Estelle Woodward Arnal and Jeff Arnal began their collaborative relationship in 1999 while they were in graduate school at Bennington College. In 2000 they moved to Brooklyn, NY where they were active as performers and organizers in the music and dance community. From 2002-2006 they served as Artistic Co-Directors of Improvised and Otherwise, an annual festival for experimental music and dance in Brooklyn. Their work was presented in New York City at The Chocolate Factory, Danspace Project, Roulette, Movement Research, and the Vision Festival, among others. Both Jeff and Estelle have held positions with prestigious arts organizations throughout the Northeast including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, and Dance Theater Workshop. As consultants their clients have included Big Dance Theater, iLAND inc./Jennifer Monson, National Sawdust, and The Greenwall Foundation. They bring their combined passion and experience to Free Range Asheville with the goal of contributing thoughtful programs that complement the vibrant cultural community in Asheville.
Free Range Asheville provides a platform for research and discourse where local, national, and international artists can engage and collaborate in performance and laboratory settings with other artists and organizations. The driving force behind the organization’s vision is to create access points to culture that cross disciplines, traditions, and genres for people of all ages and economic backgrounds. Free Range Asheville is a nimble organization that offers programs in a variety of settings ranging from under-utilized commercial spaces, traditional performance venues, and natural environments throughout the Western North Carolina region.
