We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Isa Ramirez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Isa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Growing up we are always asked this question: What do you want to do when you grow up? And my answer has always been, ” I want to dance”. That response was always met with uncertainty and 9 times out of 10 with the follow up question “Yeah, but what’s your back up plan?”. And for a while it made me upset to have those conversations until I realized that there was no shame in what I want to do. From that moment on I reply to that question “Would you ask the same question if I were going to school to be a doctor? Because something tells me you wouldn’t, and truly I am proud to know exactly what I want to do.”

Fast forward 10 years and I am a Professional Dancer and teacher in Chicago. I have had the pleasure of performing in New York, in Italy and Chicago as well as teaching at my home dance studio “Gus Giordano Dance School”. Making a livable wage hasn’t been easy nor is it really “easy” now, but I do feel I have a better hold on making a living wage doing what I love.
Last year there was a time I was working 4 part time jobs and during that time I was definitely making more money, but I was incredibly drained. Now I only work 2 jobs, my teaching job and when I am on a performing contract. I absolutely love teaching and it has given me the flexibility of auditioning and creating time to perform. Teaching also gives me financial stability when the auditioning and performing are hard to come by.

It is a struggle, but it is a struggle that I couldn’t live with out. It brings me so much joy to collaborate with creative people and to teach the young creatives that will blossom our creative future.

Isa, 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?

Name/History/Background/Schooling:

My name is Isa (E-sa) Ramirez and I am Mexican and Cuban born and raised in Chicago, IL.
I always danced as a hobby and didn’t fully start training for a professional career until I was 16. At 16 I joined the Gus Giordano Dance School Pre-Professional Company where I was trained in the styles of Ballet, Jazz, Giordano Technique, Modern, Tap, and Hip-Hop. From there I went on to college where I attended Oklahoma City University as a Dance Performance Major. There, their focus was rooted on “American” dance with a focus on Ballet, Jazz and Tap with electives such as Partnering, Musical Theater Dance and Pointe.

How did I get into this industry?

I’m actually not sure what my “ah ha!” moment was, but the best I can remember is seeing The Nutcracker at the Joffrey Ballet and me watching the dancers float on stage. From then, I would perform the entirety of the show by myself, and I knew I didn’t want to do anything else. I just knew I wanted to be on stage.

I always danced growing up and I also stayed involved in other sports as well, but really the true change in me shifted at 16 when I realized I have something in me that could actually make it in this industry. Dancing was always something I knew I wanted to do, just didn’t know how, and with the help of Amy Giordano and the rest of the staff there I wouldn’t be where I am today. They helped me learn about auditioning, training, and the art of networking!

What are you most proud of?

Wow! There is so much! But what I am most proud of is that I am a 100% Latina Woman working in this industry and I want to show everyone I know and don’t know that it is possible. Representation is so important!

What are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc?

I want people to know:
1) that I am Latina!
2) Absolutely LOVE jazz dance and all Musical Theater styles
3)I have a passion for teaching all ages.
4) I work hard everyday and I treat every situation like I am at an audition/or opportunity!

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

I may have 2, but I feel like they go together. The biggest rewarding aspect as a creative is giving audiences/people/colleagues the space to escape, but to also feel seen. Truly the best compliment I have been given as a creative is when they tell me that they “lost themselves in the show/piece” because what that tells me is A) they felt safe enough to go there B) they were able to go on that journey with me.

I want to inspire and I also want my audiences to feel safe to go somewhere where they may not have gone before!

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?

I think the biggest thing non-creatives struggle to understand (at least from a dancer’s perspective) is the instability of it all. We are constantly auditioning, trying to find the next gig, taking classes, working other jobs, etc etc… That I think for other people they find that incredibly destabilizing. And it is! But I think that’s why we love it, because we are always able to find and create something new and that every day for us is different.

What’s important to remember is that we all need different things to keep us sane and happy in our day to day. For some that is going to your same desk, working with the same people, and knowing exactly what kind of things you’re going to get in a day; or for others it’s working in a chaotic environment like being a chef in the kitchen! That’s an environment I know I would not excel at!

And what I am trying to say is, is that it’s about understanding the person and what they need in life. For me that’s movement; it is collaborating with others; it’s performing on stage and telling a story! So, I really thing it comes down to putting down your pre-conceived notions of others and understanding who they are.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: isa_nychi
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/

Image Credits
ITH – Liz Lauren Brigadoon – Brett Beiner Photography Dance Photos – Cole Cloutier