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

Ali , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I grew up in a home full of art. My mother is a visual artist and always had a project for us to work on. Thinking back on it now, I am in awe of her creative wisdom, her ability to mother while gifting us with interesting engagements in the arts. She, and both my grandmothers, started taking me to the theater when I was 2 years old. I have been swimming in the arts my whole life, and I can’t imagine a better way to feel the world. I often find myself sensitive to the anxiety in the world, but it is indeed this quality that allows me to fully feel the intense joy and love in the world as well. I believe this is because I have been surrounded by art and artists my entire life. The practical technique of art making was something I practiced, something my mother helped me hone, something I went and got a B.F.A in, but the craft of it all is actually just remembering to look around, take a deep breath, and trust myself. A life long spiritual practice.

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

I am an actor, painter, teacher, hiker, underwear dance party enthusiast, yogi, animal lover, almost vegan, meditator, and newly obsessed with cats.

As an actor, I have performed on Broadway and off, and in venues across the country including The Roundabout Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, The Old Globe, Cincinnati playhouse in the park, Fault Line Theatre, Barrington Stage and more. I am deeply passionate about movement theater and completed the international residency program with Frantic Assembly in London.

My most recent pride in work was being in the cast of the Tony Award winning LEOPOLDSTADT by Tom Stoppard on Broadway.

As a painter,I use saturated, rhythmic color to paint women’s bodies and faces. I want to describe the womxn up against herself. I question the scope of femininity by capturing moments of rage, torture, complacency, joy, nostalgia, and desire. I am an expressionist with occasional abstract tendencies. I have taught art all over the world with Arts Ignite, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDs.

I work on new plays, classical texts, new visual commissions, Ketubahs for weddings, and original work that can be found on my website and instagram.

www.mayimarts.com
www.alidachis.com
IG: @mayimarts

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Money! We need your money! You can buy original art, and if you don’t have the money to do so, you can share artists you love on social media or with your friends to help get their work out there. Ultimately the government needs to fund more arts programming in schools, support artists, subsidize theater, and show the value of art through the dollar.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I recently had a brutal heartbreak in the theater, I had worked on a show developing it with the playwright and director , and gave my whole heart to the piece, I had never been more proud of my work. When the show got a larger off-broadway production I was replaced with another actor. The pain, disillusionment, and my ego were screaming. I was able to work through some shame by talking to friends who had been through this same thing before, saying “it happens to everyone” and the more people I spoke to, the more I found this to be true. Many of the artists I have deep respect for in the theater, some of the most incredible artists of our time, have had this happen to them. I share this because I felt alone in the experience, I felt shame, and it felt deeply personal, and I realize now how impersonal it all actually is. Sometimes the thing I want is not yours, it’s mine, and sometimes the thing I want is not mine it’s yours. In a capitalist world of job scarcity this can be devastating, but, even within the pain I believe it’s possible (if not a golden opportunity) to practice going back to the small wins, the beautiful joys in life, and all I have accomplished.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mayimarts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayimarts/
• Other: http://www.alidachis.com

Image Credits
Ali Rose Dachis Jenny Anderson Jacob J. Goldberg Ali Rose Dachis Joan Marcus Ali Rose Dachis Ali Rose Dachis Ali Rose Dachis