Esther m Palmer is a dance artist and independent scholar currently based in New York City. Her research interests include the presentation and identification of identity as performance, socially accepted forms of gender construction and “obligatory” participation in them, and communication at the intersection of the body and fashion/clothing. She is the founding director of Seen Performance, a performance collective that collaboratively creates cross-disciplinary performance. She is a founding artist of [QuAD], Queens Academy of Arts and Dance and is currently co-producing Women in Motion, an evening of dance celebrating women, as part of the annual Estrogenious festival. Esther holds an MFA in Dance & Technology from The Ohio State University and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (in Dance, Film, & Photography) from the University of Chicago. In Chicago, Esther worked as Collaborating Artist with Mad Shak Dance Company, creating video for several evening length works. She continued to create short video pieces throughout her time in Ohio, while also performing in the works of choreographers such as Amiti Perry, Michael Estanich, Blake Beckham, and Ashley A. Friend. Since moving to New York, Esther’s performance work has been presented in such venues as Dixon Place, BAAD!, Bridge for Dance, Green Space, and Queens Theatre in the Park. Additionally, Esther designs dance lighting in intimate New York venues and maintains a studio-based improvisation practice (drop-in audiences welcome! get the details at esthermpalmer.com/openstudio).