Meet Celeste Lanuza PhD| Professor, Choreographer, Actress, Dancer, Singer-Songwriter,

We had the good fortune of connecting with Celeste Lanuza PhD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Celeste, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think risk taking is beyond worth it. For me, risk taking has been a necessity for me because I do not enjoy feeling complacent. I need to be stimulated and inspired to continue growing. Embracing challenges are essential to my journey as I have always followed the light towards the unknown and fulfilling exploration. Moving to LA was a risk I was ready to take. While I had established myself on the east coast, I was ready to take the leap towards the unknown. I have always worked best when I am headed towards new beginnings while making space to embrace relationships I have maintained. Reconnecting with my southern California roots has been energizing to say the least because I contribute so much insight I’ve gained from my international and national touring beyond my time living in NYC and Philly. Now holding positions at prestigious institutions like the University of California San Diego as professor in the Theater and Dance Department, the Shonda Rhimes Performing Arts Center as instructor/choreographer, and professional actress/dancer/singer and freelance director in Los Angeles I realize how worth it, it is to place one’s self in unknown waters to sustain growth. The journey continues and I am grateful to have choices. Risk-taking has given me the power of choice making.

Ever since I moved to LA I always wanted to present my creative work at Carnival Choreographers Ball in Hollywood and recently singing my original music at the Vermont Hollywood July 27th this year alongside my insanely gifted ensemble of dancers and musicians was a dream I am thankful to have experienced. Another thing I said out loud upon relocating to Los Angeles, was that I wanted to share my creative art as a part of a Museum Exhibition and this came true. May through June of this year my dance film which was accompanied by my original music was exhibited at the Southgate Art Museum as a part of the Pinto Flores exhibit that featured all Latinx artists living in Los Angeles. This energized me to continue forward in the film world. I was encouraged to be invited to perform with my band Lanuza Siva at the San Diego Latino Film Festival this Spring! Believe it, performing my original music at a known Latino Film festival here in Southern California was also another network I wanted to begin building and I am so grateful to now be a part of this community. Recently presenting at the LA Dance Festival was a huge win for me and another risk-taking moment because I brought a piece to life that was an eclectic Latin Jazz piece that spoke to themes of female empowerment, unity, reclaiming space, moving with agency, and being unapologetically bold. I took a risk by performing this to a predominantly white audience that was not familiar with the eclectic dance styles and music represented in this piece without a Question-and-Answer opportunity following the performance. I feel most full when I know I took risks and made firm decisions that will disrupt the status quo. If that is not accepting underpaid contracts, to refusing to work with those who my values do not completely align with, or valuing my time to sit still and pray vs saying yes to everything risk taking has opened and limited opportunities for me placing me in exactly the correct rooms I need and humans I need to be surrounded by.

I recently finished participating in the Eco Jewish Play Festival which was a contract in collaboration with the theater actor’s union and my approach as an actress will never be the same! This was another example of me taking a huge risk as an artist in learning a brand-new work with an esteemed playwright named Oliver Mayer who happens to be the head of the MFA Playwriting Department at USC.

I am now in my final stages of gathering data for my PhD studies and I continue to be in deep gratitude for having built the career I’ve had to then be able to bring other Latina creative and performing artists with some who are now producers, actors, directors, professors to the forefront. The work as a PhD Candidate continues to be a roller coaster of risk-taking mountains I climb over while I juggle my life as a performing, creative, and professor in higher ed and the entertainment industry. But with every year that goes by as I keep evolving as a human, I realize that the more I do the more I honor my true self.

All in all, I firmly believe that following your heart and stepping up to your fullest potential is the risk worth taking!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work heals, connects, builds family and aims towards a higher conscious. I follow my soul when it comes to standing firm in my beliefs that speak truth to the multifaceted person I am. I expose myself in circles where I am the outlier and although often challenging, I find fulfillment acting as an agent of change and authenticity in celebrating the vibrancy of the multidimensional Latiné culture that stems from ancestral lineage beyond stereotypical tropes. I follow my soul when it comes to standing firm in my beliefs that speak truth to the multifaceted person I am. Being led to bring art to life is a responsibility I do not take for granted.

I am a full time creative and performing artist constantly collaborating on projects who also happens to be a PhD Candidate and part time professor by day.

I have been told that what sets me apart from others is my eclectic artistry, drive, passion, creativity, and go getter energy. But what I believe sets me apart from others is the belief that I really can do anything and accomplish all I am set out to do and more. My faith in knowing that blessings are beyond my wildest imagination leads my journey as I dive head first into some of the most difficult industries to thrive in.

I am most proud of uplifting women through creative projects. Especially women of color who have faced continual discrimination and limited opportunities.

I was recently honored with an award by the city of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs to create a dance film for an opportunity called Dance in the Districts and am beyond honored to have gained this opportunity including funding to produce this site-specific work. My dance film will be premiering in LA Saturday October 7th evening at a location to be determined. Club Jete LA’s premier dance experience produced by Tiffany Billings also invited me to present my work for their November 16th show where I will be presenting my original music and choreography and I feel extremely blessed to join this community of artists at yet another established event in the city. I will also be beginning as a Lecturer at Cal Poly for this upcoming fall and am so energized with the amount of work opportunities I have been offered here in LA where I can thrive as both a creative and performing artist and educator.

Recently choreographing once again to original music and a classical Spanish song I recorded on the piano for the Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensive production this spring and summer, I constantly heard that my work uplifted the performers in ways that made them feel like they could do anything.

I continue to stay involved virtually with my east coast colleagues and am looking forward to being a Guest Lecturer as Movement Consultant Specialist for Penn State University for their Bernarda Alba production in the Theater Department.

My trajectory to get to where I am professionally has been a whirlwind to say the least. I have spent 8 years on the east coast. Four of those years were in NYC and the other in Philly where I attended the University of the Arts and focused on Ballet and Musical Theater under an Artist Grant. Before that my dad taught me Latin and Jazz Piano and I trained as a classical pianist. I earned scholarships to study dance for free at Culture Shock Dance Center and attended the San Diego School of Creative & Performing Arts for middle and high school where I performed with Andra Day and others constantly inspired by classmates. Spending now a couple years in LA has widened my network and I have built some beautiful artistic relationships that I am eternally grateful for. I stay in touch with those I’ve met and worked with. This simple act has led to lifelong friendships and being recommended to life changing professional opportunities that have catapulted my career. My goal has always been to think beyond and embrace my true self which naturally does not fit a mold. Producing, directing, choreographing, performing, leading, empowering, and collaborating continue to be where my heart is led when I am focusing on my creative endeavors or others.

Working in concert, theater, tv, and film as an actress, dancer, choreographer, and singer has fortunately given me a wide array of tools to borrow from in my life as a creative artist. I made many sacrifices along the way from taking work opportunities as a performer instead of staying for interviews for establishments like the Tony Award winning Old Globe Theater when they were interested in possibly producing a dance theater work of mine, I chose to fulfill an international tour as a singer where I was bound to change my perspective on the arts forever while making a living full time performing. Interestingly enough, I am now in a production of Cabaret at this well-known Old Globe Theater where I play the role of Frenchy and am humbled to join a cast of so many esteemed artists and work with Broadway Director/Choreographer Josh Rhodes once again and his husband Associate Director Lee Wilkins. I look forward to bringing my original work to this space in the near future now that I am more mature in my craft and gained insight from the theater’s best.

In NYC, I used to audition 4-5 days a week while teaching ballet at studios, teaching full time at AMDA College of the Performing Arts, and rehearsing and working in theater and TV shows on the creative team or performing. I would take contracts out of town to work full time performing with directors I looked up to, and was gone for over a year. Finishing grad school at 23 from UC Irvine turned out to be one of the best decisions I made because I was able to have my master’s degree and the insight I gained before heading into a full-time career performing. This perspective gave me a lens that has helped me ever since. Investing my money in continual training, video and photo documentation, and constant efforts in submitting my work for projects has helped me build to where I am now. Leaning into learning marketing, publicity, networking, and my childlike free spirit keeps me excited for next endeavors I am heading into in film and more.

It was not easy to get to where I am now but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. That work ethic has molded me into the artist and creative I have become. Walking through freezing cold days where I couldn’t feel my face, to having just a few hundred in my bank account, to moving on faith that doors would open because of the dues I’ve paid through perseverance has all been an unforgettable journey that has taught me so much. I have also not waited for others to cast me or produce me. I have fought to produce original work and one of these endeavors was a musical that was sold out in NYC as a part of the Fringe Fest with a cast filled with insanely gifted artists who even rehearsed in my studio apartment. Getting through injuries and emotional setbacks all were supported by keeping my relationship with God and finding peace through prayer and friendships.

Some lessons I’ve learned along the way is to have empathy for others in all circumstances because we never truly know what anyone is going through so the simple fact of understanding the urgency in art could save someone’s life. I’ve learned to fully value my worth and know when to say no. I continue to learn to sincerely listen to my innate feelings towards the creative process and to indulge in this time while embracing the imperfections of live performance and rigid structure.

I want people to know that I am working on an exciting music video for a new song I have yet to release that will serve as an anthem song for Latiné pride in overcoming discrimination and inequalities. These songs will also be released sometime this year. I also want to share that I am just getting started and expect the unexpected adventures of artistry and leadership from me as I venture into the wonders Los Angeles has to offer. Celeste Lanuza is out here and aiming high for my grandmother who crossed the border daily working in factories to build the life I know now. Following my performances in Cabaret, I will be playing the role of Karana in Island of the Green Dolphins at the Laguna Playhouse. Make space for all of your skills and rewrite the narrative of fitting the mold. Stand out and stay true to who you are. Keep going and trust that everything that has happened stood for a purpose and led you right where you needed to be. Do what you love because only then will you be truly full! The sky’s the limit!

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.
If my best friend was visiting LA, I would bring them to downtown LA at Grand Park and performances because there are so many free outdoor dance parties, concerts, films, and indoor theater shows happening. I would also definitely take them on a hike up to the Observatory for a view of the city and on a horseback ride to the Hollywood sign. I would then take them to Santa Monica beach pier then the salsa night on the promenade and the Music Center Summer Dance parties. To me, some of the most fun and exciting people are at these events because they are all ages alcohol free and have good vibes. I would lastly plan a rooftop jam with my friends here in DT and a bonfire beach party at Dockweiler after taking them to Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My grandma and my parents are individuals that I dedicate my shoutout to. I call my mom every day and she is my constant listener, friend, and confidant as I journey through this life. My dad who has been my musical partner deserves a huge recognition for collaborating with me for so many projects that have escalated my career. I have found my creative identity because of the household I grew up in being surrounded by a family of musicians and dancers while performing for most guests that walked through the front door. My grandma pushed me to always do better and drilled me in classical piano songs, teaching me the importance of establishing a relationship with God and showing up to all of my shows. Gracias to mi familia and chosen familia who have collaborated with me to create arte all around the globe. It is because of you that my voice is heard and I have this platform now. I am in deep gratitude and dedicate my art to you.

Website: https://www.celestelanuza.com

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

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celeste.lanuza/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RERConX8gcs

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/16BETn53QQ26owESuUJM6x

Image Credits
Denise Leitner, Carlos Solorio, Julia Harnett