We recently connected with Miranda Atkinson and have shared our conversation below.
Miranda , appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
My creative dance career has almost always been a part of my life, though I have vacillated between it being my primary professional focus and a hobby. I’ve always loved dance and art, and I vehemently believe in the power of creative expression, but as I’ve grown older, my passion has shifted from seeking those experience for myself to finding ways to create those experiences for others.
Nurturing people, and their own pursuit of fulfillment and meaning gives me purpose–it’s the role I see myself playing in my community and the world. Throughout my career, I’ve done that while teaching dance, counseling students in higher education, and through mentoring, but my belief in the importance of people helping and believing in each other has been a common thread.
At #instaballet, all of that comes together for me–I get to create opportunities for artists, bring dance out of the theatre and into the community, and provide space for others to thrive while sharing the art form I love the most. I am sometimes overwhelmed with gratitude for the different paths I’ve pursued aligning in my current position.
Looking back, I wouldn’t change anything. The experiences I have had throughout both of my careers have provided me with the wisdom and skills I need to succeed as an arts leader. In fact, the breadth of experience is part of what enables me to succeed in the creative sector–I’ve come to realize that it’s part of what makes me uniquely capable of managing a dance organization with an equity lens and a people-centered approach.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I started dancing when I was three, and I fell in love with dance when I was nine–I still remember watching Giselle for the first time in a theatre, and I was completely captivated. There was simply something about it that spoke to me deeply. And since then, dance has always been a part of my life, primarily through teaching.
I’m also incredibly curious about people–what motivates them, how our brains work, and how we influence one another. As a result, I pursued a degree in counseling psychology and worked in higher education, finding that I am also passionate about improving equitable access to education. I believe that access to education, and access to art, should be a right, not a privilege.
At #instaballet, we bring dance out of the theatre and into the community, inviting community audiences to choreograph in real time on professional dancers. Our mission? We teach the use of creativity to empower the self and build community through the art of dance.
#instaballet workshops happen in community spaces, like the First Friday ArtWalk, at area schools, and with area nonprofits that support youth. Over the past three years, our programs have tripled, with the most growth happening via our educational programs. We prioritize working with youth who face barriers to accessing dance and find the autonomy and agency that #instaballet workshops nurture to be especially important.
I am proud of everything we do, from paying artists a living wage to working with children with disabilities, but I feel especially proud every time someone approaches me and says that #instaballet has changed how they feel about dance–made it feel relevant and accessible. The most meaningful experiences I have involve no words. They are when I see someone light up with joy when their idea is given shape. They are when I see two people connecting with each other as they create a new dance move. They are when I see a dancer experience the satisfaction of knowing that what they do has a real impact on their community.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In my mid-20’s, I planned on pursuing more performance opportunities as a dancer, but unfortunately, I experienced the onset of what I now know to be psoriatic arthritis (an autoimmune disease). The symptoms manifested swiftly, and I went through periods of time when I needed assistance to accomplish daily tasks, like getting dressed or walking. It was incredibly scary, and it took 10 years for me to receive a diagnosis and effective treatment. My ability to perform was limited, and I shifted my focus to my career in higher education, finding a passion for developing creative solutions to change inequitable systems.
While that experience was very difficult, it also made it possible for me to do similar work in the arts sector. And now that my symptoms are managed, I am able to explore what dance means to me now. In retrospect, I see how all of these seemly unconnected dots of experience are actually stars in a constellation that reflects the shape of my career.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think that many people appreciate art and creativity, but it’s often thought of as something that’s “nice to have” rather than essential. And as creatives, we often find ourselves defending what we do in terms of how it supports other industries, such as explaining that exposure to music is linked to better math skills.
While that’s true, art does improve other outcomes, it’s inherently valuable all on its own. Dance builds empathy, increasing the ability to understand the emotions of others. It develops all sorts of cognitive skills, engaging and connecting a staggering number of brain networks simultaneously. And while doing all of this, it provides the chance to explore our experiences as individuals and communities, deepening our understanding of what it means to be human and and enabling us to recognize the humanity in others.
Frankly, I can’t think of anything more essential and timely.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://instaballet.org/#about
- Instagram: @instaballetgram
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/instaballet/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miranda-atkinson-41a40876/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@instaballet/videos
Image Credits
PC to Jeremy Bronson, Ellen Paulson, Delene & Co., Antonio Anacan, and Miranda Atkinson