Daily Inspiration: Meet Syana Etienne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Syana Etienne

Hi Syana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started dancing when I was about 3 at The Dance Factory Inc. in Austell, and from there, I fell in love. I danced at The Dance Factory for 12 years, and throughout those 12 years, I went through just dancing for fun into competition. I loved the competition scene, and I loved dancing, so I knew immediately that I belonged there. At the age of 15, I moved studios, and went on to Studio 4 the Arts in Powder Springs. When I started there, I was technically behind everyone else, but was able to adapt and improve quickly. I competed with that studio and graduated out of it. Coming out of the studio, my first instinct was to train. For the past 3 years I have been training, and rediscovering my love for dance. I am now at the point where I am looking to work in the entertainment industry as a dancer, and I am determined to make it happen.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. I feel like the disconnect came when COVID hit in 2020. I was in the height of my career in the studio and in competitions, but with COVID cutting things short, it made things difficult. During COVID, I developed several mental health issues, and coming back from COVID and graduating from the studio it felt like I was going out into the world with no home to come back to, and having to deal with my mental health alone without a dance family or without consistent access to that outlet was very hard and it’s still been hard because I’m still going through the same thing without a dance family or access to that outlet.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
First and foremost, I am a dancer and it’s what I’m most known for. Coming out of a dance studio, it’s also important to tap into other crafts. With that being said, I also sing and model. I have been singing for 3 years and modeling for 2 years. My passion in general is entertaining. I’m most proud of how resilient I’ve been throughout this process. I’m currently a full time college student and I have myself in a place where I don’t want to drop everything and dance and not be able to do anything outside of that if I need to. So I decided to finish school first and get my degree, and afterwards follow my dream 100%. I feel like what sets me apart from others is how to myself I am. Some people see that as a bad thing, but over the last few years, being alone has made me a lot more in tune with my body and my mind, and more aware of my body. The most important thing in dance is body awareness, so being able to do that just by being alone and to myself is something that I admire about myself.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
If anyone has any advice, they should give it to me. I have no experience with networking in the dance world because I have been AWOL for 3 years, and before that, everything was navigated by a dance teacher. So with that responsibility being on my shoulders now, I could use all the guidance I can get.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/syana.etienne