We recently connected with Nazarria Workman and have shared our conversation below.

Nazarria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I have been performing since I was two years old. My mother put me in praise dancing in church. From there, I went on to dance with a non profit organization called National Dance Institute. I have been dancing ever since. So, I found my love for performing very young. However, I didn’t understand my passion fully until much later. In the beginning, it was strictly dance. My mind was so closed to other venues because I was told I couldn’t and that others would be better than me. I couldn’t see myself doing anything different than what I Knew I was good at. In my senior year of high school, I was apart of a production of In The Heights and that’s when I saw who I was a a performer. A singer, a dancer and an actress. That’s when I understood myself and that I could make this “thing” that I love a full blown career. So, do I wish I would’ve started earlier, no. I started pretty early. I do wish that I would’ve believed that I was capable of much more sooner. I think I would’ve been apart more projects and had many more doors open had I seen past myself.

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?

Hey y’all, I’m Nazarria Workman. I’m a performing artist currently on tour with the Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. Starting out I solely wanted to be a concert dancer. I found my love for singing and acting and that’s what lead me to musical theater. Getting to blend all three art forms in to one opened my mind to what could be. I studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and with that training, I hit the ground running. I’ve been apart of three Broadway National Tours since I graduated in 2016. That’s something I’m super proud of. Just being apart of these projects and working with other immense talents makes me proud. But, also getting to say to that I did the work to get here too is what I’m proud of. My work ethic is everything to me. I continue to learn, train and observe. Once you think you know it all, you’ve failed. So, I continue learning and I won’t stop until it’s time for me to stop. To my future employers, followers, fans and coworkers, know that I don’t play when it comes to performing. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right. No messing about. What I do is fun and I have fun doing it but it’s also serious. It’s an art form and as artists we’re sensitive about our work. So, let’s work.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think people that aren’t in the industry can’t understand why we do what we or even what it takes to do what we do. For performing artists specifically, it’s a physically taxing on our bodies. We train to get the job, we train to do the job and we train keep the job. Just how non-creatives have gone to school to get a degree, most of us have done the same. I think the same way non creatives sit down and consume sports or movies, they should also be able to understand our journeys. We do what we do because we love it and so do they. They love movies, music, tv shows, books games. Where do we think all of these forms of entertainment come from? They come from the same people non creatives question “why are you doing this?” Or “when are you going to get a real job?” To all the non creatives that question why we do what we do, I want to ask if you didn’t have the theater, movies, music, books, museums or games how would you entertain yourself?

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

When I first started performing, I was doing it mostly because I loved it. As I have gone on in my career, of course I still love what I do but there are so many factors driving me now. In high school, I was one of the more shapely girls in my dance class. Going to my conservatory, I was still one of the more shapely girls on my dance class but I was also one of five black girls in the entire year. Constantly hearing, “ you have to be smaller to stay relevant” or “ most shows want a smaller actress for this role” put a fear in me that I still struggle with, that I won’t book jobs because I’m not 125 pounds. All the jobs I have booked, I have been authentically myself. I want to get across to anyone who is wanting to be in this industry, that it can be done no matter your size. You also don’t have to be stereotyped because of how you look, if you’re the best candidate for the job, no matter your size or, it won’t pass you by.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nazarria_twerkman?igsh=MWFpdDB3cjdwbW5rcQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: Nazarria Workman
• Youtube: NazSings

Image Credits
Ryan M Hunt State Theater