We recently connected with Kristen Robinson and have shared our conversation below.
Kristen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
What I would change about the educational system is the notion or belief that all students must learn through the same system. I highly value education in all areas and personally feel, as educators, whether academic or artistic, we owe students our efforts to understand how they best learn. I feel they deserve malleability from their teachers in order to deliver information in a way they can receive it, retain it and utilize it. Being a teacher of dance, I find myself constantly exploring new ways to deliver the same information based on the student or the group I have in the room with me. No two people are the same and no two brains or bodies work identically; it’s a beautiful discovery to find a method that suits a student and witness their understanding and achievement consequently. In order to prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career, they must have the proper tools and foundation in order to feel confident in the spaces they will be a part of. I am a dance educator and in the dance field specifically, these tools go beyond just proper dance technique; they stem into audition skills, dance class etiquette, dress code, on-camera education, live performance skills, dance history, resume building, exposure to professional work, networking, music theory and beyond. I feel the greatest gift any educator can give a student is preparedness, constructive criticism, honesty and a selfless, unwavering belief in their capabilities.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Kristen Robinson and I am the Artistic Director of The Artist Collective, a dance studio and company located in West Los Angeles. I have been dancing almost my whole life and all of my experiences as a pre-professional dancer, collegiate dancer, professional dancer, educator and choreographer led me to the place I am in now…leading a group of students ages 6-18 through their dance journey through my program. Dance has been a lifelong love of mine and it is a true privilege to pass my knowledge and experience on to my students. I am most proud of my studio for the standard of professionalism, commitment, artistry and work ethic that is set and upheld by myself, the faculty and the dancers. TAC is a place where quality matters and I believe that priority sets us apart from others.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Honesty, respect and communication are the pillars I stand on when managing my teams and maintaining high morale. I have a team of teachers and staff along with my dance company comprised of youth dancers. Both of these groups are deserving of my respect, my honesty and open communication and in return, I am able to ask that from them too. I feel that ‘high morale’ starts with the leader and can only be achieved when there is synergy amongst a group. I do my best to communicate effectively to my staff so we are always on the same page and to my students so they are aware of what is expected of them. It feels good to be a part of something where your contributions, ideas and presence matters. To me, everyone at my studio is important and I do my best to ensure they know that. As a result, we are able to all work together to achieve the goals we have as a community and I think that’s really where high morale comes from.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I believe TAC’s reputation is still building. As a newer business, we don’t have years and years to look back on and really determine what TAC is “known for” just yet but I think the ever-evolving reputation of my studio is being built on consistency. Consistently showing up and trying to do the best job I can do, every day, even when it’s hard. Consistently striving for professionalism and honoring my values through all things business. I know what I would like TAC’s reputation to be once we have the gift of time under our belts but for now, I will remain consistent in what I know to be effective in training my dancers technically, educating them about life through dance and championing them in their pursuits for the future. I feel confident that through consistency, we will in turn build a reputation worth being proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theartistcollectivela.com
- Instagram: @theartistcollectivela
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Xi5fav3k5V2zoQb7Qej1g