Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Ayanna Wright.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Terri. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My parents started me in dance classes at a very young age. They always say that I used to get up and dance before I could even walk. Some of my favorite memories are me putting on ‘shows’ for my grandparents while visiting them in Fort Worth. I would have costume changes and everything! God only knows what I was entertaining them with.
Nevertheless they were always so supportive, cheering me on, their facial expressions a mixture of amusement and pride. From then on I became hooked on the idea of performance — moving to music in time and getting rewarded by an audience’s reaction. Growing up I went to a studio that was multi-disciplined and centered around competitive dancing. My favorite parts of the year we’re getting to go dancing Conventions around the US, connecting with other dancers and getting to learn from the best instructors out there. How high is your leg supposed to go? How many turns can you do? How much personality can you put into your movement? How quickly can you learn a combination? It was in these large ballrooms, full of eager students like me, where the standards were set, where I got my answers. As a method to gain a competitive edge, I also took extra classes in my hometown’s studio for classical ballet training. By high school, I was Colonel of my high school dance team and performing in a pre-professional modern dance company based in Houston. This is where I began to develop an act for choreographing my own solos to compete with. There was something about having control over the entire process, from the music choice/editing to costuming to the steps themselves, that really intrigued me. I realized that I had the power to tell whatever story I wanted. I could honestly take the audience on a journey. Through the guidance of my mentor, Kenneth Epting, I decided that dance was something I wanted to pursue as a career and that there was really only one place for me to do this: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City.
The Ailey School (Joan Weil Center for Dance) is one of our countries most significant buildings dedicated to dance, and historically speaking, the company has been a leader in giving dancers of color a place to grow, learn, and be seen. I knew I had to find my way up here one way or another! I made a deal with my parents, that if I did not get into Fordham University, which is the partner institution for the Ailey School’s BFA program, then I would go to school for engineering. As the daughter of an engineer and a chemist, I was raised to value STEM field education and understand where that can take me in my career. Offers from The University of Oklahoma’s and UT Austin’s engineering departments were both on the table. Not to mention that of a full ride from the University of Houston. As dancing professionally has more of a time limit, I WENT for it!
In 2015 I graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program with a dual degree in dance and computer science. I spent the next two years touring the world, performing with Ailey II as a dancer and teaching artist. I am currently a dance teacher for The Ailey Extension and freelance choreographer under Wright It With Dance based here in New York City. I just finished my first season with the Metropolitan Opera as an ensemble dancer in Porgy & Bess. I recently began graduate school at Parsons for Design & Technology, with the aim of exploring the threshold between dance, art, and technology. In my off-time, I enjoy traveling back to Texas to set choreography for competitions. That’s me in a nutshell!
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?
It has not been a smooth road and still is not in some cases. My hardest obstacle to date has been overcoming the idea of feeling inadequate when I first moved here to New York. The ‘little fish in a big pond’ saying did not spare me. Although I did come with some dance training, my classmates had come from high school dance conservatories, some even homeschooled, where their curriculum was centered around training on a professional level. My first two years in school were a huge wake up call. I was challenged not only physically but also mentally. One thing that many do not realize is the self-discipline and motivation required to work towards a profession as demanding as dance. You to be the best of the best, or willing to hustle, to fight tooth and nail, to make it as a living. You walk into a room with 35 other bunheads with pink tights. No one cares that you were the national champion for. The girl standing next to you was also a national champion for the past four years, and she’s 2 years younger than you. This was the mental game I was playing with. And I say this in a reflexive way because what I realized is that I am only in competition with my former self. I had to learn to persevere, no matter how deep the setback, no matter how extreme the injury was. I had to constantly remind myself that this is all a part of the journey, in truly becoming prepared for a living an artist.
One thing I am currently struggling with is finding the balance between school and professional life as a dancer. I have this dream of Wright It With Dance becoming a multimedia production company, not only producing choreography but also the visual effects of going along with it in live production. To get there, I need knowledge. To get the knowledge, I have to maintain at school. In the meantime, however, I still have to make a living, I still have to fulfill my duties as a dancer constantly working on her craft. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way, but I need eight extra hours in each day. Then I would be set (lol). But in all seriousness, what is helping me cope with managing time a bit better is just making a schedule well in advance and sticking to it—and making sure that schedule has some downtime built into it. Balance is key. Also, not being afraid or hesitant to ask for help! It is ok to lean on a friend, or ask a professor for more clarification, or even seek out advice from an unlikely source.
We’d love to hear more about your company.
Wright It With Dance is a production company specializing in dance in choreography, production management, and video editing. I am usually contacted by dance studios, theater companies, public/private schools & universities, non-profits, and/or individuals, but there are no constraints to who I partner with. What is unique to my practice is my holistic approach. I enjoy having a hand in the entire process of creation from editing music, to creating the steps, to filming the final product, and then making sure that all of the pieces come together smoothly under one creative direction. I like to say I am in the profession of storytelling. I am currently experimenting with adding video projection into my productions, in conjunction with my studies here at Parsons for Design and Technology. I am hoping to add this to my roster of offerings soon, amongst other techniques like motion capture and motion graphics for film.
What were you like growing up?
My favorite subjects in school were always science and engineering. In high school, I became enthralled with my engineering classes so much so that I was granted the opportunity to lead a project (sponsored by NASA) to test a plant irrigation system on a 0-gravity simulated flight. At one point, I also joined the robotics team. Unfortunately, my time there was short-lived because the meeting times conflicted with dance team practice, which brings me to my eternal extra-curricular interest: dance. The dance was forever my outlet to express anything and everything. The dance studio on my school’s campus was where I felt the most comfortable. I would stay in there for hours after school, just moving, creating, and exploring. And then I would get home and do the same thing again — blasting the music to just dance for hours on end.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.terriayannawright.com
- Email: wrightitwithdance@gmail.com
- Instagram: wrightitwithdance
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