We recently connected with MARNI MCGRATH and have shared our conversation below.
Hi MARNI, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My work ethic had been engrained in me by my Dad. I find inspiration in so many people, places and experiences but my Dad has definitely inspired me the most in terms of working hard and showing up for myself. My whole life he led by example, teaching and showing me I shouldn’t be afraid to get my hands a little dirty and that things will not get get handed to me on a silver platter, I have to work for them. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Next month I turn 30 (woah scary but exciting) and I live in New York City. The big apple is a long way away from where I grew up. I’m originally from a very small coastal town called Inverloch on the south east coast of Australia where I grew up spending most of my time at the beach and riding a bike literally everywhere. I danced at a local dance school and at 17 I knew I wanted to pursue a career in performing. At the age of 27 I packed my bags and moved half way across the world after successfully gaining my O1 artist visa and after having worked as a professional dancer for 7 years in Melbourne. I spent a lot of my 20’s thinking that dream was impossible but after the pandemic and spending a lot of time with my family I knew if I didn’t try I would regret it. The first 10 months was a little rough, I was starting from the bottom again and I was an even smaller fish in a bigger sea. I was then lucky enough to audition and book a job with Cirque du Soleil’s brand new show Mad Apple. I was one of 6 dancers and spent a year and a half in Las Vegas performing 10 shows a week with truly incredible artists from all around the world. The most special moment out of my whole time there was having my parents fly half way across the world and seeing their faces light up as I was on stage. That was a “I did it” moment for me, not only making myself proud but making the two most important people in my life proud. Now I’m back in New York continuing to hustle and keep pushing myself to achieve all the other career goals I have.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Its tough to choose three. Every year as I get older I keep adding to the list of all the things I have learnt or had to unlearn and re learn. The biggest one as I have spoken about is work ethic. Especially being a performer, no one wants a lazy dancer in the room and I don’t know anyone who would want to be that. Even on the toughest days, after doing 8 hours of rehearsals you have to keep doing your best. The real truth is it becomes habit and second nature, if your work ethic is at a 100% and your’e continuing to do your best and show up for yourself then it will be engrained in you to do that and always that. Commitment is another one, being committed to your craft or whatever it is you do. You will only keep growing and moving forward if you are so passionate about what you do. Lastly, communication. There’s a lot of aspects under this umbrella but speaking up about what you believe in and what you stand for, saying no when something doesn’t feel right which is also knowing your worth. Communicating with people within your community. This is important for me because I feel its a way to share and gain knowledge with your peers and be inspired.
The advice I would give is always have an open mind and to hold back judgement. You never know what is going to happen tomorrow or where your life path will take you but having an open mind will only expand your horizons and lead to more experiences. Clouded thoughts or being closed minded will limit you in so many ways. Meet new people, share stories, put yourself out there to become the best version of yourself.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
It’s difficult to name one person as so many people in my life have contributed to my success but in this moment I will say my partner.
She is also an incredible artist and has a successful career in performing and choreography. Originally from South Korea but has been in New York for 11 years. Both being so far from home, both trying to pursue our dreams in this city, it has been a blessing to grow with one another and face our challenges together. I value endlessly having someone in my life that offers so much support and wisdom. Having a support system around you is essential and I have many mentors, friends, colleagues that I owe a lot of my success too.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @marnimcgrath
Image Credits
Julian Peoples Photography James Patterson Photography Cirque du Soleil ‘Mad Apple’
