Breakwall by Megan Pitcher at ArtPrize

I strive to write about a variety of different artists and creative work on this blog, so I was excited to hear about Megan Pitcher and her project called Breakwall which is set to be presented at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ArtPrize Seven occurs between September 23 and October 11, 2015 in downtown Grand Rapids. If you are in the area, you can see Breakwall at the Site:lab (Res345) venue. This link from the ArtPrize website has more information.

Breakwall is a dance piece that involves unique sound work/design as well. When dancers move through the sonic environment that Megan has created, it activates the sounds of waves. Her work has a strong basis in ideas of identity formation, and her choreography reflects an acute awareness of the ways that, in her words, "the small actions we do all the time define who we are." This awareness of the everyday also extends to exploring everyday images and how these familiar images as well as actions shape cultural expectations.

In short, Breakwall gives us a space to contemplate questions of the individual vs. confining social structures--and the ways that we can redefine conventional notions of female/feminine through our awareness, artwork, and individual actions.

Megan has created the hashtag #breakwallbodies which she encourages people to use whenever they make choices "to stand for women against the tides of cultural criticism."

I really like the notion of the tides/waves as metaphor here, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of Megan Pitcher's work. Check out the Breakwall page on her website as a starting point. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Meet Megan Meyers, Owner and Director of Expressions Dance Studio

Megan Meyers is a dancer who won national awards with high school team, the Napa High Spiritleaders. In 2002, Megan was crowned Miss Napa County and competed at the state level of the Miss America pageant. She graduated from the UC Berkeley with a Business degree in 2004, and was a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders' Raiderettes for several years, even representing the Raiderettes at the Pro Bowl in 2007. Today, Megan is the owner and director of Napa's Expressions Dance Studio, which offers dance classes for girls ranging in age from preschool to high school.

1. How did your dance experience and your business experience come together in the founding of Expressions Dance Studio?

I've always had the entrepreneurial spirit. Even as a little girl, I would set up little businesses to provide services for family and friends. Everything from lemonade stands to car washing, house cleaning, and shoe shining services. I fell in love with dancing in high school as a Napa High Spiritleader. The two passions were joined when I was asked to teach dance for an afterschool program. That class was taught on a volunteer basis, but incidentally a local dance school closed down at the same time, and I was asked to start a couple of additional classes for pay. That provided me with my first dozen students and Expressions Dance Studio was born! That was 13 years ago, and it's been an amazing journey ever since.

2. What are some of the benefits of dance class for your students?

There are so many benefits to dance lessons, but the biggest benefit is that dance lessons are such a wonderful way to build up self-esteem and confidence in girls. Dance is taught as a group class, but development and progress of each dancer month by month, year by year is a very personal journey. Nothing builds confidence better than individual progress, growth, and achievement, no matter how big or small. My hope is that all of our students can benefit from dance lessons like I did. I went from being a painfully shy child to a fearless young adult, and I attribute most of that change to my dance lessons. The skills and values I developed in dance class such as persistence, having a positive attitude, learning how to set and reach goals, learning to work with others, and the ability to perform in front of an audience--it all helped me develop self-confidence, and of course that translated into success in all other areas of my life.

3. Would you tell us about what inspired you to develop--and expand--your Princess Ballerina Program?

I was inspired to create a fun and imaginative program for preschoolers. Often times, preschool dance programs are sort of an afterthought for many dance studios, so I saw a need for a quality program that specifically catered to this age group. My full vision for the Princess Ballerina program is pretty exciting. I'm currently developing a book series that will allow us to introduce story, characters, themes, props, and magical adventures into our Princess Ballerina classes. It's been a big project, but I'm very excited to start revealing all of the new themes and stories that will be coming fall 2015. There really is nothing like it currently in the industry. 

4. When starting a dance studio, what made you decide to focus on dance classes for kids?

I personally know the power that dance lessons can have on a young girl. I benefited in high school, but my goal for developing programs for children is to hopefully reach girls from a younger age so they can reap the benefits as early as possible. You're never too young to feel confident in your own abilities!

5. What are some of your favorite things about your job?

Well come on, I mean who wouldn't love to work in a world filled with sparkly costumes, glitter, music, and dancing? I think I was born to own a dance studio. I love everything about it, from the choreographing or picking music and costumes to the behind the scenes planning, staff training, and numbers crunching. I love it all!

Thanks, Megan!

Meet Liv Kirby, Actor, Dancer, and Model

Liv Kirby was born in Queensland, Australia and was brought up in Sydney and Melbourne. Liv began acting classes at age 12 at the National Theatre in the heart of Melbourne.

From acting Liv then started exploring the world of dance, and by age 15 she was dancing professionally in renowned hip hop crews situated in Melbourne. In 2012 Liv received her Diploma of Modeling and Business of Modeling from the Model Academy and since has been involved in many photo shoots as well as had the opportunity to walk for L'Oreal.

In July 2012 Liv made the move to the United States to take part in the Hollywood Immersive program at Margie Haber Studios in L.A. She then found her love for New York and relocated there. Since her move, she has been undertaking training in Musical Theatre and will be graduating from New York Film Academy in February which will take her onto her next chapter.

1. How did you first become interested in acting?

I first began acting classes at age 12, and at that time what drew me to acting were films I had seen and actresses who were around my age, such as Dakota Fanning--I really admired her talent and career because she could give such influential performances at such a young age, which gave me insight that this could be something I could do. I wasn't really introduced to the theatre till I was around 14. So I enrolled in acting for film classes first and then later also enrolled in acting for the stage.

I found acting as a way to express myself. When I was younger, I was painfully shy. I wouldn't talk to family or friends, and people at my school would spend hours with me just to see if I could say "Hi." So it was quite surprising that I really enjoyed acting. I guess I felt like when I was portraying characters, I didn't have to be myself--when I was acting, I was somebody else, and that helped me through my shyness.

2. What do you see as the connections between acting and dance?

Both of them to me are ways to express yourself in a creative way. Both of them allow you to put yourself, your emotions, and your experiences into an art form. I was taught by one of my wonderful teachers that "Words don't matter; they don't mean anything." It's all about your reaction. I find this so true--the powerful moments in plays are the reactions from one another. This goes for dance as well because your reaction to the music is what makes a piece so beautiful--the audience can tell when you are just doing choreography or when you are really embracing the music you're dancing too.

Acting and dance go hand in hand for me. I've seen dancers dance without feeling, and I can be guilty of that, too, when you're so focused on picking up the choreography because you might be in a class that's moving along really fast, or in an audition and trying to remember everything they're throwing at you. But in the end it's up to you to bring the movement to life, and that's when acting comes into play.

3. How do you balance your work as a model, dancer, and actor?

Right now, I'm focusing on acting, dance, and singing. I'm training full-time and developing my skills to their fullest potential and then will start auditioning and working again early next year upon my graduation. I've found with balancing everything it's important to do the things that excite you. There's nothing worse then working on a project that you don't enjoy: it's like working a job you hate. I'm horrible at saying no to things, so I found at times I really had to step back and work out my priorities. I just have to make sure that the projects I put myself forward for are things that I will happily commit myself to 100%.

4. What prompted your move from Australia to the United States, and how has your career developed following the move?

In 2012 I got into an acting program called Hollywood Immersive which was in L.A. It was an intensive for 10 days. I planned to stay for three weeks and see L.A., travel to San Francisico for a few days, and end the trip with New York. What was meant to be three weeks quickly changed to three months, and in that time I had fallen in love with NYC. After that I caught a flight back to Australia, packed up my room, and moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan with two other housemates.

Since 2012 I have learned SO much about the industry and about how important networking and education is. I've taken these few years to work on develop my talents and explore the art of auditioning in New York, which really is a career in itself, haha. I've meet so many wonderful people from directors to agents to Broadway stars to composers who have all given me such great advice that I've taken with me to auditions and classes and have been able to apply to my work. Networking I have learned is definitely a big part of starting off in New York--more than most of the time it's about who you know, so I definitely feel I'm on the right path.

5. As you look ahead to the next year or so, what do you hope to accomplish?

Once I finish the current training program I'm in early next year, I'm looking to going back out and auditioning as much as I can and taking the experiences that come my way. I will still keep taking classes as I don't think you ever stop learning and bettering yourself and your skills, so that will always play a big part to me. I've given myself a goal, and that's that by the time I'm 27 I'll have had my first Broadway show. I'm almost 21, so I'm going to work hard and stay motivated and dedicated to the arts and strive to reach that goal and enjoy my journey there.

Thanks, Liv!

Meet Sevdha, Dancer, Musician, and Visual Artist

Sevdha ("Sev," "Seva," "Sevy") is a professional dance artist (especially known for belly dance and Bollywood dancing) and also a musician and artist (graphic artist, painter, and more). She is from Jamaica and was recognized as Miss Jamaica IC 2012. Sevdha has performed all over the United States and internationally. She has received a lot of press for appearing on America's Got Talent with a story of "nerd to belly dancer." Sevdha has also directed a group affectionately known as the "geek belly dancers" who would do anime/video game-related performances at conventions across the U.S. Visit Sevhda's website for more details on this multi-talented artist.

1. As you were growing up, what forms of artistic expression became important to you?

If I were to pinpoint the one form of artistic expression that was of most importance in my younger days, it would have to be the violin.

Back then, particularly in my preteen years, I was associated with playing the violin as much as I am associated with dancing today. The violin was my solace during those typical trying times of teenagedom, and I'd admit to have been pretty darn good at it!

2. What styles of dance have influenced your work as a dancer, and what are some elements that distinguish your work from that of other dancers/choreographers?

Indian, and Indo-Caribbean dance styles have influenced my work greatly, so much so that I've created a style that I refer to as "Chutney-fusion bellydancing," which is a nod to my Indo-Caribbean roots. Others include hip hop & pop n' locking, Moroccan Guedra, traditional Japanese dance (NihonBuyo), and more. My group and I were also the only group to specialize in performing belly dance to fan-requested video-game and anime music (and sometimes incorporating cosplay) at conventions all over the nation.

3. Could you talk a little bit about your work as a musician and how your knowledge of music informs your other projects?

I started working with music production far before it became a necessity for me to edit my own music for dance performances. When I was a young teen, I'd compose what I'd refer to as modern Classical music that I'd then make into midis. Shortly after, when I started dancing, I began to teach myself how to remix the music that I'd perform to, and eventually started making music altogether. This knowledge is terribly useful, as I'm in constant need of editing/creating music for my performances and other artistic endevors.

4. What have you been working on most recently in terms of your visual artwork?

Recently, I've been working on traditional animation--an extremely taxing pursuit, I'd be the first to admit. Other than that, I have been practicing my usual semi-realistic art style, and I've also been working on fantasy photo manipulations along with designing laptop and video game covers.

5. As an artist who works in different modes, from dance to music to art, do you find that your different projects often intersect, or are they sometimes very separate from each other?

Both.

All modes of art in my case are oftentimes interconnected. For example, my music influences my dance and vice-versa. I also find that it is easier to think up melodies when I am drawing.

On that note, we have a weekly web show in progress that will also serve to make use of our different modes of artistic abilities (and by we, I am referring to my absolutely talented and awesome dance partner, Ilia, and our quirky cast of friends and entertainers). In it, we'll be taking audience requests to perform on-the-spot belly dancing to anything but traditional belly dancing music. Techno, rock, even Classical... you name it.

Thanks, Sevdha!