AJ Hopes-Pflumm
School Director / Modern, Stretch Instructor
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As a director, I strive for the physical and artistic well-being of all my students and teachers. One of the biggest ideas I stress is Dance as a community for all people of all abilities and walks of life. Dance is for everybody because artistry is an intrinsic part of the soul and the body is the best, most available tool we all share. Regardless of physical or mental ability, dance is something that feeds the soul for both the performer and the audience, whether it’s modern, tap, ballet, hip hop, cultural dance, or even free movement at home It provides us with a link to our subconscious and through that link we’re able to connect to the deeper parts of our shared humanity. Dancers are healers, inspirations, and speakers of the unspoken. And so, in keeping with that philosophy, it is my job as director to ensure these ideas are passed on to our students through the experience of the art form of Dance: We are all one within a shared community of art. We can all become masterful technicians of Dance within our own abilities. We can use the lessons learned in our classes in all aspects of life. We can all do more and be more.
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A.J. Hopes-Pflumm graduated from Wichita State University with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography. He has performed in numerous works choreographed by Peter Chu, Helen Simoneau, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Janice Garrett, Cheyla Clawson, Rachel Boyajian, Denise Celestin, Sabrina Vasquez, Nick Johnson, Aaron McGloin, and Sam Householder and has toured these works both nationally and internationally. He has been a guest artist/instructor for many Kansas-based companies including Ballet Wichita, Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre, Mid-America Dance Theatre, Alithea Creations, and Clawson Dances. A.J. has also taught classes at Gibney Dance and various other NYC studios, and guides young dancers through the creation process. He currently teaches at City in Motion and has led auditions for Dance Masters of America. In 2015, he attended Springboard Danse Montreal. In addition to performing, A.J. has created works for WCDT, MADT, American Liberty Ballet, and Ballet Wichita, and works on self-produced material with his husband, Wil Hopes-Pflumm, under CaptiveFlow Dance. A.J.’s last work was ‘untitled project’; a site-specific work set at the old Olathe Courthouse. In 2021, he became the current School Director for City in Motion.
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AJ currently teaches Modern , Creative Movement and Stretch.
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