We’re looking forward to introducing you to Juan Cruz. Check out our conversation below.
Juan, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
I have a 7-month-old boy at home. My days were already not normal, and even less so now. But I’ve never had much of a routine anyways. I make sure him and my wife are good, do what’s needed, and then squeeze in time to train myself. If I’m on a contract or have a gig then that becomes part of it too. I’ve learned to appreciate the little things more – it’s a good day if we all eat and sleep.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Juan Sebastian Cruz and my brand is Number Juan Spot. I’m a performer and I like to do a lot of different things. Theater, music, circus, dance, film… anything related to the performing arts. My strength is in my variety and I consider myself a multi-hyphenate artist. My main passion is being on-stage, but recently I have also been exploring ways to stay involved behind the scenes, such as through directing, writing, and coaching. I’m always thinking about art and I love that it is my career.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My mother, of course. It didn’t matter what else was going on, you had to get done what needed to be done. She didn’t cut corners and knew that her choices affected others. So I learned to be responsible watching her and that has really shaped everything I do. She has had to deal with some really difficult life circumstances and so I don’t take the time that I have for granted. At any moment I might be put in a situation without a choice – until that happens, I owe it to her to pursue exactly what I want to do in life, because that opportunity is what she worked so hard to give me.
Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
I remember the first person I seriously told that I wanted to be a circus performer. A clown of all things! His name was Brad Blunt and he was my academic advisor at Rice University. I was there studying Computational and Applied Mathematics in the Engineering department my freshman year. So imagine coming from that and feeling like actually what you want to do is be a performer and run away with the circus. But if I was seriously going to consider anything different than my current choice of major, I knew I needed to talk about it eventually. Brad was extremely kind and warm and so in the middle of our counseling session I timidly mentioned how I was feeling. “That’s awesome!”, he said. What a big relief it was to hear that. He encouraged me to pursue any and all of my interests and not feel locked down as a freshman. To explore and not compare myself to any of my peers. Ultimately that helped me decide to switch to Theatre as a major by my sophomore year and here I am, more than a decade later, enjoying a fruitful career as an entertainer.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
In the arts, perception is reality. If an audience member perceives your performance as perfect, then for them, it was. If you gave the best performance of your life, but an audience member perceived it as being mediocre, then for them, that’s all it was. But how could you ever definitively prove that? If someone’s opinion works in your favor, then this belief is useful. If it doesn’t, then it’s best to think that person is just plain wrong. What if you are dissatisfied with your boring performance and know you could do better but everyone thought it was the best thing you’ve done? What if you are the only one in your friend group that loved something everyone else hated? I think about all these hypotheticals all the time. Of course it is all subjective. All art is… or is it?
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I’m actually working on a solo show related to this subject! It’s a memoir play about my life as an artist, my relationship to the performing arts, what I am currently struggling with, and what I hope to achieve. I don’t know what other people’s story will be of me but I’m trying to tell my own while I still can. So be on the lookout for that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://numberjuanspot.com
- Instagram: @numberjuanspot
- Youtube: Number Juan Spot
- Soundcloud: NumberJuanSpot
Image Credits
Natasha Vivan Productions
Alan Castelan
William Bossen
Gilded Sun Photography
