Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Jack.
Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started dancing when I was about fifteen years old. My youth group hosted a huge performance where they taught us various dances. From this production, one of the instructors and I began an aerial swing dance troupe. It became my life- I researched online, found local swing clubs to go dance at, and spent countless hours rehearsing with my friends wherever we could find space. Because I was homeschooled with seven siblings, many of them younger than me, dance became my way of socializing and finding significance. This interest soon turned to other styles outside of the social dance realm. I discovered choreographer Kate Jablonski on YouTube and quickly became obsessed with studio dance techniques, but it wasn’t until college that I began taking studio classes.
My interest grew in community college, so much so that I applied to be the Dance Student Assistant and auditioned for the department’s performance ensemble a year in. To my excitement, I made both positions. The experience was fun, challenging, and completely saturated me into a world that I loved. I saw both sides of running/being in a company, and am unbelievably grateful for the experience.
It took me a while to decide what university to transfer to. I auditioned for several, but economic constraints combined with pressure from my parents to stay local and a lot of self-doubt concerning my technique ability led me to drag my feet for several months. During an ensemble trip to the American College Dance Association Conference, I got to see the University of Texas at Austin’s Dance Repertory Theatre perform. I fell in love with the kinesthetic precession, the melding of dance and theatrical elements, and not to mention every dancer was ungodly fit. I quickly found a day to take a trip to UT and send in my audition tapes.
Fast forward three and a half years, and I have been living in Austin for exactly that amount of time. UT was hard – leaving class crying, getting a tattoo so I wouldn’t give up – hard. In my time there, I discovered what it is like to hold down a job (or 3) while taking classes full-time. My interest in theatre and other art forms both amplified my creative process, outcomings, and network, but had my mentors constantly asking me if I wanted to switch degree plans. I was stubborn, so I stuck with the Bachelor of Fine Arts Dance track. I picked up fire spinning/breathing and partnered acrobatics. Some of the most exciting performances came from these endeavors. I remember burning my eyelid in a fire performance one night then walking into tech rehearsal at UT the next day with an eyepatch. Before my director could ask what had happened he stopped himself, “You know what, I’m not gonna ask.” It wasn’t unheard of for me to be getting myself into one thing or another, and what was the use of him adding more stress to his plate? One does not succeed if ambition does not prevail!! It wasn’t always physical injuries either. During my senior year, I was in almost nonstop overlapping productions. God, it was AMAZING, brutal and incredible.
So, here I am now, writing this long overdue interview. I currently teach for an after-school art program called Creative Action. Their focus is on making quality art classes available to all children, no matter their social or economic backgrounds. I love it there, and have gotten to a point with the students that they bring me treats and constantly berate me with hugs. I work throughout Austin as a choreographer, instructor, performer, performance/stage manager, and model. I am also working on getting involved in the film/stunt work scene, so hopefully, you’ll see me on a silver screen one day!
If you are wondering how Houston is involved, I sculpt beeswax candles at the Texas Renaissance Faire for Wax Chandlers – booth 214. Several of my performance friends are based out of there, and I am hoping to get more into the city’s film scene. A friend of mine just helped open up a stunt gym where I am hoping to train some as well (West Mount Action Design).
Shoutout to all the amazing mentors I have been blessed with along the way: Dr. Tina Curran, Dorothy O’Shea Overbey, Gesel Mason, Andrea Beckham, Charles O. Anderson (if you haven’t checked his work out), Yacov Sharir, Jody Arnhold, Natasha Davison, Iffy Roma, Tiffanee Arnhold, Courtney Mulcahy, Lesley Snelson, Meghan Cardwell-Wilson, Glen Dawson, Bob Wood, and the several whose names are not coming immediately to mind!
Has it been a smooth road?
I would call it more of a hike than a road. Some days the path is clear, marked with information, and lined with stones. Other days it is a cliffside needing to be climbed. Starting dance so late always caused me to feel as though I was playing catch-up, or that I had to work twice as hard. In reality, I think I am reaching a point where my late start doesn’t matter. What matters are the dailies: small habits that accumulate towards greater results over time.
One of the biggest struggles so far has been a recent sexual assault. The disassociation from my body, the inability to be around other people, the PTSD, the amount of leave I had to take from training/work, the depression/demotivation… My world was nearly destroyed. All because someone decided my body was their playground.
The process of healing has been incredibly eye-opening. I am currently researching how trauma affects the brain/body and how movement can be used for therapy (i.e., somatic therapy). This is both for my own process and for several upcoming works. Some say that everything happens for a reason, someone wiser advised me that “things happen and you find a reason.”
We’d love to hear more about your work.
As a performing artist, I work in various positions within productions. On the performing end, I am a dancer, actress, partner acrobat, and fire spinner/breather. With production, I am a choreographer, movement consultant, and stage manager. I currently work with different aerial based studios to provide floorwork and flow based classes for their students (Laché Movement Co. and Vamps Dance). Not comfortable being in the air? You can catch adult contemporary floor-work and partnering classes with me at the Austin Body Collective!
Movement is a practice; a way of experiencing the world. I love being a vicarious conduit for audience members, whether it be the thrill of playing with fire or articulating an experience they deeply relate too. When I teach, I gain the most out of seeing my students build a better relationship with themselves kinesthetically, emotionally, and psychologically. There is no greater joy than helping someone discover that they are capable of so much more than they originally thought. I firmly believe the older you get, the more age is the sum of how you take care of yourself and your inner monologue.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I enjoy the multitude of cultures and food. Not to mention some of my coolest friends either live in Houston or moved from there. Traffic is the worst.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sarahjack00.wixsite.
com/info - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
sarahjack00/
Image Credit:
Brandon Sandler
Cody Herring
Danny Matson
Earl McGehee
Gaston Cherry
Sean Craig
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