We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Dai. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

Having the support and encouragement from experienced industry artists has been the greatest gift. From advice and resources to a consistent confidence towards me and my work, I’m continually sustained by this generous outpouring from mentors (without whom I’d be incredibly lost.) I remember one showering me with encouragement ad nauseam when I was at my most insecure, and it was only when I believed what he had to say did I actually begin taking my craft seriously and find myself moving forward.

To me, the heart of a creative practice is in the pursuit of it as a collective craft. I look forward to likewise support the next generation of artists as I continue to grow – to find success in paying forward even a tenth of what was gifted to me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My choreography celebrates the potential for awe, storytelling, and aesthetic appreciation in the everyday.

I enjoy researching and developing specific movement vocabularies rooted in recognizable stories and experiences to reframe the familiar in a more refracted light.

With this pairing, I want my audience to likewise consider the creativity waiting in even the most mundane minutia of their lives.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Go out to see art, especially live shows!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The idea that you’re not meant to do something because it does not come quickly or easily is so silly.

Growing up as a dancer, I naturally had a knack for performing movement but found it impossible to choreograph it.
Struggling to understand it while also seeing it come so easily to my peers made me instantly shutdown any future prospects of a choreographic career. And yet, I still felt a tug to create and ‘to just try one more time.’ Now, in taking leaps of faith and intentionally learning over the years, I’ve realized that there’s nothing fundamental about me that’s hindering me from becoming a choreographer. Like with any skill, mastery takes time and an unending curiosity – resources that everyone, including me, has access to!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephdaii/

Image Credits

Owen Scarlett
Cheryl Mann
Slade Segerson