Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Elizabeth.
Amy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m just a girl from a small Texas town that knew only one thing for sure… I just wanna dance. At 10 years old, my parents enrolled me in the local one-room dance studio where I was given the opportunity to compete regionally and nationally. In high school, I spent my weekends under the Friday night lights high kicking until my hat fell off. It was no surprise that I chose to study dance in college and received a BFA from Sam Houston State University.
It was during my time at SHSU that dance took a new direction. I fell in love with modern dance techniques and found a voice, or drive really, as a dance creative. With the encouragement of one of my professors, I produced my first concert as a sophomore and even though it wasn’t very good, I knew I wanted to try again and again and again. I was hooked! A small group of friends enjoyed working with me and we began to create work and submit to festivals. The idea of forming a company seemed to progress naturally and Rednerrus Feil Dance Company was established in 2006.
RFDC provided many adventures, but mostly life lessons in communication, relationships, and leadership. It led me back to graduate school, twice. The first round was for an MFA in performance and choreography from SHSU. The perspective, the environment, the experiences, the people – classmates and faculty – only nurtured my desire to share. What else am I supposed to do with all this radical information that was transforming me as a person and a professional? Give it away. Help someone else find their ‘aha’ moment and pass it on. This is my 10th year in higher education. I am currently a faculty member with the Lamar University Department of Theatre & Dance. The second round was an MBA in experimental entrepreneurship and leadership in the arts from Lamar University. No, that’s not the concentration as they advertise it, but it is exactly what the diverse curriculum and professors navigated me through. I think they call it a thematic concentration, but we basically puzzle pieced courses together that fused my nonprofit experience with courses focused on for profit management and leadership.
Today, I have rebranded RFDC into Aimed Dance seeking to foster awareness of and value for dance as a fine art in our community. Aimed Dance’s number one focus is #EducationFirst. The company has established internships available for dancers, arts administrators, and technical production crews, an Emerging Choreographer Fellowship granting young creatives the resources to produce new work and granted over $13,000 in scholarships it the last three years.
My grandfather once told me that education is the only investment that continues to give back. I took this to heart and have not only pursued many educational avenues personally, but I have also made it my mission to provide as many investment opportunities as possible for as many young people as possible.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There isn’t anything easy or smooth about growing pains and life lessons. Starting a nonprofit company at 22 years of age with absolutely zero leadership training or company management skills, every day became a task in figuring it out. Dance granted me the critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills to do just that as well as the incredible people to help me navigate through it as gracefully as possible. I have been held and often carried through this journey by friends, colleagues, and mentors.
I would say the greatest lessons I have learned along the way are 1) know your role as part of the whole and 2) own your percentage. Dance, and life really, is not a solo sport. Where do you fit in the equation? Are you the teacher, the student, or both? One day you could be the producer, the next the choreographer, the next the dancer. Each collaborative role asks for something different and understanding this has helped navigate some tricky interpersonal situations. Each project, situation, task, person expects 100%. What part of that 100% are you responsible for and how are you going to step up and take ownership of it? From another lens, we are human first and some days we are not working at our maximum 100%. It may be 65%. How do you give 100% of your 65%? The idea of showing up is not necessarily for others, it includes how you would show up for yourself too.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a dance creative, arts administrator, and educator. I am the artistic director for Aimed Dance, on faculty with the Lamar University Department of Theatre & Dance, and currently sit as the board president of the Southeast Texas Arts Council. I am most proud of the opportunities I have been able to create for young artists through Aimed Dance over the past three years. Prior to that, the company created wonderful work with some of Houston’s top performers including Jamie Williams, Danielle Garza, Jared Doster, Jesus Acosta, Jennifer Salter, Brittany Deveau and so so many more. The difference between then and now, I believe, is the impact we are able to make beyond the choreography, beyond the stage through scholarships and educational internships.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Be malleable and learn how to fail are two key elements that dance has not only taught me but instilled resilience in me to keep going, keep trying. Whether I am wearing the dance creative, arts administrator, or educator cap, I do not have all the answers. I will mess up and I will mess up often. I advise my students to get comfortable with failing daily. Be in a relationship with this idea of failure. First, because everyone sees failure differently. Second, because it will be your greatest teacher. The resiliency generates a ‘yes, and’ attitude versus the ‘yes, but’ approach. It allows for more… for more time to process, for more options, for more support, simply for more. We cannot thrive in an attitude of lack and I feel it’s my job as the director, leader, teacher to help change the narrative in the environment. The ability to fail and keep going is truly what has gotten me to where I am today.
Contact Info:
- Email: amyelizabeth@aimeddance.org
- Website: aimeddance.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aimeddance/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aimeddance
- Other: amyelizabethdance.com
Image Credits
Jennifer Salter
Lynn Lane
