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

Brady, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I think the most meaningful project that I’ve worked on has been a full-length contemporary dance show that I created in 2022, entitled “Weightless.” I had created my first show in 2019, and it was wonderful, but I was only sixteen, so after maturing in artistry and choreography for a few years, I was ready to take on this challenge. I cast 20 dancers from the Atlanta area in November 2021 and spent the winter and spring of 2022 creating the show, and it premiered in June 2022 to a sold-out audience at the KSU Dance Theater. This show was about the burdens we place on ourselves as humans and who we become when we release these burdens. I spoke with my cast about some of the personal burdens they carry and how we can use dance and movement as a form of releasing these burdens. The show was a beautiful representation of this release, and I was super proud of what was presented! It also allowed me to keep these connections, and I consider a lot of these artists close friends and people who I would want to work with again in the future.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Hey everybody! My name is Brady Michael, and I’m a nineteen-year-old dancer, teacher, and choreographer based currently out of Atlanta. I grew up in Macon, GA and began dancing when I was six years old because a studio opened next door to my parents’ workplace, and they needed something to keep me busy during the afternoons. I took hiphop for three years and then got into tap, jazz, and ballet when I was nine. I fell in love with dancing and eventually explored more styles, starting with contemporary when I was thirteen. My home studio needed a hiphop instructor for younger dancers, so I was hired to teach when I was fifteen. I balanced competitive dance and teaching/choreographing until I graduated high school in 2021 and immediately began working at various studios across Atlanta and Destin, FL as a full-time teacher and choreographer. Through working at these studios, I have won 11 Best Choreography Awards, had one of my pieces score the highest score of the entire competition in Florida, and am Industry Dance Award-nominated.

While teaching and choreographing at these studios, I have freelanced two full-length dance shows, which brought together artists from Atlanta. In the autumn of 2022, I created RISK Contemporary Dance Company, which is an Atlanta-based company that focuses on strengthening artistry and providing work for talented contemporary artists in the area.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

This is such an interesting question. For me, one of my main goals in creating work is to evoke some sort of emotion. Dance is such a cool thing, because it is one of the only sports/art forms that can make somebody feel something without the use of any words. I think some of my most rewarding times as a dancer/choreographer has been when somebody tells me that they felt emotional about what they saw or are able to share something from their own life that is relevant to the work they watched. That is so powerful to me.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I definitely wish that I knew that it was okay for me to create my own opportunities sooner and explore my creative voice at an earlier age. While it is a beautiful and effective industry, the competition dance realm can sometimes feel super constricting. In my opinion, every aspiring dancer should complete a studio’s program, whether competition or recreational. At the same time, I always encourage my students to use their creative voices; anything from a concept video, creating combos with their friends, anything that will drive them to dig into their artistry more and more. It’s super important for a dancer to respect their training and the people who are investing in them, yet it is also important for them to personally explore their creativity. I wish somebody would have told me that when I was growing up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BradyMichaelChoreo.com
• Instagram: @_BradyMichael
• Other: Choreography Instagram: @BradyMichaelChoreo Company Instagram: @RiskDanceATL

Image Credits
Gabrielle Fenimore Photography