Based in Somerville, Zoé Dance Company is spreading its wings in celebration of the art of movement. - Photo by Kristophe Diaz

By Michelle Cooper

Dancing has always been a passion for Callie Chapman, Choreographer and Artistic Director of Zoé Dance Company. The company has been active since 2002, although Chapman herself has been dancing since she was three. She grew up in Lynn, MA, and attended school at Boston Conservatory receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance.

Chapman married and moved to Somerville two years ago. She says she chose Somerville because “it is well cultured and easily accessible to everything”. Her work has also earned her the Somerville Arts council’s artist fellowship in 2009. When she is not working on her choreography she is developing marketing design at the Boston Dance Alliance and also dances for Prometheus Dance in Cambridge.

Last year her company performed in Union Square with a stage they borrowed from Boston Dance Company. They love to give such performances and the only place they could do it with the required space and in line with their budget was outside, in Union Square.

She and her company recently preformed a dance inspired by the 1973 Chilean coup entitled “LEFT.” Her inspiration is her husband, who is Chilean. She picked this particular time period to express what Chile and the U.S had been through at this time. The project took nine months to create and her company finally had the chance to perform it this past September 9-11. They will be performing it again January 22-23, 2012 at 8 p.m. at the Oberon in Harvard Square.

To view videos and stay informed on upcoming events go to: http://www.zoedance.org/.