Meet Samantha Positano

We were lucky to catch up with Samantha Positano recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

Most of my growing up years I spent my time in the ballet studio. Rubber Marley floor beneath my feet, air thick of sweat and hairspray, a bun so taught it put sailing knots to shame, and floor to ceiling mirrors begging for a misstep: this was my arena, my church.

Ballet requires nothing but work ethic. Almost one that is blind. The products you yield come from pure labor hours and steel-like mental stamina. If you peek into a dance studio, you may think you’re gazing at nonplussed teenagers with a studied look of nonchalance but you’re really looking at Marines in leotards.

I’m not sure if ballet found me or I found it but my years spent in technique classes, rehearsals, missing birthday parties, mastering negative self talk, and exacerbating my ´all or nothing’ nature, certainly does feel like a karmic cycle that was in need of being played out again. This was one that was revealed how the propensity towards a resolute nature that I was in possession of could either drive one into:
1.wild madness
2.deep depression and heartbreak
3.a monk like state of service to the artistic universe
or best of all
4.number three with a splash of one.

Regarding the question of where my work ethic came from, I think I entered into the world as a child who was always somewhat intense when it came to things I found passion in. It’s a story a bit like the chicken and the egg but ballet, a formative presence in my growth as an artist manifested as this: a form of rigor in which to throw my love of beauty and fixation for perfection strongly upon.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

After high school I went on to receive my BFA in Dance from Point Park University with a concentration in Modern. Here I was able to experience other styles outside of ballet which was a pivotal step in my development outside of that singular form. Upon graduation I moved to New York City. Acting knocked on my door several times throughout my childhood but I had never made much room for it; ballet being my first, and I believed, only love. It found me again in New York and I decided it was time to receive the quality of training in acting as I did in dance. My research lead me to the William Esper Acting Studio where I studied under Bruce McCarty and graduated the two year program in 2023.

Acting is where most of my efforts and work lie today. I’ve been very blessed to have worked on tv and film sets, and most recently, made my way back to the stage but this time without pointe shoes and no dancing whatsoever. In March I was apart of the Telos Ensemble’s production of Lake George which had a two week run at the Chain Theatre in Manhattan.

Dance is still a huge part of my life and I often work on music video sets, making the visions of musical artists come to life, both by dancing and choreographing. Contributing to the flow of artistry in any capacity brings me immense amounts joy and fulfillment. This state of service is my base and where I operate from.

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

-When you see something that lights you up, that you’re attracted to or even jealous of, take note. These moments and experiences are incredibly important because the more you understand what your taste is, what you genuinely like, the more you’ll be able to cultivate, attract, and shape the life you dream of and the work you want to do. You’ll be able to see the right opportunities when they come to you. Even more, the right things and people can actually find you. See you. You have a clear vision of your true self, clearing the way energetically for the magic to locate you.

-Just because you see someone “getting away” with something does not mean you can or should do it too. You know what is right and what is wrong. You know. Engaging in behavior that goes against your personal integrity will come back to bite you ten fold.

-“Be calm and orderly in your personal life so that you can be wild and free in your art”. My acting teacher Bruce McCarty imparted this quote unto me as a rendition of the original Flaubert quotation, ”Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” The sentiment remains the same. One’s mental space is a precious, precious commodity. Everything you touch and give energy to is a form of manifestion. Your habits, personal space, and people you have around are a reflection of the life you want and what you care about. If you are contributing to chaos, the less room there is for wins to happen in your art, career, creative endeavors, and so on. When I finally sat myself down and took a hard look at the habits that were robbing precious time and space from my creative stores, almost in a manner that was sudden, the life I had dreamed of for years came rolling in.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

I just finished reading the War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It had been recommended to me serval times prior but it wasn’t until I found it in a pile of books in Chinatown that I finally gave it a go. Subsequently, it has made a huge impact on how I approach my everyday to serve purpose I have as an artist. So many things can change the course of our lives and this book certainly has created a huge shift in how I honor the calling I feel with my work in art.

Pressfield lays out what gets in our way as artists (spoiler it’s usually ourselves), how to combat it, and finally the higher plane in which the universe wants us to create. If you’re feeling stuck in any way, shape, or form, I urge you to read the incredible gift that is the War of Art.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: samanthapositano

Image Credits

Rose Sutton Photography @rosesuttonphotography (last two performance pictures)