaching artist for organizations including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lincoln Center Education, Durham Arts Council, and The Center for Arts Education. She holds her M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College.

www.gowrisavoor.com/

www.brycedancecompany.com/

Our Story:

Gowri and Heather met in 2014 while working for the Community Engagement Lab, VT, under the direction of Paul Gambill and Eric Booth. Gowri and Heather connected around a shared understanding of what teaching artistry can do in communities, and an interest in providing high quality professional development opportunities for teaching artists and educators of all levels. The two always dreamed about collaborating, so when they both serendipitously landed in North Carolina in 2020, they began developing Teaching Artists Connect.

Heather appreciates Gowri’s thoughtfulness, her giving spirit, and patience. Gowri is dedicated to the field of teaching artistry and in bringing arts to communities in new and innovative ways.
Gowri admires Heather’s tenacity and graciousness. Heather brings the joy of dance to new audiences and touches many lives through her commitment to working with older adults and people who have disabilities.

Fun facts:
Heather once worked as a security guard
Gowri has a black belt in Chinese kickboxing (but please don’t ask her to do a spinning back kick!)

Colleagues, Community Engagement Lab, Vermont

Bryce Dance Company, photo courtesy of Matt Hogan