Today we’d like to introduce you to Paulo Manso de Sousa.
Hi Paulo, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born on the island of Madeira in Portugal. My family migrated to California when I was ten. At the school I attended they had folk dance as part of the PE, and that is where I started dancing, Miss Millie Vonkansky was our teacher she had a group that performed in different festivals one of them the Highland games where I won a Bronze medal in a Highland Sword Dance competition, I was encouraged to try ballet, so started classes with Oakland Ballet I was given a full scholarship and started performing immediately with the Professional company, this was a pivotal moment for me, and this came at a time when the director was hiring all these artists from Ballet Russ. I was fortunate to work with some legendary people from the history pages of dance books like Léonide Massine, Anna Sokolow, Eugene Loring and others. After High School, I made a beeline for New York. Weeks after arriving, I was one of 200 dancers auditioning for a spot at the New York Met. Of those 200, only two males were selected. And I was one of them. I was the youngest dancer at the Met, I was fascinated by the legacy of this opera house that gave me the opportunity to dance solos in a few of the operas.
After a year James Levine music director at the time advised me that I would need to move on if I wanted to have a career as a dancer so I took his advice and promptly went to work with Edward Villella one of America’s first well-known male dancers, who was director at the Eglevsky Ballet at the time and bringing together dancers such as Mikhail Barysnikov, Gelsey Kirkland, Natalia Makarova and others. Villella recognized similarities in my body and dance style to his own and arranged a scholarship at The School of American Ballet for training. When Edward became artistic director of Miami City ballet, he invited me to come and dance with this new company as a principal dancer, it was a very rewarding choice as I got to dance many George Balanchine Ballets, a few of my favorites (Tarantella, Bugaku, Serenade, The Four Temperaments, Elegy, Who Cares, Concerto Barocco just to name a few). Also, the opportunity to work with and dance other legendary choreographers works like Paul Taylor, Lynne Taylor Corbett, José Limón, Anthony Tutor, Jimmy Gamonet, and others. From here, my Career took me to new experiences, I appeared in a few music videos with Gloria Stefan, Will Smith, Laura Branigan a few films and commercials, I started choreographing and creating events in Miami where I got the opportunity to work with Mia Michaels and Fernando Bujones.
In 2001, I moved to Europe where I directed Companhia de Dança de Avairo in Portugal, ballet master for Companhia de Bailado Portuguesa and taught at the Portuguese National Conservatory of Dance, was invited to teach at the CoDarts in Rotterdam Holand, Architanz Tokyo, Ayumy Ballet in Japan, Ballet of the National Theatre Belgrade, and National Ballet of Finland. I’ve spent five decades dancing, traveling, modeling, acting, teaching, coaching, choreographing and developing young artists. I moved to Georgia 15 years ago and after teaching at Atlanta Ballet, I danced and choreographed for Full Radius Dance. In my constant need to rediscover and grow, eight years ago, I decided to start something with my own integrity, and I’m proud to be the Director of Southern Arc Dance Center with a faculty that has chosen to share all they have learned with a new generation of dancers. Southern Arc Dance is one of the most inclusive dance identities I have worked in. I am also the Artistic Director of Southern Arc Dance Theater, a professional dance company in Newnan, GA. with a season of four events annually including Artz’N Park a festival celebrating diversity in the arts.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been an amazing road that is ongoing, there is always something new to do and learn. The struggle is the daily discipline (when you are tired or having a bad long day) you still have to put in the daily work, and for me, it’s a struggle trusting myself, not lessening to the “I can’t” or “I shouldn’t” keeping the negative energy away keeping the stuff that does not mater, keeping the squirrel brain clear. I tell my dancers this is work, love the work, and enjoy the process. I say enjoy the daily work, love discovering, feel your movement, love your dance, and hope the dance loves you … In NYC during a class, Malissa Hayden said to me one day, “the dance has got to love you” LOL There is no guarantee, only work, if you are happy in this laboratory of physical discovery then that is all that matters the rest will hopefully follow.
To me, there is no wrong when it comes to art, art is individual and relative. All we have is choice and then being responsible for our choices.
I ask you is that a struggle?
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m still full of creative energy and ideas so the story continues, coaching dancers to look at themselves. Extending an invitation for dancers and audience to embark on a personal journey of honesty, self-expression without self-doubt or fear of criticism and to be motivated to rise above an existence of mediocrity.
As Director of Southern Arc Dance Center, I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished in Newnan GA. in the last eight years especially our all-inclusive safe space. SADC has the traditional after-school dance programs Ballet/Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary/Modern, and Acro, we also have an adult dance program(Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Social Dance and private wedding dance/choreography), as well as a few special classes, like Dance for Parkinson’s, Dance Without Limits, and Balance & Flexibility. Working with many pedagogues including our creative team of 10. SADC has not only become a center for creativity the Dance Center houses the “De Sousa Slay” art gallery with a new showing every three months, along with other special events including special Master classes featuring the current dance legends Dominic Angel, Joseph Kerwin, Kareen Camargo, Myrna Kamara, Nancy Thuesen Gell, Emily Vanderkley, Onur Topal-Sumer, Dora Manela, and Reiko Kimura, to name a few.
In my role of founding Artistic Director of Southern Arc Dance Theater, a professional 501 c3 arts and humanities nonprofit dance company, we’ve managed to create an annual season of four (4) events, Spring performance in March or April, usually a mixed bill with contemporary and neo-classic works often with live music and multimedia. Artz’N Park is a festival presented by Southern Arc Dance celebrating diversity giving young choreographers composers, painters an opportunity to experiment, and explore new ideas and feel free to express themselves. The festival is also designed to educate and entice a new generation of audiences, we invite families and friends to bring a picnic and enjoy an evening of performing arts in May, in the fall Dracula an evolving community favorite, Nutcracker, we open auditions to community dancers to participate in this traditional family holiday classic. We have collaborated with local artists like Angelo Robinson, Rae Duncan, The Newnan Arts Association, Composers Dale Lyles, Doug Kees, Micheal Solomon, Terry Lowry and the Carroll Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Lyn Schenbeck and The Centre Strings Orchestra and West Georgia Technical College Central Educational Center. As part of our outreach program, we provide lecture demonstrations to local schools and senior centers and perform at many local events, including Newnan Art Walk, Kiwanis Coweta County fair, Chamber after-hours, and others.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
What has worked for me is always being open to experiencing new possibilities, keeping my integrity, not getting lost in the noise, staying true to myself. My experience has been that the most brilliant artists and professionals are always the most humble and giving. The more you know, the more you know, you don’t know …
Contact Info:
- Website: www.southernarcdance.org
- Instagram: southernarcdance
- Facebook: Southern Arc Dance Center
- Twitter: Southern Arc Dance
- Youtube: Southern Arc Dance
- Yelp: Southern Arc Dance
Image Credits
Pork Pie Pictures, Photophobic Images, Steve Caras, Ali X Miranda, Martha Swope, Andrew Melick, Andre Camerom. George Schiavone
