Today we’d like to introduce you to Chantelle Mrowka.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a native of suburban Chicago, born and raised in McHenry, Illinois. My training began primarily focused in gymnastics from the ages of 3 to 10 during which time, I was awarded numerous state and national titles and had the opportunity to train at the Olympic Training Center and with Olympic coach Bela Karolyi.
At the age of 10, my focus transitioned to classical ballet and pointe work where I studied under the direction of a former principal dancer of the Milwaukee Ballet, Alyce Brinkmann. Additionally, I trained at the Joffrey and Milwaukee Ballet and performed principle roles in productions with Illinois Youth Dance Theater.
My professional dance career began my sophomore year of high school when I started dancing with Chicago Dance Crash, a contemporary fusion company based in Chicago. I danced and performed in numerous productions with the company throughout my 6 season career. Additional professional experience includes corporate work and special events with an aerial dance company based out of Chicago called C5 Create With No Limits.
My most current endeavors brought me out to LA where I am currently dancing with Diavolo Dance Theater, a touring acrobatic modern company based out of Los Angeles. The company was most recently showcased on season 12 of Americas Got Talent where Diavolo was voted one of the top ten acts on the TV show.
Has it been a smooth road?
I believe that struggles and challenges are the one element of life that all people in all different walks of life share with one another. No matter what your life path, the road never consistently remains smooth, but its rather a constant rollercoaster of ups and downs. It’s overcoming the struggles along the way that reveals your inner strength and uncovers beauty in unexpected circumstances.
I’ve had my fair share of struggles in life, both personal and professional. One of the greatest and most impactful being the passing of my father at the age of 17. Without getting into a great deal, it was one of the most devastating yet eye-opening experiences in my life. It gave me a completely different appreciation and a deeper sense of gratefulness for life and continually reminds me to embrace life to its fullest and to never take it for granted.
On a professional level, the life of an artist inevitably brings its own struggles; physically, mentally and emotionally.
Breaking my comfort zone and making the huge transition from Chicago to LA has been a rollercoaster of an experience but truly one of the best decisions I think I have made in my career so far. There is something about allowing yourself to take risks and take the plunge into a new and unfamiliar chapter in life; it reveals things about yourself that you might not have otherwise discovered and opened up the door for new connections and new experiences.
For the first 23 years of my life, I lived in the same state surrounded by my wonderful family and an incredible group of friends, dancers, peers, and employers. I have blessed that life took me on a path where I got to do what I loved every day both in my youth and adulthood. My six-year career as a professional dancer and teacher/choreographer in Chicago brought so many incredible experiences and created unforgettable memories, but I feel like there is a constant internal drive in every person’s life to expand horizons and strive to achieve greater or even just different experiences. But familiarity and comfortability have a funny way of holding you back from taking a jump into unknown territory. For a short period that was the case for me, I knew with the limited time frame of a dancers’ career that I wanted to branch out and try something different but the security of being “home” and near all of the people I loved making the decision a little more difficult.
When the opportunity was presented to work with Diavolo I honestly didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into. I knew from a few classes, the audition process and word of mouth that working with the company entailed a great amount of both physical and mental strength, but its something you can’t fully comprehend until you start working with the company. The company is most often represented as “Architecture In Motion” and can most simply be described as an acrobatic modern dance company that combines movement with moving structures.
The founder and director of the company, Jacques Heim, is a mastermind in what he does; the creativity and beauty of his vision for his work are quite evident, but with that creativity comes insanity and he stops at nothing to make his vision come to life. With that being said, he pushes us to constantly become better dancers, artists, and human beings and with that comes endless hours of literal blood, sweat, and tears. Our contracted rehearsal schedule is set from 9-5 Monday through Friday but more often than not it gets extended to 9-9 for six or even seven days of the week. During the AGT process, we danced 12-14 hours a day for 30 days straight in order to accomplish what we needed. It was hands down one of the most intense and exhausting months of my life both physically and mentally but getting to see the results and how much the company grew together during that time was indescribable, that feeling of overcoming something that at times seemed impossible was truly amazing. The past few months of touring have also continued to bring many challenges but even more and greater rewards.
On a physical level, in the life of a dancer, where your body is your instrument, injuries are one of the greatest setbacks. With the intense physicality and impact on the body in dance, as in any sport, injuries are inevitable no matter how well you take care of your body. Unfortunately, I am not exempt from experiencing injuries: A tear in one of my external rotators in my hip, a grade II ankle sprain and what I believe to have been an AC joint separation have all been injuries I have had to overcome, the latter two fairly recently.
Obviously, injuries aren’t something people look forward to. As a dancer, not having full use of your body to move and create is one of the most devastating things. You put endless hours into your craft and it can all be brought to a halt when an injury occurs. But, I’m a firm believer in mind over matter. Obviously taking the correct steps of resting and rehabilitating are necessary for the healing process but your mentality in the healing process, remaining optimistic and staying focused on recovering, I believe is equally necessary to a successful comeback. When I sprained my ankle, I didn’t regain full use of it for about two and a half months, but I rehabilitated like crazy and used the time to focus on upper body strength and handstand gains in the process. Vice versa, when I injured my shoulder, while taking it easy on upper body impact I took the time to further leg strength. So, although there was a setback in one area there was growth in the other. Being in a career field that demands so much from your body, you really can’t expect to ever be “injury free”. Old injuries have a way of resurfacing and its likely new injuries will eventually develop but being in tune with your body, knowing how to manage an injury and how much you can push yourself are key to the longevity of one’s career. Theres never a setback too great to overcome if you have the right mind set.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
As a dancer, it’s a bit different than your normal job; it’s literally your own body and mind that is your “business” and the only one that can truly take control of it is you. Everything you do is dedicated to training to achieve new goals and to constantly better yourself as a mover, artist, and performer. The training and learning never end and you pretty much literally, “eat, sleep and breathe” dance.
The dance industry has grown to a point where its no longer good enough to just be amazing in one style, you have to be a bit of a hybrid, immersing yourself into every style of dance; ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, modern, breakdance, not to mention other artistic sports like gymnastics and theatrical/performance elements. It’s a constant battle to find the time and finances to train enough in everything that you desire to but every little bit of information you can take from classes and training accumulate into your movement vocabulary and help you discover new things about yourself and your craft.
Like mentioned previously, I started off primarily as a gymnast, transitioned to classical ballet and pointe work, and later changed my focus to more contemporary, jazz and breakdance foundations. I would say at this point, I consider my strong suit to be contemporary acro. But being in Diavolo, a company that utilizes all forms of dance and acrobatics, it’s extremely important to be as well-rounded as possible. I take classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz, acrobatics, breakdance and other specialty classes like an aerial harness, bungee, and Lyra. Also, because strength is a huge element in the company as well, hours are also dedicated to fitness and working out on a more regimented “strength training” level. Any hours not spent in classes/rehearsals or in the gym are typically dedicated to studying video material or preparing meals that are suited to fueling the body for the intense schedule.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Social media serves as an incredible platform in today’s world of technology for artists and performers. Sites like Facebook and Instagram provide a way to share your work with others around the world who might not otherwise have the chance to witness it. They allow you to make connections and to collaborate with other talented artists which I think is beautiful if it’s done for the right reasons. My main goal with my social media platform is to share my craft with the world, to be an inspiration to those who have similar career goals and to make connections.
But, really the most important resource as a dancer is immersing yourself in all types of classes. Not allowing yourself to get comfortable with where you are at, but taking in as much information as you can and taking critique and finding a way to apply it even if you might not agree. Understanding that as an artist there are always going to be people who have different visions and opinions than you, that’s the beauty of art. Learn from peoples different movement qualities and apply them all to your own development. Take risks, don’t get comfortable, constantly challenge yourself, know that you are never alone, show love and compassion to all those around you. One of the most amazing things about dance, art, and movement is that they connect people from all walks of life together in a beautiful way.
Contact Info:
- Email: chantellenicolemrowka@gmail.com
- Instagram: @chantellenicolemrowka
- Facebook: facebook.com/chantellemrowka
- Other: Dance Reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltueYZ0uKBI
Image Credit:
1st “Fun Horizontal Shot: Sara Beugen, Headshot: KC Hatfield, “Boat” Trajectoire: George Simian (with Diavolo dancers), Aerial Cartwheel: Dmitriy Vi, “Train” jump: George Simian (with Diavolo dancers), Pointe shoes: Luis Pons, Flour Motion jump: Christopher Tashjian, Ocean shot: Dmitriy Vi, Partner lift: photo by Dmitriy Vi partnering with James Heugh
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