Paul Sarvis

Affiliation: Theater and Dance
Senior Lecturer in Dance Performance Emeritus

Sarvis teaches Dance Technique, Repertory, Choreography and Dance History. His professional training is eclectic, but rooted in the Cecchetti ballet and Merce Cunningham techniques and perspectives. He performed with Gloria Unti in San Francisco; Liz Lerman in Washington D.C.; June Finch and Debra Wanner in New York City; and Ram Island Dance Company in Maine. Originally a folk dancer, Mr. Sarvis performed and taught Scottish dance across the U.S. and Canada.

He is one-third of Berg, Jones & Sarvis, a Portland based trio whose work ranges from self-reflexive movement pieces to raucous physical theater. The trio is known for their large site-specific works, museum work, collaborations with artists in other media, and joint projects with choreographers including Renée Wadleigh, Ann Carlson, Jonathan Lunn, and Daniel McCusker.

Sarvis’ recently completed dance film, “Rooms” has screened at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Dance on Camera Festival in New York—at juried festivals in Los Angeles and San Francisco—and at assorted venues in Europe, India, and Australia

Paul Sarvis holding microphone

Education

  • MFA, Goddard College