Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Prescott.
Hi Carla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In my early twenties I moved to Houston to dance professionally with the contemporary company Ad Deum. I pursued this company because of their mission of speaking and sharing faith through the arts. After living and dancing in the city for a few years, I met my husband, and we moved to Calgary, Canada. I danced, taught and choreographed while living in Canada extending my training and exploring new ideas in choreography. When my husband and I moved back to the Houston area we moved north to The Woodlands since we had small children and loved that area for young families. When my oldest daughter was around ten we saw a production from National Youth Theater (NYT), were completely blown away by their production, and had to learn more. One of the most intriguing factors was that they were a faith based company that chose to pursue the arts with excellence. This unique vision of combining faith with the arts is what had originally drawn me to Houston in the first place. However, now I was encountering this vision with a company that was focused on youth. My daughter auditioned for <i>Mary Poppins</i> and from there we fell in love with this company that placed community and faith at the heart of their mission. My daughter was learning artistic skills while also making friends and seeing how her faith could be a part of it all. What was very unexpected was how drawn in I was as well. Each parent is required to volunteer, and what I thought would just be a check the box task turned into an opportunity I looked forward to each week. I was meeting other parents and feeling a part of the entire process. From there we were hooked. My other girls started auditioning as well, and when leadership at NYT found out my dance background I was soon asked to participate as a choreographer. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Education I am passionate about teaching. Two years into our journey at NYT a door opened for me to assist in starting the studio side of the company and take on the title of Studio Director. We began planning with the vision of allowing NYT classes to not only train our current students for future productions but also as a way to engage more of the surrounding community. We are currently in our fifth season as a studio and offer classes in various dance forms, drama, voice, as well as technical theater. Our studio also houses a Show Choir and three Student Dance Companies who perform locally as well as out of state.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As in all beginnings, there have been ups and downs. In our situation the theater side of the company was so strong that starting a studio from it meant we already had a student base. One of our challenges has been to keep up with the demand of classes and students. We have grown quickly, and so most of our challenges have been in learning and adapting quickly as well. We also aspire to for our students to not just understand the technical side of the arts, but to also practice those skills on the stage. So, unlike other studios where a recital is the focal point, our students have a recital and musical productions throughout the year where they can develop and perform the techniques they are studying at the studio. Since NYT produces three musicals each semester my teachers are faced with the obstacle of completing their curriculums while also having three weeks each semester where we lose almost a third of the students who are excused for their technical rehearsals at the theater. This can present a challenge in lesson planning and completing a syllabus. We have however anticipated this, and I am proud of how my teachers accomplish their goals each year despite this challenge.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Even when I was performing in dance companies as a young twenty something I knew I was a teacher and choreographer at heart. I love watching a beginner start to discover movement and see them a few weeks, months, or years later mastering concepts they once thought out of reach. My favorite part of the job is speaking. Speaking to my students and employees and speaking through choreography. When speaking to my students and employees I love the mentorship opportunity there is to see them grow as artists and aid them in making the connection between artistry and their daily lives. Skills they learn in the classroom such as perseverance or proper mindset can be incredibly powerful in studying ballet, but also can be life skills they acquire and engage in their college classrooms or careers. Mentoring my employees is one of my the most rewarding parts of this position. I remember being in my early twenties and feeling skilled in my art, but inexperienced in the industry. I love being able to share my experiences and then present opportunities for my young teachers to spread their wings and create. We have such an incredible staff, and that is truly one of the best things about NYT Studio.
I also love to speak through choreography. I have been privileged to direct a student company each year, and through that role have been able to speak through movement. My faith in Jesus is what I hope to be the defining characteristic of my life, and being able to speak about the hope and love I’ve found in an artistic way has been a gift. A few years ago my family went through a scenario where faith seemed impossible to hold on to. Through it all I saw my family and myself choose to continue to stand on the foundation of our faith because of the truth of who Jesus is. Walking that experience and coming out the other side inspired me to develop a piece that shared the hope I had experienced. I created a dance to a song titled “Rock I’m On.” by Ross King. It incorporated dancers jumping on and off a box, caring the box around, leaning on it, falling off it, and finally choosing to stand on it. The visual was based on Psalms 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,”
The lyrics of the song end with “It’s a hard, hard fight trying to keep your head up, But I won′t lose sight I know that whatever comes, I know, nothing’s harder than the rock I’m on.” This dance is just one example of how art allows us an avenue to share our faith and hope to our community. Allowing others to visualize, connect, find a correlation within themselves to the struggles, joys, and triumphs of life is what art is all about. As artists we have an opportunity to share and communicate in a way that motivates, encourages, and inspires our communities. My role as Studio Director at NYT has given me a voice to speak to our community through the choreography, to my students in the classroom, and it truly has been such a gift.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Our focus on faith and intentionality in community are what make National Youth Theater and the NYT Studio who we are. Allowing faith to fuel our mission means we are more focused on HOW we engage our students rather than what final product we present. When our focus is on loving our staff, students, and parents well and serving with our talents the result has been a strength in our faculty, students, performance, and a community that feels extremely unique and special.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nationalyouththeater.org
