Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Puett.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sierra. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I was born in San Diego where my parents put me in gymnastics at age four after they continuously found me on top of the fridge and climbing trees with no ladders in site. I homeschooled while gymnastics became my whole life. It created a foundation of discipline and resilience.
At age 13, I had to decide whether I wanted to pursue the Olympics or collegiate level gymnastics, or completely change direction, and I chose the latter. I was burnt out and knew only one world. I watched a contemporary dance class and fell in love. I danced throughout high school, dabbled in a lot of sports, extracurricular activities, academics, and had a social life for the first time.
I went to San Diego State University majoring in dance and social work and dipped out after a semester and a half. Taking the leap, I did a scholarship dance program in San Diego where I feel like things really clicked with my relationship and love for dance.
I got an agent and job performing at Disneyland soon after which gave me the go-ahead to move to LA at 19 and explore, hustle, fumble, and pursue not only dance but a spectrum of the performing arts world. I was hungry and still am to get my hands dirty with as many artists and collaborators as I could.
For the past five years, I’ve been trying to find a balance of commercial and industry work while doing projects/jobs/performances that are more artistically satisfying and challenging. It’s a difficult thing to navigate when money is a major factor and dancer’s often get the short end of the stick financially.
My career took a turn when I booked a Cirque Du Soleil show in Vegas, Le Rêve – The Dream at Wynn, and I took a step away from the momentum and chaos of LA. It taught me that something of such high caliber doesn’t mean you feel like you’ve “made it” nor is it key to happiness. I don’t do well with monotony and it began to be soul crushing to my creative needs, but I’m grateful for the experience, push and patience.
I am freshly back in LA and have a much better grasp and fuel for the kinds of gigs I want to engage in. I’ve learned saying no to opportunities is okay, and I am lucky I have that choice.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have an incredible support system, so it has been easier for me than for others. The transitions have been pretty seamless even if the process itself is hard. As most artists experience, the question of “am I good enough?” is always a floating feeling that comes and goes in waves. For me, narrowing my interests have been challenging. It’s great to be adaptable and versatile especially in the entertainment world, but branding and specificity are also really important. I’ve been a person who is good at being a chameleon whether that be with friends, environments or jobs, but I don’t want to lose the strong sense of myself.
There’s a time and place to choose whether to accommodate and alter your “typical” self–audition rooms are a prime example. I have always had constant gut confidence of who I am and what I want; however, I can be in several different rooms wearing several different hats and feel almost at home in all of them, but not quite all the way.
I am fickle and insatiable when it comes to anything, so if I book a gig, I celebrate for a minute then ask “what’s next?” I see the direction of where I want my career to go in, but navigating and prioritizing how to get there can be a struggle. It’s not something that scares me, it’s just something that I know I need to ride while also learning how to take what I can control into my own hands.
Endless choices can be way more debilitating and stagnant than when you have one solid, smaller path, so knowing when to zoom in or zoom out is an excellent skill to have. I know my strengths and weaknesses pretty well, and it’s helped me navigate and narrow in on what I want for myself. Nothing is linear, but over the past couple of years, I have gained a clearer streamline vision.
What kind of dancer do you brand yourself as?
Because I have an acrobatic background, I know most people know me as the trick dancer, and I used to hate that. I wanted to just be a “dancer” who didn’t have to rely on flaunting flips as my impress factor.
Now I am happy and proud I have it in my back pocket. However, I do want to keep and continue to explore the integrity and intention behind my movement that decolonizes and deconstructs dance in a way that is not only about presentation but the relationship between dancer and body, dancer and watcher, and body and watcher. Dance is so much about appealing to an audience, but in contrast, it is also such a personal and intimate feeling for the mover.
A lot of the times, the reason behind why one started dancing in the first place gets lost when the focus steers to audience validation. I want to call myself an artist because of what I do and not need to yell or validate myself from others. I want to create intentionally and attentively and have that be enough regardless of others liking it. There’s no objective right or wrong way.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m excited about so much! Since I just moved back to LA from Vegas, I’m excited about not having a routine anymore. Although I don’t do well with repetition, I do need some structure. I also just recovered from shoulder surgery, so I am just grateful to move my body freely again. I want to freelance as much as I can and immerse myself in the community I’ve made, maintained and am building here.
Knowing the direction I want to go in, I’m taking as much class as I can with the choreographers I want to work with–Ryan Huffington, Denna Thomsen, Nina McNeely, Toogie to name a few. I’m excited about tending to more of my own personal projects and going full-force as far as production value goes. My other videos have all been low budget, and I want to produce a show that mixes video and live performance that I can say I am truly proud of.
I am passionate about paying dancers/artists regardless of if it’s friends helping other friends. I want to nurture and create a norm that dancers should ALWAYS be paid. I also recently wrote a book of poetry, and I still can’t believe people are paying for my art. It was really satisfying to hold something I made in my two hands since dance is intangible and fleeting.
Additionally, I want to get more into film acting because I feel most alive and myself when I am playing other characters, so I am eager to explore more of that side. What’s great about this industry is that the different fields and genres bleed into sister worlds, so everything is pretty accessible.
It’s just a matter of finding the right, reliable, kind humans who work on the same wavelength as you and then following through with what you want to do. Having accountability is half the battle, and I am excited to really get into my future with motivated and realistic eyes, all limbs in.
Contact Info:
- Website: cargocollective.com/sierrakatina
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @sierrakatina
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sierra.puett
- Other: www.youtube.com/channel/UCdxLziPB2y05CVRotT4P9vg?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Lee Gumbs, Jenna Maslechko, Djeneba Aduayom, Saskia Kivilo, Patrick Johnson, Cindy Neal
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