Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Martin.
Mackenzie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m originally from Oklahoma, I moved to Los Angeles almost ten years ago to pursue my passion and dream of dancing professionally. After a few years of wrestling with the fear of moving I sold most everything I owned in a garage sale, packed only essentials into my car and drove to California. At the time, I hardly knew anyone in LA and began my journey as a dancer here with no connections, no insight into the industry and absolutely no mentorship or guidance. It took me quite a while to build community, establish roots both physically and emotionally in LA and to work my way into the dance scene. This took place over the first 3-5 years I was here and eventually persistence, courage, and continued training led me to a path where I was able to work as a professional dancer for several years.
At the same time that I was pursuing dance in Los Angeles, I was simultaneously building and co-owning a dance convention called Soul de Soul with my life long friend from home. I remember hitting a cross road’s one day when a dance touring opportunity overseas conflicted with Soul de Soul’s touring season and prevented me from accepting a job in China. Fundamentally, I realized a lot of the jobs I wanted as a dancer didn’t coincide with my job as a convention director and I started looking for another path that allowed me to have more control of my own schedule, and not dependent upon an artist’s. I switched talent agencies and signed for representation in choreography and education so that I could manifest a future that accommodated my professional life out here and allowed me the freedom to travel with my convention.
I started GEOMETRY contemporary dance company in 2016 after teaching professionally for a few years in Los Angeles at Millennium OC and (IDA) International Dance Academy (I now teach at IAF Compound in NoHo) in effort to build a community with the embodiment of the messages I illuminate in class and to cultivate a collective of strong female dancers. I struggled as a dancer in LA for a long time trying to select work I was proud of artistically… .work that didn’t encourage the over-sexualization and objectification of female bodies. In creating GEOMETRY, I wanted to be a part of the wave of a few attempts in the industry by choreographers and other female-based company directors that gave women a place to work as a dancer with integrity, intention, and a sense of empowerment. My mission was to creature a culture and company that displayed the strength, beauty, and power of a female as a whole person; body, mind and soul. GEOMETRY is built and sustained by my unique and specific inner geometry and the individual geometry and stories of every one of my dancers. I weave this into the architecture of choreography and work I produce.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every journey has obstacles… it’s part of the process. My earliest struggles as a dancer and young artist were to climb over a mountain of voices telling me I was “too sensitive” to be in the performing arts. As an older artist, finding the right people to build your dreams alongside has proved to be difficult at times. Because I believe that dance and it’s language is so ephemeral, that a classroom space is a sacred and the magic experienced in my classes and rehearsals are created by and for those who show up in that space. . .trying to make a career in teaching in LA has been one of my largest professional challenges. Currently there’s a popular trend to produce/film these environments for online content and finding my place in that has been tricky to navigate. Holding safe space for people to learn, connect, grow and engage is at the root of everything I do and trying to figure out my personal boundary line of sharing/promoting what I’m doing while keeping my classroom safe and staying true to that line is one of my greatest challenges. There’s constant pressure in LA to fit in a certain “mold” and I’m determined to make my own.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about GEOMETRY Dance Company – what should we know?
I am currently at the beginning of season IV and have launched two additional companies that I’m exceptionally proud of. G1 remains as it’s always operated and I have some dancers on that company who have been with me from the beginning. G2 is a new branch of GEOMETRY where the focus is on training/understudying roles and acts as an introduction to the culture of my company. This program allows me to add dancers at any time during the season instead of the traditional invitation after annual auditions. Most recently, I’ve launched G3, a worldwide web based training program with digital content and tutorials I (with the help of my team) create for that platform every month. A member’s subscription is accepting a role in GEOMETRY as a G3 dancer. I have dancers in Italy, South Africa, France, Australia and all over the U.S. . . it’s global community.
Some accomplished moments I’ve had as a director and choreographer that I’ve been able to share with my company would be as a recent 2018 Capezio A.C.E award nominee. I traveled with my company to NYC to showcase my work to perform an excerpt from GEOMETRY’s show “amorphous” which premiered in LA spring 2018, that additional went on to tour in Italy, Australia and again to New York. I’ve had the honor of presenting a thesis in Greece a few years ago at the World Congress of Dance entitled “Intentions: Getting Present for Contemporary Movement” in which I demonstrated both movement phrases and introduced my belief on creating safety in a classroom and was lucky enough to have my GEO dancers with me in that classroom assisting and demonstrating. GEOMETRY has presented work in Scotland, Greece, Italy, Australia and has an upcoming performance this summer in Spain.
I offer an open company class every Monday, that’s open to any dancer whose seeking community, training, empowerment and artistry. This hour is structured around what I’m calling “dance-asana” which is “whole” body (mind, spirit, body, soul) movement and phrasework centered around a monthly mantra. 6:30-7:30PM at Downtown Dance & Movement $15/class.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?|
For me, I have this inherent fire and ache to create, to design beautiful things. . .and to connect with people on a deep level. It consumes me. Everyone has their inner magic. . .I’m just listening as best I can and following mine. However, I do believe courage, resilience and trusting in my magic have been my biggest assets and tools when my passion isn’t enough. You are always your biggest advocate, it’s crucial that you believe in yourself if you want others to. I’m also a firm believer in “what you water grows”, you’ll hear me say this often in class. It’s a daily choice to monitor my inner thoughts and to speak life in times where it’s easier to speak doubt, failure, or to listen to hurtful opinions of myself and my art from others. Success is knowing yourself enough to live inside that truth loudly.
Contact Info:
- Website: mackenziecrosley.com geometrydancecompany.com souldesoul.com
- Email: kenziecrosley@gmail.com
- Instagram: @_mackenzie_martin_ @geometrydancecompany @souldesoul
Image Credit:
Marissa Mooney, Saskia Kivilo, Kristin Lewis
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