We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danielle Diniz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Danielle, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Knowing you have a passion you can’t ignore is a true gift (especially discovering it early on), but being able to pursue it long-term and/or professionally can bring about unexpected twists, turns, challenges and, sometimes, more questions than answers. When you have felt so assured of your path and calling, the insertion of others’ opinions and a lack of opportunities can cause your own thoughts to stray, forcing you to cross-examine why things at first fell so naturally into place and if you should continue, or if your time has run out in the realm you once confidently cherished.
As a young artist, I always felt abundantly comfortable on stage, not due to loving the spotlight, but because I had a most genuine love for every aspect of dance and wanted to share every ounce of my joy and honest investment of storytelling through that specific medium. At a tender age, it was made clear to me that from a technical perspective I had a lot to work on, but in my bones, it couldn’t have been more evident that I was determined to dedicate myself to performance and inviting the audience to enjoy the world created on the stage; breaking the fourth wall and using dance as a conduit for increasing performer-audience communication, trust, synergy, enthusiasm and staying genuine to those surveying the story were always of utmost importance.
Fortunate to find myself in the profession, post well-rounded education and a multitude of life’s lenses, I entered the rigorous arena of constant auditioning, “no’s” and a frustrating dearth of communication from those leading casting. Although I will always respect choices to include me in a production or not (and gratefully had many memorable occasions to work with wonderful teams), I became increasingly nervous in each call, chance on stage and, overall, the joy of following a once irrefutable dream came to a halt.
A devastating realization, coincidentally at this crossroads, a choreographer who had hired me for multiple of her productions and consistently had me in the room for workshopping stages of new musicals, saw a piece I had choreographed and encouraged me to forge ahead with more from this creative view. She recommended me for a prominent platform showcasing new choreographers and, for the first time in a while, my true love and inspiration resurfaced. I dove head first into making work with as much care, attention to detail and healthy obsession as possible, and came to a deep understanding that this was my transformed calling in the art form- staying behind the curtain and crafting choreography for other talented colleagues to enjoy, tailoring steps to their skillsets, continually storytelling through honest and intentional movement and leading a room with kindness, positivity, openness and generosity while insisting on the highest artistic standard. I’m fortunate my purpose turned out beneficial on varying levels- that creating and maintaining a healthy work environment only champions the treasured individuals choosing to spend their time with you throughout the process and production of the product, while elevating vision, encouraging risk-taking, heightening artistry and spurring on innovation.
Despite always being incredibly hard on myself, I’m grateful my mentor opened my eyes to an avenue I wasn’t considering pursuing and provided an exemplary safe, clever space to learn from; instead of pigeonholing myself into thinking I didn’t live up to my goals or considering it failure to not have danced on all the stages I yearned to, she gave the needed push to find where I feel most home- constantly comfortable, energized, inspired and alive.
If “plan A” doesn’t pan out, “plan B or C” within your passion, albeit possibly initially hidden, may be your purpose.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a freelance choreographer and dance teacher (i.e. Steps on Broadway Academy, Manhattan Youth Ballet) in New York City, spanning creating ballets and choreographing for musicals, with a love of genuine storytelling through movement. Whether highlighting technique while pushing the plot forward or using carefully crafted gesture to complement characters’ conversations, I find dance not only a most cherished vehicle to communicate, but a transformative one. I’m inspired by the quote “when you can no longer speak, you sing… when you can no longer sing, you dance…” It’s the most widely understood language and an honor to create using it to further visions and voices.
It’s difficult to encapsulate the myriad of reasons why it’s an ever-exciting profession, but I can say with immense certainty that I’m doubly grateful for the ability to toggle between making work for two genres. Concert dance and musical theater formerly were sometimes siloed, but my mission is to continue to bridge the worlds, which inspirations like Jerome Robbins very effectively did, demonstrating how jumps and turns can intentionally inform/further storytelling, while highlighting dancers’ capabilities. Vice versa, in ballets, I strive to show how technique can stem from reasons why- i.e. we extend our arabesque higher on this musical accent to depict a heightening of love for your partner; we do rapid pirouettes in succession to demonstrate how you’re overcome with a certain emotion; etc.
I’m so excited and grateful to have a few new works being presented this spring and summer, in New York and around the US for St. Louis Ballet, East Coast Contemporary Ballet, Revolve Dance, Woman in Motion, Chevalier Ballet, Interim Dance, AVID Dance and a senior solo for the Ailey BFA program.
Thank you for reading! I’m always happy to explain more or invite you to see these thoughts in action, if happening near you!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
-Versatility/exposure to different educations, resources and experiences… This includes training in all different styles of dance/the arts and also immersing myself in English literature studies from a directorial lens (as opposed to an academic view)…. A breadth of knowledge has enhanced perspectives and implementations of intention more than I could’ve imagined…. And there’s always more to learn and draw from!
-Competitiveness… A constant drive keeps you motivated to give your best self, despite circumstances.
-Authenticity and ensuring everyone around you is truly valued… Though a natural knack for being a smooth-talker and engaging in the politics of the business would be helpful, unfortunately I’m unable to put on a facade and be anything but myself. Those I engage with always know I speak and create work with complete honesty and that I’ll do everything in my power to know they’re valued every step of the process. I never want to fall short of providing an environment of positivity, encouragement and utmost respect for each other and the product.
Perhaps through reflection and taking time with self-assessment, you can identify three qualities about yourself that not only fuel your purpose, but allow the relationships with those closest to you to prosper. Whether your industry is front-facing or not, what special traits you individually possess and can share encourages others to find similar proficiencies and virtues… This passing on of information can be positively infectious, transcending occupational and personal boundaries and melding wisdoms.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes! I’m looking to collaborate with theater directors and designers.
Please email at danielle.diniz28@gmail.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://daniellediniz.com
- Instagram: danielle_d28
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielle.mia.3
Image Credits
Self dance shot: Jon Taylor
Two gentleman (one thrown in the air): Steven Rosen
All other dance shots: Kyle Froman
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
