We recently connected with Savannah Swaine and have shared our conversation below.

Savannah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned to choreograph at a very young age. Was I good at it then? I don’t know, but I loved it and it has followed me throughout life. I remember being in my parent’s basement making up solos, creating dance routines with my two sisters and having sleepovers with friends and coming up with fun routines. Then I grew to choreographing competition routines in high school and then I choreographed national routines in college while I was at the University of Arizona. Then it followed when I cheered professionally for the Arizona Cardinals and I have been choreographing professionally for over 8 years now. I believe timing is everything when it comes to creating. It can’t be rushed. Patience and I share this delicate dance that we do to get into the space of choreographing. Really centering myself, clearing my headspace and actual space allows creativity to flow through me and then it is eventually brought to life when I teach my choreography to others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi, my name is Savannah Swaine and I am a dance choreographer based in Arizona. I love creating choreography for professional dance teams but, I especially love to teach master classes where I get to meet so many amazing people and we get to connect and dance together. I really take pride in my communication and the structure of how I deliver my choreography and teach my classes. I strive to always create a space where anyone can let their hair down, let go, cut loose, dance, feel confident and leave afterwards feeling so damn good!!! The energy that is shared in the room when teaching my choreography is hard to put into words. You can only feel it when you are in the room at that moment in time. The energy, the electricity, the inspiration and the power that is created when we are together is something so special. I am so grateful to share my art and watch it come to life by people from so many different walks of life.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Dancing, choreographing and creating movement that connects to music is my escape. It’s a place where I can go to get away and reconnect with myself. I believe it is a gift we are all given, but it is up to us to tap into it if we choose. I have experienced “no’s”, doors closed, grief of losing loved ones, darkness at times where I couldn’t see any light and every time I find myself lost in the art of choreographing. I don’t know why for sure that happens. But, if I had to try to understand it, it is because choreographing is a safe space for me. I had a therapist once ask me to picture a safe space and she said “maybe it’s a beach with the ocean and sand” and I immediately pictured myself in the dance studio with a mirror and a stereo. Probably like how a chef would feel safe in the kitchen. When I was younger (and I still do this now), I would lock myself in my room for hours, play music and create something out of nothing. Then I would unlock that same bedroom door that I slammed shut a few hours earlier and walk back into the world differently than how I had left it. On the days where life has felt heavy and everything is crumbling, is where I feel reborn in the studio (or whereever I end up choreographing). That is where I find resilience, strength and courage no matter what comes my way.

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

Right now, I am really enjoying challenging myself to see where this goes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: savannahsswaine

Image Credits

Catie Menke