Meet Michelle Thompson

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

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Michelle 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?

Work ethic is something I value deeply as an artist and a teacher, and it’s something I try to demonstrate and teach my own children. As I young child my mom was such an amazing example of what it means to have a strong work ethic. She came to the United States when she was 18 years old and built an amazing life for herself, and a great deal of that was because of her work ethic. She showed me that consistency and showing up with a readiness to work and work with others is extremely important. As I began to get more serious in my dance training, I learned about work ethic from my teachers and coaches. I quickly realized that consistent work was the best way to improve. Putting in consistent work, showing up on time, staying present in class and rehearsal, focusing on what I needed to work on, creating an environment of positivity for myself and my team or classmates were all things that I worked on from a very young age. Each day of this kind of work, made each day after more possible and more attainable. As a choreographer, consistency and the way someone works is extremely important to me. Talent and luck play into success all the time, but I believe if you are not willing to work, the talent and luck will only take you so far.

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?

I am currently a choreographer, teacher, and performer in the New York and New Jersey area. I have been dancing for most of my life and did my training at the San Francisco Ballet School where I grew up. I had an amazing 14 year career as a ballet dancer with Ballet Austin in Texas. My work ranges from ballet to contemporary to modern, and I also take on fashion, film, and music video projects. I teach at Steps on Broadway, Peridance, NY Community Ballet, and SUNY Purchase. SUNY Purchase has an amazing conservatory of dance program, and I really enjoy teaching this population of students. It’s a place where they are on the brink of their professional careers, and I feel like I have a lot of wisdom and support to offer them. Most recently I have shared work in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and I have some very cool collaborations on the horizon.
“Dinner Party” is my next big project to premiere in the Fall of 2025 in New York. I am presenting an excerpt of it in January 2025 in Houston at the Mix-MATCH Festival. In 2020, I worked with Society Theatre Company on a short piece that mixed a recorded play with voice actors and dancers into the same world. The result was a very dynamic and captivating piece. That piece has been performed many times, and each time audience members say they want more, and that I should expand on this. “Dinner Party” has been in my mind since the premiere of this other work in 2020. I have been waiting for the right time, and the time is now. My idea for “Dinner Party” is to create and record multiple short plays (2 have already been completed by different playwrights). Each one of these recordings would be a dialogue between a couple and would be performed by two dancers. Each dialogue would delve into the inner workings of the couple and potentially uncover a conflict. The dancers would not speak, but allow the dialogue to occur in their bodies and connections. After the occurrences of the short duets/plays, those couples would attend a dinner party with other guests. This dinner party would occur with music, and each couple would bring in whisperings of their previous dialogues. The characters would not be aware of the storylines of the other characters, but the audience would know the inside scoop. Ultimately, the storylines would start colliding into one another causing the party to implode with intensity. I think this is a fantastic way for the audience to feel that they have a deeper understanding of the situation than the characters on the stage. I am aiming to create something that connects to humanity and relationships.

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

Consistency, Communication, Grit/Passion/Resilience
I was always known to be a consistent dancer and it really opened up opportunities for me. My bosses and choreographers would want to work with me, because I would consistently perform and show up with the energy and the focus needed for the task at hand. This is something I desire deeply when I am choreographing and teaching. I would work with a less talented artist if they showed consistency over someone who is super talented, but unreliable.

Communication is so important. I tell my college students all the time. They have to be clear about communicating with teachers and choreographers. I work with a lot of freelance artists in New York and managing schedules is one of the trickiest parts of putting together a show. I really appreciate when artists are strong communicators and respond to emails, keep me in the loop about injuries, communicate well with other members of the team, and stay on top of communicating with me.

Grit, Passion, and Resilience are three very important elements rolled into one. I think they support one another and are essential in life. Grit shows strength of character and a courage to continue, Passion demonstrates involvement and devotion that ignites inspiration and energy, and Resilience is the ability to recover or adjust easily to misfortune or change. These are qualities that will assist you in anything you do in life, and have been essential in my life.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The number one challenge I am facing at this time is the financial difficulties of producing my own shows. I have received many opportunities where a company has selected me to choreograph and I love those opportunities, because you show up and create and work with the dancers in the studio. Most of the other components are taken care of for you like studio space, theater rental, lighting designer, dancer pay, costume budget, music rights, etc. These opportunities are very competitive, and many times you will apply for something for 10 years and never get it. Sometimes you need to create the opportunities yourself, and I have done this numerous times. This upcoming project will be my biggest cast yet, and I want to ensure that I am paying the dancers well for their time, work, and expertise. I am launching fundraising campaigns, and connecting with donors, but honestly the money party is the most challenging. I have found that connecting directly with donors about very specific dollar amounts and needs has been helpful. Someone is more likely to donate if they know exactly where their money will go. For instance if you can give $18, you can cover one hour of rehearsal for one ensemble dancer. If you can give $60, you can cover the space for a 4 hour rehearsal. If you can give $400, you can cover one ensemble dancer tech week stipend. If you can give $500, you can cover the lighting designer. If you can give $8,000, you can cover the theater costs. Donors like to connect to specific things when they give, so that is what I am currently working on. My goal is to raise $25,000 in 11 months. I have a donor matching $10,000, so if you give now, that money could be doubled. Please consider making a donation. I have a link where people can make tax deductible donations. https://app.thefield.org/profile/Michelle–Thompson/624362

Contact Info:

• Website: https://app.thefield.org/profile/Michelle–Thompson/624362
• Instagram: @michelle_thompson_ulerich
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.ulerich

Image Credits

Margherita Andreani, Noel Valero, Elyse Mertz, Rick C