Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Motl.
Hi Anne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started dancing at a small ballet school in central Minnesota at age five. I moved to Seattle, Washington, to pursue a career in dance and received a BFA in dance from Cornish College of the Arts. My career was full of collaborations, dance performances, site-specific work with companies from Seattle, including NorthWest Dance Syndrome, Big Red Dance Company, Soto Style and Alana O. Rogers Dance Company. Aside from dancing in various projects by these companies, I danced for Marlo Martin’s Badmarmar Dance Company and Take3 Dance Project for ten years. I taught many genres of dance, including but not limited to Ballet, Modern and Creative Movement at local studios and private schools in the Seattle area until relocating to the DFW area last year. I’m currently the Ballet Director at McKinney Dance Studio, where I teach dance to all levels and ages. I’m a company member of the imPULSE Dance Project under the direction of Asia Waters.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have always leaned towards taking the road less traveled, and it hasn’t always been easy. But I love to dance and I learned through tears that I needed to dance for myself and no one else. I work hard every time I enter a dance space and I never take it for granted. From audition failures, performance mishaps and body image negativity, perseverance and attitude has always gotten me through and made me stronger. Moving to new states has been adventurous but sometimes can feel lonely and starting over, meeting new contacts can be challenging. I feel fortunate to have moved to the DFW area, where the dance industry is rooted and growing strong.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a mother, teacher, performer, modern dancer. But if I were to classify myself into a simpler category, I’d probably say I’m a dance artist. I have created dance works both collaboratively and individually since 2002. I’m most proud of the work I did when I danced as a company member in Seattle with Marlo Martin from eXit SPACE School of Dance and the collaborative work I did with my co-collaborators with NorthWest Dance Syndrome. With NorthWest Dance Syndrome, we made dance pieces that were accessible, two dance films and appeared at multiple art festivals in the Pacific Northwest. While dancing for modern companies has always been a life long dream, getting the opportunity to dance for Marlo Martin was a highlight in my career as a growing artist and performer. I gained knowledge about myself, developed life long friendships and had the opportunity to share the stage with so many amazing and talented dancers. I will always hold those experiences in my heart. I’m now 41 years old and still love to perform on stage.
November 14th and November 15th, I performed in Art+Art by imPULSE Dance Project and dancing with artists who are much younger than me probably sets me apart from others. Being a seasoned performer is more than just keeping up with the younger dancers and staying fit and strong. This year was challenging dealing with the Covid-19. There were canceled rehearsals, Zoom rehearsals in small spaces, rescheduled performances, and cast changes. In the end, there were small social distance audiences who braved coming back into the theater, but it gave me even more of an appreciation for theatergoers and stage crew workers. Being back in the theater was amazing and exhilarating, and I will never take that for granted because so many of my colleagues are still out of work due to the pandemic.
What matters most to you?
Being active with my family and a healthy lifestyle have always been my number one priority. My family is what matters most! I have the most supportive husband and equally supportive children. They have never missed a performance of mine and they always bring me flowers and the best hugs post-performance. They understand my long hours away from home when I’m teaching at night and performance weekends where I hardly see them at all. There’s just an understanding that I have to dance. If that means they need to wait a bit and be patient before I can give them full attention, that’s what happens and my husband keeps everyone going.
Contact Info:
- Email: annemotl@gmail.com
- Website: mckinneydancestudio.com
Image Credits
Image one – Nino Photography Image two – Bill Young Photography
