Q: What has your professional dance journey been like, and how did you come to dance with Paul Taylor? Or What is the most recent show you have been a part of and how did you come to be a part of it?

I grew up doing musical theater, and there was always a need for boys in shows. The more shows I did, the more dancing I did. I then started training at various dance studios throughout high school, because I had a desire to learn more about the craft. I also played a lot of sports in high school, and I grew up practicing karate — I am a blackbelt in Taekwondo. Once I got to college, I was dancing all the time, taking classes and performing, so after college I moved to NYC to pursue dance professionally. I have been a part of many West Side Story productions, and classic dance musicals, but in college I saw Paul Taylor for the first time and fell in love with the company. Seeing them live for the first time was very special — I wanted to pursue the company but I was on tour with another show at that time. After college, I left NYC to be on tour with Twyla Tharp in Movin’ Out; eventually, I auditioned for Paul Taylor and was hired into the company full time. I have now been with Paul Taylor for elven seasons, it is crazy how time flies.


Q: Are there any mentors or important people in your life that have shaped the way you dance and or think about dance?
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My boss and manager at Yale, Tim Bertaccini, called me when I was in high school to let me know I got into Yale. He is part of the Alumni Schools Committee and he was the one who brought me to see Paul Taylor for the first time. When I worked for him for student employment, he knew I loved dance, and Tim had been seeing Paul Taylor since the early 1980’s; he was a long time fan and huge supporter. Him introducing me to the company is the reason I fell in love with the company; therefore, he was the first person I called after I got the Paul Taylor job. It all came full circle.


Q: What have been some challenges in your pre-professional or professional dance career?
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I think it is always hard to leave New York. When you make the decision to move there, you put in a lot of effort to find a day job and go to auditions— a lot of the work I was getting was taking me out of New York to perform. There is this element of, “should I stay or should I go?” My decision to go was correct for me. You want to dance as much as possible, you just learn from being on stage, and I think all that experience helped me in my journey as a dancer.


Q: Do you believe that dance can be a platform for social justice topics? If so, how? and/or Have you used your art form to make a difference?
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Yes it can. Paul certainly has some political dances, and some emotionally moving and sometimes disturbing dances. Dance, like all art, can affect audiences — it is not just pure entertainment. My theater professor in college said, “Theater is not created in a box.” That applies for dance choreographers — talk about what is going on in the world now. I would not be surprised to see dance works about social distancing coming out soon.


Q: What inspires you and drives you forward as an artist and a person?
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I don’t think dance is ever perfect, and therefore we are imperfect. There is always a sense of working to refine your craft for me, because I have been in the company for a long time. I am now repeating roles and dances I do often, and there is the ability to fine tune the movement and revisit it. I can perform it without any pressure or tension and still find new things.


Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you as a performing artist?

Our institution is laid off right now. We were supposed to go back to work two weeks ago and now we don't know when we will go back. I can handle a period of unemployment — we all go through it — but the uncertainty is very hard. How long will we have to be apart from one another? It is very hard to be apart from the people I am so close with, on and off stage. We were all back in NYC off of tour when we got the news all was cancelled. We were supposed to leave for another show on tour within a week, and obviously that got cancelled. We have virtual class every morning as a Company, and I teach on the Paul Taylor Dance Instagram account; the company has a private Zoom happy hour to stay in touch. We really make our best efforts to keep it going and reach out to our audiences and stay connected, but it's definitely hard.


Q: How do you think we can continue to create and share art during this time?

Since we have time and we often do not have time with our rigorous class, touring, etc., now is the time to really take care of your body and do physical therapy, but also refine your craft. I have been doing a lot of pilates every morning at a slow pace and I have enjoyed connecting to my body. I am going to start watching dance videos that I love and haven't looked at in years and connect back to the joy of how I fell in love with dance. I look at this as a pause to be safe and healthy and remember why I love to do what I do, and then attack it when I get back.
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Q: What social changes and responsibilities have you seen people making during the pandemic? 

I was really proud of my friends in NYC — everyone took it seriously to stay home and self-quarantine. The only time I saw people were my daily walks by the river outside. And we all kept apart as much as we could.


Q: Do you think the pandemic will make us a more socially conscious society? If so, how?
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I am not sure. I think that we will see more people in masks and people coming to the theater wearing masks, or staying further apart from one another. I think that there is going to be a new social dynamic of germ avoidance and self-protection that we will have to get used to. I think it will be a long-term thing until we have a handle on what this is.


Q: Using the idea of “worldmaking” how do you imagine the performing arts world after the pandemic? (Worldmaking: How you can re-imagine the world in your own terms, the way you want it to be. Using this tool one can construct new worlds and write themselves into narratives that have excluded them and systems that have disabled them.)

I would assume it would be a world in which new people come to see not just Paul Taylor and dance, but art in general. Often when you go through a crisis, there is a need for relief beyond the obvious, like financial relief. It is an emotional breath of fresh air to experience art, and I envision and hope there is a world in which New Yorkers and other people say, “I need to see something beautiful and joyous and moving, and I can experience that with Paul Taylor, or any company.” And I would want to provide it, even for free, because people need good news or a breath of fresh air to get past this.


Q: What is one thing you think we can all do each day to lift our spirits and help uplift the people around us (physically present or virtually present)?

One thing I am doing is connecting with people of my past I often don't talk to or haven't talked to in a while. I think maintaining lost connections is something we can do. We are shoved into this virtual world right now and we just want our people to be healthy, so we are checking in on them.


Q: What are some online resources you have found to continue dance education and training?

I'm really excited — I am taking a meditation class tonight, and I often wouldn't do something like that, which was recommended by a friend. I also am taking Equinox gym movement classes. I teach Pilates at Equinox and they laid out in-home workouts anyone can do, and so that has been super helpful. I am not the type of person who sits on the couch who does nothing — I am going to find a way to push through this to stay healthy and connected to the world.


Q: How have people’s priorities shifted during the pandemic?

There is definitely a sense that we will get through this together. It is like a silent bond that we have, whatever it takes, we will help and stay at hope and self-quarantine. It’s whatever it takes to get through this, and I haven't felt that kind of national or world-wide perseverance for a world-wide cause ever. I have never seen this kind of unity before.


Q: What would you like to see the dance community doing during this time?
Right now I see a lot of postings on social media. I think it's great. Dancing movement posts, teaching. My hope is it will not die out. It is a trend right now and I want to see this continue — if you can't go to class or see a show, watch online. I think it's a way to connect with a greater audience that shares the same interest.