Meet Emma Andres | Choreographer, Ballet Teacher, & Studio Manager

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

Hi Emma, where are you from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was fortunate to grow up with very loving and supportive parents. They never indicated that I couldn’t do or be anything I wanted. Ultimately, their support and belief in my dreams helped me become the artist I am today. My mom has always been a great inspiration to me. She is a good human and believes in the good of others. Her guidance has allowed me to enter the world with open arms. When the world isn’t as kind as we hope, her love guided me to create my own worlds through dance to share in light and happiness with others. My choreography is meant to bring curiosity, joy, and wonder to those who view it, and it is from her that I learned to look for the joy in life and myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am dance artist and choreographer. I have been choreographing for the last 7 years and have found it to be one of the most fulfilling jobs I could ever have.

I am the Artistic Director of Little Women Ballet, an immersive ballet experience that is meant to pioneer more ballets about women and their stories. There are few ballets that center on positive stories about women, where the women is the heroine and or protagonist. That’s why I felt it important to tell the story of Little Women through ballet; it is a great jumpstart into this new genre of ballet. I want young female artists to be able to look up to characters they admire and can see themselves in. I believe this ballet and this project will allow them to do this.

Although the characters in Little Women are fictional and grew up in a different time period than our own, they are supremely real because they are relatable and symbolize a family that really did exist during that time. We can empathize with the March sisters because their experiences, hopes, and dreams, are not far from our own.

I want dance to reflect the very feelings we experience when we read a book or watch a film. I hope by creating works such as these, that I may be able to help inspire the next generation of dancers, creators, choreographers, and dreamers.

We had our first live version of Little Women Ballet Mother’s Day Weekend with three SOLD OUT performances at Heritage Square Museum! The event was very successful and has prompted us to have two more performances: September 29 – Oct 1 and November 17-19 at Heritage Square Museum. I am very much looking forward to these events and am excited to see where the project goes as we move forward.

The hardest part of working creatively is persevering through the word ‘No’. Not everyone is going to give you a chance and often times, that’s where people give up. I had to work very hard not to get discouraged by the word ‘No”. Instead of letting it stop me, I decided to use it to strengthen my belief in my project. Your belief in your project has to drive your success. Little Women came to life not only because of help from others, but because I kept pushing the project forward and believing in its success. Don’t let the word ‘No’ get you down, let it drive your creative success.

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 love getting out into nature. I would definitely say that hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains is a must. But one of the most wonderful things about California is your ability to see both mountains and sea within one day. So, after you taking your hike, go down to Laguna Beach and spend the day walking along the shore, hitting shops along the boardwalk and watching the sunset.

I mean, also if you would like something fun to do, come to Little Women Immersive Ballet Experience at Heritage Square Museum this September and November!

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?
I would like to thank two women for helping me achieve my dreams: my mom and my director, friend, and mentor, Diane DeFranco Browne.

My mom has always believed in me, and that support has helped me believe in myself.

Diane is a kind and uplifting human being. She gives wonderful advice and has helped me learn to spread my wings in the creative world. I am thankful for her for taking a chance on me and for allowing me to find my creative voice in a positive, nurturing environment.

I also want to say a huge thank you to ArtistsPlus Productions and Pasadena Civic Ballet for providing me with the tools and pathway to pursue this project.

Website: littlewomenballet.com | artsbyemma.com

Instagram: @littlewomenballet | @emmaandres

Linkedin: Emma Andres

Facebook: littlewomenballet

Youtube: Little Women Ballet

Image Credits
Edith Tyebkhan