We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Isaac Kerr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Isaac below.

Alright, Isaac thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

As a Black Canadian moving to United States, I was constantly seen as African-American. It took me awhile to adjust to United States. Even though Canada is beside United States I found the culture of two countries different, but the Black people in Canada and America even more different. Because African-Americans are the majority ethnic group of Black people in America everyone assumes that if you’re black in United States you must be African-American.

This concept was a struggle for me especially when it came to my beliefs and creative ideas. I felt I didn’t belong amongst African-Americans because my upbringing was very different and I felt it was hard to connect culturally. This led to apprehension in developing my artistic self, because I didn’t feel I belonged in a social community that I could share my own voice and be understood.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Isaac Kerr, currently a professional freelance dancer/performer in NYC from Ontario, Canada. I have been dancing since I was 10 and started training at 14. I trained in Jazz, Tap, and Ballet mostly in Ontario at multiple institutions including Classical Dance Conservatory under the direction of Audra Grierson, Joanne Chapman School of Dance, and Quinte Ballet School. After my studies in Canada I moved to NYC to study at the Alvin Ailey School where I graduated in 2018.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I started in dance much older than most dancers do. With having a 10 year gap of dancing than my peers it was a long journey to establish myself within the industry. What kept me motivated was the challenge. I grew up playing video games and I learned a valuable lesson from playing them. To continue to figure out ways to succeed. It was a journey filled with frustration amongst many other emotions, but the feeling of accomplishment outweighed any other emotions I had. It became a drug in a way, Addicted to success. I transferred my resilience from video games to dance, overcoming many obstacles, and ultimately accomplishing many goals.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the negative mentality around competition. Growing up in the dance competition circuit I adopted many toxic traits including exclusivity, body dysmorphia, and fear. There were nuances that, as a kid, would pick up on growing up in dance. Students and teachers would only talk to other artists if they thought they were getting a lot of attention or fame, but if the fame faded, they would no longer talk to them.

Through the pandemic I was able to discover new environments and hobbies that helped me realize and develop new perceptions on life.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.isaackerrdance.com
• Instagram: @isaackerr
• Facebook: Isaac Kerr
• Linkedin: Isaac Kerr

Image Credits
Nir Arieli