Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Vartanian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

General Mischief Dance Theatre leans into the playful side of performing and making art, I’m quite proud of that. We do movement work – dance, or theatrical storytelling, usually both. Right now, laughter and art are things we really need. They need a place that is both safe and joyful. If we want to go be brave for each other in the world we need to laugh and celebrate, and our mission is to help people do that. To create performances that take you through a lot of feelings, but land on joy. If we do this, afterward the audience we share the show with are ready to go be kind to someone, or walk into a stressful situation with more energy in their tank.
This is true for creating a show as well. The rehearsal room is playful, and we work on having a lot of “yes, and” by adding new ideas and layers as a piece gets built. That makes the process more fun, which comes across in the work itself. It’s also easier to be address serious topics when you know the people in the room support you. We can make pieces that are both meaningful and fun this way. It’s not easy, but we do laugh often.

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’m someone who found what they wanted on the road…not necessarily less traveled, but certainly a road with few directional signs. I moved to New York to be part of the dance world. and imagined that would look like working for other companies or productions. And I did for a while. But I wanted something outside of the standard formula. With friends and patient collaborators helping from the start, General Mischief Dance Theatre was born.

We do all manner of shows, big and small. We’ve appeared at Radio City and in an alleyway between two University buildings. It’s fun to make new works and to adapt pieces we know well for different theaters or outdoor spaces. The whole team is great at making things work for each audience – school kids, longtime theater goers, and people who are literally out for a walk and stumble upon an outdoor performance. If you can get a New Yorker to stop what they’re doing and watch the show, that’s a real compliment. We love having that kind of engagement and connection with people, especially those who think they won’t understand it, or don’t often go to theater shows. We’ve become are a gateway company for audiences of all ages, which is great!

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

So many! Some didn’t exist, and others I just didn’t know about. People in the performing industry have been very actively improving conditions for creatives, little by little. Groups like IndieSpace, ART New York, and DanceNYC have programs that support artists in multiple ways AND newsletters you actually want to subscribe to because they compile lots of resources for you!

There are other great groups I didn’t know about, like Materials for the Arts. The offer teachers and nonprofits free fabric, furniture, office supplies, you name it! When you’re first running an company out of your bedroom, this is so helpful.

One more: H+ DanceMart. They make sharing resources a literal party. I’ve attended several of their gatherings – you walk away with a bag of groceries or other goods, and there’s a DJ playing music and a dance class happening the whole time. It’s so much fun. It’s like a small market festival and everything is free, just for artists. It’s great!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I’ve always kept my day job. Some folks can ride the financial roller coaster of being full-time freelancers, but I have always had another role with a regular paycheck. This has its pluses and minuses. It means I often develop both my creative self and certain projects more slowly. I also have to remind myself that being a creative isn’t exclusive to being only a creative all the time. It helps keep a baseline income, especially while there’s less support for smaller creative organizations. So whether we have a busy year or a lighter one, I have my feet under me so I can show up for the people I create with. This isn’t the answer for everyone, but it’s the right answer for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://GeneralMischief.com
• Instagram: general_mischief_dance
• Facebook: GeneralMischiefDanceTheatre

Image Credits

Ismael Fernandez (Image of four dancers in brightly colored skirts)
Nina Galicheva (Image of six joyful dancers on a black stage)
Jon Lee (Images of an outdoor group dance lesson, and and outdoor trio performing with one dancer balancing on the foot plate of another’s wheelchair)
Mark Liflander (Image of two artists performing a modern dance duet in an indoor theater)