cullen+them, founded by Hannah Cullen in 2015, is an intergenerational performing arts organization, dedicated to using movement and spoken word to encourage critical thinking and activism. cullen+them works to create open, thoughtful, empathetic community through live gathering.

In an effort to transcend division, we reclaim the word “them” as we work toward unity and understanding. We are committed to moving the needle from “us vs. them” to a more inclusive concept: in what ways do we intersect? cullen+them uses performance as a call to action for both the performers and the audience, a mission driven by our belief that art has the ability to create and inform social discourse. We are them and they are us.

We are more alike than we think. We have more in common than we’d like to know. It is the parts of ourselves that we can share with and see in others that can nurture our ability to live compassionate lives.

Hannah traces her artistic and philosophical roots to the time she spent as a founding member of young dance collective, and is delighted to see YDC formally join cullen+them as its educational arm, where Hannah will serve as its artistic director. As one of two performing companies under the auspices of cullen+them, young dance collective retains its identity as a professional performing group of young artists, and the kids themselves remain the choreographers for all the work they do.