We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gabrielle Tull. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gabrielle below.
Gabrielle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on was in the fall of 2022. I created a piece entitled ‘Sandbox’ that was inspired by an artist and engineer who created a hot pink see saw installation at the Texas/Mexico border. The seesaw gave kids from both sides of the border the opportunity to interact and play and it really settled with my spirit. So much so that my creative prowess developed a dance piece with a small group of pre professional dancers exploring childlike qualities: play, immersion, boundless energy, etc. and the relationships fostered in a playground setting. I felt that the work was so meaningful to me because it reached audiences from all walks of life to enter the dance space with this perspective of play and relationship building. And as children do, not all relationships are ‘happy’ but cautious in a way in order to find trust. The work incorporated a built in seesaw for the stage where dancers got to really explore weight shift on top of, underneath, sideways, and other various spatial depths.
Gabrielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an artist, choreographer, educator, and mentor in the university setting. My services range from offering masterclasses, setting work, lecture demonstrations, and workshop facilitation for dancers and educators in the profession. I got into this profession in high school with the desire wanting to attend Juilliard for dance but realized my passion was for teaching and spreading the knowledge and love to others. I think what sets me apart from others is my work ethic and desire to always investigate dance as it relates to current populations and needs. There is always a service to others who may not have a level playing field in access and opportunities for resources that compels me to do the work; with much success for our state in SC. As a professor I do feel most proud of former students who are certified teachers, or performing for a NFL dance team, or moving to larger metro places to become company members at major organizations. It’s really special to see whee the web goes.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My resilience has come into full effect over the years, but one instance was most definitely at the crossroads between staying in public education versus transitioning into higher education. The change requiring me to go back to grad school full time leaving a working profession. It was a humbling experience knowing that I’d be a student again but losing so much stability in order to move out of state to attend school was quite the challenge. At times I thought along this journey what am I doing here. Was this really necessary; and yet I kept pushing through because I knew the dive into the deep end would lead to growing artistically as well as personally. I believe resilience was needed to overcome the challenges of grad school and navigating my drive as an artist, what compels me to create in the first place, what are some of by habits and how can I deconstruct.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think first and foremost society can do better by not assuming that art isn’t a workable profession or that it’s the ‘easy’ way out. It is much more difficult to maintain work within your outlet and passion than just the standard 9-5 job that you would hate. I also believe if more people saw the end result of how the arts being exposed to children in schools and other settings fosters creativity in the brain that would not be utilized otherwise. I think support refers back to funding in some capacity but funding specifically for logistical needs would help in the ecosystem for artists. Sometimes it’s not just the doing but how am I going to get from point A to B is just as necessary along the journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gabrielletull.weebly.com/
- Instagram: ggdancing
- Facebook: Gabrielle Tull Spore
- Other: Winthrop Dance Program’s Instagram- @winthropdance
Image Credits
Artist solo image credits- Makayla Ferrick