Perspectives, Passion, and Post-Graduation: An interview with Andrea Isea Galindo

By Mikela Vuorensivu

Andrea is a dance artist in Vancouver, BC, currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts and majoring in Dance. She is in her 3rd year at SFU, and despite the challenges that a global pandemic brings, she balances being a student, teacher and choreographer. I got to sit down with Andrea and ask her about her current pursuits of passion, her perspectives and her goals post-graduation.

Photographed by @mikelasbeautifulfriends

Q. What artistic passions are you pursuing currently?

A. Currently my primary passion is within the dance industry, and I am exploring choreographic strategies as both a teacher and a student. Until recently, I was not confident enough in my ability to choreograph outside of myself and my sister. Now, I am stepping into more opportunities and setting choreography on groups at work and school. My desire is to have my choreography shake things up a bit… I am tired of seeing the same pieces and themes remixed over and over!

Q. Do you feel that your creative process has evolved as you have branched out in your choreographic endeavours, from your first work created to the most recent?

A. I think that at the very beginning, it was very linear. I first needed the song, which would inspire a theme, then the choreography had to follow the music and develop with it from beginning to end. Now, I allow myself to be more flux and collaborative; I might start in the middle with a phrase that evolves in different directions and build a piece from that… I might even allow the music choice to come last!

Q. What aspect of your teaching work do you most enjoy, besides choreography?

A. Though it is satisfying to see my young dancers have that lightbulb moment or watch them grasp a skill, it's so rewarding to see that naïve awe that they have for everything. They have this perspective of innocence and enjoyment without all the learned fears and pressure from outer influences and studio culture. I love having that reminder of passion just for passion's sake, as it's something that I feel gets lost the more you pursue an art form, or at least in my experience.

Photographed by @mikelasbeautifulfriends

Q. Can you elaborate on your personal experience of that feeling of loss?

A. The art world in general can be so judgemental. it is so free BUT there will always be people telling you they do not like your work, or it’s been done “wrong”. I am the type of person who likes to do things right and in the correct order and by the rules, so when I am in a hypercritical environment – which can be found easily in many dance spaces – it's easy for me to take it to heart and get caught up in it and lose my enjoyment and passion. I struggle with improv for the same reason; I thrive in environments that are free and encouraging, but it can sometimes be hard to truly let go of the “what will people think?” mindset once you learn it.

Q. What roles in the industry have you filled other than teaching and learning dance?

A. I’ve done administrative work and stage management roles, costuming and alterations… numerous odd jobs. I’ve also done some singing and acting as well! Looking back it's so interesting to see how it all came together to put me where I am now.

Q. Which of those roles was your favourite and why?

A. I like all of them! I don’t think I can pick… BUT if I had to, it would be the ones where I take on leadership roles. I like making sure things are done right. I would probably have to say stage manager for that reason, and because of the diversity of the job. I also got to be on stage while stage-managing in one instance! That was a win-win for me because I got to wear so many hats throughout one project.

The production team for "A Black Hole", by the Evergreen Cultural Centre.
Andrea is centre top-row and stage managed this production.

Q. What is the hardest part about being an artist amid a pandemic?

A. How isolated it is. To be by myself in my living room full of distractions is so draining. I am still teaching in-person, but even then my only dance buddies are the little kids I teach. They’re great, but I miss being with others on the level that push me and inspire me. It is so lonely!

Q. What is next for you, despite these uncertain times?

A. That is such a hard question; each year I grow so much and find myself taking a path I could not have foreseen. By now there are so many different paths I’ve started to pave and knowing myself I will try and take them all. I graduate next year, and I definitely want to go out with a bang! I would love to continue teaching and creating indefinitely as well, regardless of other projects I take on while branching out and trying new experiences.

Q. If you had no budgetary limits, what is a dream project that would create that “bang” and shake things up?

A. I’ve always wanted to create an event (ideally a live one!) that highlights people stories of immigrating to another country. As an immigrant, I went through so much trauma leaving everything I knew and facing culture shock when I arrived here; I’ve yet to really find a space for that to be shared and acknowledged and so I think my biggest dream would be to create that. I envision a performance/installation with that at the core, and the goal is to create more understanding around immigration and the stories of immigrants. I feel like that would be a big step into taking on leadership and larger-scale choreography roles… which is the direction I want to grow in!

An interview with Andrea Isea, by Mikela Vuorensivu.

Mikela is a dance artist located in the lower mainland of British Columbia. She is a current student of Simon Fraser University, and is a dance student, teacher and choreographer. She is both a photographer (@mikelasbeautifulfriends) and videographer as well.