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

Hi Aubyn, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I was 13 when I discovered my love for dancing actually expanded beyond just myself. I found my love for choreography. Particularly, I saw the beauty of my own creative imagination come to life on other dancers performing my work and I just knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I knew that if I didn’t feed that creative energy inside, I would never be happy doing anything else! So at that young age, I did everything I could to find and create choreographic opportunities to feed that urge. After several years of choreographing for stage, I discovered my love for dance on film. That has been the latest pursuit of my artistic career. I am so intrigued and eager to see dance impact peoples lives in a way that is more accessible as well as collaborative with other art genres. There is such beauty in artists of all genres working together to create art that pushes the envelope and cultures of our arts forward. I think my 13 year old self caught a glimpse of that beauty and could just never let it go. So on the journey went…

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel my art stands apart from others because my approach offers space to the audience who is viewing to draw their own conclusions. A lot of art tends to be created as a statement, where as I am much more eager to ask questions with our art. When we ask questions with our art, we push beyond our expectations of what we think we should be saying and rather sit with what is immediately there and present. That is feeling like the most honest approach to my work currently and Im very excited to continue with that exploration. That took a long time to learn. I found that in the beginning of my creative journey, I tended to feel that I needed to be saying something to be considered valid and “good”. If my work wasn’t a statement, then the general public wouldn’t understand it and it would never be good enough. It was a very silly and limiting way of creating dance. Letting go of that expectation of myself and my work was essential to overcoming that challenge. I learned that my work is always valid, real, and honest, if it comes from an honest place. And that honest place comes from a place of questioning. It doesn’t need to be anything more than just what it is. That is exactly how I would love for people to see my work. Simply, a visual space and representation for them to ask their own questions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well we would definitely start one of our mornings with a cup of joe at Marie Et Cie in the valley. The ambience of this french cafe is exactly what I need to get my creative juices flowing! We would most definitely spend a day at Point Dume Beach in Malibu, the perfect quite place to hike a little and relax by the beauty of the water. We would have to do happy hour at Electric Owl in WeHo for some yummy bites and drinks! Lastly, always one of my favorites to visit, the Getty. There is always something new and refreshing to see!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that helped me get to where I am as a creative. Firstly, I thank our good God above for all of these blessings. I want to thank my parents for doing everything to support my artistic career, even when that meant fearfully letting their 18 year old daughter move to LA to dance! I want to thank my best friend Alli for her constant friendship, love and support through all of the tough parts. I want to thank all of my dance mentors and teachers from when I was in training in Texas for giving me the best foundation. A big thank you to Erica Sobol for putting on The Gypsy Project in LA. I will be forever grateful for all that I have learned and grown through with those mentors and dancers. That place in time is so immensely special. The moment I learned who I was in that space, was the moment I took a step forward to create art that I felt needed to be made.

Website: www.aubyn.dance

Instagram: @aubynaaa

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aubynaaa

Other: https://www.vimeo.com/aubynaaa

Image Credits
Kamryn Nichols, Lindsay Sunada

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