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Meet Sonya Henning of Emerging Artists Musical Theatre Academy in Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonya Henning.

Sonya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a small beach town on central coast of California with one younger sister, my mom, who is a 911 operator and dad, who is a storyteller and environmentalist and I was home schooled as a child all the way up until high school. Because I had more time maybe than the average kid I spent my day playing, doing backyard theatre productions and keenly observing life. I have always had a deep interest in people and what makes them tick and in life and what makes the world go around. It is with this curiosity and a knack for entertaining that the performing arts was an obvious choice from a young age. So I grew up very involved in theatre and dance and did many plays and dance recitals growing up.

When I went to college for Theatre, I had odd jobs and worked in restaurants. About halfway through school, I saw an ad for a children’s dance instructor position and decided to apply on a whim. To my delight, I was hired and started teaching part time while I was in school. I loved it! When I got that job, I felt like I had won the lottery, like I had really made it. I was so excited by the idea of getting paid for something that I loved to do! It set the bar high because I did not want to work another job from there on out that wasn’t something I loved. And why should I?

Teaching to children takes a multitude of skills and is something that I discovered a passion for that I didn’t expect to have. At first it was a little intimidating, however using my background in theatre and storytelling I started to develop a teaching style that I found really resonated with the kids. And that was to teach dance with a story and play based format, so that the technique was infused in fun!

In addition to dance, I added voice and musical theatre classes and that is where my passion really grew. Teaching the musical theatre classes especially were life changing for me. Very early on I noticed how the class affected the students and helped them grow as individuals. They seemed to build many skills faster than any other class, even as young as three years old. They were learning life lessons and amazingly valuable social, motor, and cognitive skills, creating empathy and understanding, building relationships and developing self-esteem and self-confidence. It was really quite impressive! And the best part was that they were having fun doing it. They felt empowered by the responsibility of acting out a story with song and dance. There is really no other format that makes you as vulnerable as that of a live performance. And learning the skills to get to that moment is essential to navigating the world whether you want to be professional actor or not. I created a template, much like the bumpers on a bowling lane, where I was there to guide but they were doing the work. Often times, what I later referred to as “the pack”-or group of kids that had been taking the class for a while, would actually be doing more of the teaching to the new kids starting the class. They thrived within the structure of the class and got a sense of independence. I had so many parents start to come up to me and tell me about the changes they had seen in their children. They were more outgoing and alert, noticed patterns, were using their imaginations, were building better relationships, and learning how to effectively communicate along with beginning to understand what it may be like to walk in another person’s shoes. These skills and others were coming out of this art form and it blew me away.

However, it wasn’t just about building type A-outgoing and super social types. We love the introverts and the observers in class too. The ones that sit back, and maybe don’t participate as much but are soaking everything up like a sponge. The shyer kids are often the future teachers or playwrights, paying attention to the structure a little bit more than the relationships. Those that are able to contemplate and dissect the story are gaining just as much as those who are comfortable in the spotlight. There is something for everyone.

In the meantime, they are learning still to appreciate the theater and to preserve this art that is at the very beginnings of our existence as humans. For what do we really have at the end of the day but our stories. When we are long gone, what do we leave behind but our narrative? Having some say as to what that is, is a very exciting thing for me! And that is why working in the world of theatre makes me feel most alive.

After building the theatre program for several years, adding summer camps, productions, private lessons and more, it became clear that it was its own entity that needed to be connected to its sister company, Kick It Up Dance Studio, but have its own mission and goals. That is when I decided to officially create Emerging Artists Musical Theatre Academy. We are now the theatre program within the original dance studio of Kick It Up.

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?
The biggest challenges to date have been finding balance and finding what makes me and my company unique.

Balance as a word is misleading. Often times when we talk about balance, the immediate connotation is perfection. A world in perfect balance is where everything is running smoothly all the time. That is not realistic nor is it an accurate depiction of the word. Balance doesn’t occur without being off balance. When we think of balance in terms of a man on a tightrope we are closer to the meaning. The tightrope walker doesn’t just jump on the rope and walk straight across without trouble, he (or she) must walk slowly, calculating each step, being acutely aware of their body and the changes in weather-he may bob to one side for longer, leaving a leg out to balance the other, but there is a swaying motion from side to side. This is more of what I have learned to do. Bop and weave-do not expect perfection, delight in the imperfections because that is what makes each day unique. If you fall off the rope, just get back on. Live your life as close to your values as you can. Organize your schedule so that it is manageable. Take care of your priorities first. Emails can wait. Breathe deeper. Meditate. Eat healthy. Exercise. Spend time with friends. Laugh a lot. Cry, and then laugh some more. When you start to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, slow down.

In the beginning, I wanted to be everything for everyone all the time. That led to quick burn outs and a lot of stress. I realized after a while of overloading my schedule, not sleeping, making many mistakes, that I didn’t want to be one of those restaurants where their menu is a novel, pages and pages of many different items that are average tasting meals. I realized the quality of our service wouldn’t be maintained if I tried to specialize in EVERYTHING. I instead wanted to be that little neighborhood bistro down the street that serves the best meatballs around. When you want meatballs, you go there. They do meatballs. That’s it. They are the best and everyone knows it. That’s what I wanted. So I reorganized my life and my business to hone in on what I was really good at and what we were really good at as a company. What makes us unique is our personal relationships. We are a family. We are constantly pushing the envelope. And we give back.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Emerging Artists Musical Theatre Academy – what should we know?
Officially we hold weekly children’s theatre technique classes, do large scale musical productions, private lessons, workshops, and outreach. Unofficially, what makes us unique is that we are passionate about our students. We use the holistic approach if you will. We look at the student as a whole. Instead of trying to apply certain principles and skills onto the student, we discover what the student is really good at and develop those skills. Ultimately in the actual business of theatre if you are looking to be a professional, you have to develop what makes you unique anyways so discovering that earlier the better, and then in terms of personal development, finding out and loving who you are as a person is beyond valuable. What is unique about the tone of your voice? What are your ticks? How can you personally rock that big beautiful curly hair like nobody else?

Art and theater is meant to be porous and ever changing. It is what makes it so important because it reflects our ever changing lives.

We also want students to fall in love with the “work” of acting. The training should bring you just as much joy as getting an audience’s applause. It is the work that you will do 90% of the time versus the accolades that you may get 10% of the time.

We do not sugar coat the nature of the business of entertainment. But because we empower our students, the idea of the business is not as scary. Or even if it is to some, we give them techniques to work through that! Much like when life gives you lemons. You must have a strong core to deal with life’s challenges.

As you can see we have a very philosophical approach. It is the human condition we are dealing with on a daily basis and we take that seriously. Everyone brings their own perceptions and experience to the table. Except for the ones who barely have experience (3 years) they still live in their fantasy la la land and we love them for it! Their imaginations teach me every day!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Resilience. Listening. Keeping it fresh. Doing something where people feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Creating a sense of community.

Pricing:

  • Classes $55/month (four classes)
  • Broadway Camps $105 for ages 3-7, $140 for ages 8-13 years per week
  • Private lessons $60 per hour
  • Your first class is always FREE!

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Linda Bryan

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