Olivia Emert (she/her) is an independent choreographer and artistic director. Emert graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance and Choreography from the Conservatory of University Missouri Kansas City. In Spring of 2024, Emert completed her third season with Geometry Dance Company, a Los Angeles based contemporary and movement research company directed by Mackenzie Martin. With the company, she was featured in works such as “Naeem” and “Sit Me Back Down.”

Emert’s choreographic work focuses on emotional awareness, tactile partnerwork, and building tangible environments. Her choreography has been commissioned by The Young Choreographer’s Festival at the JOYCE Theater (NYC), Lindenwood University (St. Louis, MO), Kansas City Ballet, Creative Intersections with Owen/Cox Dance Group, KCPublic Theater, Nelson Atkins Art Museum (Kansas City, MO), Iowa Dance Festival (Iowa City), City in Motion Dance Theater, NoDivide KC, and Charlotte Street Foundation. Her choreography has been presented at Joyce Theater, Space Place Theater, Zhou B Art Center, GEM Theater, Stern Black Box Theater, Dance in the Park’s 25th and 26th anniversary performance, 2016 Main Art Gallery, and more.

After being awarded a two year residency with Charlotte Street Foundation, she is now the founder and director of CLOUDS Dance Company. Emert’s work goes beyond just choreography and performance; her eye has been hired as rehearsal director for New Moves with Kansas City Ballet, seasonally for Owen Cox Dance Group, for City in Motion Dance Theater and more. In 2025, Emert took over the role as artistic director of Creative Intersections, after three years of being commissioned for the program under direction of Cameron Thomas. Notably, Emert was jury-selected as featured artist with the Making Moves series, which funded and supported her evening length work, WOMB.DIRT.SKY.

In addition, Emert has founded, FLOW, her own open movement classes highlighting somatic awareness, released based floorwork, and contemporary phrase work. Olivia seeks to create and hold space for individuals to deepen their own artistry and find themselves in movement.

As a multidisciplinary collaborator, she has built relationships working closely in collaborations with composer, Jacob Ross Thomas, saxophonist, Colton James, composer, Tim J Harte, and pianists Matthew Esguerra and Euhyne Kim. Notably she collaborated with Jacob Ross Thomas, to create for CLOUDS Dance Company’s debut to create “For Georgia,” which was featured at Charlotte Street’s Stern Theater. Her collaboration and work with Tim Harte, “Ruminating Spasms” was featured at Modern Night at the GEM. She choreographed for Daniel D'Angelo's award winning short film, "Steadfast." Working with Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, she was the assistant choreographer and movement director with Michael Blake and Sidonie Garrett for The Tempest. She choreographed for KCPublic Theater’s Head of Medusa, under direction of Nathan Bowman. Emert also has worked closely with film makers, most recently collaborating with Nick Lombardo for CLOUDS Dance Company.

OLIVIA EMERT

ARTISTIC DIRECTION

CLOUDS DANCE COMPANY

CREATIVE INTERSECTIONS

AWARDS

CHARLOTTE STREET RESIDENCY

FINALIST GENERATIVE PERFORMING ARTIST 2024 & 2025

MAKING MOVES FELLOW 2022

RECENT COMISSIONS

YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHERS FESTIVAL at the JOYCE Theater, NYC

NELSON AKTINS ART MUSEUM

LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY

KANSAS CITY BALLET

CHARLOTTE STREET FOUNDATION

CITY IN MOTION DANCE THEATER

NODIVIDE KC

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI KANSAS CITY

ART IN THE LOOP

KCPUBLIC THEATER

SCRATCH NIGHT