Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erin Carlisle Norton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Erin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I have spent over two decades as a creative specializing in dance and movement. I can truthfully say that despite the challenges of managing a financially and emotionally unpredictable career, I can’t imagine myself taking a different path. From studying dance as a child, to attaining multiple dance degrees and fitness certifications, to pursuing a professional dance career through my dance company The Moving Architects, I have learned that working in movement is where I am the most present and the most myself. I have been afforded opportunities to meet and work with incredible people, travel and teach around the world, and create personally meaningful projects. Most importantly, I continue to learn and grow as an individual and artist through these roles as a choreographer, dancer, dance instructor, and Pilates instructor. Movement is how I process life, think through emotions, and make decisions. It is how I can understand and experience the world and is where I have “found my people” by sharing spaces with like-minded individuals.
However, piecing together income through part-time and freelance jobs has not always been easy. Early on I recognized the security that could come with obtaining a full-time job, but knew that an inflexible schedule and singular focus would limit my capacity to have a dance career. With this in mind, while building my dance career, I became certified in Pilates. Initially attracted to the flexible schedule, movement focus, and hourly pay rates, I have since taught at studios, gyms, and college settings throughout the country. Alongside Pilates, I also learned to wear many administrative hats running The Moving Architects, which has served me well, picking up skills in graphic design, grant writing, bookkeeping, video editing, and more, for arts administrative work. I am currently working as a choreographer and guest artist leading The Moving Architects, and as a Pilates Instructor with my business Align Pilates.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I founded my dance company and nonprofit organization The Moving Architects in 2007 in Chicago, moving it to Northern New Jersey outside of NYC in 2013 where I now live with my family. As Artistic Director, I create dance works that use feminist narratives and ideologies that are deeply explored through collaborative processes. What sets me apart is that my work has many entry points for audiences to connect to by tapping into all the senses. It is physically vigorous, interdisciplinary, dramatically compelling, and most importantly, exudes genuine performances from the artists. I have been able to teach, perform, and collaborate regionally, nationally, and internationally through company projects. For example, our multi-year touring project “Shapes of Movement” is both interdisciplinary and intergenerational, utilizing the space in-between the disciplines of dance, sculpture, weaving, and architecture in outdoor performance locations. The project has taken us to communities this year in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Lummi Island in Washington State. We are also very excited to premiere “O my soul” after 2 years in the making, which continues my interest in collaboration and working with intergenerational cast, to premier in New Jersey this year with additional performances in NYC in 2024.
This year I also launched my business Align Pilates after teaching Pilates for nearly 20 years. By using the effective methods established by Joseph Pilates combined with my expertise in movement, dance, and fitness, I guide clients in discovering how they can transform tightness, aches, and pains into a renewed sense of ease, energy, improved posture, and a body-mind connection. Housed inside a Chiropractic Office, working closely with clients through movement in a wellness environment is a fulfilling process.
A passion project of mine has also been producing Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast, a project of The Moving Architects since 2018. As an autobiographical interview podcast, I’ve interviewed over 165 people who have shaped the dance field in various ways. The podcast serves as both an archival and advocacy tool for the dance field, while also being an amazing opportunity for me to hear from colleagues I admire. I’ve had some fascinating experiences guiding interviews and meeting dance legends and innovative artists. What I often enjoy most comes after recording – when guest’s defenses drop, revealing surprising and memorable anecdotes. I’m proud of the longevity of the podcast and see it as a gift to the dance field and to dance artists who are not always acknowledged for their work and societal impact.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Looking at my career from a different lens, noncreatives may have a hard time accepting the financial implications and unpredictability of a freelancing and part-time job lifestyle. In the United States, pursuing a career in the arts has always been challenging. Dance in particular is known for being a “poor” art form with inconsistent paid work, unpredictable funding, and always a hustle for the next paycheck. My other jobs of teaching hourly can be as equally inconsistent week to week, and working for nonprofit organizations underpaid and often thankless. But despite this potentially bleak financial picture pursuing a creative life, I have found that I thrive in situations where I can make and reimagine, solve new problems, collaborate, meet and work with interesting people, occupy creative spaces, and contribute to new projects with energy and momentum. For me, I’ve come to value this life of learning, togetherness, and energy that is fueled by my creativity.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
This past year I knew it was time to make some changes. I took time to reevaluate where I wanted to channel my energy and define environments in which I wanted to immerse myself. I decided to step away from a part-time salaried position leading a dance service organization, and dive into new opportunities for The Moving Architects. I also started my Pilates business, Align Pilates, in Northern New Jersey. Shifting back to focusing on my own organization, creative projects, and teaching has been a deeply fulfilling change for me. At this point in my career, I feel I am bringing the best of myself to the work I do – helping people move and feel better in their bodies and creating community-centered choreographic projects. Looking back over my career, I see how all the jobs, gigs, and life experiences have accumulated to where I am today – pursuing and sustaining a creative life in dance and movement.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.themovingarchitects.org
- Instagram: @erin.carlisle.norton
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecarlislenorton/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecarlislenorton/
- Other: Podcast link on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/movers-shapers-a-dance-podcast/id999896565 Podcast link on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62GB4qVJVbsaK1nPpfonqH?si=683fecd55095459e
Image Credits
photo by Whitney Browne Photography