Sikeston native launches dance project

Sikeston native Crystal Lewis of Sikeston is the founder and director of the Conversion Dance Project in Phoenix, Ariz. She will present a solo work June 21 at the BETA Dance Festival in Phoenix. Submitted Photo

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Alumna Crystal Lewis of Sikeston is the founder and director of the Conversion Dance Project in Phoenix, Ariz. On June 21, she will present a solo work at the BETA Dance Festival in Phoenix, Ariz.

"I consider most of my choreographies, especially in the early stages, to be projects," Lewis said. "I also really liked the word conversion. It symbolizes a change in attitude or emotion or perhaps even a viewpoint. I also liked the notion of different things converging together to form something entirely new. So I came up with the name Conversion Dance Project. I hope to form into more of a functioning dance company one day."

Lewis invented Conversion Dance Project to continue to create and showcase her work in a professional manner after she graduated from graduate school.

These works have been showcased in venues such as the Arizona Dance Festival, the Genesis Dance Project, the Miami Open Stage and the Dance Gathering at The Barn in Houston.

"I had the opportunity to work with a friend of mine co-creating a solo work long distance," Lewis said. "She was living in Miami and I was living in Maricopa, Ariz. Over several months we were able to create a solo together long distance via video exchange. We exchanged video footage of ourselves dancing, lengthy emails, Skype dates and telephone calls for the process of choreographing this work.

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