We were lucky to catch up with Catherine Messina recently and have shared our conversation below.

Catherine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

The most important lesson I learned was actually before my first job, but it has truly shaped every part of myself. No one is a mind reader, and you have to ask for your needs. You have to let any sort of fear of imposing or your ego go, and just state clearly what you desire while something can still be done (not after the fact). The worst that you can hear is a no. And even then, the no might be for now, not forever. This belief has been the sole reason my dance, choreographic, and teaching career has taken off. I have made my dreams known to those I wish to worked with, and that helped me find my niche of those that did give the coveted “yes!’

Catherine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a dancer, creator, and community programmer working throughout Atlanta and New York. I have worked with choreographers such as Jillian Mitchell, Mark Caserta, Ruben Julliard, Alexander Espinosa, George Staib, Niv Sheinfeld, Oren Laor, Yuki Ishiguro, Fern Katz, Yoshito Sakuraba, and Emmy Wildermuth. My company, rogue wave, has performed throughout New York, Atlanta, Richmond, Portugal, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, my hometown. I am a recipient of grant support through the City of Atlanta and The Puffin Foundation, and have experience in arts administration, teaching, and technical production.

As a graduate of Emory University, and a scholarship recipient, I have studied at the Bates Dance Festival in Maine, staibdance Summer Intensive in Italy, and American Dance Festival, Bates Winter Intensives, and Kizuna Floorwork Intensive in New York. My preferred style of movement is a combination of intensive floorwork and specific gestural movement.

Community work is important to me and seen through my creation of a twice-a-year outdoor dance festival – Fall for Fall/Spring for Spring, a summer class series, and volunteering for DanceATL and Dance/NYC. These festivals feature over thirty local choreographers each weekend, all ticket sales and donations go directly to the artists involved, there is no application fee, and
complementary photos and videos are sent to every choreographer. Though this might sound standard, this is not common in the festival module of the dance world. In addition, each night is at a different location in order to provide accessibility to the city and features musicians as well.

I am proud of my commitment to the craft, to the community I work in, and to the students I teach.

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

I believe society needs to recognize that artists, especially now with an increased work-from-home life, are highly contributing to our nation’s economy. Going from gig to gig – grabbing coffee and meals, buying costumes, watching other performances, I am constantly on the go and subsequently actively engaging in my city’s economy and supporting local businesses. Yet, my field is continuously passed by in terms of public funding, respect, and acknowledgement that this is a potential career. We need to completely rethink the national budget to better support artist and creatives; the existing grants and supports available need to diversify so they are not always supporting the same, 50 year old companies that already have a following. I have been able to be an artist-in-residence in studios, using them when they are empty, in exchange for marketing support. Our society needs to consider these trade and bartering system as a genuine possibility, and start actually thinking outside the box.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have always had some health issues, but I began my sharp decline halfway through my college experience. During these years, I took myself alone to a variety of doctors, determined for answers, while also finishing my degree, working full time, and trying to pursue my dream of being a professional contemporary dancer.

I finally found an answer in an holistic wellness clinic one hour north of Atlanta. And, three years after that initial visit, I am a professional dancer and I finally have more good days than bad. Though I have had to adjust my day-to-day in some ways, I am able to share my story to help others and proud of my resilience to hold onto everything I dreamed of, and kept fighting for answers. This has shaped my personality, and I cannot imagine who I would be without this journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://catherinemessina1.wixsite.com/dance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiekat_13/
• Other: Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roguewaveroguewave/

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Mike Hurwitz for KYL/D’s Inhale Performance Series, Cody Jacques Photography, James Jackson, DeGrees Photographer