We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Larissa Humiston. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Larissa below.

Larissa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of our annual productions as a professional dance company is Untold Stories. This performance uses contemporary dance to examine social issues and struggles that can be taboo or difficult to talk about. Topics explored can be related to grief, suicide, addiction, homelessness, abuse etc. Being a therapist during the day, I often hear these stories from various clients and use their story when creating pieces for Untold Stories. Being able to hear firsthand accounts and to also help people through these difficult situations allows me to have a unique perspective when creating movement and telling the story through dance. Being able to cross over my careers to tell important stories with a message of courage and hope is very meaningful to me as an artist and a therapist.

Larissa, 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 grew up taking ballet and jazz in Upstate New York and it helped me find a voice for many different feelings that I was experiencing. I always knew that I was a good listener as well and ended up going to school for, and getting my Masters in Social Work. I moved to Florida in 2007 and decided I wanted to continue teaching dance, choreographing, and started my own professional dance company at that time. When I worked in Hospice, I found a special place in my heart for grief and bereavement type of work and decided to open my own private therapy practice in 2010. I have been lucky enough to find two passions, dance and being a therapist, and have been able to combine them in many different ways throughout my life. My professional dance company performs throughout Orlando and many of our performances have a social or environmental awareness message with them. Considering that dance offers a way for people to experience deep emotions on stage, this was a great way to not only connect with audiences, but also with the dancers themselves, as they are the ones conveying the stories and emotions through the movement.

I always valued therapy, and wanted to help those in need not only work through their issues, but to develop self awareness and freedom in their own life. I believe that dance and the arts can do this as well, and both are more connected than we realize.

Dance was my therapy before I had the words, or the therapist, to help me process things. To be able to do both, and combine them, is an amazing thing that I get to do in my daily life.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Go out and attend a show, donate to an arts organization, and have an open mind about different types of art. So many people seem to support just one medium or arts groups when there are so many out there that have such unique perspectives.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Seeing my vision come to life on stage by talented dancers and artists and hearing how audiences were moved with experiencing performances. To be able to get someone to feel something deeply, using movement and music, is greatly rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emotionsdance.org
• Instagram: EmotionsDance
• Facebook: Emotions Dance
• Twitter: Emotions Dance Co

Image Credits
Photos by ACalle Photography