I get asked from time to time to submit my "bio" for something. Actually, depending on the context, I have about 4 or 5 different bios to draw on. Each is different, each represents a different aspect of who I am, and each is genuine. That's what happens when you live so many different lives simultaneously (and in chronological succession--I've lived long enough to have to take that into account now, too). I have an academic bio--the one I used when I was trying to get a job as an art historian. That baby is now ancient history, and about as old and out of date as the pyramids of Egypt. That is one of my past lives. I also have a "work" bio, which means those things people will hire me to do on a full-time permanent basis, but this has even less bearing on the real me today than the art historian bio. I still use the raw knowledge about art and art history that I spent over a decade acquiring and refining, and continue to use what I learned about doing research and writing it up in expository prose on an almost daily basis, just not in the field of art history.
Then there are my flamenco bios. I have a "flamenco scholar" bio and a "flamenco dancer" bio. I just wrote the flamenco dancer bio today. I have written various versions of my flamenco scholar bio on different occasions and for at least 3 different projects. That one is always evolving, depending on who the intended audience is.
I suppose I also have my "writer's bio", though this sometimes is merged, in part, with my art history bio (you write a lot when you are a Ph.D. student), or my flamenco bio (since I have written a lot on flamenco), but I've also written a lot of poetry, essays on flamenco, music reviews, and even a novel that, though still unpublished, represents years of passion and hard work.
Without further ado, here is my "flamenco dancer" bio for a theater program where I'm going to get a choreographer credit.
Marie Jost studied flamenco dance with Carlota Santana and Antonio Hidalgo, among others. She has performed extensively with Flamenco Carolina and Carlota Santana School of Spanish Dance, in addition to appearing with members of Flamenco-Vivo Carlota Santana in performances at area schools. In addition, Ms. Jost has lectured on flamenco at Duke University and published articles about flamenco at www.Flamenco-World.com, www.WorldMusicCentral.com and www.flamencophotoproject.com, She served as a consultant and translator for Flamenco Hoy, the first all video flamenco journal edited by the renowned Spanish television and record producer, Alfonso Eduardo Perez-Orozco, and for www.Flamenco-World.com.
In Memoriam Leslie Cheung 1956-2003 Our Leslie, beautiful like a flower. I love you today and always-- a part of my heart beats for you alone, tonight a