We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chelsea Bonosky a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Chelsea, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My parents always supported my passions, explorations, and adventures. When I was eight, I decided to attend a very rigorous and prestigious ballet training school. When I made this choice, my parents shared with me that because of this, I would not have the typical high school experience. And that if at any time I was unhappy, I could leave. I remember my decision being so abundantly clear that even at eight years old, my parents knew and full-heartedly supported that this was my life’s work. Throughout the years I was in training school, they never missed a performance, sacrificed time and finances, and traveled with me without hesitation or complaint, all while at the same time navigating family commitments, vacations, work, and raising my brothers in a household that respected and revered the arts. As it became clearer and clearer that my direction was paved, they never once doubted my abilities or dreams to succeed. They never talked about “being realistic” or how said socially judgemental phrases like ” how hard life as an artist can be.” They fully and completely believed in me. This support and belief allowed me to pursue my dreams without hesitation. I was young and was given the time and space to look at possibilities from a creative lens. This allowance to creatively design my life has followed me and woven itself into multiple tapestries of passion. This instilled belief of creative dreaming, imagination, and commitment to an intrinsic passion has grown through an artistic perspective, succeeding in dance and intertwining with my core resonance of human rights, women’s reproductive justice, and somatic conflict resolution.
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 back background and context?
I am a dancer, artist, and advocate. I grew up in upstate New York and attended the prestigious Draper Center for Dance Education. Upon completion, I attended New York University’s TISCH School of the Arts and obtained my Bachelor’s in Fine Arts. I am very humbled and grateful to have experienced the dance career I have. Creating, performing, collaborating, and teaching nationally and internationally with renowned artists and companies. I am most proud of my creative work with Adam Barruch, my solo show LUNA, and my tenure with London-based immersive company Punchdrunk in their iconic New York City show ‘Sleep No More.” I have had the incredible opportunity to work with such inspiring artists across music, film, and photography platforms. Presenting at Cannes Films Festival, Lincoln Center Dance on Camera Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, 92 St. Y, The Yard, and The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, to name a few. It is an honor to be an invited member of the Margie Gillis and The Legacy Project and to participate in her research surrounding conflict transformation through movement. Having mentors such as Alexandra Wells, Gus Solomons, Timothy Draper, and Margie Gillis has been transformative for my art and my existence in the world.
When I moved to NYC to attend NYU, I lost a mentor to complications of AIDs/HIV. Because of this, I made an internal commitment that I would pursue- and succeed- in my dance career and participate as an advocate in these spaces as well. To me, they went hand in hand. It wasn’t until later in my life that I had the vocabulary to articulate the power art has in spaces that are not just theatres or studios but in our own personal experience, safety, and survival.
I began exploring my visual art more in response to the increased restrictions on women’s bodies and their reproductive and sexual choices. I felt the intergenerational and historical feminine rage, and my outlet was my art. This expanded to gallery showings in the Lower East Side, NYC and spotlights in artistic magazines. As my art began selling, I again made it a point to contribute in more ways than one- donating portions of the proceeds to a social organization of the purchaser’s choice. Art in action. Activism as art.
Continuing this exploration, I sat as an international ambassador to Free Body Project, a teaching artist with Arts Ignite, and a Community Actionist with the Gibney Company, trained with the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence and worked as Outreach and Community Manager for the Vinegar Hill Food Pantry.
This work and intrinsic artistic activism continued to grow, and I enrolled at Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service- graduating and obtaining my LMSW. I had the incredible opportunity to work with organizations such as Black Women’s Blueprint in sexual and reproductive trauma counseling and street advocacy work. In my final year at Fordham, I interned at The United Nations, United Nations Association NY, and began exploring and implementing this work on a global platform.
Upon receiving my LMSW, I worked with The United Nations Foundation, FP2030, as a High Impact Practices in Family Planning Coordinator, coordinating the global postpartum/post-abortion family planning conference in Nepal. Currently, I work in a private practice as a psychotherapist specializing in sexual and reproductive trauma.
The trajectory of my work has been unique and diverse. Even in moments of confusion or uncertainty, what grounds me is my firm belief in the power of art and movement to heal and transform. I am extremely proud of these intersections —navigating through the world with strength in my convictions, supporting through art, and advocating through relationships.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
If I had to choose the same profession and trajectory again, I would not change anything. This statement, however, can only come from perspective, space, and time. Sometimes, in the moment, the sense of uncertainty can be overwhelming. It can make you question and doubt many aspects of yourself and your dreams. However, to be honest, this sense never really goes away. And I think it is indicative that you are still pushing, still seeking, and exploring possibilities. With that said, I have spent much time in the discomfort of fear. Fear of doubt and uncertainty. How would my dance career and pursuing women’s basic human rights work together? Or separate? Is there a way to fuse them? Do I want to? Do they connect? I have only been able to and continue to find the intersection of connectivity by traveling this unique path- one I could never have mapped out in my youth. Following this, I’ve clarified this connection: restoring bodily autonomy to bodies that have been traumatized through the medium of the body. There is an intersection of this within all platforms I have engaged in and continue to strive to participate in locally, nationally, and globally. Through advocacy, activism, direct practice, and social and behavioral change. I still wonder what is next and how I will get there. What new thing will settle into place or arrive new for this path to unfold?
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Community and people. I am a firm believer in the power of communication and active listening. How else can we be truly present? To be engaged with our peers, the organizations they are working with, the people they are working for, and the research and outreach they conduct- not only reminds us why we do what we do but why we fight for these things daily. It also bridges the gap between platforms and keeps the channels of knowledge and power fluid for the work to actually materialize and sustain.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chelseabonosky.com
- Instagram: @cmbonosky
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-bonosky/
Image Credits
Image credit: Justin Ervin, Maria Baranova, Travis Magee, Robert Mauriello, Hector Adalid