Today we’d like to introduce you to Cayla Roberts.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in Sidney, Ohio. I was a middle child in a family of six. My mom home schooled us all which gave me lots of extra time for activities. My mom tried putting me in piano, but I couldn’t sit still for the lessons and she moves me into ballet classes. I fell in love with dance right away and attended Sharon’s School of Dance in Sidney doing both full-length ballets and musicals until I was eighteen. When I was ten my teacher prepped me to teach by having me demonstrate in her classes weekly. By fifteen I was not only in love with dancing for myself but sharing it with the students and people around me.
After high school I attended Wright State University where I received my B.F.A. in Dance. While attending Wright State I became even more versatile in the dance world. My Sophomore year I began auditioning not only for the dance concerts, but the musicals as well. When graduation came along I had no idea which area I wanted to continue working in after having a world where I could do it all.
I decided to go back to my first love and move to Fort Wayne, Indiana to dance with the Fort Wayne Ballet for a year. After the first year out of school I got the opportunity to move to Chicago and take on dancing in a larger city. I was terrified at first coming from small town to Chicago, but after a few months working here and auditioning like crazy things began to open up and I took every opportunity I could. Chicago began to give me all the variety in art I was craving and allowing me to work with some amazing artists along the way.
Please tell us about your art.
In all the movement and performances I have been a part of finding a connection with the audience has always been super important to me. I have never been big on “If the audience doesn’t see what I want then it’s wrong.” I believe audiences should take things away from everything they see in their own way. Life is always changing, and so are we so depending on what point a person is at in their life when they see a piece of art they may see it differently.
My own choreography has always been very humanistic. I enjoy creating pieces about and for the people in my life. When I was thirteen my brother passed away in a car accident and it changed the way my family and I were connected. We became closer and everything I do I want them to be a part of. My relationships with my parents and siblings inspire a lot of work.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
The biggest thing I try to tell all the student today is to take every opportunity you can. Do random dance hair shows, try out for a musical if you’re afraid to sing, paint something, do anything you can to expand on your knowledge of the art in the world because the more you know the more you can create.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I will be setting a few pieces on Trifecta Dance Collective for the November 2nd show at the Glen Club. I will also be dancing in a few productions with both Trifecta Dance Collective and Esoteric Dance Project over this summer and fall season. Non-profit companies like the ones that I work for are always looking for sponsorship for our productions so that we can continue spreading art and sharing the stories of the people around us in the form of dance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trifectadance.org/
- Email: tridancecollective@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trifectadancecollective/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Topher Alexander Photography
Beth Phillips Photography
Geek with A Lense
Eli Rodriguez
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