Q: Do you believe dance can be a platform for social justice topics? If so, how? and/or Have you used your art form to make a difference?

Yes, of course. Dance is a visual thing, if you catch someone's interest with what you look like or how you're moving, you will catch their attention regardless of one’s background. Dance is universal. If you choose to make a statement there is a potential for anyone, not just a like minded audience, but anyone to be attracted to what you're doing. You can change and open hearts and minds when you connect to someone through a heart space.

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Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you as an artist and educator?

The biggest one for me is sadness, I am an emotional person. Because I work with young people, I am so connected to their experience and how I can be there for them in their experience. I strive to comfort and guide them and this is just throwing me for a loop. I’m helpless because I can’t help them in my usual ways. I am not able to tell them a story about how this happened to me before and I am not able to give them comfort in a time of sadness. The youngest I work with right now are my 10 year olds and there is a lot of disappointment for them. For my college students, I have such a strong connection with the seniors. Showcases getting cancelled or auditions that they have been preparing for all year are not happening. The way that that displaces your entire life and your purpose - it is just really hard to wrap one’s head around.