Everyone is trying to be current, but is it just me or is everything starting to look the same? I feel like there is such an over saturation within the dance community and a lack of creativity at the same time. People are afraid to stand out because they're trying to do what is current. Why be current when you can be new? There are some brilliant people in the industry right now. Tricia Miranda for example has a brilliant mind for creating choreography that everyone goes crazy over and it just wows people in a way I haven't seen in a very long time and Tim Milgram has found an amazing way to capture it that is both eye-catching and dynamic. Tessandra Chavez is pushing the limits of contemporary choreography and has created masterpieces that I have been inspired by since I started dancing. There are trend setters like Yanis, Ian, and Miguel, not to mention the legends that are out there who continue to have a HUGE impact on the dance community and industry like Brian Friedman and my mentors, Tabitha and Napoleon. There are countless others who are not afraid to be themselves and do something that hasn't been done before, but creativity takes effort. Yes, creativity comes naturally to some but it takes effort from all.Whenever I teach class, I will always tell my students that the advice I give may not be directed toward them, but to take as if it were. Make sure your creativity is a point of view that is your own, not just someone else's view duplicated or worse, watered down. Try new concepts, lighting, camera equipment, or even just expanding your vocabulary of movement. Whatever you do, don't be afraid of failing. Failing is good. It may not feel like it at the time, but the brilliant philosopher Ellen Degeneres once said, "when you take risks, you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important." We all know that anything Ellen Degeneres says is pretty much gold so take that at face value. We can all take a critical eye to our own work, myself included.Don't be lazy; be creative. Don't be a copycat; be inspired. Don't be current; be new.
