Exit12 Residency in Tucson, AZ
Impact Report
Exit12: Stories of War Residency
March 5-13th
Tucson, Arizona
Exit12 toured to Tucson, AZ, sponsored in part by the Twiford Foundation. During the residency, Exit12 built new relationships, reconnected with existing ones, and made a meaningful impact on the Tucson community. We partnered with Art State Arizona's Catalyst Creative, where we were featured as artists in residence, and with Pima Community College's Military & Veterans Services, who sponsored our culminating performance at Pima Community College's Proscenium Theater. Through these partnerships, we expanded our reach, hosted additional performances and showings, and deepened our community engagement throughout the city.
Exit12 launched its residency with an afternoon of movement at The Fountains at La Cholla Assisted Living Center. Presented in a lecture-demonstration format, we offered a brief history of the company, led a movement warm-up, and guided participants through choreographic exercises. By the end of the session, most attendees were on their feet and moving. The afternoon concluded with a short demonstration of our repertoire, featuring company member Adrienne de la Fuente performing Aggressed, a work exploring a Marine's return home after deployment. A lively and heartfelt Q&A followed, with many residents expressing how much they enjoyed the opportunity to move and create together.
Exit12 continued its residency at the Tucson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, hosting a 90-minute workshop for veterans and their family members. Joined by the facility's Creative Arts Therapist, participants engaged in creative movement and choreographic exploration. Veterans reported feeling an increased sense of creativity through improvisational tasks, a sense of reconnection through mirroring exercises, and appreciation for the opportunity to engage in light physical activity.
Exit12 then led a workshop for a larger group of veterans at Catalyst Creative, drawn from the VA's Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program. With play as an early focus, the room quickly filled with joy and laughter. Though hesitant at first, veterans were soon moving, creating, and sharing with one another. This group was later invited to a dress rehearsal ahead of our Pima Community College performance, where they arrived smiling and echoing movement from the workshop. They asked thoughtful questions after watching a portion of our warm-up class and excerpts from our repertoire. Pima Community College's Military & Veterans Outreach Supervisor also joined to share information about educational opportunities participants may be eligible for upon completing the VA program.
Exit12 joined Art State Arizona at the Oro Valley Spring Festival of the Arts, where we introduced the company, previewed our culminating performance, and offered a short showing of select dance pieces.
Exit12 also hosted a three-night community workshop series at Catalyst Creative, open to the greater Tucson public. One session was held in partnership with Dancesequences, an all-abilities dance company based in Tucson, who also joined us as a guest artist in our performance. Participants responded enthusiastically to the creative process and the opportunity to express themselves authentically through movement.
Additionally, Exit12 visited the Tucson Jewish Community Center to lead a movement workshop for a large group of people with disabilities, including participants who use wheelchairs and voice-assist devices. Several staff members participated alongside attendees. Laughter and smiles filled the room throughout, and staff noted how engaged, included, and creatively active their participants were.
Exit12 closed its Tucson residency with a performance at Pima Community College's Proscenium Theater, presented alongside guest artist Dancesequences. Our repertoire, paired with Dancesequences' social and inclusive work, resonated deeply with the audience — evidenced by a vibrant talkback session following the performance. Attendees included Tucson community members, representatives from our partner organizations, members of the local dance community, and individuals with military connections.
By the numbers:
Performance at Oro Valley Spring Festival: 50 audience members
Community Workshops including Fountains and Dancesequences: 40 participants
JCC Workshop: 30 participants
Veterans Workshops: 40 participants
Exit12: Stories of War Dress & Final Performance: 150 audience members
Feedback from partners:
It was our pleasure to be able to plug Exit12 in with so many of our longstanding partners to offer them such an incredible program. It felt like many of the pieces just fell into place. Your company is creative healing at its best, and we really enjoyed getting the chance to work with you and Roman. It felt like many of the pieces just fell into place, including Lily being able to run sound/lights for the Pima CC show. I was also glad to be a fly on the wall during the VA session at Catalyst and witness some of what you all do.
Keep us in the loop if you are able to make it back down to Tucson. It would be nice to build upon some of the relationships. Have a great Spring and we’ll definitely be in touch if any of us make it out to New York!
Kevin Larkin
Catalyst Creative Collective Director
Art State Arizona
Formerly the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance
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Thank you so much for your sweet email. I very much appreciated the opportunity to work with you and Exit 12 during your residency in Tucson. The Rep Co dancers really enjoyed the experience. And for me personally, it was a joy to reconnect with Roman.
Yes...I look forward to future collaborations with Exit12! Dancesequences has entered a partnership with Art State Arizona at their Catalyst space. Effective May, we will facilitate monthly 2-hour Community Open Sharings that will be 1 hour of group dance improvisation class followed by a Community Creative hour. We are really excited for this partnership to bring inclusive dance and movement to the larger community.
Karenne Koo
Dancesequences
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Thank you so much for the opportunities to work with Exit 12 and Pima CC to provide such amazing programming for veterans at the Tucson VA. Many of them were so impressed by Exit 12’s workshop and especially the dress rehearsal last Friday. They also found meeting with Rafael and learning more about educational opportunities available to them through Pima CC and possible local academic institutions very eye opening and helpful. Veterans remarked how they found it inspiring to be around those with a passion, the availability of free recreation and leisure opportunities in their home communities if they put effort into finding them, the benefits to being in a theatre environment helpful to practice skills related to their own recovery and future engagement in performing arts opportunities, exploring the arts as a safe space to process and explore emotions and emotional expression, and especially found it helpful to see Exit 12 one week and then build connections by seeing them again the next week.
This has been such a gift for my veterans and had so much relevance for their clinical treatment. Thanks so much for all you do!!!
Jenny Zumwalde, MS, LRT, CTRS
Recreational Therapist
Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation
Treatment Program (MHRRTP) and 1W
Southern Arizona VA Health Care System
(520)792-1450 x14318
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I'm so glad you all enjoyed the theatre! It was a pleasure having you all come and perform, if there is anything in the future we can help with please just let me know. Thank you all for what you do to help our military-connected community.
Rafael Rojas-Reyes
Outreach Supervisor
Military and Veteran Services
Pima Community College
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Adrienne,
It was such a pleasure to work with you. We hope to see you again, soon. We will work more together and have a larger audience. Thank you for all the great work you do for veterans.
Torina Garcia
Administrative Coordinator
Center for the Arts
Pima Community College