Today we’d like to introduce you to Emara Neymour Jackson.
Emara, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am originally for Saint Louis, Missouri and grew up with extreme support from my mother (Dorrian Neymour) to pursue the arts. From dancing to singing to acting, the whole nine! I started training, specifically in dance at the age of three and began in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, and Musical Theater. My mom and I lived in Kansas City for seven years, and in that time frame I was able to find my love for a musical theater and specifically modern dance. Once we moved back to Saint Louis, I was transitioning into my 7th-grade year and found Grand Center Arts Academy to official train daily in performing arts school setting. This segwayed my journey in Central Visual and Performing Arts High School where I met my first mentor, Raymond Johnson Parks. I remember our first encounter where his words to me were “you can do anything you want in your career if you put your mind to it, Emara”. Everyday since then, I put my all into my training in my high school because that was what was allotted to me, and that is where I felt welcomed.
For four years, that had been my primary training, as well as very short interim classes from local studios. Once I became a Senior, I was awarded the Dance Career Award from Dance Saint Louis, where they help students take steps to pursue their post-graduate careers in dance. With Rays guidance and mentoring he inspired me to go to California Institute of the Arts and audition on campus for they’re bachelor program. Funny thing is, that was the only school I had audition for and I had been accepted and awarded scholarships to attend. So now, small-town girl from Saint Louis, Missouri is moving all the way to California to further her career as a professional dancer/artist. During my CalArts residency, I have worked and collaborated with choreographers such as faculty member Nina Flagg, Spencer Theoberge, MFA candidate Marissa Osata, and Calarts Alumni Kevin Zambrano. I have also been able to work professionally with artists such as Solange Knowles, Moses Sumney, KFlay, and Raveena and most recently became the newest addition to the TL Collective, directed by Micaela Taylor.
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?
No, it has never been a smooth road! I don’t come from lots of money or have ever had hands outs. I’ve learned that I have to work for what I want, and ten times harder at that! Being a short -curvy-Black-woman in dance can make it hard to be seen. And by seen, I mean considered outside of those things. But with support and growing self-love, I have accepted myself fully and use my heart and soul to lead my artistry, not just the shape of my body. I am so grateful to say that through the experiences where I have been “othered”, it has just made me stronger in my individuality.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
With a vast amount of on stage performance experience as well as music video gigs, I have also been developing my own experimental work in reflection of the performative aspects of my life. I am interested in exploring the unknown in conversation with the familiar through film and performance art. The “wacky sense of the mundane” allows for me to break barriers and challenge those who are spectating my work. In some of my live performance art, I choose to engage the eyes as a minimalist yet powerful tool against the viewer. Knowing that I am being watched is what fuels my black female body. It fuels my black female voice and charges confrontation. Having experienced battles between the eyes in “real life”, it goes to show the power that I have while seeing you see me. Power dynamics quickly shift and it is then my choice to submit to the challenge. I would also say I am known for my crazy sense of collage and use of found material (objects as well as footage).
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have so many amazing experiences so far, but my proudest moments would have to be visualizing myself working with both Solange Knowles and Moses Sumney at one point and then having the opportunity to do so. Of course, I was geeked and fanning every time, but it’s the fact that it actually happened is what makes me so giddy every time I think about it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emaraneyj/
- Twitter: eneymour
Image Credit:
Image 1: Rafael Hernandez, Image 2/6:Josh Rose, Image 3/8:Muata Spann, Image 4: Madison Lynch, Image 5: Still from Moses Sumney ”Cut Me”, Image 7: Kehari Hutchinson, Image 9/10: Emara Neymour
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