We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Temria Airmet a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Temria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’ve been able to earn a full-time living as a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator for the past decade. To be honest, I don’t think I could make a living in the creative field of dance if I wasn’t able to work competitively in all three of those fields. Originally, I wanted to just be a dancer but the more training I did the more I learned how vast and expressive the dance world really was. I began to fall in love with teaching and I really started to find my voice as a creator and artist through choreography. My love and passion for dance turned into my purpose with the discovery of teaching and choreography and within this knowledge I’ve been able to create a world that fuels my creativity and ultimately, pays me.

Temria, 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 am a dancer, choreographer, and educator. I teach dance in many different aspects from higher education with Santa Ana College and Valley College, with the youth in the competitive studio setting, and with the aging community through dance movement therapy. I teach an array of dance genres within this lifestyle; ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, creative movement, hip-hop, and dance history but the similarities of the benefits of dance are what continually fascinate and intrigue me. Dance has a way a pulling self confidence and self belief out of us when. It challenges the brain in creative ways to create new pathways. It not only offers all the physical benefits of exercise, but the vast complexities of creative thinking and problem solving. It is within this world of teaching and dancing and learning that I create and provide purpose with many students and artists alike.

Image Credits
Images courtesy of Temria Dance Haus