THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST'S A TO Z: M for Steven MELENDEZ and Earl MOSLEY
Steven Melendez
Biography
Freshly named Artistic Director of New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) in May 2022, Steven Melendez was first introduced to the company during a period of homelessless. In the 30 years since, he has come full circle to lead the company. The young leader was born in New York City in 1986 and began his ballet training as part of the LIFT Scholarship Program at the age of seven. In between then and now, he has been invited to Buenos Aires to perform with Ballet Concierto, joined the Vanemuine Theater Ballet Company in Tartu, Estonia, received a Diploma from the 5th Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest, Hungary, represented Estonia at the 13th International Baltic Ballet Festival in Riga, Latvia, and done so much more. Follow him on Instagram at @thestevenmelendez.
Image captions & credits: Cover image of Steven Melendez in "The Nutcracker" in Japan courtesy of the artist | Headshot of the artist by Rachel Neville
Earl Mosley
Biography
With awards spanning Teacher of the Year (Dance Teacher Magazine) to Mid-Career Award for Excellence (Martha Hill Fund), Fredrick Earl Mosley has proven himself to be an indispensable asset to the world of dance education. The Founder and Artistic Director of Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance (EMDOD) was born in Raleigh, NC and began his dance journey at the North Carolina School of the Arts with additional development at The Ailey School and Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Mosley has performed with Ailey II, Gus Solomon Dance, Ronald K. Brown's Evidence, and done a lot more. As the name of his company suggests, Mosley embraces diversity in art and in the life experiences that each individual brings to the dancemaking process. Follow him on Instagram at @earlmosley_diversityofdance.
Image captions & credits: Both cover image of Earl Mosley dancing and headshot by Tara Bellardini
What made you decide to enter this profession?
Melendez:
I started dancing via New York Theatre Ballet’s LIFT outreach program while living in a New York City homeless shelter when I was 7 years old. At first, it was my mother who encouraged me to continue dancing because it was free after-school childcare (she worked long hours), but later, I was drawn to the deep nuance that dance offered as a communication tool that spoken language seemed to lack.
Mosley:
I think the profession chose me because I did not decide to become a dancer. During my senior year in high school, my friend Maria Taylor and others thought I should become a dancer and I listened.
Who has been the biggest influence on your life and why?
Melendez:
This seems to go in cycles: there was a time when my mother was all things to me: mother, father, friend, foe…
But I have had many mentors, Rick Bard, Diana Byer, David Howard and Fabrice Gibert, to name a few. Now, I am mostly influenced by my life partner, Carmella, who holds me accountable in important ways.
Mosley:
Every student whom I have taught. Each time I am in the studio teaching, it’s like the students become a mirror of myself; they remind me of just how vulnerable you are as a student, and how much power and influence teachers, directors, choreographers have.
Students push me to remain honest, transparent, accountable, and open to learning and meeting them where they are in their dance and life experiences.
I can always rely on __________ to cheer up.
Melendez:
Walking the streets of Manhattan.
Mosley:
Thanksgiving dinner, banana pudding and deviled eggs.
I practice self-care by __________.
Melendez:
believing that I must secure my own oxygen mask first before assisting others.
Mosley:
sleeping!
Pets or plants. Either way, why and what kind?
Melendez:
Cats, except I am allergic. So, plants, except they don’t water themselves.
Mosley:
Love pets, and especially puppies!
Cooking or eating out? Either way, what is your favorite meal?
Melendez:
When I was dancing, I cooked every night. I was too embarrassed to order as much food as I actually needed in calories to eat out in public.
Now that I am not performing anymore, I eat out — a lot. I live in New York City, we have some of the best restaurants in the world! Pizza is a go to.
Mosley:
Love both and have too many favorites to make a decision! It just has to be good!
If you could relive the past or catch a glimpse of the future, which would you pick and why?
Melendez:
Future — always forward.
Mosley:
I think honestly, I wouldn’t choose either. If I had no choice, I think I would choose the future.
What is your personal approach to handling challenging people or situations?
Melendez:
I am always assessing potential outcomes — I like playing chess. If the challenge yields growth or learning for me, then I flip my mindset to see it as an opportunity. If not, I have no problem walking away from a person while they are talking to me.
Mosley:
I always practice empathy and thoughtfulness before I speak, so when meeting a challenging person and I am directly involved, I hope the person already has enough trust in me to handle the situation with their best interests, even if it doesn’t have a great outcome.
How has your personal life changed since the pandemic?
Melendez:
The pandemic happened just six months after my transition from Dancer to Director. I don’t know how much of the changes I have experienced is typical for this life stage and how much of it is about the state of the world today. I do know that I am more motivated now than I was before to push forward.
Mosley:
My eating habits have changed so much! I now eat oatmeal plain! I hated oatmeal before the pandemic! I stopped buying Doritos! What is wrong with me!
How has your art or approach towards art changed since the pandemic?
Melendez:
I “leaned in” on an inner voice that had nagging at me for nearly twenty years. I want to create Dance Theatre “Tantztheater” — this is the best kind of work, in my view, and this is where my future is.
Mosley:
My art and focus of what is important to share with people changed, not just because of the pandemic, but mostly because of the murder of George Floyd. I now believe that we all must make sure our civic participation is just as important as the professions we have chosen to pursue. I see now that our freedoms are in constant jeopardy and attack. When I am in any process with young or older artists, I take advantage of that time to have a moment of reflection and conversation about how we can build bridges as citizens and destroy all negative energy that encourages citizens to build walls with a "us versus them" scenario for our country.
What is the last show you saw and loved?
Melendez:
Pichet Klunchun and myself by Jerome Bel.
Mosley:
I fall in love with dance and humanity every time I see students at my summer program called Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts perform!
What is your pre-performance (as a spectator or a performer) ritual?
Melendez:
A nap, a hot shower, and peanut M&Ms.
Mosley:
Try to do a gym workout and get a nap in!
I wish I could be a fly on the wall for this moment in dance history: __________.
Melendez:
Anything involving Pina Bausch creating new work.
Mosley:
Anything Pina Bausch and Alvin Ailey!
I have / have had the most fun performing __________’s choreography or trying out this genre of dance _____________.
Melendez:
Richard Alston.
Mosley:
Ronald K. Brown or Martha Graham.
Is there a book, podcast or TV program you recommend to others and why?
Melendez:
Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me by NPR, because it is engaging in all the right ways and never feels like a waste of time to enjoy.
Mosley:
RuPaul’s Drag Race! When I hear the stories, they remind me what it feels like to be not accepted by the traditional majority and still, your willpower pushes you forward against all odds. The show is far from perfect, I know; like all reality shows, it is scripted, but isn’t that also a reflection on how your life is depending on your zip code?
This city or country is the best place I have ever been to for art: __________.
Melendez:
Paris.
Mosley:
The USA as a whole.
Which social media app are you most drawn to?
Melendez:
Ugh.
Mosley:
Instagram.
What advice do you have for young people in your field?
Melendez:
See everything!
Mosley:
If you do not know your purpose, you can learn it just as I did, and once you know your purpose for being on this planet, you will then be the most unique and powerful being in existence. Live in that knowledge, hope and faith everyday, and especially when you are nervous, afraid and fighting adversity at every turn.
How can we amplify the voices of overlooked and deserving artists?
Melendez:
Ticket sales. What is the saying? “80% of the work is simply showing up.”
Mosley:
Dance enthusiasm is practicing equal equity for as many artists as possible with this current platform. I also think we have to set aside our egos, comforts, and personal likes enough to be objective, to allow space for those whom you feel are different, by practicing acceptance, by challenging your mind to be open to artists from all life experiences and genres, and by acknowledging that no one is trying to be a failure on purpose. Each of us must be hypersensitive to living in the nepotism bubble, and of not allowing recognition and sunlight to shine on the art of those whom you do not prefer to witness.
How do you spread enthusiasm about dance?
Melendez:
Really, really all the time. With anyone, anywhere.
Dance is always a relevant and interesting topic to discuss, even with non-dance people. But also, dance is much more than movement and rhythm. Dance is around us all the time: in the way cars drive down the road or how the trees sway in the wind. We take showers, brush our teeth, and get dressed through dance. And we share dinner, drinks, and conversation with dance. Our weddings and funerals have associated movement languages, and so do our graduations and divorces. Everything we do has an associated dance — typical movements and rhythms — and we communicate through all of it. Show people this reality and they will become excited.
Mosley:
With every step I take!
