We were lucky to catch up with Ciara Glass recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ciara, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
It has been quite the journey to make dance my full-time career. Most professional dancers have been training and working towards a career in the field since they were at least 3 years old. I didn’t even discover my love for dance until I was almost a teenager, so I began dreaming of having a career in dance later than most. That definitely brought on some challenges since I was late to the game, but it was my hearts desire and I worked incredibly hard to make that dream a reality. Once I made the decision to work in a creative field, I gave all my time and energy to honing my skills. While I was in high school my dance training was essentially a part-time job. I would be at the studio, in classes and rehearsals for up to 25 hours a week! After my first year of intensive training, my family actually made the decision to homeschool me in order to provide more time for dance. Part of my rapid growth is because my parents supported my dream fully and were willing to give me the time and resources to gain the knowledge and experience I needed to succeed!
Post-school I was able to work in the dance field, but it was not my full-time job. I would work at restaurants, in retail, and even as a pre-school teacher for a year in order to supplement my finances in addition my dance gigs. That was the case for almost the first 10 years of my career. It wasn’t until I made the decision to open my own studio and start my own company that I was able to make dance my full-time career. Even still, it is a struggle to meet all my financial needs within this field. I am learning how to not just be a dancer, but to be a successful business owner as well! I am so blessed to be able to spend all my time in this creative field now.
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?
As stated previously, I discovered the dance world later than most professionals. My training began with Nancy Baum in Grand Haven, Michigan at the age of 12. Even starting late in dance, I knew immediately that this was God’s gifting and calling for my life and career.
Less than a year after I got started my family relocated to Reno, Nevada where I continued to take classes at In Motion School of Dance. This is where I met my first dance mentor, and the woman who inspired my professional career, Jennifer August. Very soon after moving, I went from taking 1 ballet class weekly to joining the studio’s competition team, increasing my training to 23+ hours a week and I began to participate in many classical and contemporary competitions across the West Coast and received national recognition, awards, scholarships and invitations to join professional dance groups.
Toward the end of high school, I was hired as an apprentice for two dance companies. My first company experience was with the modern dance troupe, Black Rock Dance Company, founded by Jennifer August. During this time, I was also hired into Sierra Nevada Ballet Company, founded and directed by Rosine Bena and I was invited to perform as a soloist and guest performer for the local contemporary dance company, Dysrhythmia Contemporary Dance, directed by Jenny Buck. After graduation, my dance studies continued at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During this season, it was an honor to be able to dance with many accomplished instructors and distinguished choreographers such as; Sidra Bell, Donald Lunsford, Kim Bears-Bailey, Wayne David, Roni Koresh, Brian Sanders, Christine Cox, Denis Gronostayskiy, The Forsythe Company, and more.
Through my early twenties, I continued my dance exploration in world-renowned studios including; Peridance, Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, The Ailey Studios, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, ODC Dance Commons, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Lou Conte Dance Studio…and the list goes on and on. Since then, I’ve traveled, trained, performed, choreographed, and taught dance all over the country; in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Reno, and San Jose, and was blessed to be invited to perform and choreograph with The Barcelona Dance Center in Spain before landing back here in Michigan.
It is important to me that I continually build upon my personal dance education and artistic discoveries. I am passionate about continually growing and learning new techniques, philosophies and exploring the bounds of my creative ability. There is no doubt that all of my travels, collaborations, and diverse career experiences have built a unique and well-rounded arsenal of knowledge that has influenced my decisions in entrepreneurship.
The experiences I had all around the country and across seas have molded and shaped my own personal philosophy within the arts, and business world. It is not always easy to meld those two worlds together, but I have found my own path through the development of my small business, “Haus of Glass Dance.” My studio and my dance company, “C.Glass Dance Co.” are built on three core values:
1. Empowering Others
Creating a space for people to grow in a unique, supportive, inclusive & all-around fun environment is first and foremost! Dance should not be about striving for perfection, but about experiencing continual growth.
2. Staying Unique
I’ve experienced my fair share of “down days” within my dance career, and I’ve also had some of my most memorable and enjoyable days in studios. Some days are hard, some are fun & sometimes life is just plain weird. I embrace that at Haus. That’s how I improve my dancing & why I love it so much! You can release so much tension and emotion within this beautiful art form. Dance training is not and should not be a one-size-fits-all.
3. Passion Over Profit
No matter where you are in your dance/life journey I believe that training needs to be accessible for all humans regardless of their financial or cultural background. I did not start my business to “make money” …that is an added perk in my eyes. The whole premise of Haus came about because dance changed my life and I wanted others to experience that joy too! If I can accomplish one thing through this small business it would be to give anyone the opportunity to find a passion or a talent, they did not know they had, and possibly change their life for the better.
Alongside these values, I also hold excellence in technique, discipline, and performance quality in the highest regard. My studio is a place for pre-professional and advanced professional dancers to increase their skill level and artistic development drastically. We push our dancers to perform at a very high standard and believe in providing many performance opportunities every year for our Company and Studio Members. By implementing styles and techniques that most dancers do not integrate into their training until college, we firmly believe that our members have a massive leg-up on the majority of others in our area. With unique classes focusing on modern technique, improv, choreography, strength/flexibility training, dance history, and terminology our students gain an arsenal of knowledge well beyond their years. Our dance company also gets opportunities to perform in a diverse array of shows, from traditional and classical ballets to hand-crafted, full-length, original contemporary productions that are 100% organically created by myself and my incredible production/creative team. When I was creating this brand, I did not want to fit into the mold of what was already available in the area. I wanted to build something new, unique and exciting that would give people who are interested in dance and performance more ways to share this beautiful art form with our community! We have unparalleled benefits that go way beyond the walls of our Haus and can skyrocket a young dancer’s career or help bring a stunning, retired professional back into the spotlight.
I love Haus of Glass and I work to always improve the experience for each dancer that comes in. Since founding the studio and creating C.Glass Dance Company my main goals have been to teach and inspire the younger generations of dancers to work hard and reach for their dreams, as well as invite every adult to discover their passion for dance! I believe in growth over perfection when it comes to dance training and the movement arts. I want everyone to feel beautiful in their bodies and to use the beauty of dance to let go of the insecurities that are holding them back! Whether someone has grown up dancing or has never stepped foot into a studio, I firmly believe that every human on this earth can gain confidence and grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually through the art of dance.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Get Involved! The arts are for everyone, not just the artists performing on stage. The world opens up when communities embrace and support local artists. Support for the arts is waining in our schools and community spaces, and this is a travesty. Participating in the arts and/or studying an art form strongly develops every other area of learning. It has been proven that when an individual incorporates an artistic discipline into their studies they perform better in other academic and athletic areas. This is also true for audience members and patrons. When one takes the time to go and view fine art in a gallery or museum, a dance performance, or a live musical show it enhances their mental well begin!
I was raised in a family who has great respect for the arts. My grandfather Kenneth G. Bloomquist, former chairman of the School of Music and band director at Michigan State University, and grandmother Anne M. Bloomquist, accomplished music director and performer in her own right, both instilled an understanding of the value that art holds in every area of life.
So how do you support?
Go see local shows! Seek out small businesses in your area that are creating publicly available art. There are so many dance studios, visual arts and music schools that put out incredible work every season.
Donate time or money! Many small businesses need volunteers in order to produce their work. If you don’t have extra time available to give, then support financially. Every little bit helps.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road! Learning what my career was going to look like or end up as has been one of the hardest challenges I’ve had to overcome. “Dance” is not always seen as a viable career option and I have had to be extremely creative in order to build a sustainable living throughout my profession.
When I was building my dance resume, I had to work the typical day-to-day jobs like retail work, waitressing, nannying, even maid and cleaning gigs during the day. I would then continue into 12, sometimes 14+ hour workdays by going to rehearsals or teaching dance in the evenings. Rarely were there days off and often I was bouncing from city to city, moving back home when dance jobs ended and having to save up enough to move on to the next “big thing.”
There was also a period of time in my life when I had a heavy party streak and to be quite honest, during this time, I allowed my substance abuse to consume me. I thank the Lord that He pulled me out of this dark period in my life and led me to meeting my husband Walker, because he was majorly influential in helping guide me into sobriety. On November 13, 2017 I put drinking behind me and shortly after that, decided to go back to college to finish my degree. While I was continuing my education at Grand Valley State University, I was given an assignment to write about my five and ten-year goals. My five-year goal was to open a dance studio and my ten-year goal was to become the artistic director of a dance company. God works in mysterious ways, because less than a year after that assignment I had successfully accomplished both goals! I had opened my own dance studio, Haus of Glass Dance, and I had recruited, auditioned, hired dancers, and formed C.Glass Dance Company. This was 3 months before the pandemic hit, and it was a struggle to keep my new business open during that time. Thankfully I had the support of family, friends, and local dancers.
As I was just sharing, the arts need support! My Haus is no different. We need support! The kind of support I love are new students of all ages joining in classes, people buying tickets to come see our company’s shows, and generous contributors who graciously donate their resources. Our company does 2+ shows a year, they are always original, full-length productions that are directed, produced, and choreographed by myself. These performances include full sets, costumes, hair and make-up, lighting, videography, and photography in local theaters. By supporting our shows as an audience member or a donor, you are not only supporting my business, but you are supporting many people in our creative community. Simply spreading the word about our studio and performances helps to keep us growing, and providing opportunities for other creatives in the area.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hausofglassdance.com
- Instagram: @hausofglass.dance | @c.glassdanceco | @c.of.glass
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hausofglassdancegr | https://www.facebook.com/c.glassdanceco
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciara-glass-5a7589191
- Twitter: @hausofglassgr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hausofglassdance1607
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/haus-of-glass-dance-grand-rapids
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hausofglassdance email: admin@hausofglassdance.com company@hausofglassdance.com
Image Credits
Jenna Pewarchie – Wild Mage Photography