Meet Taylor Green | Professional Dancer & Freelance Photographer/Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Taylor Green and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I pursued a creative career because to be honest I was left with no choice, my heart has always been leading me to an artistic career path. When I started to dance, I realized that I had to have this thing in my life forever. I’ve always had so many ideas in my brain, and a passion in my heart to create stories with movement. When I entered college, I started taking photos of friends for fun. I realized how fulfilling it was to capture these stories and movement in a photo, all while trying to allow the subject to be their most authentic self. Because of this, I decided to get a degree in both Advertising (for the photo/creative aspect) and Dance. I am so happy to report I am still doing both of those things in my career to this day, 8 years after graduating. Art and creativity is a huge part of my life, it allows me to authentically live and express myself. I love being able to to this through both dance/movement, and photography/design. I feel like I have the best of both worlds!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what sets me apart from many other dancers is the difficulty I face with my foot deformity. I was born with “Morton’s Short Toe” in both of my feet, so the first metatarsal is frozen and abnormal. It makes going up on to releve (a common position of the feet in dance) nearly impossible, which then makes balance, turning, and wearing certain types of shoes really difficult. My deformity is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I truly would not have realized that dance was my passion in life had it not been for the pain and my willingness to push through because of my love for the art. A curse because no matter how much I train, there are certain things I will never be able to perfect. It was not easy to get to where I am today. I had to work immensely hard to overcome this deformity, as well as body image issues and mental health struggles that usually come along with the dance industry. I have learned that through adversity, you grow as an artist. Through life experience, you become more of a human and thus a better storyteller. I will continue to take life as it comes, the good and the bad, and continue to develop my artistic voice. I will do what it takes to keep bringing my art to life and never stop dancing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you were visiting my area (NYC) here is what we would do! 1. Broadway show followed by drinks in Hell’s Kitchen
2. Walk along the high line ending at the Whitney Museum
3. Walk along the water in Hoboken for Manhattan skyline views
4. Chinatown for soup dumplings and a 10 minute foot massage
5. Picnic in Central Park followed by roller blading at Disco Oasis (Limited run!)
6. Take the ferry over to Governor’s Island for the day
7. Comedy show in Greenwich Village followed by drinks and pizza

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out a few people in my story. First, Meredyth Pribis. She recognized something in me during my high school years and really let me cultivate my artistic voice as a dancer. She was the first person who convinced me that I could be a dancer for my career and that I should go to school for it. I am the dancer I am today because of her. Second, Nick Kenkel. Nick was one of the first people to really take me under his wing and create opportunities for me as a dancer in NYC. I am so blessed to have his friendship and guidance in my life. He has booked me on some of the biggest jobs of my career, and I continue to learn so much from him. I am so grateful. Third, my family & my husband. My mom and dad were always supportive of my artistic pursuits, and my husband has been a steady force in my life for the past 10 years while my career unfolded. He has made major sacrifices so that I can pursue my dream while we build our life together. I am so beyond thankful to have them all on my team.

Website: https://www.taylorjanegreen.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greeenmachine/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylorjanegreendance

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorjanegreen

Image Credits
Some Shelly Photography, Theik Photo, BnJ Portraits, James Jin