Getting to Know DWC Ambassador Kelsey Wickman
By Samantha Weissbach
Samantha Weissbach is a dancer, choreographer, and business professional born & raised in the Pacific Northwest. She has been dancing since the age of 2, and continues to dance and teach ballet and pointe professionally in the Greater Seattle Area. Samantha has trained at numerous establishments and programs; however, her primary training was received at Cornerstone Studio, Ballet Bellevue, and Emerald Ballet Theatre.
Currently, she serves as Executive Director of Intrepidus Dance, and is a company member with Intrepidus Dance and Forthun+Rome Dance Theater.
PICTURED: Kelsey Wickman, DWC Ambassador
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By Samantha Weissbach
The way DWC Ambassador Kelsey Wickman found dance is truly like a fairytale. One day, Kelsey recounts, “my mom, my sister, and I took an adventure walk,” which magically led them to the doorstep of their local dance studio. Like many dancers, she started around age 4 in combo tap/ballet, and eventually when her family moved to Colorado, found herself enrolled at the resident competition studio. In her early years of high school, Kelsey found herself caught in a game many dancers are familiar with: trying to balance dance and school, while squeezing in other social activities.
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Looking for an opportunity to find some breathing room, Kelsey backed off from competing midway through high school. This allowed her the opportunity to participate in one of her high school’s musicals, refocus on her studies, and participate in the local community Nutcracker.
After high school, Kelsey attended Gonzaga University, intending to focus her efforts entirely on earning her B.A. in Public Relations while taking some dance classes on the side to fulfill her elective requirements. However, by the time her senior year rolled around, Kelsey was anything but a stranger within the dance department. One night, when at a gathering at Gonzaga dance director Suzanne Ostersmith’s house, one of her peers asked, “Kelsey, you’re already taking all of the dance classes… why aren’t you a minor?” Kelsey recounts with a laugh, “I didn’t really have a good answer!” It was then that she decided to bravely and rather ambitiously add the minor in her final year of college.
After college Kelsey moved to Salt Lake City, where she was blown away by the warm and welcoming art scene. Kelsey smiles broadly as she recalls, “the dance community in Salt Lake City is incredible.” It was because of relationships built there that Kelsey found her way to the artÉmotion Summer Intensive led by BalletWest Company Dancers Alison DeBona and Rex Tilton, who are passionate about fostering a dance environment dedicated to operating diversely, equitably, and inclusively.
Since then, Kelsey has moved back to Seattle, and continues to participate in artÉmotion intensives (albeit virtually for the time being) and also dances with local dance company Syncopation Dance Project led by Artistic Director Elbert Lubas.
When asked what her favorite thing about dance is, Kelsey says, “right now what really stands out is being able to show up at a ballet barre and it’s routine, yet also there are always more ways to challenge yourself.” As a young dancer, Kelsey definitely used the art form as an outlet; however, as an adult she has grown to appreciate being able to refine, work, and stay challenged physically in a way that she doesn’t get sitting at a desk each day.
On a more personal note, we asked Kelsey to share what her biggest challenge has been in the sphere of dance. “Growing up, I was definitely a part of the era still where we didn’t fully accept people of all shapes and sizes.” While she doesn’t hold a grudge, she felt during the course of her training she was not identified by her instructors as a dancer who would have opportunities post high-school. Standing at only 5 foot, with an athletic build, Kelsey didn’t believe there would be opportunity for her in the realm of dance. That voice in her head would often creep up, ““Am I good enough? Am I skinny enough? If I don’t fit in here… where do I fit in?” This was especially hard to process, as Kelsey shares that she “loves ballet.” As she has gotten older, and her body and ability has continued to change, and that voice sometimes gets a little bit stronger which can be really hard.
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Kelsey’s advice for other dancers who are struggling with the same thing? “Find what you really love, and find that community that supports you doing what you love.” For her, artÉmotion and Syncopation Dance Project have been safe havens for her to continue her dance training in a supportive environment, where she is continually challenged and encouraged to push herself to the next level. “I want to be that 90 year old woman on a poster with my leg up to my ear! Even if I have some metal hips going on.”
Something Kelsey wants to see change in the dance world is the breadth of opportunity for dancers of varying body shapes and backgrounds. She feels that there is a lot of focus on two primary buckets: commercial work and company contracts. “Having a more diverse variety of people to look up to would have helped me believe in my own opportunity more as a young dancer.” She remembers thinking that her final performances in high school or college would be her last.
She believes a huge opportunity in changing the narrative lies within the classroom: specifically, with our teachers. “The reason I didn’t believe I had opportunities was because I wasn’t being identified as someone who would have a change to perform and go beyond. Putting the emphasis less on fitting this historical mold and [instead on] finding your path is so, so powerful. I think that means healthier dancers all around.”
Kelsey goes on to share that another possibility to influence change is for leaders (like Alison DeBona, Rex Tilton, and Elbert Lubas) in our community to create opportunities where there previously were none. She’s been encouraged and invigorated by the change that has already taken hold, and is excited for the growth that she’s seen blossoming in the last few years to continue to multiply.
To read more about Kelsey, check out the links below!