Q: Can you talk a little bit about some challenges that you've had in your artistic career either pre professional or professional?

I mean, it goes back to the need to have versus nice to have things. From the professional dance company perspective I still struggle with how do I make the dance company financially sustainable? How do we get more audience members to come to see our work? When new audience members come to see us perform, they all say they wish they knew about us sooner! So clearly the struggle is how to get people into the theatre, since once they come experience the performance live, they are hooked. Back in 2010, when I opened my dance studio I struggled for the first seven years to the point where I didn't even know if I could pay the bills and wasn’t able to contribute to my family's livelihood. If I was still in that stage during this pandemic, I would have easily had to close the doors. Back then I could barely scrape by. Because I have been able to rise to the other side to a place where the studio is now thriving, it's also become my mission to not only hold true to my art through my teaching and choreography, but also to bring together talented, technical and passionate dancers through BDC and through teaching opportunities at BSD that sustain their performative, financial and life goals.

How do we keep dance alive in our culture? How do we draw people out to see live performances? You know those are the challenges that I think are embedded within every decision I make for the school and piece of work I make for the company. Each dancer that has been a part of the team has helped influence and form where we are today and who I am as a director. Working with a team of individuals that are just as committed as I am to keeping dance alive in our American culture is invigorating and inspiring. We pour our hearts and souls into educating our students and inspiring our audiences. We strive to reach more of our community in hopes of giving them new ways of feeling, thinking and seeing life. I think that's the bottom line for me and is what keeps me moving forward.