We recently connected with Chelsea and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsea, 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?

While I truly can’t imagine my life without dance, I would be lying to you if I told you I’ve never doubted myself or my career choice before. I’d be lying if I told you I only doubted myself once, twice, or even three times. In fact, I wonder and stress every single day of my life if I’ve made the right choice or if I should pursue a regular job, and I know I’m not the only artist who can relate to this. The truth is I can’t think of just one prominent moment where I’ve battled this thought or this doubt.

I was born and raised in a small farming town in southern New Hampshire that has only one traffic light and a population of approximately 7,000 people. I began dancing at three years old, and grew up to dance competitively and attend several summer dance intensives across the country. It was those few weeks in the summer that I spent outside of New Hampshire that inspired me and helped me grasp just how vast the world is, and how many other young dancers are out there, dedicating all of their time to the art form, just like me. I moved to New York City at 18 years old to pursue my BFA from NYU Tisch Dance and chase my lifetime dream of becoming a professional dancer.

I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for anything. But when you dedicate all of your time to training and building a lifestyle that allows you to go after your dream role, it’s easy to let your mental, physical, and emotional well-being slip down into the trenches. Especially as a young artist, you have to find the perfect balance between making enough money to stay afloat in such an expensive city, while simultaneously allowing yourself the time during the day to audition and train. For many of us, this means our days look like running from job number one, to class, to job number two, to an audition, to job number three and so on. It means sometimes having no time for grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, etc, and while I know people in any profession can experience this, the difference is that young artists are often not rewarded for their hard work and time with PTO, a 401k, benefits, work meals, holidays off, yearly bonuses, or even salary pay. The only reason we continue to live this lifestyle and chase this career path is not for the money or the benefits, but it’s because we genuinely love what we do and have a passion we cannot ignore.

A moment I truly believe every young professional dancer can relate to is the moment you step into the audition room for your dream role. You’ve trained a lifetime for this, you have your hair slicked back perfectly, your best leotard on, and you’ve taped your audition number to your chest. You’re in a room with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of other dancers who look just like you. You’re given a few minutes, sometimes seconds even, to give it all you’ve got, perform to your best ability, and prove that you have what it takes. Unfortunately, we hear so many “not today’s” before we finally hear the coveted “yes!” There are few experiences more disheartening than delivering your strongest performance in an audition room, and feeling completely in your element, only to be cut without feedback or clarity. To come so close to a long-held goal and still be met with a definitive “not this time” is a difficult but all-too-common part of the journey. Every dancer knows the physical and mental ache of walking through the city after a rejection. You shield your tears behind sunglasses, even on cloudy days, acutely aware of the curious and concerned stares from strangers on the subway as they take in your appearance. You finally arrive home only to be met with the quiet moments of having to unpin your audition hair and wipe off stage makeup, feeling like you’ve blown your shot at your dream. You think of friends who have pursued more conventional career paths and wonder if they know this kind of ache, if their journeys have spared them from such brutal rejection, relentless physical demands, and the emotional toll that comes with chasing an unconventional dream. You can’t help but wonder, why do I keep pursuing this career path? But beneath the disappointment and wonder is a deeper strength and need: the resilience to show up again, to keep going, and to keep believing in the dream.

There are moments in life as a professional dancer that outweigh all of the hardships. The moment when you finally do hear “yes.” Maybe it’s the call offering you the role you’ve dreamed of for years, or maybe it’s something quieter, like a moment in a regular dance class when everything clicks, and you feel completely alive in your dancing. These are the moments that remind you why you endure the struggle. They’re the glimmers of light that make every rejection, every sacrifice, and every moment of doubt worth it.

The most beautiful part of chasing your dream lies in the small, unexpected moments of joy that ripple through each day. It’s those quiet pockets of gratitude that are a gentle reminder that you are living a life many only wish for. To feel such profound love for your craft, to wake up each morning knowing you are pursuing what sets your soul on fire, is a gift beyond measure. These moments fuel your spirit, lifting you above the hardships and reaffirming that every sacrifice, every doubt, and every challenge is part of a greater journey toward fulfillment and purpose.

Not only do I wrestle with my own self-doubt, but I also navigate the judgment of those who don’t understand what it truly means to build a life in the arts. I can think of countless moments when I’ve felt misunderstood. Moments where my path was met not with curiosity, but with skepticism. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve had to smile through questions like, “Do you even make money doing that?” or, “What’s your backup plan?” Or when someone casually dismisses everything I’ve worked for with a well-meaning but belittling, “That’s so nice you have a hobby!”

There are moments of doubt and uncertainty, of course. There are plenty of times where the hustle and the sacrifices I make to pursue this career weigh heavily. But even in the hardest of times, there’s a quiet pride in knowing I didn’t back down. I didn’t choose the safer route or silence the part of me that longed to create, move, and inspire. If I hadn’t chosen the arts, I know I’d spend the rest of my life wondering “what if?” Wondering what might have happened if I’d just taken the leap. The haunting sense of a dream left unexplored would be far heavier than any rejection or hardship I’ve faced along the way.

What I love most about artists, especially fellow dancers, is our resilience and strength to chase our wildest dreams. Our ability to face rejection on the daily, endure strenuous auditions, classes, and rehearsals, and push forward towards our goals is unmatched. Pursuing a professional dance career in New York City takes grit and it takes bravery. Being an artist means constantly betting on yourself in a game where the rules keep changing. It’s a constant dance between honoring your individuality and shape-shifting just enough to meet the moment each audition demands. It’s not just about success, it’s about survival. It’s about claiming space in a world that doesn’t always make room for artists.

I’ve learned to stand up for myself and my dreams, and to know that no matter what anyone else thinks of me, I am exactly where I’m meant to be. I’m happy as an artist because I get to pursue a dream I’ve carried in my heart since I was a little girl. Every day, I wake up knowing that I’m chasing something deeply meaningful that has shaped who I am. While this path is far from easy, it’s mine. It’s honest. It’s brave. It’s beautiful.

So yes, I’m happy, because every step I take, even the imperfect ones, brings me closer to becoming the artist and dancer I’m meant to be. I’m so grateful to have found passion early on in my life; to know what it is like to love something so deeply and to strive for all of my goals. You only live once, and I am so happy to be living this life as a dancer.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Chelsea McNamara and I am 24 years old. I grew up in a very small farming town in southern New Hampshire and began dancing at the early age of three years old. While I attempted to try pretty much every sport on the planet, the dance studio was always where I felt happiest. I grew up competing in dance competitions and attending professional summer dance intensives around the country. I’ve been trained in numerous genres of dance such as ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, tap, jazz, precision jazz, lyrical, musical theatre and hip hop. I was fortunate enough to be accepted to several prestigious summer dance intensives including Orsolina 28, Alonzo King Lines Ballet and Boston Ballet.

With the support and encouragement from my family, I moved to New York City at 18 years old to attend NYU Tisch School of the Arts. I graduated in 2022 with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Entertainment and Media Industries. During my senior year of college, I was accepted into NYU Stern School of Business’ Part Time MBA program, which I began in Fall of 2022. Just this May, I graduated with an MBA and specializations in Brand Management and Entertainment and Media Industries.

Now, I live in Manhattan and I am pursuing a professional career in the performing arts. I work in Marketing at the most iconic professional dance school on the East Coast, Steps on Broadway. When I am not working for Steps on Broadway, I am taking dance classes throughout the city, auditioning for my dream roles, singing, acting, and spending time with my family and friends.

Additional professional dance credits include performing on tour in Rand Productions’ “Christmas In The Air” in 2024, as well as at the Atlantic City MGM Borgata in 2023. I’ve traveled to Italy to perform in the Agropoli Danza Festival where I worked with notable Italian choreographers. I continue to train with New York City’s finest professionals and educators, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to perform and work throughout such an incredible city.

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

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative, especially a professional dancer in New York City, is having the opportunity to meet and connect with so many other artists from around the world. I’m honored to be a part of a community that’s constantly pushing boundaries and redefining what’s possible. Especially in New York City, there are so many talented individuals that have taken a chance on their wildest dreams, and it’s truly inspiring. When I step into an audition room, or a rehearsal space, or a dance class, I’m met with passion, love, and an uplifting energy from everyone in the room. The people you work with on a professional dance contract become your family. You spend so much time working and living together, experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows of being a professional dancer, sharing a passion for creating, and so much more. The relationship you build among fellow creatives on professional contracts can not be found in any other regular job. I am so grateful to be able to pursue my dream and experience the best moments with some of the best people.

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

As I sit here writing this, I’m lying on the couch with my left foot elevated, wrapped in layers of bandages and covered in ice — just two days post-surgery. I fractured the lateral sesamoid bone in my foot during a dance class. As dancers so often do, I pushed through the pain. We’re trained to tolerate discomfort, to keep going even when we are tired and hurting to build up our strength, our endurance, and our resilience. My pain threshold is high, almost dangerously so, and for a while I danced on an injury that slowly wore me down both physically and mentally. After being in a boot for six weeks, to dealing with physical injections into the bottom of my foot, to only wearing Hokas for months on end, and struggling to dance to my fullest ability, the bone eventually died. Yes, that’s right. I was dancing and going about my daily life with a completely dead bone in my foot. Ouch. I’ve been persevering through this injury and trying to stay hopeful that it was something I could get through without surgery, but after a while, I eventually realized that the quality of life I had been living was not acceptable, and I had to make a change. I recently underwent my very first surgery and had the dead bone removed from my foot. My amazing surgeon, Dr. Raymond Walls at NYU Langone, was a former professional dancer, and he now specializes in foot and ankle orthopedics and surgery. I met with many doctors/surgeons over the course of this injury before I finally met Dr. Walls. I knew instantly that he was who I wanted to perform this surgery. I am so thankful to be able to say that the surgery was a success and I am officially on the mend. I will not be able to dance for two months, and will have to go through targeted physical therapy to relearn how to stand on relevé without the sesamoid bone to support me. While this may not seem like a long time to some, not being able to do something that has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember is gut wrenching. In NYC, there are constantly new auditions to attend, classes to take, and spaces that every dancer aims to occupy. There’s never truly a perfect time to rest and recover from any kind of injury without missing out on an opportunity. The pain of getting left behind or missing out on a dream is arguably worse than the physical pain of recovering from surgery.

The reality of pursuing a professional dance career is that, more often than not, the odds are stacked against you. You’ll face rejection more times than you can count. You’ll walk into rooms filled with hundreds of dancers who are just as talented, just as hungry, and sometimes you won’t even get the chance to be seen. You’ll be tested in ways you’ve never imagined — physically, mentally, and emotionally. This injury has challenged me in more ways than I ever could have thought. Not only have I endured the physical pain and undergone an invasive surgery, but what’s surprised me most is how deeply it’s tested me mentally and emotionally. For so long, I equated pushing through pain with strength. Like so many dancers, I wore my resilience like armor, and convinced myself that resting was weakness, that slowing down meant falling behind. Fracturing my foot and allowing the bone to die forced me to rewrite that narrative. I’ve certainly learned the hard way that true strength lies in knowing when to pause. In listening to your body at all times, I’ve come to understand that healing isn’t passive; it’s an active choice to prioritize your well-being, to trust the process, and to be patient with yourself even when it’s uncomfortable.

Most importantly, I’ve learned that putting my health first isn’t a detour from my dreams. In fact, it’s the only way to sustain them. Taking a step back doesn’t mean giving up. Sometimes, it’s the most powerful and most resilient thing you can do to move forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chelseamcnamara.godaddysites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelseaaamacc/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseaemcnamara

Image Credits

Jon Taylor