Meet Nancy Dobbs Owen (She/her/hers) MFA | Dance: Creator/Educator/Writer/Dreamer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nancy Dobbs Owen (She/her/hers) MFA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nancy Dobbs, what principle do you value most?
As a performing artist, an educator and a creator, the value that matters most to me is being human; how can what I do or say through my art create a positive force in the world. As a teacher and educator, how can I work in a way that brings people in rather than casts them aside; how can I heal a dancer’s relationship with ballet? How can I make my space inclusive and inviting? How can I teach through example? As a creative, I want my work to inspire action; the work itself and the surrounding materials; for example; Too Many Bodies challenges gun violence in a way that opens up conversations and is embedded in a website with viable actions to take. My films on sexual assault and trauma in dance all have resources at the end. They were also created in a healing manner, so even if the film itself doesn’t create change, the dancers who took part in the experience are changed and move out into the world with that. On a practical level; my jewelry business, which I hope to return to soon, donates at least 30% of all proceeds to various charities around the world. So the value, the question is always, “how can what I am making create a positive force in the world?

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a dancer at heart: I perform, create, produce, educate, and write with movement at my core. I use my art to enliven social good and inspire activism. I find collaboration to be a source of great joy and live to help facilitate positive change.

I have been in the industry, in various forms, for my entire life. I am probably most proud of my resilience at this point! It is often overwhelming, defeating, and difficult, but the highs are brilliant and the spiritually powerful humans with whom I get to create are endlessly inspiring.

My lessons are related to this attribute of resilience; it is almost never personal, so try not to diminish yourself when life becomes challenging. Use the force of that disappointment to propel you further. If you don’t like what you see, it sounds corny, but be the change. And always, be kind. Not nice. Kind. Follow up on your promises. Work with integrity.

Finally, each crossroad and shift of plan can come with pain. Acknowledge it, own it, and move forward with the lessons learned.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a very quiet person and like to socialize one on one. My perfect day would start at the new vegan cafe Coffee and Plants on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. I would then take my friend on one of my incredibly long back road hikes through the Hollywood Hills and show them the hidden paths; Dixie Canyon, the back way up Fryman and of course if we had a car we could go out to Malibu. Dinner would be at one of the awesome plant based restaurants that now dot the city; Sage Cafe, H.O.P.E Organic, or one of the amazing vegan/vegan friendly ramen restaurants like Goguku on Lankershim! We would then go see one (or a crowd) of my incredibly talented friends in a dance or theater piece at either a big theater like Pasadena Playhouse or CTG or one of the smaller houses like Theatre of Note. If Invertigo Dance Theatre or Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company had a show, we would be there! We’d finish up with a plant based frozen treat at Yoga’urt, Bella Creamery or Frozen Fruit Co in Santa Monica. A bike ride down the coast or through Topanga Canyon, a day trip to the mountains and maybe a night at the Ford Ampitheatre or the Hollywood Bowl would be a perfect climax to the week! We would definitely break up all of the wholesome exercise and theater with some shopping at all of the wonderful thrift and consignment stores that dot the city!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This is such a cool idea! I would like to shout out dancers in general and the nascent Choreographers’ Guild. This is a new grouping of choreographers, who up until this point, have not been represented in film, television, or new media. Unlike stage choreographers, who are represented by a union, Stage Directors and Choroegraphers, choreographers who work in media have been fighting for recognition and pay for years. TV powerhouse Kat Burns is now the president of the guild and has connected with a really inspiring group of industry leaders to create a foundation of power for these creatives. I would encourage you all to check it out! https://choreographersguild.org

Website: www.nancydobbsowen.com

Instagram: @nancydobbsowen

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancydobbsowen/

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

Image Credits
1. 3, 6 Heidi Hostetler 4. Samantha Chavez 2. Joanna Degeneres (headshot) 5. Me (landscape)