The Artist Pivot

Here are some takeaways from the conversation I had with Shaness Kemp who happens to be a performing artist, choreographer, and dance educator. The first takeaway is you need time to replenish. Now this looks different for all of us but it’s important to replenish so you can continue to pour out as an artist. Next, versatility is the key to flexibility. If you are versatile it’s easier to be flexible and follow the road that unfolds in front of you. And third, that once you let go of the fear of not understanding, or looking silly, or being uncomfortable you will realize how much you can actually do.

Shaness D. Kemp Kemp is a native of Nassau, Bahamas and holds both a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from Temple University. She is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and continues to work as a freelance dancer, choreographer and dance educator. As Master Teacher of the Umfundalai technique, she has taught at various institutions, festivals and intensives, both nationally and internationally. Kemp has trained and performed with several notable artists and professional dance companies, including Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Kariamu & Company: Traditions, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, Eleone Dance Theatre, Philadanco! The Philadelphia Dance Company, Urban Bush Women, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Rennie Harris Puremovement, The Katherine Dunham Seminar and The American Dance Festival to name a few. Most recently, she has appeared as a guest performing artist with Tabanka African and Caribbean Peoples Dance Ensemble in Oslo, Norway. Tabanka is Northern Europe's largest all black dance ensemble. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally. 

Get in touch: 

Shaness Kemp 

Instagram: @shaness_d

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the conversation that I had with Darlene Hope, who is an actress, I have some takeaways I wanted to share. First, it’s all about your staying power. Being in the arts, especially as an actor is a marathon. Developing the skills and coping mechanisms you need to run the marathon is essential. Second, when running this marathon, allow life to guide you, stay flexible, and ask yourself if this step supports the next one I want to take. Third, there are levels to this thing. Don't be afraid to start at the ground level in a new artistic medium or career choice. 

As a classically trained actress, Darlene Hope’s professional acting career has included leading and supporting roles Off Broadway and in regional theaters around the country, solo jazz vocal performances, commercial, film and television appearances, and voice-over campaigns. Miss Hope has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with and being directed & music directed by many of the most notable performers working today, including many Tony Award nominees and winners.

Miss Hope has appeared in numerous award-winning commercial, print and new media campaigns. Perhaps the best known of these is her performance as the title character in A Visit From Aunt Flo, a viral video that has received nearly 3 million views worldwide on YouTube, Facebook, Youku, etc, and was officially recognized at the Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity. In the last year, she has worked on and performed in 5 world premiere & regional premiere plays and musicals, a revival classic American play, and Guest Starred on the network television series The Blacklist and Blue Bloods. Not to mention numerous staged readings, developmental labs, teaching artist residencies, workshops, and media interviews.

Most recently, Darlene Hope has launched HopeFull Productions, a creative launching pad of diverse and inclusive content for Film, New Media, Theatre, Music, and Publication. Since its inception, HopeFull Productions has produced or is in development on 2 full-length plays, a full-length screenplay, a streaming series, numerous music recordings, and has published an online journal for women.

Get in touch: 

Darlene Hope 

Instagram: @darlenehopenyc 

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the conversation that I had with Julio Agustin, who is a Theatrical consultant and entrepreneur, I have some key takeaways I wanted to share. First, resisting change and things shifting often makes your experience during the change or shift worse. Do your best to release control and let the change happen. On the flip side we all reserve the right to change our mind. If you want to change or shift, do it. You have a right too, it’s your choice. Finally, let all your creativity out. Live the biggest fullest life you can, and let your creativity lead the way!

Julio Agustin is an associate professor and director of Music Theatre at Elon University. He has performed in six Broadway shows (Chicago, Fosse, Steel Pier, others). As a director-choreographer, he has been nominated for such awards as the Audelco Award, Best Director (Sweet Charity @ New Haarlem Arts Theatre, NYC); Syracuse Area Live Theatre, Best Choreographer (In the Heights @ Hangar Theatre); and Houston Press, Best Choreographer (Guys and Dolls @ Theatre Under the Stars).  He has written the book and lyrics to two musicals and is the author of The Professional Actor’s Handbook: From Casting Call to Curtain Call and also “Navigating the Musical Theatre Industry for Latinx Actors” in the upcoming Latinx Actor Training published by Routledge. 

Get In touch:

Julio Agustin 

Instagram: @JulioAgustinNYC

Website: https://www.julioagustin.com/

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1.Stop downplaying the skills you have learned through the arts. Meaning if you’re an artist who is looking to pivot or have a parallel career in something artistic or not, stand on the skills you’ve learned as an artist. Don’t negate them! 

2. Money is a neutral tool, we are the ones who ascribe an emotion to it and for a lot of artists that emotion is fear, but we can choose to ascribe another emotion to it or no emotion at all. 

3. Give yourself permission. Permission to take chances, permission to be good with money, permission to build the life you want as an artist. 

These are my key take aways from my conversation with Singer, Financial Educator & Advisor Tiffany Soricelli. 

Tiffany Soricelli is an award-winning financial advisor and the owner of Virtuoso Asset Management LLC,  the first Registered Investment Advisory firm in the country dedicated to serving Artists and Supporters of the Arts through financial planning and asset management services. She is also the founder and CEO of Virtuoso Advising for Artists, a company dedicated to coaching and educating artists about the business and financial aspects of building a thriving career in the arts.

As a sought-after national speaker, Tiffany currently serves as the business & financial coach to emerging artists at The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, and San Francisco Opera. During the summer, she works with artists at Wolf Trap Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Seagle Music Colony, the Mostly Modern Festival and regularly serves as a speaker for national organizations including Opera America, The Recording Academy, and Chamber Music America. She has led educational seminars for New World Symphony, LA Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Atlanta Opera and several prestigious music conservatories across the country. 

Prior to her financial career, Tiffany earned her BM and MM from SUNY Potsdam's Crane school of Music. She lives in upstate New York outside of Saratoga Springs, NY with her husband and two children.

Get in touch: 

Tiffany Soricelli

Website: https://www.virtuosoadvising.com/

Instagram: @virtuosoadvisingforartists

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen to your body. Period. That’s what I took away from this conversation with actor and performer Roslyn Seale. We discuss our hesitancy to try new things but then it’s something we end up loving, how our bodies tell us it’s time to make a change, and accepting that you may have to close certain doors but it’s for your good.

A Brooklyn, NY native, Roslyn has performed on tour, in regional theaters all over the country and you can see her on Television, Commercials, Print campaigns and performing Improv and Sketch Comedy on stages throughout NYC. 

Get in touch:

Roslyn Seale 

Instagram: @theroslynseale 

Website: https://www.roslynseale.com/

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Life comes in seasons which could include giving you a beautiful detour. That’s what I took away from this conversation with Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson. In this episode we discuss letting your tribe come to you, embracing change in your career, and that if you understand that life comes in seasons, that understanding may just help you not to panic pivot. 

Johnathan Lee Iverson, the Ringmaster & Chairman of the Board for Omnium: A Bold New Circus, is an accomplished and history making showman who has been privileged to grace the most coveted stages and arenas, the world over. As a member of The Boys Choir Of Harlem, he shared the spotlight with them likes of LL Cool J, Spike Lee, Lena Horne, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Luciano Pavarotti, Roberta Flack, Placido Domingo, Tony Bennett and scores of other luminaries in the world of entertainment. He's kept company with statesmen such as the late South African President Nelson Mandela, Secretary of State, General Colin Powell and four US Presidents, including

Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and William Jefferson Clinton. The youngest and first Black Ringmaster of the iconic Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, which he served until its closing in 2017 making him the last ringmaster in the 146 year history of The Greatest Show On Earth, is renowned for his "powerful voice” and “superstar" presence, as well as, being deemed one of Barbara Walters 10 Most Fascinating People, but he is most proud of appearing as a question on JEOPARDY® twice. He is currently the ringmaster with Circus Vargas.

Get in touch: 

Jonathan Lee Iverson 

Website: https://www.bigtopvoice.com/

Instagram: @lastringmaster

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

*******

Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Life comes in seasons which could include giving you a beautiful detour. That’s what I took away from this conversation with Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson. In this episode we discuss letting your tribe come to you, embracing change in your career, and that if you understand that life comes in seasons, that understanding may just help you not to panic pivot. 

Johnathan Lee Iverson, the Ringmaster & Chairman of the Board for Omnium: A Bold New Circus, is an accomplished and history making showman who has been privileged to grace the most coveted stages and arenas, the world over. As a member of The Boys Choir Of Harlem, he shared the spotlight with them likes of LL Cool J, Spike Lee, Lena Horne, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Luciano Pavarotti, Roberta Flack, Placido Domingo, Tony Bennett and scores of other luminaries in the world of entertainment. He's kept company with statesmen such as the late South African President Nelson Mandela, Secretary of State, General Colin Powell and four US Presidents, including

Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and William Jefferson Clinton. The youngest and first Black Ringmaster of the iconic Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, which he served until its closing in 2017 making him the last ringmaster in the 146 year history of The Greatest Show On Earth, is renowned for his "powerful voice” and “superstar" presence, as well as, being deemed one of Barbara Walters 10 Most Fascinating People, but he is most proud of appearing as a question on JEOPARDY® twice. He is currently the ringmaster with Circus Vargas.

Get in touch: 

Jonathan Lee Iverson 

Website: https://www.bigtopvoice.com/

Instagram: @lastringmaster

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

*******

Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Don’t put yourself or thoughts of what you could be in a box, that can hinder you because you are allowed to grow! That was my takeaway from this conversation with Circuspreneur Shenea Stiletto! In this episode we discuss not letting others' lack of vision stop you from doing what you want, giving yourself second chances, and questioning is your daily baseline joy?

Shenea Stiletto is a former Two-Time World Champion AcrobaticGymnast , USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Member, Survivor of USA Gymnastics, and a World Class Circus Handbalancer inducted into the World Acrobatic Hall of Fame, who has been for nearly two decades performing with elite entertainment companies worldwide including Cirque Du Soleil. Shenea’s career highlights have included becoming the first ever African American woman to perform a lead character and acrobatic role in a Cirque Du Soleil production, in which she performed in Varekai as The Promise character. Shenea Stiletto is also a circus trainer, educator, circus advocate for the American Circus Alliance, and dual circus podcast host for the Pro Series Think Like An Acrobat produced by CircusTalk.com, and her own podcast Live Like An Acrobat where she explores Circuspreneurship and the competitive High Performance Athletic Arenas. 

Get in touch:

Shenea Sitletto

Instagram: @sheneastiletto

YouTube Channel:

https://youtube.com/c/SheneaStiletto

Podcast: Live Like An Acrobat

Instagram: @livelikeanacrobatpodcast

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

*******

Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello! I am excited to say welcome to Season 5 of The Artist Pivot Podcast! I am your host Ayana Major Bey and I happen to be an actor, voice-over artist, mentor, and world traveler. This is a bi-weekly show featuring conversations about pivots and life lessons from the perspective of artists, those who work in and around the arts, and arts educators. Everyone possesses the ability to pivot, you just have to be reminded sometimes, and that is what I am here to do. To stay up to date and in the know about merchandise, exclusive content, and how to support the show please subscribe to the newsletter at ayanabey.com/podcast.

Get in touch:

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

*******

Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In part 1 of the season finale I am joined by financial literacy educator and former modern dancer David Maurice Sharp. David  is the author of The Thriving Artist: Saving and Investing for Performers, Artists, and the Stage & Film Industries.  In 2014 he was named a 'money hero' for his work in financial literacy for artists by Money magazine. David currently teaches at HB Studio in New York City and frequently does workshops for Entertainment Community Fund, MusiCares Foundation, and The SAG-AFTRA Foundation.  He danced for Mimi Garrard Dance Theatre, Lucinda Childs, Rachel Lampert and Anna Sokolow among others and his choreography has been performed at such venues as Lincoln Center, La Mama, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, New York Fringe Festival, Soho Rep, and Ensemble Studio Theatre.  David is also a consulting director for Prime Clerk, specializing in US and international restructurings.

Get in touch:
David Maurice Sharp
Instagram @davidmauricesharp
Website: www.davidmauricesharp.com

Ayana Major Bey
Website: www.ayanabey.com
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

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Apple Podcasts: Just scroll down to the rate and review section on the podcast page 

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 
Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network 

Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.