Rising Stars: Meet Arye Shannon-Carmichael

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Arye Shannon-Carmichael.

Hi Arye, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I enjoy telling people Atelier Dance Company is a COVID baby, and it absolutely is. My personal journey with dance is similar to many: spending years of my childhood training, competing, and absolutely falling in love with this art form. But then, in college, I chose a career path that didn’t involve a space to create, perform, and express myself artistically at the level I needed.

The issue is there aren’t many spaces for classically trained adult dancers who chose other career paths but still want to create and perform. There are adult dance classes, but the goal is to provide a fun way to exercise or to put together one dance for the studio’s recital. I needed a space that was more than an adult dance class but less than a professional career in dance, and I was certain there were others out there who needed it, too. So, after navigating the art scene in West Michigan for a few years, I decided it was time to create the space for myself.

In January 2020, I filed for my LLC, opened my business bank account, and started my social media presence to hold in-person auditions for Atelier Dance Company’s first season. However, March 2020 had different plans, and the world launched into a global pandemic. I was faced with the choice to persevere or throw in the towel. I decided to move forward, understanding that I and others would need an artist outlet now more than ever.

That first season was not without its challenges. This was different from anything we’d ever known because dancers move and create in the same space with each other. Our bodies are our instruments, and we need to interact with each other – to touch and feel one another and the space we move through. But, through trial and error, fourteen dancers, including myself, experimented with Zoom meetings, pre-recorded choreography, moving furniture in our homes weekly to dance in our safe spaces, and meeting in parks with masks to work through dances when the weather was warm enough.

In addition to all these challenges, we embraced a new art medium by putting all our pieces on film. Digitally, we had a chance to share our art if people were still uncomfortable getting together in one space for our performance.

We hired a videographer to film each of our dances in their chosen site-specific place. Atelier Dance Company’s first season’s theme was titled [Emanate] Nature, where the choreographers created works under the theme of nature. There were pieces that danced in water and in the woods, exploring the concepts of nature as a sacred place, the restoration of the Grand River, and people rediscovering our parks during an unprecedented time.

We learned how to create storyboards and think of our choreography’s possibilities by not just dancing on a proscenium stage. And in August of 2021, our friends and family came together to sit in a brewery to eat, drink, and watch the product of an incredibly challenging year. It was, in every sense of the word, a triumph.

And now, I’m beyond thrilled to say Atelier Dance Company just completed our fourth season with two amazing performances this past May.

Since that August 2021 season, we have continued to learn and grow as a company, taking input from company members and creating a structure for full-time and part-time dancers to choreograph and perform in dance-on-films and in-person pieces each season.

As we start plans for Season 5, it’s still safe to say this missing space in the dance world needs to continue to be filled, and I’m ecstatic to be able to do so with the wonderful artists of Atelier Dance Company.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think many would agree that art comes with its own challenges because, in many ways, it can be a wealthy man’s game. Yes, we, as dancers, use our bodies for our art, but renting rehearsal space and performance space, paying for light and sound design, programs, insurance, and more add up quickly each season.

Beyond the massive COVID hurdle, we jumped at the inception of Atelier Dance Company, the biggest challenge each year has been funding. The company is solely funded by our company member’s dues and the profits from ticket sales at the end of each season. Even I, as the Founder and Artistic Director, pay dues each month because art takes money.

We try to find a balance where our company members don’t feel their dues are a financial burden or that it discourage new potential company members. So, we continue to try to add more company members each season and play around with various fundraising models that we hope will be successful.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Atelier Dance Company’s purpose is to create a space for classically trained adult dancers who miss creating and performing with other artists. The space created allows dancers to collaborate, create, and perform thought-provoking and entertaining choreography. Dancers can express their creativity and fill their artistic void with like-minded and passionate dancers who have chosen other career paths. Our mission is what sets us apart.

The creative space I needed as an artist did not exist, so I created it. I am most certainly proud of that fact because it wasn’t done without emotional and financial risk. But I have to say I’m most proud that others have trusted me enough to join me on the journey and that they believed not only in my passion but in my abilities. I will also say that Atelier Dance Company could not be successful without its company members who contribute not only financially but in so many other ways as well.  I hope my story can serve as a small source of empowerment to anyone who needs to create a space for themselves that doesn’t exist. I guarantee others will be glad you did if you wish to invite others into that space.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The Grand Rapids art community continues to grow, and it’s wonderful that we can be a part of it. I have loved watching new dance companies pop up throughout the years, each with a slightly different purpose or model.

One thing I truly enjoy is that each season, we invite guest artists to perform in our show as a way to build connections, network, and support each other in this community. There is always more than enough artistic space to go around, and we flourish when we share it.

Pricing:

• You can become a Platinum Patron with a donation of $50 or more. Please visit www.atelierdanceco.com/sponsorship for more information.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.atelierdanceco.com
• Instagram: @atelierdanceco
• Facebook: @atelierdanceco

Image Credits
Cydney Sheneman, Dancers of West Michigan