Meet MaryAnn Chavez of IMMAbreathe in North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to MaryAnn Chavez.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up my mom always told me I was dancing around the house all the time, so she put me in some classes because she just knew I belonged there. I started dancing when I was just five years old, I was that kid in class that was always telling the other kids to listen to the teacher because I wanted to get the most out of class. My teachers would say I was the kid with the “heart” for dance, but I always struggled with the technique part of it. So my mom pulled me out of the first studio I was at when I was 13 years old because she wanted me to be challenged more. I then started training at different studios and ended up auditioning into a performing arts program in Huntington Beach, CA high school district. Huntington Beach is where I was born and raised. I then was taking class at the performing arts school, at the studio after school and was also apart of the dance team for the high school. Let’s just say I pretty much lived in the studio. Being apart of the performing arts school I was able to dabble in choreography, Being apart of the studio after school I was able to assist my mentor and learn the ins and outs of how to teach and I also started working front desk there so started to learn a lot about how the studio runs. Being a part of the dance team I learned how to be a leader, I was one of the captains and loved being apart of the administrative work that goes with that position. All of those experiences I really feel shaped me into who I am today.

Today I direct two dance companies alongside Will Adams and Janelle Ginestra who are forces in the dance industry. IMMAbreathe is a contemporary company that I founded and immaBEAST was founded by Will and Janelle and I now co-direct the company with them.

I met Will Adams and Janelle Ginestra when I was just 19 years old, I had been in the same circle of dancers that they were working with all the time, but it wasn’t until I attended the very first Buildabeast Experience in 2014 that I really made a connection with them. I was able to audition for immaBEAST, which is their hip hop company based in North Hollywood, CA. After that, I was constantly dancing under their direction and they were also using me for my strengths in contemporary. They gave me teaching opportunities, assisting and small choreography opportunities. Buildabeast Experience 2015 was around the corner and that’s when Will had asked me to work with the team, my job was to manage all of the talents that was to come and teach the convention classes. He had told me that I understood how to speak to the talent and that I made them feel comfortable. I thought back on all of the experience I had in the past with administrative work and took the leap! I worked that event for two summers.

I saw the potential within the IMMA brand and pitched my idea for IMMAbreathe shortly after my second summer working with them. Will trusted me and loved my idea and gave me full reigns to develop this idea. We are currently on our second season, training and performing!

When I had started IMMAbreathe, I wasn’t co-directing immaBEAST just yet. Will & Janelle had seen how quickly IMMAbreathe was gaining speed by season 2 under my direction and it wasn’t until late 2018 that they asked me to co-direct with them.

I also do a lot of work outside of IMMA, being in LA for almost five years now I have learned that connections are everything. Being a good human and someone that other people want to be around and are inspired by you is the best thing you can do for yourself. I have booked many teaching jobs locally in LA, throughout the US and internationally just by word of mouth from other people. Well, social media also plays a huge part in that too.

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?
Let’s just say my road has definitely been under construction one or more times. Let’s start from the beginning… while my mom was in labor, my heart stopped and she had to have a C-section to get me into this world (thanks mom). Shortly after that I was diagnosed with infant jaundice and was put under heat lamps in order to get through it. There were a few broken bones, surgeries and sickness along the way, but when I was 16 years old is when the bulk of my pain came into my life. It was then that I was diagnosed with appendicitis at the same time as an ovarian cyst. With health being an issue and me trying to pursue my dance career, I was under a lot of stress.

Stress led to me being diagnosed to Bells Palsy at age 20. Bells Palsy is when you have facial paralysis. I was under so much stress that my facial nerve became inflamed and my whole left side of my face was drooping and paralyzed. I was working my morning job at the dance studio and noticed that my tongue on the left side started to feel tingly. I thought maybe it was an allergic reaction of some sort, popped an allergy pill and went onto my evening job at the restaurant. While I was there running around taking orders, I had noticed that my left eye was drying out more quickly than usual. Just kept working not thinking anything of it. After work, I had met up with some friends for a birthday celebration and were all at the dinner table at Dave & Busters and I suddenly felt like I couldn’t close my eye. I asked my boyfriend to check out my eye and he let me know that it wasn’t closing all the way. Okay, I’ll admit I was a little freaked out at the point, but I was trying my best not to worry or think the worst. The night goes on and I am doing my best to not think about what is happening to my face and my friend makes me laugh so hard that I burst into laughter and feel that only my right side of my smile was lifting! I turn to my boyfriend again, “Babe, am I not smiling on this side?” He looks at me with worry and says, “No, it’s actually not lifting”. We all start freaking out! My friend told me I might be having a stroke and I just brushed it off like no way! I ended up falling asleep that night hoping it would be better in the morning, but I only woke up to a bloodshot eye because I slept with my eye completely open! I finally went to the ER!

My symptoms were all on the left side:
– paralyzed tear duct
– paralyzed eyelid
– paralyzed nostril
– paralyzed lips
– painful ear
– whole left side of my face was tingling

They basically told me stress causes Bells Palsy, they didn’t have a cure nor did they know if this would last two days, two weeks or two years. Some people never recover from it. This crushed me… I had to give up a few dance jobs that I had booked bc they wouldn’t allow a dancer with an eye patch, it was a liability. I had to put ointment in my eye and tape it shut so that I didn’t form an infection and become blind because I wasn’t able to close my eye or produce tears. I was depressed, but my boyfriend was by my side supporting me unconditionally for about two weeks then had to give me some tough love. He basically told me I needed to push through this and find a different lane within dance if I couldn’t be in the limelight. (We didn’t know when my face would be normal again or if it would be ever). This is when I really dove into choreography, I could create something beautiful without having to be on stage or in front of the camera. I had started seeing my chiropractor and with his adjustments, the inflammation of my facial nerve calmed down and I started gaining mobility of my face again! I still have a slightly droopy left eye, but hey…. its better than not being able to blink!

Ovarian cysts have been a huge part of my adult life, countless visits to the ER for being in unbearable pelvic pain with free fluid in my abdomen from a ruptured cyst. Along with that, there is an autoimmune disease called endometriosis, it affects 1 in 10 women and there is a 12-year delay diagnosis. This basically means that the tissue that lines my uterus is not only in my uterus, but it is growing along other organs too. Then when it comes to be “that time of the month” my hormones are telling my body to shed this tissue and I am having internal bleeding along with the normal bleeding. Bloating is crazy… cramps are even crazier and sometimes I will get migraines so bad that it will affect my vision.

I am constantly having to schedule jobs and rehearsals around my “time of the month”, but then it gets worse and the pain doesn’t just fall on “that time of the month” its an all day everyday kind of pain. I have learned that the doctors just want to medicate me and it only makes me more sick. I dove into the world of “food is medicine” and finally have figured out an eating lifestyle that helps my body and pain. Its a lot of work, but it’s worth it.

For a whole year, I was vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free and had already been going on my third year of being caffeine free. During that time I had a ruptured cyst and was in terrible pain and nearly passed out while trying to drive to the ER. Usually, my recovery time would have been two weeks, at that time of me eating so clean I was back to normal in about three days! This lifestyle change was eye opening…but also it made me feel anti-social. I wasn’t able to eat with my friends and family when they would go out and it was very isolating. So I started to reintroduce certain foods into my diet. First was dairy, then gluten, then meat. I studies what foods triggered me, also when they triggered me and why. Seemed like those foods were irritating me the week before and the week of my period. So I had made the decision to be a “normal” person for two weeks, then go back to my vegan, gluten, sugar, and caffeine free life for the next two weeks. That way I could feel normal and social and also feel great when I really needed it most.

I still have episodes of being in a lot of pain, but not nearly as much as I used to when I wasn’t following my “anti-inflammatory” lifestyle.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
IMMAbreathe is a contemporary dance company that really focuses on a sense of community. My company members have a safe place to flourish with others who share the same passion as everyone else in the company. Being in North Hollywood, the center of the LA dance industry, I had seen a lot of kids leaving their home studios to come to LA and pursue their dance careers. LA is very commercial and is heavily hip hop influenced when it comes to work out here for kids. I saw them losing their foundation of technique that they initially came here with because they were only training in hip hop and not a lot was offered for kids out here to exercise their technique. The more I met adults in the industry they began to tell me a similar story, being that they came from their home studios which were mainly competitive to coming out here and mostly focusing on hip hop.

I wanted to create a program that was not intimidating to those who wanted to get back into their roots, or maybe those just starting out in technique that didn’t want to feel judged every time they stepped into an uncomfortable class.

IMMAbreathe does not compete; we mainly train dancers and share energy and knowledge to help each grow.

My main thing is that I support all my dancers unconditionally. I realized that we all came to LA to pursue our dance careers and that we will train elsewhere, have auditions and book jobs. Nothing is mandatory in this company. I will always create a safe place for my dancers to come to in LA.

If you ever want to take on of my open contemporary classes I teach every Monday at immaSPACE at 4:30!

What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was very silly. I have an older sister, so you know I was always trying to get her attention and I did that by being silly. My personality was similar to what it is now. I don’t usually open up until I am comfortable around someone. I have always been very loyal and organized. If you have read the “obstacles” portion of my article, then you know I worry and stress a lot too. I was that way when I was little too, never wanted to get in trouble and make my parents and mentors proud.

My mom put me into dance when I was five years old because I was always singing and dancing around the house (nothing has changed). I have always loved music, art, movies and board games!!!

I also have to say that I used to be so afraid of dogs my whole life until I was 19 and my boyfriend told me I needed to have a dog from when it was a puppy to get over my fear. We did just that and now I LOVE DOGS! Lol, Catch me playing with dogs everywhere!

Pricing:

• Drop In Class $15

Contact Info:

• Address: 11486 Hart St, North Hollywood, CA 91605
• Website: www.MaryAnnChavez.com
• Email: maryann.immabreathe@gmail.com
• Instagram: @thee.mac.chavez @immabreathe @immabeastco @immaspace

Image Credit:
Jordan Lunsford, Tony Carabba, Austin Eguia, Ellie Activewear

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