We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ali Garrett (Urusow). We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ali below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Ali with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I get my work ethic from lessons my dad taught my sister and I growing up. Almost every Saturday morning he’d wake us up, meet him in the back yard and he’d put us to work in our suburban home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. We’d learn how to pull weeds in the early morning before the sun got too hot, stack firewood in the winters, or shovel and mulch the front flower beds. He would say to us “hard work builds character”. We’d grumble over it in the beginning but then after we finished our “hard work” sometimes we’d have daddy/daughter dates and go out for Rita’s water ice after. To this day my dad says “hard work builds….” and then waits for me to answer “CHARACTER!”. It’s a silly thing we say now to commemorate our not to fun yard work days but he was right, whatever manual labor we did as kids and teenagers made us take responsibility for doing things that needed to be accomplished and instilled in us a good work ethic we can use now in our adult lives.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a singer, dancer, actor, and private voice teacher. Last June I finished up my 3rd contract on the Disney Wonder and Disney Dream as a MainStage Performer with Disney Cruise Line. This was an experience like no other-it tested my ability to learn multiple tracks quickly and specifically the most recent contract challenged me in my dancing ability. I have been so blessed with the kindest casting team, creative team, and cast that I have ever been apart of thus far. I would go back to Disney Cruise Line and the Disney creative team in a heartbeat. Special shout out to Katelyn Parish, Justin Peebles, Craig Mitchell and the rest of the Toronto Creative Team who believed in me from the very beginning and guided me in roles I fell in love with as well as challenged me in dancing roles I didn’t know I could do. That was the most special part-meeting mentors who saw a little something they could work with and then unlocked a part of me I didn’t know I was capable of. It was truly magical. Since getting off the ships in June 2023, I got married and moved from Pennsylvania to Titusville, Florida (45 minutes from Orlando) where God has now blessed me with a part time job at Wickham Road Music Academy in Melbourne, Florida where I get to teach private voice lessons and private piano lessons to all different ages and different styles of music. I absolutely love teaching private voice. It has always been a dream of mine since taking a vocal pedagogy course in college. Some of my cast mates on the Disney Wonder allowed me to work with them in mini voice lessons while on the ships and now I feel very blessed to continue that work on land. My number one passion is performing so as I am enjoying teaching privately, in the midst of opening my own vocal studio at home, and enjoying being newly married, I do plan on continually auditioning for theatre, Disney Parks, solos, and anything I can get my hands on.
If you’d like private voice, piano lessons, need a vocalist for a new project you’re working on, would like to collaborate to create a jingle, or would just like to chat about voice tips, performing, my love of Jesus, or just need some encouragement you can find my information on Instagram, YouTube channel, my website, or by emailing me at [email protected]. Have a joyful and blessed day!
1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do it all for the glory of God.”
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?
Seeking wisdom from others more experienced than ourselves and applying it, singing/dancing/acting training, and being grounded in the Lord are the top areas that have been most impactful in my journey. My number one is knowing the Lord Jesus, having a relationship with Him, leaning on Him and into Him every day when circumstances are going great to praise and thank Him and even when circumstances aren’t so great to praise and thank Him and call out to God for help. Hands down Jesus has been my saving grace, literally, and without Him I know I would’ve fallen emotionally, in my career goals, in life in general and wouldn’t have been able to get back up. Secondly, the training I received in college at Temple University in the Theatre Department was so so beneficial. I know college is not God’s plan for every one but He made it very clear He wanted me to attend Temple University specifically. I needed lots of dance, acting, and vocal training all in one spot. There I met the most amazing voice teacher who inspired me to want to teach voice, Julie Bishop. I’ve said she alone and the plethora of knowledge she taught me in college was worth the tuition money. I had amazing mentors who truly believed in me-Maggie Anderson, Peter Reynolds, and Brandon McShaffery to name a few. When I wasn’t getting cast in the theatre department they recommended I audition for the Operas in the Music Department. And right when I told God “if I’m not cast in a show by half way through my college career maybe it’s time to take a different career path” He cast me in The Merry Widow! Following that Opera, I got to do Lucio Sillo as ensemble and the concert version of She Loves Me. Lastly, seeking wisdom and truly applying it has been a quality I haven’t really seemed to seek out too much in my life until this year.
“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”-Proverbs 12:15 This has helped me so much in this new season of life being married and moving away from my family. I am apart of a women’s Bible study and the first day I showed up it was older ladies, I was the youngest by a lot, but oh my goodness my aunt told me to listen to everything these ladies were saying because they have years of wisdom on me and wasn’t that soooo true. They have spoken about marriage, their walk with the Lord, how to love others and when to keep silent, and so much more that has helped me.
My advice for performers, entrepreneurs, creatives, or really any person, because these qualities can apply to anyone is to: Seek God, He says “if we seek Him with all our heart we will find Him” and He’s waiting for us to say hi to him. Accepting Jesus gives you eternal life, a loving Father who loved us so much He sent His Son to take our place so we could be washed of our filthy sin and rags-you will be made NEW, be able to call on God all the time, and be free. Second is a very practical one-find older people in your field and pick their brain. They want to help you succeed. Lastly, dive into whatever you’re passionate about, learn as much as you can studying, applying it, do some trial and error and have fun in the learning journey.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My mom introduced me to Jesus as soon as I could look at a baby picture Bible. I knew God loved me, was powerful and strong. My dad isn’t a believer so she would have to teach me in small increments with the door closed in my bedroom, but the foundation she laid for me to know who God really is changed everything. Because of that foundation no matter how much I strayed away, no matter how many times I unfaithfully doubted God, I could always return to Him. That is and will always be the most impactful thing in my life and I pray I’ll do as great a job in training them in the way they should go with my future kids (Proverbs 22:6). It wasn’t easy for my mom to hide little Bible sessions from her husband and my dad, because he didn’t approve. It honestly was really really hard on her and caused so many fights, but she knew teaching me about God young was so so so much more important then anything else so she fought for it. I’m forever grateful she did, as I am now saved, a believing Christian, and am married to a wonderful Godly man, and whenever God will’s us to have children we plan on teaching them about God’s love, forgiveness, salvation and grace he freely gives to our children.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.ali-urusow.com
- Instagram: @ali.urusow
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@aliurusow4383?si=f9WAvuwiEPLiqqGS
- Other: email: [email protected]
Performer Name is Ali Urusow. Legal name is Alexandra Garrett.
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