Born in Alameda in 1991, Jerron Herman found his home in the arts from an early age. Exploring drama, writing, and self-expression were vital for him. His artistic life took shape in New York City, training in playwriting at NYU and New Victoria Theater and completing a degree in Media, Culture, and Art from Kings College.
Photo by Maria Baranova.
Herman’s multifaceted interdisciplinary approach led him to work with a variety of institutions such as Lincoln Center, Whitney Museum, and Danspace Project. Herman was recently named Artist-in-Residence at the National Dance Institute (NDI), where he will create original work, choreographing for dancers in the DREAM Project (Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts & Movement).
The National Dance Institute is an arts education organization that seeks to instill dance as a necessary component of education and use art expression to build connection and self exploration. Previously, Herman’s work focused on solo performances, but the DREAM Project allows him to expand the reach of his artistry by setting choreography for student companies.
DREAM Project group, with Jerron (in the middle) next to NDI Artistic Director Kay Gayne. Photo by Eduarto Patino.
Herman, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a very young age, focuses on moving away from mimicry and emphasizing quality of movement and mechanics to initiate ideas and support collaboration. DREAM week will be in mid-February, when 10 to 15 dancers will attend after-school sessions led by Herman. Their work will include peer dancing, which partners a dancer with a disability and a non-disabled dancer.
Herman said he hopes this project will expand his artistic voice, diversify his catalog of work, and contribute to his legacy of pushing boundaries and defying expectations. He was attracted to the DREAM Project as it provides an opportunity for him to be at the forefront of the shift in accessibility in dance. His work will focus on facilitating spaces for all dancers.
When creating choreography, Herman likes to begin with text, even a single word or phrase as a grounding or North Star, he told the Alameda Post. An example of this is his piece “LAX,” a performance piece investigating relaxation and peace. Another example is “PEACE,” the content of which explores the attraction of peace out of regulation, the expanding contagion of peace, and finding peace in chaos. According to Herman, his favorite part of the creative process is just after the initial teaching of his choreography. It is the moment when his vision has transferred from his head onto the bodies of other dancers. His ideas become manifested as ephemera in the movements of others.
Photo by Liz Ligon.
Herman offers some advice to aspiring choreographers: Find your place, position yourself as a new voice, and find your context—how your ideas matter in this moment.
While his work has kept him in New York, Herman recognizes some early influences from his time in Alameda as vital to shaping him as an artist and finding his voice. At Franklin Elementary School, there were two teachers in particular whose impact he still feels. Patricia Andrews influenced him as an artist, drawing him to text and images. He distinctly remembers a black-and-white line drawing from Lord of the Flies, and the eyes of the boy coming through the brush, the mystery of it all. His experiences in her classroom laid the foundation for his passion for storytelling, and she was one of the first to encourage him to pursue writing at Columbia University in New York.
Photo by Mengwen Cao.
Additionally, he mentioned Darlene Norman, his fifth grade teacher and his first Black teacher. As Herman put it, “She gave me the gift of seeing me. She saw my strengths, my endurance, and made me see it, too.”
When asked about his journey both as an artist and from Alameda to New York, Herman had just one word to offer: “Grateful.”
You can watch a sample of Jerron Herman dancing on YouTube. To follow his artistic journey, visit his website.
Kelly Rogers Flynt contributes reviews of theatrical productions and feature articles to the Alameda Post. Reach her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Kelly-Rogers-Flynt.