Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Scaringe.
Dani, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in Orange County to two academic, chiropractic parents. I started dancing at about nine years old the same way most do, fumbling my way through the competition circuit. I continued competing through high school, where I attended the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) for Commercial Dance. Taking the practical route after graduating, I attended the Cal State University of Long Beach (CSULB) for their dance program. That only lasted a semester. I transferred to the Visual Arts department for two semesters after that and eventually left college completely. At the time, I was struggling with a lot of personal and family traumas that were taking hold of my day to day life. I found myself traveling back and forth from Orange County to Los Angeles to take class and immerse myself in the contemporary dance scene that was happening at the time. Eventually, after many years of traveling back and forth, I gained the financial freedom to settle in LA for good. Since then, I’ve been creating and experimenting with combining dance and visual animation and finding my voice in a city of artists.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time. I usually start with an idea or a feeling, generally taking from what is happening in my life personally. I strive to create art that is honest and genuine, I find that is the most relatable. I’m still constantly learning creatively and emotionally, and I hope to never stop. At the risk of sounding too cliché, I just want people to be able to feel something from what I create. I want people to be able to look at something I’ve made and say “yeah I’ve been there”. I think art is a beautiful way to bring people together at a deeper level than most are comfortable with. It’s a hidden little support system that provides a lot of comfort and relationality, and I strive to try and create that.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
Keep going. Things are going to be tough, but they always work out. As artists, I think we have a wonderful ability to creatively figure things out when our backs are against the wall. If the passion is strong enough, you’ll make things work.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Most of my work can be seen on my personal Instagram @daniscaringe or my newer page, @daniscaringeart, which is where I’ve begun posting a compilation of my visual and animated works. I’m in the process of creating a website, but right now Instagram rules the world and I just play the game. Most people reach out to me for commissioned work either through Direct Messages or Email, which can also be found on my personal Instagram page.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: daniscaringe
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielle.scaringe
- Other: https://vimeo.com/user55511141
Image Credit:
Saskia Kivilo and Brien Rich
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