By Tara Sheena.

As dancers, most of our earliest memories are in the rehearsal studio or onstage. Those bright moments where we felt completely alive and knew we had to continue on this disciplined, yet rewarding track. For Matthew Powell it started at ten years of age in his local library in West Virginia. He recalls watching a video of the famed Russian ballerina, Natalia Makarova, dancing in The Nutcracker because “it was the only dance video they had.” From there he was hooked. The allure and beauty of the performance made him realize his potential and he remembers that moment as the one where he decided to start working hard to get there.

Fast forward twenty-three years and it seems his hard work has paid off. He trained at the Manhattan-based School of American Ballet (SAB) for the last two years of his high school career, a move that almost did not happen because of financial burdens on him and his family. After placing an ad in his local newspaper, he was able to raise enough funds to travel to the summer program before being accepted year-round on scholarship at age sixteen.  Soon after graduation, he moved to Seattle, Washington to dance for the Pacific Northwest Ballet. After four years there, he signed with the Kansas City Ballet where he remained until 2008. During these years he recalls the pure joy in bringing to life characters like “Oh, Johnny, Oh” in Paul Taylor’s Company B and the Shy Boy in Jerome Robbins’ The Concert. However, making the move back to New York was a natural choice in order for Powell to take the next steps in his career.

“It got to the point where I could look at the season ahead and see what parts I was going to be doing,” he explains. “I was like ‘this is great, but there’s a lot more I could be doing as well’.” Around this time Powell’s sister-in-law developed terminal colon cancer, a disease that sadly took her life. He remembers that being somewhat of a wake-up call for him, saying, “I need[ed] to live a little and push myself and live my life.”

Matthew Powell. Photos by Brian Jamie.

Living his life meant moving back to the city he had known and loved throughout his time as a teenager at SAB. However, his return did not last long. Shortly after moving back he answered a Craigslist ad that turned out to be an audition for the first international tour of West Side Story. Having very little singing and acting experience, Powell went to the audition with little expectation. His stress-free approach worked and he toured the world as “A-Rab”, one of the Jet characters in the famed musical. Despite getting to improve his singing and acting skills, as well as performing the legendary Jerome Robbins’ choreography, Powell admits, “I didn’t move to New York to do musical theatre, but I am glad I got the opportunity.”

Despite his undeniable success as a performer, it is evident that Powell thrives most with being a teacher. He has a boyish charm and calm demeanor that provides a very welcoming feeling for anyone who takes his class. And luckily it is very easy to catch a class of his in NYC. With a full teaching schedule that includes six classes a week at Broadway Dance Center, and gigs lined up at Cedar Lake Ballet, as well as the Brooklyn Ballet, Powell has forged a successful (and full) teaching career for himself in the past two years.

In the midst of his busy teaching schedule, he somehow found time to complete his degree as a part of the Liberal Education for Arts Professionals, or LEAP, program this past spring—with a 4.0 GPA nonetheless. With a focus in dance, as well as a minor in business, Powell was free to explore elective classes through the program. Through that he found the Alexander Technique, an education process that aims to lessen tension in people’s bodies. These principles have found their way into Powell’s classes. He explains, “My approach is all about creating an environment that promotes growth.” Powell cites his study of Alexander Technique as a big lesson in really being “in the moment” when teaching a full schedule of different classes.

What’s more, Powell understands the busy life of a dancer because he’s been there. Bouncing from audition to audition, taking on freelance jobs, and the lack of steady income are things he has experience himself. He chooses to combat the stress and anxiety brought on by this lifestyle in his ballet classes. Powell knows that a dancer may drop into his class having just “botched” three auditions, and he feels it is necessary to respond to that within his teaching style. “It’s just me there wanting them to do the best that they possibly can,” he says with sincerity.

It’s clear that Powell has cultivated this encouraging approach through his years of professional training and forging a career as an educator and director, and there’s no slowing down any time soon for this enthusiastic balletomane. Upcoming projects include his fourth photo shoot as a director for Bloch dancewear as well as an assistant director role in a production for the Ft. Worth Opera. It’s no secret Powell does a lot but, what’s more, he does it with a sense of calm and maturity many dancers would benefit from. He simply feels it’s all about “finding a balance.” Powell states, “You have to have a good network of support around you…if you don’t, people will see that and it’ll show in your work too.” Clearly he has followed his own advice.

Catch Matthew Powell’s ballet classes at Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Go to www.broadwaydancecenter.com/faculty/bios/powell_matthew.shtml for more information.

By Stephanie Wolf.

Dot-com start-ups are all the rage in the business world, but what about the unsung entrepreneurs in the dance community? These dancers and dance makers are trying new tactics to find success and re-energize the dance profession. Among these individuals is Asheville native Nick Kepley, an ambitious go-getter who is applying his ballet and Broadway know-how to his own start up MOTION Dance+Theater.

Kepley received his early ballet training from Sandra Miller at Asheville’s Balance Point Studios. He danced professionally with Ballet Austin, Kansas City Ballet, on Broadway in Mary Poppins, and with the New York Philharmonic in Camelot. Throughout his performing career, Kepley demonstrated a knack for choreography and created works for many reputable showcases and regional companies. He learned a lot from each experience, but creating “a 20 minute ballet in five days” was no easy feat. He began to wonder what would happen if the stress of deadlines and scouring for resources were removed. What type of art would transpire?

Adam Still from Colorado Ballet. Photo by Peak Definition

This inspired Kepley to launch his own creative endeavor – MOTION Dance+Theater. He wanted to provide dancers and choreographers employment during the typically slow summer months, as well as give them an outlet to take artistic risks. Kepley describes MOTION as a “laboratory rather than a performing company”, where more importance is placed on the process rather than a finished product.

In July 2010, MOTION had its inaugural season with sold out performances at NYC’s Dance Theater Workshop. Leading up to the shows, Kepley and NYC choreographer Valerie Salgado had three uninterrupted weeks to choreograph on a group of professional dancers. He gave no rules or guidelines, but allowed the art to develop naturally.

Kepley didn’t create MOTION just for his own artistic indulgences. He wanted to provide a new type of dance experience for the audience. “I really try hard for the audience to think about dance as a modern art form”, he explained. At each showing, there was a moderated discussion to talk about “how dance is made” and, afterwards, he invited the audience to participate in a Q & A with the dancers and choreographers.

Choreographer Brian Carey Chung

Unfortunately, the arts were hit hard economically and MOTION felt the blow; it looked as if there would not be another season. Then donations came forth from North Carolina and Kepley decided to move the company to his hometown. Last summer, MOTION enjoyed three weeks in the fresh mountain air of Asheville. “I like having it down there”, he said. “[In New York] it’s so hectic,  having it in North Carolina feels freer and more artistically inspiring.”

What to expect from MOTION Dance+Theater in 2012

Six dancers from Colorado Ballet, Ballet Austin, Kansas City Ballet, and Nashville Ballet will join MOTION in Asheville for three weeks of artistic discovery. Kepley will create a new ballet with original composition by North Carolina School of the Arts graduate Bruce Tippette and has invited two other choreographers to participate in the project: Gabrielle Lamb and Brian Carey Chung.

Chung has his own NYC company called Collective Body Dance Lab and has created works for Cedar Lake II, Connecticut Ballet, and Santa Barbara Ballet. He was drawn to MOTION and its mission immediately. “[Kepley] is so earnest about the process of creating work and a safe place to do that”, Chung said. Both guest choreographers agreed that the concept of having resources provided would allow for more artistic possibilities. Lamb, who has choreographed for Ballet X, Morphoses, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, expressed, “when you are a freelancer … and based in New York, everything becomes that much more difficult. You have to do everything yourself: rent the studios, employ the dancers, find venues. It’s a wonderful chance to have that all taken care of, to go someplace and to concentrate on the work.”

Choreographer Gabrielle Lamb by Ken Kramer

Kepley believes it’s important to present a diverse program and felt that could be accomplished by bringing Chung and Lamb onboard. Chung likes to “play with different ways of creating work”, and Kepley loves his integration of multi-media. The two have already discussed building on this cross-disciplinary display. Lamb, who is also a dance filmmaker, sees her work as “cinematic”, saying “the work I have done in film has changed the way I think about choreography.” All three choreographers pull from their ballet backgrounds, but look for deeper meaning in the movement.

The future of MOTION Dance+Theater

Currently, Kepley is working towards a transition out of the limelight and into more choreography, so MOTION comes at a perfect time in his life. But it’s a lot of work. “Funding is a non-stop job”, he says. “As soon as the season ends, I’m already working on the next.” Kepley strives to cover 100% of his dancers and choreographers expenses, including travel, accommodation, production fees, and operational costs.

MOTION is on the right track. Kepley fundraises proactively with special events and invitations to rehearsals. Additionally, he is forming a board of directors with Camp Wayfarer director Nancy Wilson, one of MOTION’s main sponsors, at the helm. There’s no doubt these are difficult economic times, but Kepley’s MOTION Dance+Theater has the potential and artistic integrity to prevail.

Want to catch MOTION Dance+Theater in action?

2012 Season Performance Dates:
June 21, 2012, Tryon, NC at the Tryon Fine Arts Center
June, 23, 2012, Asheville, NC at the Diane Wortham Theater

If you want to learn more or contribute to MOTION Dance+Theater be sure to visit them online at www.motiondt.com or on Facebook.

Watch a montage video of the 2011 summer creation residency. June 28-July 17th in Asheville, NC:

Top photo: Nick Kepley by ArtX Photography.
Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events.