Meet Georgia Clay

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Georgia Clay a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Georgia, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

As an artist, I believe it’s essential to draw inspiration from many different facets of life. I feel very fortunate to be living in a city with such artistic richness. I keep my creativity alive by drawing inspiration from the everyday, whether it’s in the studio, walking the streets or riding the subway, the art, music and culture surrounding me, are a constant source of inspiration. New York City is a hive of artistic energy and inspiration.

Being a member of the dance community is although at times challenging, very fulfilling and rewarding, presenting you with endless opportunities and learning experiences. For example, I love the “drop-in” class culture! You have the opportunity to learn from the industry’s top professionals and are always surrounded by incredibly talented individuals. You never know who could be dancing next to you.

Additionally, in todays society, social media is such a large part of life and although it has its pros and cons, can be used in a constructive sense to educate, inspire and enlighten. There’s a wealth of knowledge at my fingertips that helps keep my creativity alive.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My name is Georgia Clay. I’m a 23 year old dancer and choreographer born and raised in Queensland, Australia. My dance journey started at the age of 3, training in all styles until the age of 11 when I decided to focus on my passion for classical and contemporary dance.

I have spent considerable time in New York, some of which included training at the esteemed Gelsey Kirkland Academy and Vassiliev Academy of Classical Ballet.

After graduating year 12 I moved to the USA, accepting a full Scholarship to ‘The Rock School For Dance Education’s’ ‘Professional Program’. During my time in America, I performed in several productions and gained invaluable experience training under some of the industry’s finest.

I achieved Distinctions in both my ‘Royal Academy of Dance’ and ‘Australian Conservatoire of Ballet’ examinations. I also currently hold ‘Australian Conservatoire of Ballet’ Teacher Qualifications and an ‘Australian Teachers of Dance’ Certificate III in Dance Education.

I completed Queensland Ballet’s teacher training program and prior to relocating to New York, ran my own successful ballet company “Ballet By Georgia Clay”, which was featured multiple times on National News.

I now reside in Manhattan, dance for ‘Hudson Ballet Theatre’ and choreograph for numerous dance studio in New York. I am very excited to be a part of HBT’s upcoming productions, some of which include “Coppelia”, being performed early March and ”Resonance” in April.

I am excited to continue on this journey and pursue as many creative opportunities as possible!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Throughout my journey, resilience has been an integral part of reaching my goals. At 12 years old I had an accident that required two surgeries on my elbow, followed by intensive rehab to regain feeling and movement in both my hand and arm. Doctors didn’t expect me to be able to straighten my arm, but through perseverance and determination I regained a full range of motion. This set back was the first real test of my resilience. It taught me both the significants and positive impact this quality has.

Confidence is another quality I’ve found to be indispensable. In 2018 I accepted a scholarship to ‘The Rock School For Dance Education’ in Philadelphia. Confidence was something that I had to quickly attain, transitioning from a small dance studio on the Gold Coast, Australia to the much larger scale Pre-Professional Program at ‘The Rock’. I was suddenly in a class with triple the students, all incredibly talented and brimming with confidence. It was a case of sink or swim. But being thrown into this fun, competitive atmosphere really pushed me out of my comfort zone and was a key catalyst for growing my confidence, both in myself as a person and as a professional in the dance industry.

For me personally, optimism is another essential quality to posses in today’s world. Whether it’s in a personal or professional sense, most of us face scenarios in life that would benefit from optimism. Specifically as an artist, I am often faced with the possibility of rejection. It’s important to stay optimistic and remember that rejection is just redirection.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

Honestly, It’s really hard to pick just one area of growth. The past 12 months have been full of change, excitement, challenges and fulfilment, created the most overall development in my life so far.

The most Impactful area of growth has probably been learning to “slow down” and recharge – physically, mentally and creatively – when my intuition tells me to.

September of 2024, I relocated from Australia to New York City to follow my dreams of being a professional dancer in New York. This move came with so many unfamiliar yet exciting possibilities which has since given me a new found sense of independence, confidence and a heightened work ethic.

Whilst living the life of my dreams and doing all of these amazing things, it seemed counter intuitive to “slow down” but I now understand the importance of making time for yourself mentally and physically. In turn, not only my personal lifestyle but my professional life has greatly improved.

The whirlwind that was the last 12 months has culminated in so much growth, strength and overall improvement.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgiaclay_/

Image Credits

Debra King
Sarah Antal