We recently connected with Sarah McCullough and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

During my last two years of college, I was touring with the Virginia Repertory Dance Company (VRDC). VRDC is the preprofessional dance company of my alma mater, James Madison University. As a senior, I was invited to work with my professor, Shane O’Hara, to create a solo. Shane was heavily influenced by American modern dance legend, Daniel Nagrin. Nagrin was a notably theatrical performer, which informed Shane’s work as a performer and choreographer. He had a vision of me, a microphone, and a really shitty amplifier, utilizing dance and text to paint a hilariously heart wrenching vignette. As a student, this was something that I was initially very intimidated by, as I have no formal theater or voice training. Plus, comedy is so much harder than high drama, or the post modern neutrality that I was used to. We ended up creating a spectacular solo that pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of as a dance artist, and ultimately created an interest in dance theater that I am still pursuing.

I was a student when we created and toured it, so I did not make any money off of those initial performances. However, as I was wrapping up my senior year, Shane decided to audition the work for Richmond Dance Festival and it got in! It was my first professional performance, and Shane and I split the very, very modest stipend. I used the money to thrift two pair of Adidas track pants to kick off my professional dance career (if you know, you know.)

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 Minneapolis-based dance artist. I am originally from Virginia, and a graduate of James Madison University where I earned a BA in Dance and Mathematics. I moved to Minneapolis in 2018 to join the Twin Cities’ vibrant dance community. Since moving to Minnesota, I have had the pleasure of performing works by Carl Flink, Mathew Janczewski, Alexandra Bodnarchuk, Berit Ahlgren, Helen Hatch, Marisol Herling, and more. My movement practice centers presence and physical sensation while performing/ improvising, and I seek to perform work which centers humanity and complexity. I appreciate working with choreographers who create space for me to research alongside them.

I have recently been recovering and resting from a full and exciting 2022-2023 season. I closed the summer of 2022 with “Au,” the third installment of Hatch Dance and HoneyWorks’ Live at the Shed. In autumn, I premiered a new work by Black Label Movement as an original cast member of “Canary, Crimson, then Emerald” which examines the energetic states before, during, and what could emerge after the COVID pandemic. I later joined Black Label for “Riding the Maelstrom” as a part of The Cowles Center’s Fall Forward Festival. In March 2023, I premiered in Alexandra Bodnarchuk Dance Project’s “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” an evening length duet with Nieya Amezquita, a project that was supported by the Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellowship at Jacob’s Pillow. To round out the season, I joined Black Label Movement’s 15th anniversary performance of “Wreck,” and “CEDARBACKE,” a new work by Berit Ahlgren’s HoneyWorks premiering at ARENA DANCES’ CANDYBOX Dance Festival in April.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Come see our shows! Buy tickets! Stay for the talk backs! Donate your money directly to freelance choreographers who are creating the work, and tell your friends to do the same. Small donations go a long way (you would be amazed at how dancers and choreographers can stretch a small budget!) If you can’t give money but want to support, ask them, “how can I support you?”

More than that, if you love a dancer or choreographer, ask to be on their newsletter to learn about their upcoming gigs. Engage with us, share your thoughts and feedback. It is rewarding to know the work is reaching someone.

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

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sarahmccullough.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sar.mccullough/

Image Credits
Bill Cameron, Nic LaFrance, Sarah Ashley Dovolos, Isabel Fajardo, Dave Parish.