WHY

Through performance and education, HOLDTIGHT’s mission is to illuminate the intersection of art, environmental activism, psyche, and body. Led by founder Gwendolyn Gussman, HOLDTIGHT is an interdisciplinary performance art company that creates, performs, and teaches experiential, interactive, and urgent contemporary work.

HOW

HOLDTIGHT collaborates with a range of boundary-pushing local, national and international artists. Using the core mediums of dance, music, theater, scenography, lighting, video, and spoken word, HT creates transformative experiences which elicit questions, conversations, interconnection, and deep joy, supporting humanity toward healing and radical forward-thinking change.

HOLDTIGHT maintains an initiative to foster conversations and community beyond performance experiences; HOLDTIGHT hosts quarter-annual Community Events and offers monthly open-level educational workshops and pop-up classes.

HOLDTIGHT values experimentation, attunement, courage, open dialogue, reflection, and thoughtful action.

HOLDTIGHT is is a 501(c)3 based in Denver, Colorado, sharing work nationally and internationally, notably in our secondary home of New York City.

HISTORY

Starting in 2016, HOLDTIGHT has collaborated with over 50 acclaimed artists, including Grammy and Emmy-award winners, in genres such as dance, theater, music, scenography, video design, visual arts, sculpture, lighting, digital rendering, and the culinary arts. The company’s repertoire includes site-specific work created for non-traditional performance spaces including an 1800's carriage house, an armory, historic mansions, and unconventional theaters. Since its founding, HOLDTIGHT has created & premiered 10 evening-length immersive works, including the Nourishment series. HOLDTIGHT has been presented nationally by/at The Performing Arts Complex in Denver, The Cell Theatre in NYC, Denver Arts & Venues, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, The Newman Center in Denver, The Olympic Auditorium Complex in Denver, Carroll Hall in NYC, Presenting Denver, MOVE! Dance and Arts Space, Church Street School for Music and Art, The Wadsworth Museum, YourMove Festival, HiArtist, and has been co-produced by Control Group Productions. HOLDTIGHT has been featured in publications such as The Brooklyn Rail, The Dance Enthusiast, The Denver Post, 303 Magazine, Colorado Public Radio’s ‘Colorado Matters’, Westword, Front Row Center, No Proscenium, Presenting Denver, Interludes, and more. From 2020-2022, HOLDTIGHT was Artist-in-Residence at The Cell Theatre in New York City where HT developed and premiered the evening-length work What Keeps You Going? (Sept.15-Oct 2nd, 2021) plus the evening-length work when the blossom passes, what remains? (Sept. 9th-Oct. 2nd, 2022). In April 2023, HOLDTIGHT toured when the blossom passes, what remains? to Denver, Colorado for a six show, sold-out run. With the support of CreateART, HOLDTIGHT was Artist-in-Residence in summer 2023 at Carroll Hall in Bushwick, Brooklyn where they began development of performance work, un/tethered. In Spring of 2024, HOLDTIGHT was Artist-in-Residence with Denver Arts & Venues, and premiered together : un/tethered at The Studio Loft at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at The Arts Complex in Denver, Colorado in April 2024. This December, 2024, HOLDTIGHT will premiere alone : un/tethered at The Byron Theatre at the Newman Center for Performing Arts, in Denver, CO.