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| Photo by Jaqi Medlock |
Where are you originally from and what
brought you to New York City?
- I am originally from Cape Town, South
Africa. Born and raised! So New York is the first place that I have lived in,
other than South Africa although, I managed to travel and work in some amazing
places before sticking to New York City. I came here to train in dance. This
was the ultimate destination so I saved up and I moved here.
How long have you been here and what
schools/companies have you danced with?
- In November this year (2014) it will
be 3 years in the city. I started at Broadway Dance Center, with their
International Student Visa Program for 6 months. While training in this
program, I auditioned for the Ailey School and in September 2012, I started a
year Independent Study Program at the Ailey School. It had always been a dream
to train at the Ailey School and every minute of it was completely worth the
hard work!
The first company I worked with was LEON
Dance Arts. Since them, I have worked with Jeremy McQueen, Spark Movement
Collective, Earl Mosley, Asterial Dance, Xhale Dance Company (now Michael
Susten and Company) and currently a full time company member with Nimbus Dance
Works.
What has been the best part of dancing
in NYC thus far?
- Definitely the massive amount of
opportunity! There is so much going on and it is easy to completely fill up a
day doing things that I love. The people that I have had the opportunity of
working with have been absolutely amazing! I have been blessed with
environments filled with talented and generally good people. For this reason,
work just simply does not feel like work.
What has been the hardest part?
- Training at the Ailey School was the
hardest thing that I have ever done before entering the working world in New
York. An incredibly intense program with such enormous value. Since then,
living. Haha. This is a hard city.
As a foreigner, how do you balance life
in this expensive city - are you able to have outside jobs besides dance?
- Unfortunately, as a foreigner, I am
restricted to working in the dance industry only. However, I have been extremely
lucky with the work that I have. I perform, teach and assist. I also have a
side job at a fitness center to help cover my monthly costs.
How often do you get to visit home? What
do you miss most/least about dancing there?
- Getting home is pretty tough. Firstly
it is very expensive and secondly it is far away! A 21 hour flight on average.
So it isn’t exactly a weekend trip. Taking two weeks out, to go home can be
hard to do, but it is very important to make time to see my family and take a
second to break from the rush of this amazing city! So I am to visit once a
year. I miss Cape Town because it will always be home and it is a gorgeous
city. However, I was frustrated with the limited opportunity most of the time
and I wouldn’t change what I have in New York for anything. I love my life here
now.
What are your dancing goals for the next
season?
- My goals for this season are to
continue to grow. I want to get involved in projects and expand my network.
This is also my second season with Nimbus Dance Works and first as a full time
company member. I am extremely excited to be working with this amazing company
and can not wait to see what this next year brings!
Any advice for other foreign dancers
hoping to make it in the Big Apple?
- Don’t give up! It can be hard for
anyone in this industry. Foreigner or local. It is unsteady and unpredictable
but I think we knew that already and probably wouldn’t have it any other way.
It is spontaneous and exciting! I have often felt completely overwhelmed and in
need of family support. If trying to establish yourself in New York wasn’t hard
enough, adding the fact that we have to fight to legal work and live here, sure
puts on added pressure. The rewards are great, so stick it out. See New York as
your blank canvas… Now color it and create it into the image you want for your
life. That is possible here and I think that is why New York holds a very
special place in many of its visitors’ hearts.
