Performing Art – Portland
Alexander (Lex) Dones is a freelance artist from Portland, Oregon with a focus in dance performance, choreography, and education & outreach. After starting dance at the age of four and training with various schools & programs, Alexander moved to New York at the age of 18 to begin his career as a dancer.
Previous contracted work includes seasons/tours with MOMIX, NW Dance Project, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, and a multitude of independent choreographers including Chase Brock, Carla Mann, Cori Marquis, Alexis Convento, and more. Since 2010 Alexander has collaborated with internationally acclaimed choreographer Doug Elkins on a number of shows/creations including the iconic Fräulein Maria, Mo(or)town Redux, and most recently a new work titled kintsugi which grew from a month long residency at the Danceworks 10th anniversary celebration at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California.
Throughout his performance career Alexander has had the privilege of touring & performing at a number of prestigious venues & festivals including The Joyce Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow, Fall for Dance City Center, The Yard in Martha’s Vineyard, Lumberyard (formerly ADI in Washington DC), Joe’s Pub, Ringling International Arts Festival, Baryshinkov Arts Center, and multiple tours throughout the United States, France, Spain, and Germany.
In addition to performance Alexander also enjoys making his own creative works as well as teaching dance to students of all ages/levels/styles. Alexander’s creative works & workshop classes have been presented in artistic communities around the United States and internationally, including Portland, New York City, Seattle, Philadelphia, Detroit, London, Paris, and Shanghai. In 2017 Alexander was the only artist from the United States to be granted an “Artist Exchange Award”, allowing him to be presented at the New Dance for Asia Festival in Seoul, S. Korea where he taught a workshop class to students from all over Asia and performed a solo excerpt of his ongoing work, soothsayer.
Back at the end of 2013 Alexander returned to Portland full-time and by chance took on a directorial position at Westside Academy in Tigard, Oregon (his alma mater). For four years he helped in overseeing a dance program involving over 500+ students, taught dance classes & choreographed for dancers of all ages/levels/styles, and handled numerous responsibilities as an arts administrator including communications & correspondence, event planning, drafting of budgets & schedules, and more. In June of 2018 he respectfully stepped down from his position to continue his life as a traveling freelance artist.
Presently, Alexander focuses his talents, passions, and over ten years of experience in the dance field on connecting with local artists & communities around the world, traveling vocationally to utilize dance and the arts as a means of cultural exchange, community engagement, and to advocate for various persons and organizations in need of assistance. In 2018, Alexander became certified with YPAD (ypad4change.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the exploitation of children in dance. Currently, Alexander floats between Portland, New York City, and wherever else the wind takes him to help others & advocate for the arts in all of its forms. “Dance is something transcendent and beyond what any of us could possibly ever make of it. Through dance and the living of an open-minded artistic lifestyle, we can find unity as a single entity while still celebrating our individuality, and we can continue to work together towards a better future for ourselves and for generations of artists & individuals to come. It is my mission to be of service to others by utilizing my passion and skills for the arts, and my hope is to inspire others to take action, be kind and of service to others, and most importantly to remind people that they matter, that they have worth, and that they are capable of living a life full of love, caring, and compassion.”