We recently connected with Laura Pierpont and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I took a pretty big risk putting together a weekend workshop for my passion project turned company. And it was not easy.

In 2017 I launched a fun project called, ‘Cut Dancers of NY’. After seeing many friends (including myself) get discouraged after going to audition, after audition, after audition, I wanted to create another outlet to let performers continue to do what they love. I have always been interested in pursuing choreography, so what better way to work on that skill than by using my incredibly talented friends! It gave them something to look forward to knowing that they will get to dance and receive footage that will hopefully help land them a future job. No matter what happens in the audition space, they have been cast with me! My friends would text me when they were cut from an audition, I would meet them somewhere, and teach them part of a dance.

This quickly grew into huge productions and multiple videos. Some videos had 20-30 dancers! I was loving the challenge of continuously coming up with different choreography and developing my directorial vision. Anyone and everyone was welcome, so I had to make sure my choreography also fit and looked good on all my dancers. Overall, they were all such a blast to do and I always had friends ask me, “so when is the next one?!” However, as much fun as these were, they were taking a huge financial toll on me as I was paying for every aspect of each video out of my own pocket. It wasn’t feasible. But I knew there was a way in which I could still provide this safe space for performers while not carrying all the financial stress.

I started brainstorming different skills I have that would be beneficial to others. I thought about the support that I wish I had when I was starting out in the business. I paid attention to what I believed the business, dance classes, studio spaces, teachers and community was lacking. Then it clicked.

What started as some amazing videos, formed into another idea entirely. How can I reach more performers than just my bubble of friends? How can I be a resource for all artists? I wanted ‘Cut Dancers of NY’ to turn into something fun, educational, inspirational, and AFFORDABLE for all!

It was time to make ‘Cut Dancers of NY’ more public so it can become the resource I know it can be. ‘Cut Dancers of NY’, now also called CDNY, got a huge makeover. I created a logo, chose colors for branding, re-introduced the instagram account, and added a CDNY page on my website. The “Let’s Get Down to Business” Workshop was decided to be a weekend in October 2023 and would consist of three different classes for three days. Each class would be taught by a different teacher so that the students would get a ton of variety and be able to meet lots of new people! All in one weekend.

There are unfortunately not that many affordable classes in NYC anymore. Especially the ones that are taught by popular teachers. I wanted to provide a weekend of classes that would be useful for both newbies to the city and seasoned performers who wanted a resurgence of motivation. I envisioned having some of the top NYC teachers be a part of this workshop, and all still a great price for the students. The classes would be diverse including Musical Theatre, Audition Song Prep, How to Pick Up Choreography and Hip-Hop!

Then the hard part, putting myself out there in front of successful choreographers and teachers I look up to. Thanks to lots of support from my fiancé, Phillip, I put together an email to send to all of my top pick for instructors. Some of them knew me, some of them had no idea who I was but I continued to believe in myself and reached out. To my relief, every single instructor emailed back saying how great of an idea this was and that they were very interested! I was able to hire 8 instructors, rent rehearsal space for the weekend, and keep the price point low for all students.

Our first workshop had an incredible lineup and it was very successful. But I can’t stop there! I know there is more to create and do from here on out. This is bigger than me, this is a building community people in the arts need. CDNY is great because at one point or another every performer has been a cut dancer. We need to remember that we are in this together. This business is challenging enough, we don’t also need to be hard on ourselves and cruel to others.

CDNY is being created to inspire talented and driven artists everywhere to keep going. I want to celebrate the journey, not just the successes. My slogan is “You are worthy before the contract.” And I truly do mean that.

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?

Hello! My name is Laura Pierpont and I am a professional dancer, actor, singer, and choreographer in NYC. I can never truly remember if there was a moment where I knew I had to go into the theatre business, it was always what I wanted to do. I never gave myself another option.

It definitely helped that my Mom was a professional musician and owned her own theatre company, and my Dad was a professional magician. I had the theatre bug before I was even born.

However, like most things, the theater profession is not linear. There is no clear ‘climb up the corporate ladder’. It can be very confusing and overwhelming for all performers no matter where they come from or when they decide to go into the business. It is very easy for someone to book a lot of jobs and then all of a sudden not book anything for years, just like it is very easy for someone to never book anything and then be cast in something life changing. It is too easy for us to compare ourselves to others which is exactly what we should NOT be doing.

So ‘Cut Dancers of NY’ helps create a community of performers who want to cheer each other on and support each other through whatever part of the journey they may be on. Because no matter how many Tony Awards one may receive, at one point, everyone has been cut from an audition. Everyone has been a cut dancer. It is not a negative thing! It is a common tie that brings us together no matter what is on your resume.

There is a lot that sets CDNY a part from others. We provide affordable classes with top teachers and small class sizes. There are too many classes that allow 60+ students in NYC and they aren’t cheap either. CDNY’s classes provides each student to have more 1-on-1 time with the teacher as well as more time to dance without having to push their way to the front. We also provide valuable classes that are not available anywhere else. CDNY does not only provide dance classes, but provides classes for singers as well. Musical theatre performers have to be comfortable in both! We also provide private coaching in dance, picking up choreography, acting through a song, resume/headshot tweaking, audition prep, and reel work.

I am very proud of this community that has been building. It is full of amazing, hard working people that have the same mindset about the business. It is a resource to help people believe in themselves even before they make that big break.

I want you to know that you are welcome here, no matter how talented you think or don’t think you are. I want you to know that every class I provide will be a 100% safe space. No cameras, no judgment, no competition. Just a bunch of people doing what they love!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The Entertainment Community Fund, formally called the Actor’s Fund, is an amazing resource for all creatives. One of the most difficult things about being in the theatre business as you get older is realizing how unreliable steady employment can be. Performers always need to have a part time job because, at the end of the day, theatre does not pay the bills. There are some very lucky and amazing people who perform non-stop, but for the majority of creatives, that is not the case. The Entertainment Community Fund helps with all kinds of financial questions and issues! They help with applying for health insurance, taxes, and finding a place to live. They also have emergency financial assistance, support groups and online resources. It is so wonderful to know that there is a community that understands everything that goes into being a creative and knows how to help. I wish I had this resource when I first moved to the city!

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

Go see theater! And not only Broadway, go buy tickets to tours, local regional productions, local community productions, theme park shows, events etc. This also includes supporting schools that are trying to keep theater and dance available in the curriculum.

Also, support artists in their financial fight for wages. Unfortunately, most of the time all those talented performers you see on stage are not getting paid a livable wage. The first tour I did out of college was an absolutely amazing show. It toured nationally and internationally, it included original Broadway cast members and was the most coveted tour to book that season. We were doing 8 shows a week, no days off because we were constantly traveling, and were paid only $400 a week before taxes and agent fees. We do it because we love it, and we know the audiences feel connected to certain shows. But unfortunately, we do not get paid our worth, especially in non-union theater. So hug an artist that you may know. And show support and solidarity when you can. I wish I could do a tour or show like that again, but unfortunately I simply cannot afford to take the job.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurapierpont.com
• Instagram: @laurapierpont92
• Other: Cut Dancers of NY Instagram: @CutDancersofNY

Image Credits
Alex Afzali Photography