Cheri Stokes
Space Grant (Fall 2023)

Cheri L. Stokes, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, received her M.F.A. in Choreography and Performance from The Florida State University in 2017. She received her B.A. in Dance Studies with a K-12 North Carolina Dance Teaching Licensure from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2005. Her performance background spans the genres of West African, Afro-Contemporary, Contemporary and Hip-Hop dance forms. Her choreographic research examines the ways in which facets of social vernacular dance forms, specifically Hip-Hop and Dancehall, have influenced her contemporary practice and art making.

Additionally, Cheri’s expertise includes over ten years of dance education and over five years of arts administration. She has had the pleasure of rehearsal assisting notable choreographers such as Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Okwui Okpokwasili (2016 MANCC Residency in Tallahassee, FL). Presently, Cheri is part of the Urban Bush Women administrative family serving as the Associate Producer of Special Projects.

Cheri has been a guest teaching artist at various institutions including, The Florida State University, Austin Peay State University, Elon University, Western Kentucky University, and the University of Tampa. In the Spring of 2021, Cheri was the recipient of the Stephen Petronio Retreat and Restore dance residency. Excerpts of her latest work, “Da Block” was featured in the MODarts Collective Thread Festival (2021), STooPS Bed-Stuy Annual Art Crawl (2021), and Summerstage at Crotona Park (2022). For more information on Cheri, please visit her website at www.cherilstokes.com