We were lucky to catch up with Makayla Peterson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Makayla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
To this date, I’d have to say the most meaningful project I’ve worked on was my undergraduate senior thesis piece titled ’868 Irving Street’ created for the Senior Dance Concert at Temple University! My family hails from the beautiful twin islands of Trinidad & Tobago and as an artist, it was really important for me to bring my most authentic self to the stage. Growing up, I was always judged for the way I represented and showed immense love and adoration for my culture. In non-Caribbean spaces, I was always labeled as “too Trini” and for a long time I tried to shrink that part of my identity. When I learned our senior thesis was to create a piece, I knew without hesitation I was going to create a work reflective of the culture that has and continues to shape me in every sense of the word!
Inviting other dancers into the space who were both semi-familiar and unfamiliar with the culture, context, and movement vocabulary was a knowledge sharing process as I wanted them to understand it from my personal experiences and perspective. Throughout the creative process, I worked to create an environment built on community, joy-making, and identity, the main themes present within the work. As we continued to develop ‘868 Irving Street’ and get closer to the show, I could feel the Caribbean spirit and energy created by this piece and the excitement to perform could not be higher. The piece premiered in November 2019 and to this day, I can remember how it felt like the first time all of my dance worlds collided in the most beautiful way and the true freedom, joy and pride I felt in being able to share this part of myself with my fellow dancers and the audience. This work laid the foundation for my style which I describe as “FUZION”, movement that honors tradition and fosters innovation through the constant proliferation of Caribbean culture. Through the fuzion of Afro-Caribbean, modern, African and contemporary styles, the versatility in my movement is reflective of the melting pot that is Trinidad & Tobago.
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?
I am a dancer, choreographer, scholar, teaching artist, and Founder & Artistic Director of Monét Movement Productions: The Collective (MMPTC) founded in 2020. A 2020 graduate of Temple University, I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Digital Media Technologies. My most notable undergraduate achievements were creating and premiering four original works, gaining production experience working in Conwell Dance Theatre, recipient of a 2019 Temple University Diamond Research Scholars Grant, recipient of the Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance Rose Vernick Scholar Award and selected as the 2020 Boyer College of Music and Dance Commencement Speaker.
As an artist who graduated in the height of COVD, I had no idea what my post-graduate life would look like. Without any rehearsal or performing opportunities, I created my dance company as way to provide myself and other recent graduates a safe space to dance virtually until the world opened back up. Monét Movement Productions: The Collective is a multifaceted dance company sharing stories that are personal, social, and/or cultural in nature representing The Collective and the world around us. Our works promote self-individuality and equality as we strive to create a safe space for dancers and audience members who seek to be a part of and witness transformative performances.
The mission of MMPTC is to create a body of works, curate cultural events that embrace and proliferate Caribbean culture, and highlight the cultural values of Trinidad and Tobago. Artistically, MMPTC’s common thread is derived from the flag colors- red representing the life force, white the embodiment of authenticity, and black conjuring power and strength.
By cultivating artistry through innovative choreography and intentional movement, our works are able to generate meaningful connections that provide captivating images for the dancers and audience! MMPTC promotes individuality and freedom by building a platform that shares art with various communities. At the heart of my movement is the continued embodiment of liberation, connection to our ancestors, and a collective reclamation of the Caribbean dancing body through joy and resistance.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
There are so many rewarding and fulfilling aspects of being an artist, it’s so hard to name just one! For me, I’d have to say the connections made and relationships forged through intentional community building and development both internally and externally. Within Monét Movement Productions: The Collective, we have honed in on the foundation and development of ‘The Collective’. The Collective is the name given to the multidisciplinary artist network of dancers, musicians, poets, lighting designer, photographers and videographers that comprise the Monét Movement Productions community. Every member of The Collective has made an artistic contribution to one or more our our projects, events and processes. With this we both honor and affirm the dynamic range of skills require to create artistic works, show and productions and values every artist medium equally. By creating this collective, we are highlighting and fostering artistry on a broader level and creating a space for them to co-exist with equal value.
Through performances, teaching, workshops, and other creative engagements, I have been so fortunate to meet a plethora of people who love the art form. I believe that our wide repertory of works allows us to serve various audiences who can connect with our energy, movement vocabulary, and stories. For example, many people share how special it is to see their culture (be that Trinidadian or Caribbean as a whole) on stage!
Although our primary medium for showcasing is and always will be dance, we are more than just a dance company!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
At the age of 10 I was diagnosed with scoliosis and at 13 years old, my spine had curved to a degree where I was required to wear a back brace for 23 hours a day. At around age 15, it progressed to become painful scoliosis. After wearing the brace for a few years, my spine stopped shifting once my growth plates had closed. Although ecstatic to no longer have the brace, I was dealing with chronic everyday back pain as a result of the scoliosis. Throughout all of this I never stopped dancing- my personal escape and sweet relief- as it was often the only point in the day where I was able to disassociate with the pain long enough to not feel it. Once no longer active in that way, the pain comes back with an intensity so strong, I could cry!
Eventually the pain spread to now encompass my legs, arms, hands and feet— safe to say I was in pain just about everywhere, everyday. Many days it was excruciating affecting my walking, my ability to have physical touch, how much I was able to sleep and so much more. Every once in a while the pain would immobilize me to the point where I would not be able to get out of bed. It was a fight to push through for dance during these moments, but I always did because more often than not the movement would allow me to temporary pain relief. After years of going to doctors concerning this pain, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at 18. Fast forward to 2024, I am still living with this chronic pain daily and I’ll be honest it is hard. I’ve tried so many remedies to help— medication, physical therapy, acupuncture, creams and ointments and unfortunately none have been a solid solution. But dance? My first love has always been there getting me through one day at a time. My irrevocable love for dance goes beyond just loving the art form and wanting to be an artist but what is does for my being, spirit and physical struggles I go through daily.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mmpthecollective.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmp.thecollective/
Image Credits
Maleyah Peterson
Grant Hao Wei Lin
Brian Mengini
Ryan Prado
Bee Lively Photography