Today we’d like to introduce you to Rose Shields.
Rose, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in Duluth, GA. I’ve always been very energetic and loved to make up dances. My mother put me in dance at age 3, and then I just didn’t stop. I got involved in other activities like gymnastics, track, and playing the piano along the way, but I always came back to dance. Growing up, I was often told I would never be a ballet dancer because I didn’t have enough turn-out in my hips, but I continued to dance nonetheless.
I ended up going to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and receiving my BFA in Dance in 2007. My first job right out of college was with a children’s musical theater outreach company connected to UNCSA called The Open Dream Ensemble. I would work with this company for their 6-month contract and then substitute taught in Gwinnett Public Schools during the months I was off. I did this for 3 years. Though I loved singing, acting, and dancing, I missed doing more intense dance and decided to move back and stay in Atlanta.
I studied kung fu for a year in 2010 at the Shaolin Institute Atlanta location and danced for lots of different choreographers like Joanna Brooks, Bubba Carr, T. Lang, and Kristyn McGeehan. I taught, and still, do, ballet for kids at Good Moves in Inman Park. In the midst of all this in 2011, I came upon the Imperial OPA Circus, a local, young circus group. It was here that I found and fostered my love for the aerial hoop, acrobatics, and building human pyramids. I was training and performing in local parades and a couple of productions we put on at the old Arts Exchange. I started performing circus gigs at corporate events with ELEMENT Acrobats & Circus. ELEMENT got me started in aerial silks.
As an artist, you have to keep the jobs rolling in to make ends meet. I enjoyed every moment of it, but I longed for dance and circus to be more supported as a viable career in Atlanta. In 20012 I auditioned for Core Dance in Decatur and I have been employed as a Dance Artist by this organization for 7 years! This was a major turning point in my life because it was my first dance job where I got paid a salary. It’s rare as a dancer to find salaried work. Core Dance continues to be my main source for paid work.
This company has helped me to grow as an artist, as a member of my community, and as a human being. We create, we perform all over the world, we teach, we learn from other companies and artists. So here I am still working as a Dance Artist with Core Dance, a Circus performer for ELEMENT, and Dance teacher for Good Moves. I currently am on the Emory Friends of Dance Board which is giving me an opportunity to give back to the dance community here in Atlanta. It’s been quite a journey so far, and super difficult to sum up “briefly.”
Has it been a smooth road?
I remember being solely a freelance dance artist in Atlanta and taking on projects with choreographers that didn’t pay very much if anything, but I wanted to work, I wanted to dance, and I loved working with creative people. I was teaching dance, doing circus gigs, and performing in dance projects.
I took some teaching jobs for $15 an hour, which was insulting, but I needed the work so I took what I could get. I finally got to a point where I was doing too much for pennies or for free. I had recently landed my job with Core Dance and that was a huge help financially. But what helped me more than just financially was what I learned from Sue, our director. It was the importance of saying “no.” (In dance, it’s ingrained in us to say “yes” and to be willing and able to push ourselves to the limit. Which is awesome. However, I think that on the other side of the coin, saying yes to too much can be harmful.)
Being a Dance Artist with Core Dance, we are required to read The 4 Agreements by Miguel Gutierrez which delves into 4 agreements with oneself, with which to live by. The first one being, “Be impeccable with your word.” This notion empowered me to able to tactfully and meaningfully say “no” to projects or jobs that may have been less fulfilling or not the right time, and that it’s okay to say “no.” I still have to remind myself every now and then that I can’t say “yes” to everything, and being aware of it has changed how and why I choose which art projects to take on without causing myself to burn out.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a Dance Artist with Core Dance, an aerialist and acrobat with ELEMENT Acrobats and The Imperial OPA Circus, and a dance teacher for Good Moves. I would say I’m known for my athleticism, fearlessness, hard work, and positive attitude in all of these companies.
With Core Dance, I specialize in being a contemporary dance artist who can create in a collaborative environment using any/all of the movement techniques (ballet, modern, jazz, acrobatics, kung fu, character) I’ve learned over the years alongside voice and theater. I also specialize in helping different isolated populations learn how to use dance as another form of expression through Core Dance’s outreach programming.
I’m most proud of my growth as a Core Dance Artist with my ever expanding movement vocabulary thanks to the company exposing us to dancers and choreographers from Israel, France, Germany, Spain, Houston, TX, California, and right here in Atlanta. This exposure alongside the Teacher Training we receive each year has been expanding what I have to share as a teacher in dance and acrobatics.
With ELEMENT Acrobats and The Imperial OPA Circus, I specialize in performing on the aerial hoop (aka – the Lyra), aerial silks, dancing with fire fans, and acrobatics (solo, with a partner, and with a team building human pyramids). I’m most proud of the strength and flexibility that circus has opened up for me even being in my 30’s. I am also very proud of being a part of this creative and continuously growing circus community. It’s one that has been welcoming to creative people of varying and diverse skill levels and backgrounds and that’s what makes circus so unique and empowering.
With Good Moves, I specialize in teaching ballet, contemporary dance, and acrobatics. I’m most proud of the way the director Annette Lewis has taught me how to work with kids of varying skill levels and how to instill in them an appreciation for hard work. The students that me and my fellow teachers work with just light up when they realize how smart and capable they truly are and that is what’s so special.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think our city is an amazing place for dance and circus arts being that it is growing in population and opportunities. There are lots of dance studios and circus gyms popping up around the metro area. I definitely would recommend people interested in dance and circus to first and foremost, research online and get yourself out there. Take a class. The hardest step is the first one.
In the performance arts, you have to be willing to take a risk, make a fool of yourself, and then keep at it. You won’t master something on the first try and there’s no such thing as “perfect.” That’s what makes it so exciting. There’s always room to grow and improve and you’re exercising your body at the same time. Dance and circus arts are amazing physical and mental outlets whether you’re vocational or professional. I do it because I enjoy the hard work it takes. The performances and other end results are just icing on the cake.
If there was any room for our city to improve, I would say more financial support is needed in the arts specifically in public schools, and opportunities for grants for artists and arts organizations. Helping our community build an appreciation for the arts is important in sustaining a healthy one. Art is a part of our culture and a reminder that we’re all human and we all need community.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.coredance.org/
- Email: rosesilverstar84@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosesilverstar/
- Other: http://goodmoves.org/
Image Credit:
ELEMENT Acrobats & Circus Artists, Ge’ne Clem, Sue Schroeder, Paige McFall, John Ramspott, Imperial OPA Circus
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