Thursday, November 1, 2018

November 2018 Meet Our Artists: Candice Segarra

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!


 Name: Candice Segarra

What do you do?
Choreographer, Poet, Director of Segarra Dance Theatre Projects

What are you proud of?
I am proud of being able to evolve my work from where I began years ago as a choreographer. I am definitely not the same person or artist I was back then when I first started. I am much freer in terms of dance-making and more out of my head. I am proud of getting my dance collective into major dance festivals and showcases that I never thought my work would qualify for, sometimes I can be my own worst critic. I'm proud of being able to afford rehearsal space so far in my choreographic career although it has been super challenging and my wallet is falling short now; the more my company's opportunities grow. It's fascinating to see your hard work cultivate into something bigger than yourself! I'm also super proud of my dancers and other artists who collaborate with me and give me their time and energy to grow our company.

What inspires you?
I am inspired by hard-working fellow artists of any kind that make a living creating and inspiring others. I love colors and the complexity of human emotions and thoughts; they really intrigue me. My environment and nature inspires the way I think and create and human relationships inspire me to write. My work is based on these concepts as well as how society's treatment of certain classes and races- these really ignite the ideas in my mind and transform them into my artwork.

What are your goals?
I have so many goals! For my company, I aspire to take my company in a tour nationally and maybe even perform internationally if possible. I also hope to have our own full-length evening show where we showcase our repertoire at a NYC venue within the next year!

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?
I wish someone had told me how hard it was going to be to be a professional dancer and a professional choreographer growing your own company in these times. It's hard! But if art – whether it’s music, dance, theatre, or visual – is what you truly love to do, it is totally worth it to be at times, broke, hungry, exhausted and stressed out. We only got one life, so we have to do what we absolutely love to do.

How does The Field help you?

Since I'm new to The Field, I am excited to see what we can do together. I am very much looking forward to receiving help with fundraising and grantwriting and to see how much my collective will grow under the sponsorship of The Field.


Click to enlarge images.

To join The Field community and become eligible for a "Meet Our Artists" feature, sign up for a membership and join our mailing list for program updates!



No comments: