We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emma Morris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emma below.
Hi Emma, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I would say my optimism comes from number 1 – Knowing that dance is something that has been placed in my life for a reason. I know it sounds cheesy, but with me being a christian, I have so much trust in God and believe that he places dreams and desires inside of us for a reason and I have faith that he will open doors no one can shut, and shut doors that no one can open. Secondly, the support I have from my family really keeps me going. They are the most supportive and truly believe in my success as an artist. I know many people do not have that, so I am very very thankful for the family that I was blessed with.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a dancer and choreographer originally from New Zealand and now based in New York City. I moved to the U.S in 2018 to study dance at AMDA College of the Performing Arts and graduated with honors in 2020, gaining my associates in Dance Theatre. After graduating I moved to Dallas where I danced for companies such as Zion Dance Project, Urban Performing Company and the RevCrew. While in Dallas, I also picked back up my teaching and choreography skills, producing competition routines for Frisco Dance Studio and Studio B Dance and Performing Arts. At the end of 2022, I made the move to New York City where I now live and work as a performer/dancer, teacher and choreographer.
I think what I love the most about being in the performing arts and in particular the dance realm is being able to create and learn from so many creatives to expand my artistry. Since being in New York, I have been able to perform with Danceworks and also travel back to Dallas often to continue my choreography for Studio B Dance and Performing Arts as well as dance for events such as the Mary Kay seminar with Metropolis productions. I have been able to work with so many great artists and continue to grow in my artistic abilities both as a performer and a choreographer.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think number one would be – Be easy to work with. Not everything is going to go smoothly, so being easy to work with also means rolling with the punches. Don’t make a big deal about things that really don’t matter. Sometimes you’ll be at the back, sometimes choreography will change right before you’re onstage and sometimes you’ll be taken out of sections. That’s the industry. When you realize that a lot of it really has nothing to do with you and more to do with the end goal of the project you’re on, you’ll be golden. Take the correction, make that change and do it all with a smile! Be the dancer that people only have good things to say about.
Secondly – Be nice. You’re not always going to get along with everyone you meet. But you can make your time a whole lot better by being nice to people. You attract the energy you put out so even if you don’t necessarily like someone or get along with them, I bet that if you’re nice it’ll be easier to get through. Plus, people will probably want to work with you again if you’re nice. With that said – be nice to everyone! If you think the lighting guy or makeup artist is beneath you, think again. It takes a village and you wouldn’t be able to do your job without them. The industry is also small, you don’t know who you will end up working with again.
And lastly, be yourself. People like people who are genuine, and if they don’t like the real you, then that’s on them! Don’t compromise who you are just for a job, it’s not worth it. There’s people out there that will love you and will love to work with you, don’t waste your time on people that don’t.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents believe in my hopes and dreams. But to nail it down, I would say that the most impactful thing they did for me was making me work for what I want. My parents are the most supportive parents ever but they also made sure that their support was backed by my hard work and dedication to achieve my goals. Moving to America and attending AMDA was a big expense. Yes, I had a scholarship but it was still expensive. My parents had made it clear that if this was something that I wanted to do that I had to also help finance it. So after graduating high school I worked full time for a year and half to pay for half of my college tuition. And honestly, even though that was a lot of money to fork out, I’m glad I did it. It taught me to work hard for my dreams and invest in them myself. I feel like this really helped my work ethic and is also a great tool in making sure that I don’t give up when times get tough. It’s hard to give up when you’ve put all this energy, time and money into it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emma-morris.webflow.io/
- Instagram: @emma.morris
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRCeQxXWp3g
Image Credits
Darren Knight (@djknightphoto) Dwayne Taylor photography
