Mariah Leigh Brewer
"If words were adequate to describe fully what the dance can do, there would be no reason for all the mighty muscular effort, the discomfort, the sweat, and the splendors of that art."
José Arcadio Limón
About
From the Black Hills of South Dakota where I grew up performing, playing, exploring and creating, I ventured on to Laramie, WY, where I received a BFA in Theatre & Dance with an emphasis in Dance Medicine and Science at the University of Wyoming.
During my undergraduate time, I studied many styles of dance abroad in both London and Spain. Upon submission, my undergraduate honors research was chosen to be presented in both Orange, CA at the PAMA conference (Performing Arts Medicine Association) and in Helsinki, Finland at the IADMS conference (The International Association of Dance Medicine and Science).
I have an admiration and respect for costuming, stemming from working in and assisting the costume shop as a stitcher for both theatre and dance shows for a portion of my undergraduate degree.
Having a background in working alongside performers of all abilities, from the mixed-ability theatre company Flutter Productions (Artistic Director- Heather Pickering), I began my journey as a Direct Support Professional for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. From this, is where my passion for supporting and providing assistance for growth, was combined with dance.
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Currently, I am proud to be teaching ballet, pointe, and modern in North Carolina, at Beyond Dance Project and Dance Expressions, in addition to being a movement instructor for the Allegro Foundation...a Champion for Children with Disabilities.
My goals for this year and next are bound to look a little different; everything is different, but I hope to continue to work on additional self-discovery and artistic refinement.
My Path and My Work
As a dance instructor, I feel the importance of providing the tools and guidance for establishing a solid technical foundation.
One that contains an understanding of physical strength and range of motion, mental clarity and endurance, discipline, and kinesthetic and inner awareness; creating a dancer that is less prone to injury and more prepared for building and refining their craft. Performers, now more than ever, need to be able to create a vessel within themselves for self-love, self-motivation, honest creative release, and raw interconnectedness with others.
A strong connection to the self will produce movement that is honest, pure, and meaningful. Journaling and creative activities provide the dancers with effective tools to accomplish this.
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My teaching approach relies on encouraging my students to build confidence in their unique abilities, understand the value of hard work, and to experience dance as an art form apart from social media. Producing an environment that consists of compassion, love, and support, allows students to feel able to express without fear.
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As a performer, I hope to instill in the students the importance of collaboration with all facets of the performing arts world. It is my goal to urge students to gain insight into other cultures and perspectives so that they see the value in learning and exploring the human experience, and how that provides a lush vault of ideas, beliefs, and actions, to grow as an intellectual and as a performer.
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