We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Savea Kagan . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Savea below.
Savea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
I have a history of compartmentalizing myself into a handful of categories: dancer, artist, choreographer, teacher, poet, sister, daughter, friend, among other surfacing identities both liberating and debilitating. Being an extremely sensitive person, if someone makes an observation of who I am, I habitually compare such remarks to all the things that I’m not. Labels, which are increasingly used generationally, are pivotal tools in a system where language is our predominant form of communication.They create a sense of meaning and belonging in closely bonded communities and satisfy these cravings to be someone who leaves a mark like no other in this lifetime. I suppose there’s a part of us that hopes to become immortal through concretizing our ideas. But with that comes the addictive and somewhat nasty desire to be completely understood, which to no surprise, leads to constant disappointment. You will feel too this, too that, too much, not enough, and no word could ever suffice the inner workings of such complex beings coexisting in thought and motion. This is a universal experience: the clothes you meticulously pick out the night before a job interview, the repetitions of that stupid remark you made two weeks ago keeping you up at night, or your carefully curated camera roll on social media.
But all of these daily experiences are oversaturated and abstracted through artistic expression that is very much alive and breathing. That’s the beauty of art. You create a narrative subconsciously filled with imaginative fantasies, global concepts, rejections, past experiences, desires, and insecurities like a crock pot filled with different ingredients and spices to eventually serve the viewer. All of those are wrapped up in a little gift box, tied in a bow, and handed to the audience in hopes that what you put your heart and soul into is in good hands. But there is no guarantee that our art will be enjoyed or accepted, and if anything, us sensitive creators sign an imaginary contract that we will always get hurt; it is inevitable, unavoidable, and undoubtedly beautiful. We as artists need to let go of the idea of our work simply being liked, or even the expectation that people need to care. Art has a greater power than to please.You, as an artist, are given a space where there’s room for all of your thoughts and emotions to overlap according to your own rules and standards that don’t exist in other societal structures. With that, you have the responsibility to honor the potential of its greater purpose and how it affects people. We’re here to interpret stories in our own way as a reflection of ourselves, and are not intended to merely be logical or linear, otherwise I might as well be sitting at a desk solving algebraic equations. If anything, encourage others to view the art in the absence of narrow minded expectations or correct answers. May we create a world of abundance and dance freely in its sacred gardens. May we rarely apologize for how we write our stories and color beyond the lines. May I look back at this very piece of writing years from now with a smile on my face, even though I’ll surely feel different about many words.
Savea, 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’m Savea Kagan, I was born and raised in Los Angeles California, and I’m currently dancing professionally and choreographing works in The Netherlands and abroad. My story unfolded in an artistic household of entrepreneurs and educators, being exposed to various art mediums in my daily life; everything from stand up comedy, poetry, visual arts, singing/songwriting, graphic design, and especially dance, but with a focus on what I call movement narratives and the poetic body in relation to contemporary art. With that, I trained rigorously in numerous styles both within concert and commercial dance at Degas Dance Studio, which my mom opened and still owns today. I became a melting pot of past experiences and devoted my craft to passing them on in all of its quirks. My versatility, naive ambition, and curious nature brought me across the globe to absorb vibrant cultures, creative processes, and multifaceted art forms I devote myself to at Codarts Rotterdam University Of The Arts with a Holland Talent Grant Scholarship. Dance has taken me all around the world as my summers have consisted of workshops at Orsolina28 in Moncalvo Italy, B12 Research Or Die Berlin, Project Amare in Collaboration with Nederlands Dans Theater,YoungArts, Music Center Spotlight, choreographic opportunities in Los Angeles. The depths of these experiences have taught me to take on challenges with a delicate balance of grit and grace, openness, and generosity for myself, others, and the greater purpose that dance serves. It’s a beautiful nonverbal form of intimate connections with friends, lovers, strangers, or the world around us. With that said, I also collaborate using visual arts, cinematography, poetry, and other opportunities for multidisciplinary projects, and will be dancing my first professional contract with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, which is the oldest contemporary dance company in the Netherlands.
I additionally create choreographic works, which is where my main devotion lies. All of these things continue to intertwine in my life as forms of expression and escapism. More than anything, they tell stories, a concept we crave and seek out as much as food and water. But why? They’re an integral part of human development, entertainment, connection, and lifelong learning lessons, even from when we were children, and where I’ve gained the most insights and lifelong learning lessons. I wish to tell my story, or any story for that matter, to lead a fruitful career with honesty, bring diverse communities together, and connect from as many platforms as possible.Vulnerability is messy and clumsy at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Numerous ideas come to mind in terms of economic, social, and financial support in the arts, but as individuals and greater populations, we need to color widespread communities with multifaceted art forms. Arts go beyond hierarchic structures and elitist mentalities, and are meant to be shared in the absence of bias or prejudice. Absorbing art everyday in public spaces increases our quality of life from the in betweens of daily practices. There needs to be more street art, playgrounds, sculptures, dance workshops, and immersive interdisciplinary experiences even on someone’s way to school or work. Regardless of if you call yourself an artist, everyone should bring more dancing, painting, drawing, singing, and creating into their lives. The streets are shared regardless of anyone’s social or socioeconomic status, and can liberate the transition from one experience to another. It is only once people truly experience art for themselves beyond the superficial gaze, that they will appreciate and support it.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Growing up is a continuous cycle of learning and unlearning, layering and shedding, and quite honestly messing up all over again until you once again reinvent yourself. There were years of my early dance education when I became a slave to hustle culture, masculine timelines, diet culture, and constant physical training until both my body, mind, and spirit were burnt out from consuming nothing but dance. All I was told by several mentors was that when I wasn’t working, someone else was, and even if I was trying my hardest, someone was better, stronger, younger, prettier, or more successful. I became irritable, impatient, obsessively goal oriented, overworked, and a constant victim to my own thoughts, which hindered me from relishing in the present moment. That was until I discovered how every aspect of my personal life benefited and enriched my dance career. There are numerous definitions of success, all personal to each individual’s cores and values with no linear journey. One of the biggest lessons I learned studying abroad with an entirely different cultural mentality was the importance of a well balanced and slow paced life. People sit down with their coffee and recharge, walk or bike as modes of transportation, lay in the park for hours on end, take long lunch breaks, and often take vacations from work so that they’re not only working drowsy-eyed or over caffeinated days while anticipating the weekend, which never comes quick enough. More than ever, dance requires well rounded and colorful personalities with a true love for dance, unique artistic skills, and collaborative mindsets. We are not simply mannequins destined to learn and execute choreography to perfection, and it’s our responsibility as young creatives to take initiative to change the narrative and create the atmosphere we want to participate in. It sounds strangely simple, but the truth often is. Taking breaks, spending time with loved ones, picking up hobbies, traveling, resting, and sharing new exciting experiences deepens the body’s knowledge and ability to comprehend complex tasks. Physical and emotional intelligence dance requires us to be mature yet playful, and integrate personal experiences into our craft, so it’s important that we create an archive of core memories. There’s so much to learn through stillness and the quality of experiences passed from one person to another.
On the contrary, I needed to unlearn the misconception that ambition is a negative trait, or any characteristics that I inherited from early childhood for that matter. There are little pieces of ourselves that we let go of as time goes by, but many are worth picking back up every once in a while. This may result in your path looking slightly different from others, which at times can feel isolating and daunting, but it’s far more rewarding than taking the easy way out. Comfort can be very dangerous, and result in an avoidance of change. Passion and drive should be held tightly to take initiative now more than ever while this excitement to create still burns inside of you. If you take initiative and have the patience to see through its ups and downs, you will no doubt be rewarded; maybe not how you intended or dreamed of, but if you’re truly going for something that you care about far more than short term satisfaction, the pieces will fall together. Nothing will happen unless you make it happen. Reach beyond the superficiality of producing content, and truly hone in on your craft.
Now this may seem contradictory to my previous claim, but the act of being and doing can coexist interchangeably. Seek balance in every experience and soak in the entirety of its offerings. For me, I truly eat, sleep, and breathe dance, but in a very different way than I used to. Everything is a dance and has the potential to become one: trees swaying left and right, birds flying symmetrically, people laughing till their stomachs hurt, or a plastic bag idling down the alleyways. I challenge you and myself to explore the fluidity between your passions and careers, and how you can live intentionally and let every moment fuel the next.
Contact Info:
- Website: saveadancer.com
- Instagram: @saveakagan
- Linkedin: Savea Kagan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLlKOhNbT1OswlHgXhMVH_A
Image Credits
Marco de Waal