Athena Lewis — Artist Profile/Interview
Athena Lewis — Third year Contemporary Dance Major at Simon Fraser University
Q: What’s your background?
A: Athena was born in Potomac, Maryland in the United States, which is located just up the river from Washington, D.C. Since, her father was a doctor in the military, she was fortunate to have lived in Thailand for four years.
Q: What did you aspire to study in University?
A: Initially, Athena wanted to go to university to study Kinesiology and eventually go into the profession of Physiotherapy. She really wanted to explore how science relates to dance from an academic viewpoint. During the 2017–2018 school year, she attended Florida State University, unfortunately she was required enroll in other first year academic classes, which did not include any Kinesiology classes. As a result, she decided to transfer to Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. She intended to focus on human physiology, such as knee alignment and flexibility from an analytical standpoint, but due to scheduling and time commitment, she chose to focus on her major of dance. She pointed out that dance careers can last only for a limited amount of time, so she wanted to pursue dance while she is still is young and healthy. She intends to pursue Kinesiology in the future .
Q: When did you first begin your love for dance?
A: Athena’s mother had an huge influence on introducing her to dance. As a child, Athena’s mother signed her up for classes each year and eventually it became part of her life.
Q: What themes do you pursue within your dance?
A: Within dance, Athena enjoys working with text and incorporating this technique into her dance choreography and movement choices. She finds the contrast between tension and resolution dynamics within dance movement to be an interesting concept. She likes to explore emotional relationships or any types of relationships that occur between two individuals in normal everyday life within her choreography. This type of human connection allows the audience to personally connect with the dance because they are able to witness themes, which are relatable to their lives. Another type of movement that interests Athena, is pedestrian movements and human like gestures. Although, she does like to move athletically and finds the two extremes unique in creating a story. Unfortunately, Athena has been unable to incorporate athletic movement into her dancing because she recently broke her arm and she is still in the recovery process. She understands the importance of taking time to heal and nurturing your body from a medical standpoint. In the future, Athena would like to explore the concept of missed connections and lost opportunities with other individuals.
Q: Describe a real-life situation that inspires you?
A: Athena is inspired by her daily interactions that she has with other people. She incorporates the small experiences, such as everyday interactions and realism into her dance choreography. These types of experiences will allow her to enrich her dance choreography.
Q: On the paddle board, you are finding your inner Yogi. Do you practise Yoga or any other types of activities other than dance?
A: Athena has a love for yoga and she would like to get her certification. She feels that it is a great way to train her body and mind for dance. Athena is an outdoors person and she enjoys a walk outside, biking, skiing and kayaking.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
A: Athena feels that the best piece of advice that she has been given is an inspirational message that is displayed on her wall at home. It was given to her by a Resident Advisor at Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. It reads:
“ Be less scared of yourself, stop doubting yourself as much, not being afraid to try new things all the time.”
Q: You spoke about Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco, what did you learn from this experience?
A: Athena chose Alonzo King LINES Ballet because she was focusing her training on the genre of ballet. Their mission is to “nurture artistry and the development of creative expression in dance, through collaboration, performance and education”. She wanted to expand her training and explore other choreographers through the opportunity of training and performance, which would allow her to grow as a dancer. She learned that there are so many incredibly talented and well versed dancers, which may seem intimidating, but it is extremely inspiring to watch and learn from the work of others.
Q: Professionally, what are your goals?
A: Athena’s professional goal is to do anything that is arts related, which would give her a paycheck. Haha!
Q: Do you believe that the arts are should be promoted within educational settings? Why?
A: Athena believes that public schools and universities should expose students to the arts because they will allow children to develop their creativity, confidence and allow them to express their feelings and emotions to others.
Featuring Athena Lewis / Nelle Lee — Dancers and Choreographers
