Selected Image Work Samples

Artistic Practice & Community Engagement

Feita de Luz (2019) — Cinematic movement study directed and choreographed by Vanessa Agle Isaac, honoring ancestral roots, Bahia, women of the African diaspora, and feminine kinship through movement and cultural continuity.

An excerpt from this work appears in Before It Kills Us All, a documentary film and video installation by Cambridge Documentary Films. Directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker Margaret Lazarus, it explores themes of violence, healing, and women's resistance

Palace (2025) — Choreographic work by Vanessa Agle Isaac commissioned and presented by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in collaboration with two-time Grammy award-winning composer Ted Nash. Presented as a free public performance in Santa Barbara.

Women in Movement in Santa Barbara (2025) — For more than two decades, Vanessa Agle Isaac has created spaces for women in our community through movement and collective creative exchange.

Embodied Presence — Space developed through in Santa Barbara bringing children, adults, and community dancers together through collective movement, live music, cultural exchange, and shared moments of calm, reflection, and connection. Ongoing.

Passagens (2023) — Choreographic work by Vanessa Agle Isaac commissioned by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo for Fête de la Danse, Monaco. Developed through a transatlantic creative process between California and Europe and performed with an international cast of dancers and musicians. Presented as a large scale free public performance.

The Circle (2019) — Over two decades of creative exchange and collaboration with dancers, musicians, cultural organizations, and communities, while expanding access through free classes, scholarships, and sponsored participation. Creating space for reflection, connection, and shared experience.

Intergenerational Practice (2009) — Documentation of an ongoing community dance and music practice bringing women across generations together through rhythm, movement, and collective participation.

Women, Culture, and Place in the Amazon Rainforest (2025) — Part of an ongoing interdisciplinary practice centered on cultural exchange, women's voices, ecological awareness, and relationship building across communities.

Collective Music & Movement (2019) — Part of a dance and music practice cultivated over more than two decades by Vanessa Agle Isaac, bringing together musicians, dancers, and participants across generations through movement, music, and public celebration.

Prelúdio da Saudade (2017) — Choreographic work commissioned and presented by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, inspired by the work of visual artist Valeska Soares. Presented as a free public performance in Santa Barbara.