This is My Story…
Anisah Richardson
Growing up in southern Connecticut, surrounded by the arts, I’ve watched so many in their own unique journeys find their voice, their self-confidence, their power, and often times—themselves through the arts. As a kid, I was very shy and often times that meant to others that I didn’t have much to say. I struggled with self-expression and kept a journal at a very young age where I would write down how the world, people, or things around me made me feel. I eventually learned that this was a form of art and became very curious about the word art. What was art? Was it just writing? Painting or crafting a particular thing your teacher asked of you? It was in grade school when a teacher asked us to paint from our imagination something that made us feel happy that I learned what it meant to truly explore my feeling through art. As I looked around at all of my peers finished pieces of beautiful flowers, family pets, and favorite foods, I felt nervous about the bursting streak of colors, paint splatter and shapes I had created. Thankfully, my teacher embraced this and encouraged my unique interpretation of the assignment, which further fueled my curiosities about art. As a I got older, I dabbled in everything from abstract painting, poetry, and music, but took a special interest in dance. I remember watching my older sister dance in our living room for the first time and how captivating it was for me to watch her move so confidently and with passion and power. I could feel her joy and her story in her movement and it immediately made m want to try it on my own. There was something very powerful and liberating to me, in being able to tell a story or share an experience with others through movement.
As a family of 6, I didn’t get the opportunity to train as early as I would have liked. My parents worked hard to provide for our family, and wasn’t able to afford a dance education until I was much older. Once I entered the dance world professionally, I fell in love with a wide range of movement in Contemporary and Hip-Hop, while also training in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Pointe work. I noticed fairly quickly that the ballet world didn’t look like me. Brown/black girls were few, I was constantly being told I was too short or that my body wasn’t shaped for classical dance, but I refused to let that stop me from doing what I loved! I continued my dance training throughout grade school and college with many prestigious dance schools including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Mark Morris Dance Group, and many others. In hopes of create something like DAI in the future, I went to Syracuse University of Utica College to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Management. So many people asked me…why are you going to school for management when you’re a dancer? (But I knew one DAI I would be able to bring everything full circle ;-) During my time at SU, I’ve had the opportunity to organize, choreograph, and perform in major performing art showcases all over the upstate New York area. One of the most memorable performances for me was a contemporary duet I choreographed for the global One Billion Rising Campaign to end violence against women. For me, this was one of the many moments in my career where I recognized just how powerful the impact of performing arts can truly have on us. Many of my peers and faculty were touched by the performance, describing it as “poetry in motion”. I was both humbled and energized by the awareness and change the piece created, as well as how so many were able to connect with it on a personal level. This sparked the idea that is now the Dance Artistry Impact—an organization where not only can dancers and artists get professional training, but they can also tell their stories and create connection through the arts at any level and for various situations. However, like most people out of college, the idea terrified me and so I continued to explore ways to grow in my own artistry and traveled to Denmark, Europe to study with the Copenhagen Contemporary Dance School. I really enjoyed being able to use both my dance technique and imagination to create powerful pieces that connected me and my audience, and it gave me more confidence to be able to turn my dreams into reality. Over the last decade, I’ve taught dance and the arts in several studios and art centers all over the Connecticut area. I am so humbled and grateful by those who trusted me with their dance education thus far and is so excited about having the opportunity to teach the fundamentals of dance in a way that also embraces perseverance, builds self-confidence, and helps artist of all level commitments or dance abilities tell amazing stories that impact us all! I look forward to building a connection and learning about you through the arts and I can’t wait to see what we’ll create together!