Samuel Hobbs is a mixed-Latinx presenter, educator, and multidisciplinary artist creating interdisciplinary works at the intersections of Dance, Art, Film and Music. Named an Oregon Performing Arts Fellow of 2023, Samuel’s sonochoreographic works have performed both internationally and nationally since 2014, while teaching contemporary movement and partnering since 2008. Samuel also shares their passion for form through the lens of photography and videography with artists, organizations, and cities in Washington, Oregon, and California.

As a dance maker, Samuel’s artistic process draws from themes influenced from Dreamtime (meditation and unconscious dreams), and the fascination with athletic forms. Intermixing musical composition and movement due to the experience of synesthesia—hearing movement and seeing sound—Samuel finds “a sweet spot between the musical composition and the movement concepts” (Oregon ArtsWatch). Notable commissions and projects include working with the Oregon Ballet Theatre and the Portland Symphonic Choir, amongst other commissions with companies, universities, and artists in the Pacific Northwest.

Samuel’s movement practice incorporates their training in athletics and dance (Track, Swimming, Martial Arts, and West African, Street, Contemporary Dance, and Ballet), and integrates their background in Osteopathy to create the somatic movement method called Visceral Movement Theory™ (VMT). VMT is the backbone of Samuel’s signature movement-partnering style, training, and education.

As an arts advocate, Samuel collaborates with various stakeholders in the arts to generate abundance-thinking that centers service and reframes leadership as a collective effort. In addition to their mentorship and equity work with organizations and developing artists, Samuel currently serves as an equity and service consultant for several arts organizations and foundations, and serves as the Artistic Director of push/FOLD and the Union PDX - Festival of Contemporary Dance, commissioning and presenting artists worldwide.

I am informed by my synesthetic perception of sound and movement in space, where sound and forms merge and interplay in my creative process, I wield abstract storytelling to craft deep moodscapes and probe the complexities of identity, community, self, and gender dynamics. Creation and service are the vehicles and vision for my work, which center around the themes of Community, Power, and Identity. I am a biracial-Latine and plural-gendered artist. Dichotomy is an essential element in my artistic expression.

Sonochoreography is a combination of "sono," relating to sound, and "choreography," which refers to the design or sequence of movement. This made-up word describes an inseparable spatial interplay, where sound and movement are not merely accompaniments, but co-creators of a physical experience.

In creation, sonochoreography is my creative root, pulled from synesthetic dreamscapes. Every pulse of music or the subtle textures of ambient noise manifests in physical form paired with audible harmonies made by limbs and momentum. I work to sculpt sensations generating each other, blending the senses into a singular, immersive experience—a dynamic, living exchange that transforms how we experience performance. This dynamic process reveals a deep physicality of creation, inviting audiences to experience a singular cohesive expression inside of our senses.

Visceral Movement Theory™

Visceral Movement Theory is my unique somatic movement method blending athletics—Track, Swimming, and Martial Arts—with the the precision of Ballet and the fluidity of Contemporary Dance, using visceral biomechanics to amplify human power in art, athletics, and performance.

I am a multidisciplinary artist creating interdisciplinary work. I seek to refine the messages of our bodies to find grace and make change. I am a lover of the human form in both design and potential, fascinated by the honesty and power conveyed by simple gestures. My practice encompasses composing music, choreographing dance, teaching, paint, sculpture, films, providing manual therapy, and programming computers. I am committed to developing Dance, Art, and movement education that centers around the concepts of Strength and Power.

Informed by my synesthetic perception of sound and movement in space, where sound and forms merge and interplay in my creative process, I wield abstract storytelling to craft deep moodscapes and probe the complexities of identity, community, self, and gender dynamics. As a biracial-Latinx and plural-gendered artist, dichotomy plays a central role in my expression, reflecting a constant negotiation between different identities and physical forms. Creating abstraction and inviting personal interpretation are central to my artistic process.

For me, achieving “Art” means creating transcendence—the unification of disparate elements to convey a powerful message through abstraction, which can be individually decoded and interpreted to foster change. As humans, we have a responsibility to uplift our communities. If a specific sound or movement can inspire someone to think differently, even once, we can change the world. It is our duty, and I wish it to be my Art.

I began composing and choreographing professionally in 2014, having works performed locally in festivals, and self-produced events. I founded my company push/FOLD in August of 2016 our of the necessity to bolster my voice and efforts as an artist and advocate, making our debut in 2018. As a response to limited opportunities for dancers and artists in our city and to share resources, cross pollinate artistic influences, and build generative opportunities for my colleagues, I launched the Union PDX - Festival of Contemporary Dance in 2019. I used 2020 as a time to strengthen myself as a change-maker.

In developing my work, I seek to identify barriers to success built within systems, and create Story and Change through my Art. I envision communities that generate sustainability because Education and platform resources are proximal, local, and diverse. I want Access and Proximity to Opportunity evenly spread across our communities so that income, location, education, culture, and identity are access points for artists, not barriers. I seek generative relationships, commissions, mentorships, and professional opportunities to elevate my capacity to serve my community as an artist, educator, and advocate.