We recently connected with Fernando Ramos and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Fernando thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I will be very honest, I don’t think I had a moment that I decided to make this my career path. I do know that since I started formally training at 16, I did not want to stop. I fell in love with this art form and the people in it. I just wanted to keep dancing and I did fall in love with the art of creating and generating work that could speak to others. The profession can be hard, but like anything, if you have good people around you, you can do anything. For example, right now I just accepted an opportunity as Co-Chair of the Dance Department at New Mexico School for the Arts, while I leave a tour running back in Puerto Rico where I am from. To make this possible I had to ask multiple peers to look over the tour and they have been so wonderful and caring toward my project. This wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the community that I’ve gotten to connect with throughout my seven years as an artist in Puerto Rico.

I will say, something that helped me believe I could pursue a career in the arts was having people believe in me. They didn’t tell me I was the best, but they also never told me I couldn’t make it. My parents supported me, my teachers supported and believe in me, they just offered opportunities in training and growth so I could make the choice. I think it is so important, especially now as I train the future generation, that we make them believe that they are worthy and capable, that there is no right way to be an artist and that if they choose, they can carve their own path.

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 am a Puerto Rican dancer, choreographer, educator, and project manager. I started training when I was 16 and fell in love with all things related to dance. I started teaching when I was 21 and also started choreographing. Back in 2015, when I moved back to Puerto Rico I also started generating projects, which has become an alternate passion. It is very satisfactory to create projects with a purpose, while also giving your colleagues and peers work. It is hard enough to be an artist and I just try to generate opportunities for other, because I have been lucky to have received opportunities myself that have kept me a working artist. In my short career I have been able to dance with companies such as CoDa 21 in Puerto Rico and BocaTuya in New York. I have created for companies like Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, Ballets de San Juan, Portland Ballet in Maine and Ballet 22 in San Francisco. I have also presented my work in the Dominican Republic, New York, Mexico, California, Tennessee, and Cyprus.

I think what sets me apart is that I can wear many hats and that has helped me survive and stay afloat in this business. I also go back to community, in my early days working professionally I was lucky enough to start a collective with some amazing friends, who then became peers and colleagues. These friends are still in my life and have kept me grounded, they made me reconsider what kind of dance community I want to be a part of and what kind of creative environment I want to create.

That is why now, as I take on projects like the CONTEMPORA Dance Intensive and Contempora Dance Company, I know what my north is. I am working hard to create healthy and stimulating creative environments for the Puerto Rico dance community so that we may all thrive.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to generate new standards for the dance community and open up opportunities for all. The standards are already being set, so they are not exactly new, but I believe they are yet to be implemented in all spaces. I know that kindness and love instead of shame and bullying can be the driving force in our field. Being a dancer is such a thrilling and vulnerable practice, since our body is both our instrument and the recipient of critique, generating tools for a positive and healthy mindset are key to navigating this industry.

In terms of opportunities, while I consider myself lucky, I want there to be more and more opportunities for artists to dedicate to their art. It is so common to have a side hustle, I’ve had them, and I wish we could have the availability to dedicate more of our time to our art and be funded for that. I’m driven to create spaces that give artists opportunities to research and go deeper into their practice while being funded for it.

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.

I remember dating a guy that told me he could never live the life I did.

I worked at three or four different spaces and my days would range from working 4 hours to working 10. I have gotten accustomed to this lifestyle, but it is definitely not for everyone. I like the diversity and I set out to have that in my life. I knew I did not want an 8 to 5 job and I don’t. I think what most “non-creatives” struggle with is breaking the norms of what we were taught to strive for. Have a steady job, have health insurance, benefits, the like, but there are more people who live outside of this norm than there are inside of it.

If you think of any artist, they have their own standards and I think that comes with the career choice, because molds don’t fit with us and vice versa. We make our own schedules and choose what best fits our lifestyles. I’ve had to reconsider the meaning of stability and had to make sure that in my crazed schedule I found time to rest.

We all have artistry in us, some of us have had to put it aside and it often requires extra time and effort and I don’t blame anyone for choosing to rest or cook or watch TV instead of painting or sketching or writing. Art often require more of us, not because it is its nature, but because the system we live in acts as if art is a luxury. Buying it, making it, participating in it, but art is essential and we will always find our way back to it and vice versa. So if you feel like you want creativity, start out small, you’d be surprised at the moments in life that require us to be creative. They are often the most.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ramosfernando.com
• Instagram: @ferndancedo
• Facebook: Fernando Ramos

Image Credits
Javier Iván – Headshot Jacobo Ríos – Headshot in flowers Ralphie Rivera – Body shots Luis Negrón – COSMOS by Contempora