Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lindsay Benay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lindsay , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
Yes, I am currently making a full-time living as an entrepreneur/creative. It’s an interesting and exciting and sometimes anxiety provoking lifestyle. I never really know from month to month where my income is coming from, but I’ve somehow managed to make it work. I have a Wedding Dance Company called Your First Dance LA where I choreograph dances for newly engaged couples and I also am a personal trainer, salsa/bachata instructor, and professional dancer. My other businesses are called Lindsay Benay Fitness & Lindsay Benay Dance & Entertainment. The greatest obstacle in this industry for me is having the ability to follow my own path and not to be persuaded by others and their ideas of what is best for me or what I should be doing with my life. I grew up in a conservative household with the idea that I would never make it in life if I didn’t go to college and get a “real job” with benefits. I spent many years in college to obtain degrees I would never use, and I also let relationships sway me into working soul crushing jobs like selling insurance. It took me a long time to accept myself and understand that it is ok to be unique and to understand that some of the most successful people in the world did not get to where they are by following the same old play book that everyone else is following. Being able to embrace my authentic and unique self has been one of the hardest yet most liberating and freeing hurdles and accomplishments.
Lindsay , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
As a dancer I was a very late starter. I always loved dance and being active, however dancing didn’t become part of my life until I was in my 20’s. I grew up in a small town in Kansas with a large family where dad was the sole provider. I dreamed of being a gymnast and a ballet dancer, but point shoes and classes were just too expensive. Through school I was a cheerleader and I played soccer which helped me pay for college. After spending 3 years in college and changing my major multiple times I decided to take a break from school. I didn’t feel much passion or motivation to do anything I was pursuing and I felt depressed at the idea of seeing myself spending the rest of my life in any of the career paths I had chosen. Shortly after taking a break from attending school at Wichita State University I came across my first dance opportunity. I seen an audition call for the Wichita Thunder Hockey Dance Team. To my surprise with no prior dance experience I made the team. I was for sure the worst dancer on the team, but I made it, and until that point I don’t think I had ever been so excited about anything. After that I was seeking out all dance opportunities, in a town like Wichita Kansas, there aren’t many, but my second one happened within the same year when I auditioned to be a dancer at Wildcats Rock Bar ( a Coyote Ugly Style bar) Through this job I was appointed a leadership position as head dancer, and their regional trainer where I got to travel to other states where the chain had dancers and teach the dances to new hires. During this year I also started learning ballroom and salsa and soon came upon an opportunity to dance with an all girl group who has been debuted on a reality Tv series and traveled the world doing shows. I realized that for me to expand and grow in the dance industry I would need to move to a bigger city. When I was 26 I sold everything I had, packed everything I could into my mustang and drove to LA. I had never been here before and I didn’t know anyone. When I got here I lived in an RV in Inglewood for 3 months before renting out a space in an apartment with 3 other artists. The apartment was a 2 bedroom, but it had been converted into a 4 bedroom ( my bedroom was actually a dining room)
I hope that anyone who gets to know me understands that every single thing I have and every single opportunity I have gotten I have worked extremely hard for. Nothing was handed to me, and there have been some really really hard times. I hope that I can inspire anyone who comes to me to learn how to dance or comes to me seeking help with fitness or nutrition to pursue their goals no matter what stage they are at or age they are at in their journey. Nothing gives me more fulfillment than helping others overcome obstacles, find purpose, and become better versions of who they are.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
About a year after I started teaching dance I was in an accident where my right arm was three quarters of the way cut off. I woke up 2 days later in a hospital bed after receiving 2 blood transfusions with a doctor telling me that there was a chance that they were going to have to amputate my arm. As an artist ( painter/sculpter/flute player/ dancer) I’m really not sure if there is anything more devastating. However, at the moment I was just happy and grateful to be alive. I was beyond blessed with amazing surgeons, as they were able to work miracles over the next few days. I got to keep my arm, but the next few months would bring about some interesting challenges. My right arm was stuck in a sling for months and I had extreme nerve damage. I was not able to eat with my right hand, I couldn’t write, put on makeup, or dance. During that time I learned how to become a lefty. I also learned how to bartend with one hand. I got creative with my sling and started using scarves to match my outfits. Once the sling was off I started making sparkly arm bands to cover the scar. I had so much muscle atrophy in the arm, it took my a couple of years of physical therapy and working out to get it looking somewhat normal again, however it would never be the way it was before. These days I still have nerve damage in my right arm. My thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger don’t work properly. I have learned how to be somewhat ambidextrous, and most people don’t notice this (disability) however I feel it everyday, it does prevent me from being able to do certain things such as have flashy gorgeous latin arm styling, or doing more than a couple of pull-ups, I can’t paint with the same hand control, and unfortunately I need the fingers to play the flute, so I don’t play anymore. Regardless, I haven’t let my disability stop me from pushing my limits with dance and fitness, it is just one more obstacle I have had to work around.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I have learned that some non-creatives tend to find it hard to really understand me as an artist. As a creative I need alone time to create and work on my craft, and I also need time and space to collaborate with other artists. It is imperative for my mental health. The more I create the better I get, the more I create the more Ideas I have, the more I create, the happier I am. As an artist I create because I need to express myself, to express emotions, to bring all the noise and chaos and feelings swirling in my head into a new space that can be shared with others. There is a sense of satisfaction in seeing an idea come to life. And while not all pieces are successful, each attempt is a therapeutic experience and an opportunity to learn. Anyone blessed with the ability to make art MUST make art. Creating is one of the best ways I know how to manage stress and anxiety.
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls” – Pablo Picasso
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yourfirstdancela.com – www.lindsaybenay.com– www.lindsaybenayfitness.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/LindsayBenay
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lindsaybenay
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/LindsayBenay
- Yelp: Your First Dance LA
Image Credits
Michael Pizzoli