We recently connected with Chenise Mitchell and have shared our conversation below.
Chenise, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
I created a performance based on the topic of joy.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a Jazz artist. Bio:
‘Chenise Mitchell is a Jazzer; a performing artist driven by rhythm and social and ancestral connection. With 17 years of professional experience, Chenise has toured Turtle Island, appearing in commercials (Hasbro, Rogers, MMVAs), and performing in festivals (Fringe, Ignite!, Provocation, Particle and Wave, Fluid Fest, MADbeatz, Calgary International noChildren’s Festival and more), concerts (WE Day, Fenulla Jiwani), music videos (Witch Prophet and others), musicals (Nunsense), plays (Streetcar Named Desire, inVISIBLE and others) and has created with: Dance Matters, Toronto History Museums, Nuit Blanche, SummerWorks, Toy Guns Dance Theatre, EveryBODY On Stage, Downtown Disney, Wildseed Centre for Activism and Art and many others.
Chenise believes that Jazz ignites a connection to the rhythm of life like no other. For Chenise Jazz is joy, healing, connection and belonging. Chenise is passionate about emphasizing the revolutionary nature and Black origins of Jazz and this rhythm and connection is infused in her education, creation and performances.
Chenise believes her purpose is to share her passion for dance in many ways. As a teacher, Chenise loves to encourage bravery and creativity in others, whether they are pursuing dance as a career or doing it for fun. For Chenise, Jazz is a versatile genre where dancers can be challenged and have fun while expressing themselves honestly and discovering their personal style. Dance is a means for support and expression; dance is a language of connection to be shared.’
I created Spinal Rhythm Jazz when I realized that I could be the one to create the opportunities I didn’t see in my city. Spinal Rhythm Jazz facilitates classes, workshops and performances based on the origins of Jazz. In my decades of dance experience, I have come to understand the importance of highlighting the inate intelligence within my body. This, is what I seek to share with others. While anyone is welcome, Spinal Rhythm Jazz is focussed on Black & Indigenous folks and People of global majority as these are the peoples we have to thank and recognize for the joyous, healing and expressive language of Jazz, its origins and it’s relatives.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I lesson I recently started to unlearn is that, “not all ‘No’s are drama”. It’s difficult when you’ve grown up in people pleasing society, institutions that base much of their treatment of Black folks and women on obedience and yet still see marginalized people as not well behaved or less deserving. I grew up in some environments that were overly concerned about young peoples opinions of authority, guiding our experiences based on personal, not professional opinions. It is difficult now for me not to expect this drama. As a leader, especially in the presence of youths, I understand how to create boundaries around the experience in the room and my judgement or opinions of individuals. It has been a learning curve to realize that my clients won’t see all of me and that they don’t need to. In past environments, with the roles reversed, those in authoritative positions didn’t see all of me either. I have always taken my career quite seriously, but as I grow I realize that just because I didn’t get the job or the client doesn’t mean that people are gossiping about me and ‘lowering my grade’ or . It may sound like paranoia or anxiety, but people pleasing environments are breeding grounds for this type of thinking and Black folks do deal with being gossiped about and their livelihood suffering because of drama. Just cuz you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you, but sometimes, they aren’t. And the people who are mature and will take their own time to understand my perspective and services are the ones I want around. The more energy I spend on my true community, the less energy I have to consider any drama.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Many creatives have decades of experience at only 30 years old, like myself. My first professional job at 13 and all that lead to that opportunity solidified many of the soft skills that I used in my retails jobs and now, as an entrepreneur. I may a have a new business, but I am not new to my profession. As a creative that is a service provider, I end up being the admin, marketing, facilitator, out reach, communications and service provider, etc. It is a job that deserves respect and credit. The work is fun, uplifting and healing and requires, time, energy, money and expertise. Much of time goes unpaid. Creatives spend a lot of time considering options for their pricing and many times undersell themselves because of an old rhetoric that considers our jobs less valuable. For me, Jazz is joy and healing and I have witnessed the wonderful result of sharing that healing and joy with clients through many styles of dance and movement. My dream is that I can thrive by sharing this expertise with people to help them uncover the joy available to them through movement, music and dance.
Contact Info:
- Website: spinalrhythmjazz.com
- Instagram: @spinalrhythmjazz
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@SpinalRhythmJazz-wo7hh?si=ovJtiogaCD0CB4xp
Image Credits
Jeremie DuPont, Rolando Argueta, Djenabe Edouard, Fran Chudnoff