experiences the world through movement. From the age of two, she as been a mover, first as a gymnast then a dancer. She received her Bachelor in Fine Arts in dance and minor in kinesiology from Simon Fraser University in 2012 and her Masters in Fine Arts in dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2021. Since her receiving her formal education, CarliAnn has been on a scholarly and personal journey to understand her Indigenous heritage (descendant of Confederated Tribes of Colville - Okanagan, Secwépemc, and mixed European) more fully, using her dance and embodiment to uncover ways of knowing the world that were once taken from her ancestors. 

 

Her choreography has been presented by On the Boards, Seattle International Dance Festival, Inlay Dance, Velocity Dance Center, YAW Theater, Intrepidus Dance, and Terrain 11. She has performed professionally with Khambatta Dance Company, Intrepidus Dance, 127th St. Dance Company and as a freelance performer. CarliAnn has enjoyed touring internationally in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Lithuania, and India.

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In addition to performing, she is passionate about teaching, creating, and producing dance. In 2016, she formed Forthun+Rome Dance Theater with Ethan Rome. Over the course of its three years, the company has created over a dozen new works including full evening length pieces and dance films. In 2018, the dance company received the year-long James Ray Residency Award to create a new dance work for the 2019 Seattle International Dance Festival.

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Currently, CarliAnn is an adjunct professor of dance at Gonzaga University, where she teaches technique, arts leadership, improvisation, among other subjects. As an educator, CarliAnn's goals are to encourage each student on their own movement journeys and to feel more trusting and comfortable in their own bodies. 

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CarliAnn feels at home on stage and loves creating art that tells stories. She believes that it is through the telling of stories, that we can grow, heal, and connect. Dance has the capacity to be the vessel in which we tell stories without the necessity of words. 

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As a dance creator, CarliAnn investigates human interactions that are universal and transcend language, exploring the ineffability of life.

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