Meet NYC-based Artist Elizabeth Buchheister

Elizabeth Buchheister is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and producer based in New York City. A graduate of The Ailey School, Elizabeth has choreographed original works for Ballet Hartford and Mercersburg Academy, as well as Arthouse2B. You can find out more on her website and on Instagram.

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to your current city?

ELIZABETH BUCHHEISTER: I’m originally from Emmitsburg, Maryland, and have been in NYC about five years. I moved here to attend the certificate program at The Ailey School. I stayed after school because of all the artistic opportunities and culture in the city. I love NYC, it’s home now!

How do you understand your vocation as a Catholic artist?

I generally do not call myself a Catholic artist, but I am currently both a Catholic and an artist. I think this is because I only sometimes create work that is explicitly tied to my faith which I believe is more so a form of worship or evangelization. It’s something I’m still figuring out and growing in, especially as I continue growing a deeper relationship with God. However, I do think I’m called to evangelize by being open about my faith to others, and to also let my faith influence my decisions no matter what profession or what I’m creating. I can’t wait to see how my vocation will continue evolving!

Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?

As a dancer, I have not really found any support for my work from the Church, but I also have not considered looking for it. Dance and the Church seem to have a complicated relationship, even in spite of the Church values that do align with my practice. I have only done a little bit of research, but lately I have felt very interested in wanting to do more, and maybe even bridging the gap a bit between dance and Catholicism. It may be a while until I get to that because I have to pay the bills, and I’m also happy with what I’m doing right now. But that’s probably for the best, I’d like to be a bit older before I start telling the Church what to do (that’s a joke). I have sought out Christian dance opportunities, and it’s been very beautiful, insightful, and has definitely influenced me. I’m sure there are many Catholic dancers/choreographers out there, but it can be hard to get connected when there are so few opportunities to tie our art and faith together since it is not a part of Catholic worship.

How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?

I think the Church is very welcoming to artists, and Catholics always seem very eager to learn about what I do! However, the interest sometimes shifts when I say I do modern/contemporary dance. Most people (Catholic or not) don’t really know what that looks like or means, so I think it’s usually ignorance rather than judgment. However, I do think there are a decent number of people who truly believe contemporary art is not true, good, or beautiful. I like how “Catholic” means universal, and I take it as a reminder that we all belong in the body of Christ. My art style, if guided in the right way, can serve God just as much as something more stereotypically/traditionally beautiful like ballet. It will also evangelize to an entirely different audience, which I think is amazing. I’d just encourage the Church to welcome contemporary artists and guide them in their faith, rather than their expression. Just because something seems new, weird, or not to your taste doesn’t automatically mean it's bad. That goes for how we feel about people too. The Church body is called to love everyone. People are not pushed away by the Church; they are pushing themselves away. How can we exemplify Christ’s love to everyone, so much so that they stop pushing themselves away? How can we create a less judgmental environment to welcome everyone on the journey toward a deeper relationship with God, no matter where they are at right now?

Where in your city do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?

I have attended Old Saint Pat’s in SoHo for a little over a year now and I love Pastor Dan! They have a huge young adult community, but I haven’t really gotten involved in it (yet!). Before that I had kind of jumped around churches that best fit in my schedule, but I’m trying to better honor rest on Sundays. The biggest influence other than that has been Arthouse2B; they’ve hugely impacted my life. After a year in NYC I had found out through Instagram that the co-founder Claire was Catholic (I remember age 10ish Googling professional Catholic ballet dancers and nothing really popped up, so this was truly exciting), and she was so kind when I reached out. I’ve been attending their stuff off and on since they first started, and they’re doing such amazing work!!

How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist in your city?

Specifically for dance community: I think I have just started doing community building of my own, and I’m excited to see where it will go! I’m surprised there aren’t really any explicitly Christian dance companies in NYC, so I’ve always been curious about creating a community of Christian dancers. When I was at the Ailey School, I felt there was a good amount of dancers who were Christian, so that was really cool. With my upcoming showcase, “Beauty is the Home of Hope,” my goal was to bring together Christian and non-Christian artists, and for all of us just meet and show some really beautiful work. Arthouse2B is co-sponsoring, so hopefully more people will meet them as well. I have some ideas for creating a more frequent gathering for Christian dancers (or anyone interested) and we’ll see where it goes. Organizing stuff independently can be a lot of unpaid work, and I do think it’s important to keep discerning what projects I focus on because I have so many different ideas.