Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Bryant.
Olivia, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Well I began dancing when I was thirteen years old in a little studio area above a gymnastics floor. I was only dancing, doing ballet, for one hour a week, but I fell in love with the movement. I fell in love with the creativity in dance. It also came naturally so that helped to keep me going as well. I’ve always been artsy and creative. I used to sculpt and draw and read and write all the time. A year or two later, my former instructor encouraged me to audition for what’s now called Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts in Clayton County. There my story continued to unfold as I became exposed to other styles of dance including jazz, modern, and a little hip hop. To this day I still don’t know how I got into that school. It had to be God! I remember barely being able to do a single pirouette turn. In fact, I majored in orchestra until October of sophomore year and minored in dance. I also auditioned for Price Performing Arts at the end of my sophomore year and began dancing there in addition to dancing at school my junior year.
I believe dancing at Price jumpstarted my faith in pursuing dance as an actual career. I trained under instructors whom were former professionals themselves. Many of them danced in New York and Atlanta. Hearing them speak about their experiences and learning from their expertise fueled my passion for dance. While at Price, I was also introduced to other dance genres like tap, lyrical, pointe, and contemporary. During this chapter of my life is where my love for contemporary dance was born. It was also the first time I had attended dance competitions. Our director Ms. Andrea Price as well as the other faculty truly took me under their wing. Ms. Andrea also brought guest teachers and choreographers like Adam Parson, Troy Powell, and even Desmond Richardson. While at Price I had the opportunity to travel to L.A. and to New York City for intensives.
I am so thankful for having been able to train in two more of America’s capitals for dance. I was able to see life outside of Clay Co and honestly just the dance world outside of my studios and outside of what’s portrayed on social media. I’m now training at Kennesaw State University as a dance major. In the future I plan to dance professionally (hopefully that will start this year), teach, choreograph, continue to learn and grow, and ultimately create my own foundation and dance company in honor of my little sister Mia whom has special needs. I also have a YouTube channel that I am working to grow @Olivia Bryant. I also have twitter @livvyvivvy and an Instagram that’s become my blog @liviabryant. On my social media I make vlog style content and post about life really. I post about the highs and lows of being a black, female, young adult in the dance world. Just recently I posted a vlog from a recent show week that takes the viewers backstage and onstage during a professional show.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art comes in many forms of dance. I create often if not daily, whether that be improvisation, taking a class and unfolding the movement we’ve been given, creating choreography here and there myself, in rehearsals, on YouTube, and in front of the camera. I create because I love it. I love being able to communicate with an audience. I love the therapeutic effects that creating has on me. I love walking onto a stage and feeling the rush as I perform and embody a character, an idea, or web of ideas. I hope that I’m able to impact people in a positive manner. More specifically I hope I can inspire people to shoot for their dreams no matter what their physical circumstances are. I hope that people are inspired to speak their truth regardless of their age and regardless of whether or not they have a platform of a million followers. I also pray that through me people will see God’s never-ending love. As a latecomer to the dance world and also a black technically trained dancer, it’s been a long journey.
I’ve had moments where I contemplated giving up. I’ve been blessed to lean on family and friends and take from other role models like Misty Copeland, Michaela DePrince, Jackie Robinson, and Shonda Rhimes. I’ve even pulled energy and inspiration from other fellow youtubers like Kazia Taylor whom I can relate to as a black female in the business program at her university. I’ve heard/read/watched many stories and talked to people. Besides the lord, that’s what ultimately has kept me going and pushing boundaries. I want to give back and be a light for other people like other people have been for me.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I think it has become both easier and more difficult for artists in recent years. I believe that we have more access to view the world and to present our work. It doesn’t necessarily take an audience to publish things on the internet. And the innovations in social media and technology gives us access to find inspiration in society and the world. It also provides a way for us to see what else is being created. To that end, it can also negatively affect us. Speaking personally, I’ve learned to limit my time roaming social media to protect my originality and my time line of progress and achievement. As artists we are entrepreneurs. If we are to constantly view someone else’s glory and integrity, we can lose sight of our own and begin to compare our success to theirs thinking that we haven’t achieved enough.
I just recently realized that I was comparing my achievements and timing of when I should have accomplished things to other people. In essence I was allowing that and child prodigies to rush me and devalue my success. I believe that cities like ours, specifically our city, can help artists to thrive by creating a community of tight knit companies and programs. By coming together and using social media to the fullest, we can make opportunities more accessible to everyone.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
People can view my work by checking out and subscribing to/ following my social media. I post frequently. My posts are often if not always related to dance. I post dance pictures and improv videos, snippets of choreography from the show, footage from classes, and choreography of my own. I also announce when I am performing so that people can come support my shows. My YouTube is @Olivia Bryant, my Instagram is @liviabryant, and my twitter is @livvyvivvy.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liviabryant/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/livvyvivvy
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/c/OliviaBryant
Processed with VSCO with c7 preset
Image Credit:
Joel Kayamba, Kimberlee Witt, Applause National Talent Competition
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
