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

Miranda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

A major part of life is navigating the twists and turns along your path. No matter how meticulously you might plan out the steps you intend to take, curveballs are bound to be thrown your way. I graduated from Point Park University in 2021 with a crystal clear image of what I thought my life after college would look like – packing up and immediately heading over to Los Angeles, CA to (finally) pursue a professional dance career. Unfortunately, as you can expect, my life did not exactly pan out that way. I had been dealing with hip pain for quite some time at this point and did everything under the sun to fix it, from extensive physical therapy all the way to multiple forms of injections. It finally got to a point where my doctor sat me down and said it was time to either call it quits or proceed with surgery. Just like that, it felt as if everything I worked so hard for crumbled right in front of me. As dancers, our career is like a ticking time bomb, not knowing how long your body will last or if a career-ending injury lies right around the corner. However, in this moment, I knew exactly what I had to do. In the words of Randy Pausch, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” I took this challenge head-on and knew that no matter how long it took, my end goal was still the same. Although the 18 months following my college graduation looked outrageously different than I expected, I chose each and every day to keep pushing. In August of 2021 I had three repairs done on my right hip, and the same three repairs done on the left side that December. I spent a full year in physical therapy and cannot even count the days where I did not think I would ever see the light at the end of the tunnel. Despite my path looking far different than I could have ever imagined it, I am so proud to say that I moved to Los Angeles in November of 2022 and have been living out my dreams ever since!

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 Miranda Schry and I am a professional dancer located in Los Angeles, California. I grew up in the small town of New Castle, Pennsylvania where I began dancing at the young age of two. To be quite frank, I hated dance at first! I was absolutely terrified to enter the classroom each and every week. However, as time went on, I felt as if I truly belonged on stage. I spent my entire childhood and teen years competing at competitions and attending conventions all across the country, which led me to the opportunity to tour as an assistant for the convention Artists Simply Human throughout my senior year of high school. I then went on to attend college at Point Park University where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management, all while also being a member of the Track and Field team. Aside from dance, I have always had a passion for teaching and choreographing as well. I began choreographing when I was only sixteen years old and am beyond grateful to have received numerous awards for my choreography between then and now. As I got older, I began getting requests to teach and choreograph for studios throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, and still am fortunate enough to work with them any time I visit home. I am beyond thankful for everyone who has supported me throughout my crazy journey thus far, and am so immensely proud of my drive and resilience through it all. This is only the beginning!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is being able to look back on the journey that led me to where I am now and acknowledge all of the obstacles I went through in order to make it to this point. Dance is NOT for the weak, for it is as much of a mental battle as it is a physical one. It is the type of career where you receive 100 “no’s” before you hear a single “yes.” To be honest, I don’t believe most people would be able to handle that type of rejection day in and day out. It takes so much strength and belief in yourself to continue onward, even when it feels as if the whole world is against you at times. But those moments where you are on stage in front of a crowd, on set with creatives you have always admired, or see yourself on the big screen remind you what all the blood, sweat, and tears were for.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think the biggest thing non-creatives struggle to understand about my journey is the fact that I deliberately chose to pursue a path that doesn’t grant much stability. Most people believe that the “right” way to live life is to wake up, work 9-5, sleep, and repeat. And don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that! I just always knew that wasn’t the way for me. Regardless of the pressures I felt growing up to abide by this belief, I chose to pursue my passion instead, fully knowing the lack of stability it may provide. I never want to be someone who said “I always dreamt of…”, or “I always wanted to be a…”, or “I wish I would have…”. I want to be one of the doers. Life is simply too short to not take chances and live the life you have always dreamt of! Regardless of how my path plays out, I will always take pride in the fact that I NEVER settled for something I knew wasn’t for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mirandaschry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miranda_schry/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mirandaschry6337

Image Credits
Kevin Ocampo, ES Photography, Joe Duarte, Shantell Cruz