Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Collins.
Hi Gabrielle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began dancing at Gotta Dance in Plano at approximately 5 years old, and since then, have never turned my back from the stage. In high school, my involvement in theatre grew as my passion for the performing arts did the same. In between rehearsals, dance classes, and shows, I volunteered at Gotta Dance in their Pals program – a weekly dance class designed for dancers with disabilities. As my collegiate career took shape, I chose to attend the University of Texas at Austin, studying Applied Learning and Development, Youth and Community Studies, with a concentration in Special Populations and a specialization in Disability Studies in Movement Science. It was through my direct work beneath Professor Pam Buchanan that I found my place – in the theatre, creating specialized programming for performing artists with disabilities. Just a few months after graduation, I was incredibly fortunate to be connected with North Texas Performing Arts, being hired to serve as the Managing Director of Accessible Theatre. Since taking on this role, I have programmed full seasons of theatre arts for individuals with disabilities of all ages, and grown the program by nearly 60%. Additionally, I teach weekly dance classes for Gotta Dance, choreograph for it’s pre-professional company, Plano Metropolitan Ballet, and choreograph for the National Ballet of Texas.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It certainly has not! My collegiate journey was an adventure of discovering my path, and life post-grad has been similar! I am incredibly fortunate to work with incredible artists both at North Texas Performing Arts and in the dance world who support me both personally and professionally. I am a firm believer that our community shapes us, and I am incredibly grateful to have the most wonderful community surrounding me!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am incredibly inspired by human connection. I firmly believe that as artists, we are intended to tell stories, to uplift others, and to highlight important topics relevant to our communities. Across my work, I aim to provide inclusive and accessible opportunities to experience art that push boundaries of how performance art is perceived. My hope is that with each performance, audience members and performers alike leave the space with a new story to share with those around them, and that they are inspired to connect with others through that story.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Gratitude.
During my first true theatre classes, my instructor shared the following theatre prayer with us – “there is magic in the theater, and the theater is magic.” It is with this prayer in mind that I approach my work. I view the creation of art as magic, and it is through this magic that we experience expansive opportunities for expression. At the end of the day, to have the opportunity to do so fills me with gratitude. To have a grateful heart as I approach my work truly guides me through.
Image Credits
Courtney Klein Photography
Lissie Hill
NTPA Starcatchers
