Life & Work with Chloe Gonzales

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe Gonzales.

Hi Chloe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I remember my mother asking me if I wanted to try ballet classes when I was 3 years old; I agreed before I even understood what ballet was. My mom must have seen something in the toddler version of me that told her I wanted to DANCE, but even she couldn’t have predicted how right she was. The studio would become my safe place, dancing became my passion, and with time I’ve been fortunate enough to make it into my career. 

During middle school, I took my first modern dance class at Happendance. I can’t say it was love at first sight; coming from ballet, I had some hilarious apprehensions in hindsight (I was appalled at the idea of dancing barefoot and wanted to keep my tights on over my feet), but after about a year of training, I found out that contemporary really clicked with me. By the time I was applying to college, I knew that modern dance would be my main focus. I attended the University of Michigan and received a BFA in Dance. 

I’ve had countless amazing opportunities, but a few favorites have been working with Meredith Monk on a restaging of ‘Quarry,’ working with Jessica Fogel on a fascinating interdisciplinary work on wind turbines titled ‘Into the Wind’, and most recently, being hired by The Dance Exchange to perform in ‘Isotopes in Motion’ – another interdisciplinary work in collaboration with Michigan State University’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. 

Currently, I wear many dancing hats: I am a soloist with Suttle Dance, a Detroit-based contemporary modern dance company; I teach at Happendance in Okemos, MI; I am co-Director of Impulse, an Okemos-based student contemporary concert dance company, I teach and perform with Happendance’s Education Exchange program, and I was just hired to teach and coach at Jackson School of the Arts. It’s been a long road to get here, but I am so grateful to work in the arts full-time. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think the artist’s path is always a bumpy one, especially living in a country that isn’t very supportive of it. I have personally experienced mental health roadblocks that have, at times, pushed me away from the arts. The low points come in cycles. Over time, I’ve learned that dance is truly the thing that grounds me. Whenever I’ve taken a prolonged break from the studio, I inevitably become depressed, but it’s taken time for me to connect those dots for myself. Now I understand that for me, dance is a mandatory practice to reach fulfillment in my life. I’ve had to make so many choices to get to where I am now, but I’ve finally prioritized myself and my art, and I am so excited for the future. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a creator, educator, and performer. Within these roles, I have so many areas of focus. I am currently very interested in how we can use dance to make a difference in our world, politically, environmentally, and socially. Last year, I directed and organized a dance protest on the Lansing Capitol lawn called “Our Body: Protest as Performance,” centered around abortion rights in the midst of the overturning of Roe. v Wade. I loved to see that our dances hit a chord with an audience who may not typically show up for dance and called them to action. My goal is to continue to use this power to help better my community. 

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a shy kid, but I’ve always loved dance. I joined a ballet company when I was 10 years old, and I remember being so fascinated by the older dancers doing pointe work that I’d skip lunch to watch their rehearsals! As an introvert, I think I found dance as a form of self-expression and a way to bond with other kids my age without having to put myself out there in social settings as much. To this day I’d rather be in class or rehearsal than go to a party! 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @chloegonzadance

Image Credits
John Sobczak
Kirk Donaldson