Breaking the Mold to Cement a Place for Oneself
Robbi Moore on Defying the Status Quo
By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor
Photo by Michael Stadler
Operating in an industry with rigidly defined expectations and boundaries can take a toll on a person, particularly during an impressionable period in one’s life, like childhood. Local dancer and choreographer Robbi Moore opens up on defying the status quo in the dance industry and providing transparency to performers.
Growing up in Hamden, Connecticut, Robbi recalls watching their older brother act onstage and feeling inspired to begin dance classes themself. After learning of Robbi’s desire to perform on stage, their mom enrolled them in classes at New England Ballet, where Robbi trained for two years and performed in The Nutcracker as a mouse. Robbi took classes in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap before moving to Dee Dee’s Dance Center in New Haven, Connecticut. The main reason for Robbi switching studios was because the New England Ballet was predominantly white. “My mom wanted me to be around people that looked like me so I could [experience] the other side of the dance world,” Robbi says, as Dee Dee’s is a predominantly Black dance studio.
At Dee Dee’s, Robbi continued taking classes in Ballet, Jazz, and Tap and was also introduced to West African Dance, Gymnastics, and Hip Hop. By the time they hit 11 or 12, Robbi was certain they wanted to be a professional dancer. Desiring to increase their Ballet training, Robbi returned to New England Ballet and later New Haven Ballet in addition to training at Dee Dee’s to up the caliber.
Around 12, Robbi began attending summer intensives, mainly at Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts. Robbi witnessed many people they trained with go on to perform with prestigious companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Robbi attended EMIA’s summer intensive nearly every year, getting the opportunity to meet dancers training and choreographing in New York. A big perk of the intensive was Robbi getting the chance to perform on a weekly basis. “It was a very important experience for me to have,” they share.
Robbi graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2015 and spent a year freelancing in New York, dancing with Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, The Steps Repertory Ensemble, and AATMA Performing Arts. A year after graduating, Robbi auditioned for Spectrum Dance Theater and moved to Seattle, WA to join the company as a paid apprentice.
Robbi shares that they learned so much from their fellow company members at Spectrum Dance Theater, as the dancers largely worked in collaboration with one another and Artistic Director Donald Byrd. Robbi became a full company member at Spectrum the following year and later left the company a year after that. They began freelancing in the Seattle area, working with Khambatta Dance Company, Coriolis Dance, Karin Stevens Dance, Whidbey Island Dance Theatre, Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, Kinesis Project Dance Theatre, and other part-time companies.
“Know who you are even if others do not understand you. Do not put anyone on a pedestal and always put your well-being first.”
Robbi dabbled in various artistic mediums growing up, including piano, flute, choir, and theatre, but nothing stuck with them in the way dance did. Robbi has found satisfaction in the gratification that comes from physically experiencing the practice of dance. “I just liked moving my body more than sitting down,” Robbi says, sharing that musicality and rhythm have come naturally to them after participating in a choir as a child. Whereas singing in front of an audience can feel a bit scary to Robbi, dancing is a happy medium that’s vulnerable and visual, while still being an internal and self-fulfilling endeavor.
Photo by Michael B. Maine
Robbi shares that growing up they experienced a lot of physical and social limitations in the sphere of dance. “It really ties into how people view your body and how your body gets viewed within the parameters of a certain genre of dance,” they say, as there are specific types of bodies and individuals that have been expected to be on display and excel within various genres. Being confronted with this type of challenge as a child, in particular, can greatly contribute to the formation of one’s identity.
“I went to a predominantly Black studio and that’s where I definitely learned about being Black,” Robbi says of identity and expectations. “That was very important, I’m very grateful for that, but it also came with a lot of baggage,” they say, sharing the challenge of having to conform to what a “masculine, Black man was supposed to dance like.”
Exploring self-image and gender identity within the sphere of dance has been a challenge for Robbi. “Gender norms are very binary, especially in dance. And it comes out in physicality as well,” they say, pointing to the expectations that are set for children of all genders regarding how to present themselves on stage. “If you’re a child and you’re discovering your identity and you are confronted with that, it can be very alienating,” Robbi says. Being alienated by an art form that you love can cause a lot of internal turmoil. “This thing that you love is being weaponized against you,” they voice.
Robbi says that dancing is not about becoming exactly like the people they look up to. “They look like them, and I look like me,” they say. “What makes people happy when they talk about their careers is that they can look back and say that they did what they wanted to do,” Robbi says, even if it means breaking the status quo without getting rewarded for it at the time. It’s satisfying to look back on one’s career and think nobody else could have done what I did or have the path that I had.
Robbi is excited to see more and more dancers openly identifying as genderqueer, non-binary, and trans, as a decade ago, that certainly wasn’t the case. “Ten years ago, you understood what your identity was, [but] had to understand the game you had to play in order to make it,” they say. “There’s change coming. There’s somebody that looks like you somewhere.” Robbi also believes that gender roles in dance should be more fluid for everyone and that needing to identify with any of the labels mentioned above should not be a requirement.
In the coming year, Robbi is preparing to perform with Khambatta Dance Company at the Seattle International Dance Festival Mini-Fest on March 4-5 and 11-12, 2022. The company is performing a piece choreographed by Artistic Director Cyrus Khambatta, another piece by Boston Dance Theater, and a piece by Mumbai-based choreographer Sumeet Nagdev. Robbi is also working with Kinesis Project, planning to have a gala in May 2022.
In addition, Robbi is teaching many dance classes and choreographing for Kaleidoscope Dance Company for their June recital and Noir Black Noir at the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, an event featuring all Black composers and choreographers. Robbi has also signed up to take part in takePAUSE 2022, an adult performance opportunity at eXit SPACE. Robbi also got the opportunity to choreograph and film a piece called “Dryad” with Devin Muñoz for Men in Dance. In general, Robbi has enjoyed being able to stretch themself as a choreographer, particularly when it comes to choreographing for students.
Photo by Marcia Davis
Robbi believes that it’s important right now for dance organizations to have a clear intention behind what they’re offering to employees, dancers, and students and what their larger goals are. They share that it’s important for directors to be held accountable, particularly when it comes to providing dancers with contracts and allotting enough time for them to look them over and amend them if necessary. Considering that dancers are eager to get back to moving amid the pandemic, Robbi sees now as an opportunity for the Seattle dance scene to make expectations and processes more transparent and better for the community. During a time when many dancers are risking their health to do what they love and make a living, being able to give them peace of mind, in whatever capacity possible, is extremely significant.
For those interested, Robbi is teaching a Horton-based contemporary dance class on Saturdays at 10 AM at the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, and a ballet class immediately after at 11:30 AM. “I would love to see you!” Robbi says.
In closing, Robbi’s biggest piece of advice for dancers is: “know who you are even if others do not understand you. Do not put anyone on a pedestal and always put your well-being first.”
