Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nora Clark. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Nora thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I am currently producing and directing a feature length documentary entitled Beyond A Shuffle. This is the most meaningful project of my professional life thus far because it merges my skills in production with my love for tap dance.

From 2006 to 2010 I attended Columbia College Chicago for television, majoring in writing and producing. I remember during my studies at Columbia noticing how tap lacked producers from within its community.

After gaining experience in the real world of production, in 2018 I discussed creating a commemorative documentary for M.A.D.D. [Making A Difference Dancing] Rhythms, the company I was proudly a principal dancer in during my time in Chicago. During its inaugural year, the story was taking shape and a teaser was completed by 2019. But in 2020, the pandemic changed everything including the trajectory of this project.

The scope of the documentary became so much larger—and more meaningful. We expanded the narrative and are now including historical context about the true origin of tap dance, which is often taught inaccurately and therefore misunderstood by many.

Nora, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I often feel a little guilty at how intentional and linear my story appears on paper because that wasn’t exactly the reality…but here goes.

I decided to attend Columbia College Chicago after being accepted into the apprentice program in the tap company, M.A.D.D. [Making A Difference Dancing] Rhythms and knew that I wanted to attend college at the same time. After a mediocre experience in Media Management, I had an advisor that encouraged me to “take some random electives” and see if anything jumped out at me. One of those electives was a History of Television class, in which we studied how representative media was for American culture and vise-versa. I switched majors that semester and ended up graduating in 2010 with a BA in Writing and Producing for Television.

After college, I moved to Savannah, GA for a change of scenery and to pursue [dance] teaching opportunities. As luck would have it, a production crew shooting a pediatric hospital commercial walked into the studio where I was teaching, just as my class was finishing. I asked a lot of questions and ended up being hired as a Production Assistant with the same group a couple weeks later.

By 2014, several mentors encouraged me to move to the original “Hollywood South” in New Orleans and branch out from commercials to film and television. I was fortunate to work consistently and progressed from Office PA to Production Coordinator, and eventually (now) to Production Supervisor.

I moved back to Savannah in 2017 and am proud of the roots that I’ve planted here. There’s a lot of condescension when you work in a “3rd area.” Producers constantly believe they have to travel in crew from larger cities. It has been rewarding to be part of the growth within our film community in Savannah and change that impression.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team by Patrick Lencioni had an impact on my management style. It made clear that there always needs to be one common goal within a team, otherwise there are going to be a lot of significant setbacks. This is especially important in a production setting because people always tend to think they have the hardest job on the crew and are working the hardest out of anyone else on the crew. If we remember that we’re all on the same project, working together to do our best, things will be more productive as well as more enjoyable.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Right now, finishing my documentary Beyond A Shuffle is absolutely my biggest goal. Directing is so much more creative than my typical logistics-based roles in Production. I feel a great responsibility to myself and to the film to do it well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tapthatbrass.org
• Instagram: @noraclark721
• Facebook: Nora Clark
• Vimeo: Tap That Brass

Image Credits
Seth F. Johnson