Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaylin Sturtevant.
Kaylin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began dancing at the age of 6 when my parents enrolled me in classes at Dance Industry Performing Arts Center, run by Christy Wolverton-Ryzman. Little did I know, this would turn into a lifelong passion that I am continuing to pursue today. I stayed at Dance Industry for the rest of my childhood until starting college, training in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop. Additionally, I auditioned and became a student at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts beginning in my sophomore year of high school. At this school, I was able to train further in ballet, modern dance, improvisation, and repertory from various choreographers. My normal daily life would consist of driving downtown to Booker T from Plano every morning, spend the morning and afternoon there taking dance and academic courses, and then drive back to Plano for the rest of my dance classes and rehearsals until late.
I am grateful for the intense and rewarding training and exposure Dance Industry and Booker T were able to offer because I was able to become a dance major at my dream school: University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. This is a new program where I have been fortunate to study under world-renowned choreographers such as William Forsythe. I am working with incredible teachers and guest artists who have had long dance careers and are determined to push all of their students in a professional setting. As I am about to enter my third year of college this coming fall, I am happy to say that I am had many exciting opportunities and have developed meaningful connections with many people in the dance world.
When I am not at school or training somewhere else, I enjoy choreographing and teaching. It allows me to spread what I have learned and am continuing to learn to others and develop my artistic voice.
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?
Dance is a very difficult career path to pursue because there are both challenges and sacrifices one has to face. For me, there is sometimes the mental blockade that I am not nor will ever be good enough. Let’s be real- dance is hard, and there is always more to work on, learn, and get better at. However, when I go through these low points, I just have to remind myself of how far I have come and trust that I am heading in the right direction. As dancers, it is hard not to compare ourselves to others, but we just have to focus on our own individual artistic path.
Another difficult thing is not always receiving the support or credibility as a dancer. I am lucky to have grown up in a very supportive community, but we will always encounter people who do not find any significance in what we do. I have met people who believe that a dance degree or job is “worthless” or “unintelligent” which, in fact, it is the exact opposite. It can be hard to pursue your passion when the support and funding behind it is not always the best.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kaylin Sturtevant story. Tell us more about the business.
As I mentioned before, I am a BFA dance major about to enter my third year at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. While I do train in a variety of styles with the hopes of becoming as versatile as possible, my strengths lie in contemporary ballet and modern. During my senior year of high school, I was named a YoungArts winner and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts for modern dance, and I was able to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in a show directed by Debbie Allen. I am proud and grateful that my training has led to these opportunities, also including the chance to travel and dance over the summers. Some of my summer studies and intensives have been at Nederland’s Dan’s Theatre in Holland, Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts, Alonzo King Lines Ballet in San Francisco, Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, and more. I recently was also in Vancouver to assist my professor set a piece of repertory on the company Ballet BC. I am very thankful for all of these experiences because they have given me new perspectives on the dance world and have pushed me immensely as a dancer and person. They have helped me set new goals and meet wonderful people who I know I want to work with in the future.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
In the dance world, there will always be ups and downs. Sometimes it may seem that something will happen because of “good luck,” however, I think of it more as putting in the hard work and achieving success in return. I could say that I have had good luck to get into USC and been able to have so many wonderful experiences, but I also have been working towards these goals every day for a very long time. I hope this pattern continues into my professional career, but I am prepared for and know that things could potentially get difficult, especially when auditioning. But whenever I do face “bad luck,” it motivates me to push through it and find my way because everything will eventually work out how it is supposed to.
Contact Info:
- Email: sturtevk@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kaylin_s
Image Credit:
Laylee Emadi Smith, Cameron Spooner, Mary Mallaney, Rashid Shahid
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