Today we’d like to introduce you to Carissa Hamann.
Hi Carissa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Orange County, California and honestly, I owe everything to my two siblings who tested out the waters in dance class and happened to love it and two parents who were willing to have their third child get into it all too. I started dancing when I was three years old because my parents were already at the dance studio with my brother and sister, they might as well put me in too. I danced competitively from the age of 4 or 5 until I graduated high school. I got more into singing and theatre in elementary and middle school. High school theatre and studio dance became my life and I didn’t really see myself doing anything else when it came time to apply for colleges. I went to Cal State Fullerton, right in my hometown to pursue musical theatre. At the time it was a cut program, so although I began as a “BFA hopeful” with BFA training for two years, I ended my college career with a BA in Theatre Arts in 2020. You can put two and two together. I was cut, but honestly, it might’ve just been the best thing for me. It forced me to see the potential and drive I had/have to continue to pursue performing regardless of whether my college professors saw that in me or not. I graduated in 2020 “zoom school.” I ended up moving to LA, fairly recently actually, and it’s the best decision I made. I’m learning so much being out here on my own and learning from the dance industry out here. It is so inspiring and I feel so lucky to be here.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think a lot of actors, artists, performers probably have a lot to say about the industry and how “easy” or difficult it is. It hasn’t been a smooth road. I feel very fortunate to have grown up with a family who supports what I do. I’ve never had to convince my main supporters that I am worthy of pursuing this career, except for maybe myself and my own self-doubt. However, when the pandemic hit, it was understandably a very hard time for everyone. I finished my theatre degree online during the lockdown, and I began my career when there were no auditions happening and any classes to take were on a tiny computer screen on the carpet in front of family doing their own thing or on the grass outside. Broadway itself was not alive and running. I began having a lot of anxiety. Questioning when the career I had quite literally just gotten a degree for was going to come back. And honestly, questioning whether I could consider myself a dancer, a performer anymore because I hadn’t been training as much during the lockdown.
While I have booked gigs and jobs since being back, rejection in general is hard. Rejection in general is hard, but especially after a year or two of nothing, everyone is gunning for work again, but it’s a whole new world of auditioning and booking. Rejection is a given in this industry, but personally it has only made me grow more. Rejection is a given in this industry. Personally it has only made me grow and want to work even harder, but it doesn’t make the lulls in work or booking any easier.
I think with the amount of anxiety that the pandemic and post-college gave me and me just in a time of my life where I’m really trying to find most authentic self, it’s been a struggle of mindset and resilience. Nothing that doesn’t make me stronger in the long run, but definitely not an easy thing to go through. I am so grateful to be training in the meantime, making connections, and creating art.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m currently a dancer and performer pursuing a career in musical theatre. I would say I identify as a dancer within the musical theatre world where there’s so many elements of storytelling. I feel most creative when I’m telling a story through movement and choreography. I think something that might set me apart from others is my curiosity…that I’m intrigued by so many facets of storytelling. Right now I’m a dancer, singer, and actor. I’ve been a choreographer and teacher before, and I aim to pursue becoming an established choreographer. But I’m also intrigued by the science behind movement, how dancers’ bodies physically work, as well as directing and being on the more creative side of a project.
Something I am most proud of is my mindset. Working in an industry where rejection is at the forefront, I am very proud to know that I will always be at the next audition after an unsuccessful audition or not booking. It’s just the job and I am very accepting of that, no matter how hard it gets.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Human beings make me happy. My friends, my family, the people I love most, complete strangers, even people I don’t agree with or get along with, and I fully mean that. I find humans so interesting and so uniquely diverse with their quirks, what they love, what they dislike, who they love, why, what they stand for, their personalities, etc. Very recently, I have fallen more in love with talking to strangers. I’m a waitress for my day job, and I get to meet the most interesting people, whether they tell me their story or barely nod when I ask if they have everything they need, I get just the tiniest glimpse of their personality and their story. I think that’s why I love storytelling so much. Art is expression and so is being human, so in a sense being human is art and just that thought in itself makes me so happy and more curious about life. As an artist, I get to discover and create lives and stories from nothing, or from a script, and it’s like living a million lives in one lifetime. I wouldn’t want to spend my life doing anything else.
Contact Info:
- Website: carissahamann.com
- Instagram: @carissa_hamann
Image Credits
Jordan Kubat Photography, Tandem Photo
