We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Poli. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I learned the technical side of dance through attending regular weekly technique classes at a dance studio after regular school, starting around the age of 12 and continuing even now as an adult in the professional level. I started with Jazz and Ballet, eventually adding in Pointe technique, Modern, and Tap. The first 3-5 years of my dance training was focused primarily on the technique and skills, with the annual studio recital at the very end of the year which introduced me to the performance side of dance. I then took the next step by auditioning for collegiate dance programs, which allowed me to continue refining my technique in Ballet, Modern, and Jazz but also introduced me to new dance styles. College also gave me the opportunity to perform more, with multiple show dates and 2 different dance concerts a year.

I think a fault in society as we know it today, with the readily available access to the internet, is that we want to see results now. I think learning is a process that needs to take time because we all learn differently, and failure in necessary in order to learn how to succeed. The resources we have now are great, and as an educator and practitioner I find myself learning more everyday, but nothing can speed up the time, energy, and effort to reach the level of refinement that we seek at the professional level.

Personally, I believe that determination and eagerness helped me advance in my training as a young adult. I spent many hours outside of the studio watching very talented and excellent dancers on YouTube, which showed me what is possible, and I spent many hours outside of the studio standing in front of a mirror practicing the shapes. I made goals, and developed my own stretching routine and strengthening routine which I did every single day before bed and especially before going to the studio. I watched and listened to interviews of my role models and wrote down quotes from them in a journal. I valued everything my instructors said in class, to me or my classmates, and I would stay after class to ask them questions or to practice a combination that I didn’t do well during class. I wanted to advance and I wanted to be the best I could be.

Unfortunately, money was (and is) a huge constraint. When I was a young dancer, I wanted so badly to attend Summer Intensive programs that were with notable ballet companies. I would attend the auditions hoping that I could receive a scholarship that would allow me to, but that just never happened, and my parents wouldn’t ever consider paying upwards of $5,000 to send me to a 4-5 week dance camp. Confidence was another huge obstacle for me, especially as a young woman. I didn’t like the way I looked, which probably influenced my obsession with practicing outside of dance classes, and I always felt like I needed to put myself behind others. I never felt brave or secure enough to boldly be myself until probably a couple years ago when I was given the responsibility of being the lead dancer in a production with one of the companies I worked with in Denver CO.

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.

I consider myself a multi-talented dancer familiar with dance performance, dance education and dance kinesiology. I am deeply inspired by the inner workings of the world, the tendencies of the human condition, and raw human emotions. In dance performance I strive to draw upon those influences to make art that is a reflection of the world we live in, and to inspire viewers to think, feel, connect, or just appreciate. I’m ambitious as a performer and educator to share with others the creative energies of dance, and how it can be used as a tool to connect, to heal, and to celebrate. My goal in the work I do is to utilize dance as the vessel that encourages an environment which supports the realization of dreams, ideas, stories, and concepts.

I work as a performing artist in Jacksonville with the company Jacksonville Dance Theatre, and as a freelance artist, and I teach at several studios and workshops throughout the area. I would love to see Jacksonville become a city that artists seek to be a part of, and I would love for the people of Jacksonville to support the incredible dancers that live here by coming out to performances and engaging with the existing companies.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being able to share my passion with the youth is especially rewarding. I find myself seeing bits and pieces of my younger self inside each of the students I teach, and it motivates me to be the best version of myself because I know how important it is for young people to have a good role model. Even if I only help one dancer realize their ultimate dreams, I think that’s the best reward out of following this career path.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I like to believe that friendliness, compassion, and hard work helped me find a footing, but I recognize that word of mouth and personal recommendations has also played a hand in helping me reach some of my achievements.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @e_poli
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@emilypoli1628