Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Current city: Brooklyn, New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Age: 39
Attended an arts high school? Yes, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas
College and degree: University of Utah, BFA in Modern Dance
Website/Newsletter: http://mad.ly/c19013
How you pay the bills: I work for several performing arts organizations. I am the Finance and Human Resources Manager for 651Arts in Brooklyn, New York and the Project Manager for Organic Magnetics in Manhattan.
All of the dance hats you wear: Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher, Producer, Director, Collaborator
Non-dance work you do: Arts Administration, Development, Finance and Marketing for various organizations.
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Describe your dance life in your….
20s: I graduated from the University of Utah in 1996. The day of graduation, literally hours after getting my diploma, I got on a plane and flew to the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina. That summer changed my life. Although I had been the summer before, this time I had to make a choice, what to do next? I was excited and terrified. The world was open to me. I had a degree from one of the best schools in the country. I knew I wanted to dance, but how and where? Was I ready to head to New York?
In the amazing 6 weeks at ADF, several things happened; 1) I got approached by a dear friend that was teaching at a dance program in Minnesota. She needed someone to take over the program because she was leaving. She recommended me? 2) I got a call from a mentor choreographer whom I had worked with at the University, the late Della Davidson. She offered me a job with her company in San Francisco California. 3) At ADF I attended an audition for Dayton Contemporary Dance Company in Ohio, and got offered a position. Although overwhelming at the time, these were some wonderful opportunities, and I needed to choose fast. Mind you, none of the choices included going to New York, but I understood that it would be there when I was ready.
After a late night power talk brainstorming session with my ADF friends at a diner, I made a decision. It would be San Francisco. I had never been, but felt excited to work with Della again and be in California. And at the time, I imagined that I would head to LA if SF didn't work out. With very little money, I headed to the Bay. I spent 7 wonderful years, dancing with Della Davidson Dance, Liss Fain Dance, Dance Repertory San Francisco, Company Chaddick and many others. At the same exact time I started my arts adminstrative career working for the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Brava Theater Center, and San Francisco Ballet to name a few.
I felt so very fortunate to have gained the knowledge and ability from the University of Utah and Arts Magnet to be such a versatile dancer/performer. It allowed me to do everything from Cunningham to Release to Hip Hop. I have continued to use that knowledge throughout my career.
30s: In May 2003 I took a trip to New York for the summer. I spent one month, taking dance classes, seeing dance and totally immersing myself into the dance community. On the day before I was scheduled to return to San Francisco, I went to an audition. Although I knew I wasn't quite ready to move to New York if I had gotten the job, the possibility excited me. I didn't get the job, but I realized I was finally ready to head to the Big Apple. By September, four months before my 30th Birthday, I headed to New York. This move was different, because I didn't have a job, nor did I have any friends, or so I thought. : )
Through the many friends I had made in the dance communities of Dallas, Utah, San Francisco and ADF, I made friends and found new family fast. I took class as often as I could, auditioned and waited for the opportunities to present themselves. After about 6 months of frustration and struggle, I wondered why I had even moved. Then my break came, after taking class at Dance Space, I was invited to join Nia Love's Blacksmiths Daughter Dance Company. A year later I was asked to join Nicholas Leichter Dance. With both companies I had the pleasure of touring nationally and internationally. I performed at every major venue in New York City, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a dream come true. I was also able to create and present my own work throughout New York. I was able to continue my arts adminstrative career, working for Lincoln Center, 651Arts and New York Philharmonic. I also developed an arts consulting business. The city was vibrant. For 10 years I loved and lived the New York dream. It was hard and exciting and worth every minute.
40s: I love New York, and its vibration will always live in my heart. It was also quite exhausting. The hustle and speed of New York began to wear, and I sought a simpler life. This April, 9 months before my 40th birthday, my partner and I decided to leave New York and head to South Florida. I plan to choreograph, perform, and produce as much as possible. I am so excited to create new opportunities.
Photo credit: Yi-Chun Wu
What’s on your plate – dancewise – for 2013?
In early 2013, I had the wonderful chance to be the director/choreographer's assistant to the Broadway Tour for the Tony Award winning show FELA! For the remainder of 2013....I am still creating the dream........
You have danced in NYC for years…..how many gigs have you landed through a traditional audition? If not an audition, was it a workshop, being seen in class, etc?
In the 10 years I lived in New York, I never got a job from an audition. I received my jobs through taking class. One of my best stories is that I had been taking class with Nicholas Leichter. He toured often, so I checked the studio schedules and took class or workshops whenever he was in town. I would even bring my resume to class. I expressed my interest and asked if he ever auditioned. He said no. A few months later I got the call that he would like me to attend a rehearsal. I was with Nicholas Leichter Dance for 7 years.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Leichter (Andrew Smrz)
Who are your “role models” or inspiration within modern dance?
My role models and inspiration as a youth included Isadora Duncan, Judith Jamison and Lar Lubovitch. All of the teachers in my training were major inspirations and encouraged me to believe in my talent and the art of dance. As an adult I have been inspired by artists Ronald K. Brown, Mia Michaels, Akram Khan, Bill T. Jones, Nia Love and Camille Brown.
What do you love most about performing?
I love its honesty. I love that I can go to a place on stage that is vulnerable and true. What I love most is that performance has the ability to touch the audience and make them feel something. That it becomes more than watching a performance, peripherally. It becomes an experience... that has the ability to shift consciousness and change the world.
What do you love most about the rehearsal process?
In rehearsing I love the discovery, the learning of new things about myself. I love working with other dancers. As a dancer, I enjoy that the choreographer trusts me enough to be a tool towards the greater vision. As a choreographer, I love being able to play and be a wordsmith with movement, while getting to the light at the end of the tunnel.
On training and care of the body…..
Very, very important. You can't have one without the other.
Non-dance movement practices important to you include…..
Meditation and spiritual practices.
The role of teaching in your dance career:
A few years ago I would have said that teaching has had a small role in my dance career. Today, as I look at my career it has had a huge role. I have taught mostly on tour with the dance companies. Most individual teaching opportunities have come from those connections. I hold every teacher I have ever had in deep gratitude, and I am understanding my role to be a conduit for the profound messages that have been given to me.
Advice to young dancers on teaching, the role of teaching in their dance lives ahead, and becoming a well-prepared teacher:
The biggest advice I could give is continue to learn. Really listen to your students, and be clear about what they need. Be prepared and understand that your presence, and everything you say will be digested, so be conscious and enjoy them. Your students will teach you so much.
An idea from your college or grad school years that you still think about/apply:
Versatility, patience, due diligence. Also in college, professor Ford Evans once told us to find the GAP time. Locate the gap in the day to be still, to breathe, and to be in gratitude for what you have accomplished. I live by that for sure.
College course that made the most impact on your career path:
My Senior Seminar class at the University of Utah was designed to get us prepared for the real world. We did every thing from resume design to mock interviews. Along with stellar dance training and grounded versatility, the seminar class truly gave me every tool I needed for a successful path.
Your growth as a dancer over time....
Not sure I can put this into words. Extraordinary! I could not have imagined the ways I have grown. And I am still growing... excitedly.
Future career goals:
I would like to build my own performing arts organization that presents, promotes and cultivates artists. At the same time, I would like to create a touring dance group, specific to solo performers/choreographers. (Side note: That was the first time I had ever verbalized that vision. I have been creating it in my mind for many years.)
Books, websites, blogs, shows that serve as inspiration:
Books: The Four Agreements, Letters to a Young Poet, The Artist's Way
Shows: I love and am inspired by Glee and So You Think You Can Dance.
Advice to young dancers in general:
Don't give up. Believe in your art. You create your own destiny. Don't allow anyone else to tell you that you can't. Trust the process and enjoy the journey.
Advice to dancers wanting to live and work in NYC:
Make sure you have a clear action plan. Set a goal schedule for yourself. Be patient. There is room for everyone to make a mark. NYC is a hard and exciting place, so if you are patient and dream big, the reward will be so worth it.
Love this, Dawn. And so happy to know about your path. i have thought of you so often and I am thrilled that you have done so well. Remember our trip to Australia?!!!
Phyllis Haskell
Posted by: Phyllis Haskell Tims | 04/06/2015 at 08:02 PM