About Tianna
Tianna Pourciau Sykes
Dance Educator | Arts Administrator | Choreographer
Tianna Pourciau Sykes is an experienced professional connecting arts, education and community through artistic leadership and administration. She has accumulated years of training and experience in dance, education and arts management, as well as human resources and the operational, managerial and financial aspects of business functions in the arts. Her diverse background and experience make her a high level professional and expert in the field. She is skilled at providing oversight to a wide variety of stakeholders through strategic planning, development and creative problem solving.
As the founder and Executive Artistic Director of Paideia Arts, Tianna was able to utilize her administrative skills, presenting dynamic public arts events, creating community-focused arts education programs, and curating professional dance performances locally and regionally. During her five-year tenure as Director of Dance for the Academy for Performing and Visual Arts of the Rockdale County school system in Georgia, she developed both the middle and high school dance programs, and was integral in establishing the first of its kind in the Conyers-Rockdale area. Utilizing her experience and expertise in dance education, she created the program structure and designed the dance curriculum for the county.
Tianna is a dance educator and choreographer with experience spanning 20 years. Throughout her career she has taught various forms of dance to students of all ages, from beginner to professional levels at various schools and arts institutions across the country. As a choreographer, she has created and presented various dance works and productions at the pre-professional and professional level. Her choreographic works have been selected professionally for Drapinski Dance Company's Catharsis Series, Southern Voices Dance Festival, "SHE Created IT" dance festival and tour, the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, the Dance Gathering Houston, and Dance Canvas Atlanta.
As a working artist, dance educator, and arts administrator, Tianna continues to provide her artistic leadership and skillful expertise. She is currently the Artistic Director of NOLA Contemporary Ballet and Chair of the Dance Department at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts where she hopes to continue to make an impact through the development, training and mentoring of young artists. Through every facet of her career, she has cultivated a vision of providing arts programming and services that enhance quality of life and cultural enrichment of people and communities.
Artistic Statement
As an artistic scholar and self-proclaimed renaissance woman of the twenty-first century, I draw inspiration from philosophy, psychology, classic literature and all genres of music. My work often attempts to create a synthesis of all of these things, and is defined by movement that explores modern dance’s grounded and rich texture with ballet’s precision and lift. I hope to convey meaning and connection within the commonality of the human experience by creating thought-provoking, emotionally invested, and physically exhilarating dance works.
