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

Jesse , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Learning the craft. This is a great topic because I see this as one that is never complete. There are many quotes along the lines of “we are students for life” and “we are always learning”. I believe both of these and many sentiments on a similar vein because the main value that I see in this: the emphasis on self. Growing up, being born, raised, and based in New York City, individuality, diversity, community, and inclusivity are etched into the being of myself through culture. All of these relate to how one relates to the greater realm of things but in “learning the craft”, I believe it is about how one relates to themself through the craft.

In movement, there are many different approaches and physical vocabulary that one can get lost in what is right, wrong, and/or how each of these movements differs from one another. I found that this way of thinking can be quite binary, linear, and leave fewer moments of choice-making, myself in the craft. How I am learning about the craft really relates to how I learn about myself through the craft because we are the art. As movement artists, we use our bodies as our instruments and the more we know about ourselves, the more the art can expand and exhibit a sense of humanity.

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 Japanese-American, born and raised New Yorker, who started singing at the age of 6. When I was seven, my mother took me to see a performance at Fall For Dance and I immediately said “I want to do that”. This is how it all began. I trained at The Ailey School, LaGuardia High School, and The Juilliard School, among various other summer programs and arts institutions. I have performed with The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Kate Weare Company, Limón Dance Company, and I am an Artistic Associate with Gibney Company, among others. I am the Founder/Director of Obremski/Works, a contemporary movement company based in New York City, with an emphasis on AAPI Support Fellowships and culture. I am the Associate Executive Director of Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, a non-profit organization in New York City with a myriad of inclusive programming for all ages.

I have choreographic work that has been New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Utah, Canada, Czech Republic, Turkey, Germany, Japan, China, and Malaysia. I have taught classes throughout America and Canada and notably at The Juilliard School, Brigham Young University, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, and MOVE|NYC|.

I have recently been finding more artistic vision through the lens of empathy. Empathy is not something tangible and through movement, even do our body is a universal language and is tangible, the connection we build is not one that always can be seen but, for sure, felt.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In a recent process, I had an extremely difficult time connecting with the work, the restager, and various other outside factors that were influencing the space. I was drowning in self-doubt, questioning my value, questioning my voice, and my art. Maybe it was COVID where I was the only one in the space still choosing to wear a mask, maybe it was the values the restager was bringing in that I wasn’t agreeing with, maybe this and maybe that. In retrospect, my mind would go through a whirlwind of questions and possibilities that would spiral me. As you may be understanding, it wasn’t a highlight in my life, but I actively try and turn towards positivity in my life and be an optimist. Months would go by and I didn’t feel this optimism. I connected with mentors, partners, and friends for advice and at times it would help, I still felt low, but I kept going. “This too will subside.”. “It is only one process, one person’s viewpoint.”. I’ll be honest, it was definitely tough, challenging, and complex questioning my own values of what I’ve believed in and cultivated for a good portion of my life/career.

I do say “was” because of a recent process where I felt seen, heard, and shared space to be my full self without hesitation. This was sparked because of one person in a more recent process. The moments of self-doubt did subside and another opportunity for me to LIVE came along. It came with time though, in the moment of my self-doubt, it was not easy. At times it was not fun. It was isolating but I continued forward trusting that there are people out there who have similar values and that I am not alone. I believed in the values of diversity and that supported my resilience.

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

I am appreciative of this question because of this opportunity to shift it a bit. I wouldn’t necessarily say I have one mission but, within my career now, I have been seeing more value when I take clear, decisive actions and risks. I have many goals in my life and, as a self-proclaimed workaholic, I want to do it all. Though within this expansive search of what is in my future, I can only continue forward with clear, bold, choices and believe in those choices as ones that I can believe in the rest of my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jesseobremski.com
• Instagram: @Jesse_Obremski

Image Credits
(Credits in Image files)