Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adanna Smalls. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Adanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Although I’ve never experienced any other way of living, I favor and prefer life as an artist. Often times, I do wonder what it’d be like to lead a different lifestyle. When, I was younger my main dream outside of the arts was to go to an HBCU and become a doctor. Honestly, it was purely for the sake of being financially free, I thought I’d pursue that and perform in the arts on the side. I am glad things didn’t turn out that way because I’ve grown to realize that there is financial success to be found in being an artist (a dancer specifically) and I could truly do something I love, while achieving a life long goal.

Adanna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Adanna Smalls. I’m born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

I am dancer, performer, martial artist, singer and actress.
I started off when I was three years old with consistent dance classes and NEVER stopped. I became infatuated with the feeling of being on stage, the discipline, even the shoes. Dancing has always made me feel whole. There was never a year in school where I wouldn’t go to dance classes right after the academic school day was done. These practices carried over into my life after high school graduation and I was able to attend and graduate from the Ailey School’s Certificate Program with hopes of making it into their second company, Ailey II. When I received the offer of apprenticeship I was ecstatic because it is and continues to be an excellent start to my dance career. I also can’t NOT mention the Evidence company for getting me into the professional world and solidifying my idea of what I desire to do for the next few years.

I also I started practicing martial arts and I work at my family’s business “Elite Martial Arts of Brooklyn.” My father and mother would teach classes in our basement to mainly rooms of extended family, including me. We finally moved to a different location, our own location (1779 Pacific Street). Our journey was and continues to be difficult and rewarding. From barely profiting from the school but still pursuing it to keep a safe and disciplined community for young children and teenagers, to gaining a little more traction over virtual classes throughout the pandemic, to now having two locations (1244 Nostrand Ave) and classes full of young brilliant minds ready to learn.
Touching on my last two practices, I act and sing, I went to PPAS which is a professional performing arts middle and high school in Manhattan. I am grateful for my time there because the environment exposed me to more of what the arts can offer for people. I was able to witness young artists touch the hearts of audiences, varying in age and I knew from then that this was something I wanted to do.
All of these practices, are pieces of me. They’ve taught me discipline and have given me spaces to express myself.
I am just beginning to get into my professional career and haven’t yet fully established myself. I’d like people to know that there is no limit to what you can do. In this one life you should go for what makes you happy, there’s always a way to make your dreams into a reality.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

In my opinion, non-creatives struggle to understand the correlation between their ambition that they have for their careers and the the ambition artists have for theirs. Especially with careers like dance. For as long as I can remember, when people ask what I aim to pursue as a career, they always say “dance?” “What else are you going to do to support that?” I want people to understand that you can dance successfully and not have any back ups. The world is continuously changing and people are warming up to the idea of dance being a true career choice now, more than ever. It doesn’t even have to be physically dancing on stage it could mean anything related to dance, teaching, owning a dance business, managing artists, stage managing, the list goes on and on.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing people can do to support artist is try and indulge themselves in it. See what they like. Being in artistic spaces can help society understand the inner workings of artistic careers or the impact of artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elitemartialartsbk.com/
• Instagram: @adannasmalls
• Youtube: adanna smalls

Image Credits

Nir Arieli
Radiant Amar