Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Ruggiero Sparks.
Elizabeth, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
At seventeen, I graduated from a local high school in Memphis and immediately moved out to a small, secluded town in East Tennessee. I did not have the privilege of studying extracurricular activities throughout my primary education and it prompted me to pick-up new activities when finally on my own.
I began training in classical ballet and studying martial arts in the summer of 2008, just before I began my college career at ETSU. In an off-season, this training would include about six hours of ballet and eight hours of martial arts in studio per week. The ballet company I trained with offered stunning, full-scale theatrical productions in dance, which consisted of a long show season from August to January. With show season and a newly adopted rehearsal schedule, I was training in dance upwards of 20 hours per week, from 5 to 9 in the evenings and from 9 am to 5 pm every Saturday, and some Sundays, for months. It wasn’t difficult, because I became very passionate about it. I continued this training throughout my college career, as I married and had children, and into my stunt/acting career in film.
In 2014 I began volunteering at 2 of our local Fire Departments and joined the local Emergency & Rescue Squad under TARS, an organization that offers free services to civilians in emergency situations. The Rescue Squad became my absolute joy, offering training in Extrication, Swiftwater Rescue, Low/High Angle Rope Rescue, SAR, Structural/Trench Collapse, Medical Standby, and more. I spent many days and nights extinguishing house fires, operating edraulic tools, carrying medical equipment in search of missing persons along the AT, and learning to be generous during someone’s roughest moments. I spent four years as a volunteer emergency responder and it is a period that marked my life for the greater, disciplined me, and embedded the significance of safety into my mentality.
In 2015 I graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies, Criminal Justice and Criminology and Self-defense. I was a stay-at-home homeschool mom to our kindergartner and filled my spare time with volunteering. It wasn’t until 2019 that I considered acting as a career. My love of theater and acting prompted me to test a potential transition from it to TV & Film. I trained with Acting Coach Ken Feinburg and started as a Body Double for Mila Kunis on “The Spy Who Dumped Me” for film reshoots and enjoyed my experience. I’ve modeled for multiple NYC photographers and lingerie and bathing suit companies in L.A. I’ve picked up a small amount of regional commercials. I trained under a facility in ATL two seasons while athletic doubling in TV and doing some Extra work. I had been training with Michael Long, and through his recommendation, I was tafted onto my first stunt project for BET. While on set, it became a 5 Line & Under role, and although it hasn’t aired, I look forward to when I may share more. I recently signed with YJB Talent Agency in Atlanta and am just generally extremely grateful right now for these talented people who see what I can offer and trust me to do well.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Balancing work-life and home life was very difficult but was made easier upon graduation. Graduating University opened up an enormous amount of time and I chose to keep that time for homeschooling our oldest. I seek to patient about my career so that I do not get tunnel vision. As I began to build my acting resume, I relinquished my time as a fireman and first responder, and while that was hard, it was the right thing to do for our family. It’s a slower start than many seek in this field, I think, but by remaining patient about work and remaining grateful for my time at home, I have found a nice, steady stream of work to start me out. For me, prayer is significant to remain patient.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
My husband, Benjamin, is a 6th degree Black Belt in Shito-Ryu and has a year-round martial arts school, which he opened in 2006. He has 40 to 50 students, pending the season.
I’ve trained under him since 2008 and, through his instruction, have earned my 2nd degree. He and I often collaborate with the local theatres to choreograph and/or perform fight sequences in their productions, incorporating dance, pratt falls, swords, bo staff, and Kali stick fighting into large-scale 3 to 5-minute battle sequences. In our area, this is largely what we do alongside our karate studio. I often choreograph dance pieces for national competitions, local theatres and colleges. We are very proud to be a part of a growing network of performance art in our small community. I love that we get to work together so much.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I have thought about this before, but can not imagine doing anything differently. While difficult to get through, some of my poor choices from before helped establish my learning into the person I am today. Changing my history might make me a lesser person. I am satisfied with who I am becoming and am floored with joy with my family and am excited with where I am in my career. I do not believe I would change anything.
Contact Info:
- Email: e.j.r.sparks.stunts@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rhythms_and_words
Image Credit:
C. Lovenguth
S. Moskowitz
H. Johnson
C. Tucker
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