Meet Mo Goodfellow | Dancer, Educator, Creative

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

Hi Mo, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
“Never give up” or really any sort of common platitude that deals in absolutes like “never” or “always.” The world is full of grey areas and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to navigate difficult spaces with grace and peace of mind. There is nothing wrong with moving on from a pursuit that is no longer serving you or calling to you. The world isn’t necessarily built for people who earn a living as a creative, and in my experience there are many periods of transition that can be murky, confusing, and even chaotic. If you resist them, grey areas can feel frustrating and overwhelming, especially if you are in pursuit of an idealized notion of success or accomplishment. Perseverance through difficulty is an extremely valuable skill but it is equally valuable to know when to listen to your intuition or environment and shift your intentions toward what is calling you. Change is a good thing and learning how to navigate periods of transition can present you with opportunities to learn, grow, and expand your field of possibilities.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a professional dancer, dance educator, choreographer, and overall creative mind, my varying experiences in artistic spaces have taught me a lot about what is most important to me as an individual. As an artist, I am driven, sensitive, and adventurous. I am particularly interested in the narrative aspects of dance and how it can be used to express the human condition; I believe that dance can be a wonderful tool for exposing our differences while simultaneously accepting them and integrating them into a larger, human narrative. I strive to use my voice as an artist to do just that. As such, I find particular interest in contact improvisation and concert dance work in intimate settings. In my experience, you can talk with someone for hours or you can dance with them for minutes, the result will often be the same. The depth of empathy and understanding forged through movement is unique to dance and these connections are what drive my passion for the art form.

As a creative, I find myself working with many different people and peer groups throughout my week. When it comes to success and professional pursuits, I make it a priority to move through every space with kindness and consideration for my coworkers and peers. I’m lucky enough that in many of the spaces I work in creative partnerships are also rooted in friendship. As a result, compassion and empathy come extremely naturally. That being said, even in spaces where I may not have as many close relationships, I work hard to ensure my interactions are rooted in kindness. This is true for not just my peers but also members of leadership, and especially students or clients. Not only has kindness strengthened my professional connections, and gotten me a few jobs with people I love and respect, but it has also made work more enjoyable for me. Something that I continue to work on as a professional is affording myself the same level of kindness I afford others.

I also feel strongly that dance is a tool for amplifying voice and storytelling; movement as art increases the volume of your message by using a universal language that everyone can hear, or rather see. Voices are meant to be heard, dance is meant to be experienced, and my goal as an artist is to speak toward outreach and activism. I strive to uplift the voices of others and to bring dance art into the everyday life of all people through performance, community, and teaching. In particular, some of the most rewarding work I do as a creative professional is outreach teaching and performance in public schools. As an educator, I deeply believe that the benefits of arts integration in schools are endless! Although I know that not every student I encounter will fall in love with dance and grow up to pursue a career in the arts, I do believe that by exposing students to dance when they are young means they are just that much more likely to become patrons of the arts in the future. I hope that, in some small way, I am contributing to the future of our society and culture by cultivating a deeper, richer, and more diverse arts community.

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 any opportunity to escape to the outdoors so I’d definitely recommend any of the wonderful hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains, or a day at the beach. I also love museums and often find myself at the La Brea Tar Pits park and museum, which are just a few steps away from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (another favorite of mine).

For a bite to eat, my LA favorite is daybird in Silver Lake. I also highly recommend ellie’s restaurant in Long Beach. A little further south in Orange County and you’ll find Rutabegorz, a lunch time favorite of mine. For a sweet treat, I can’t resist Joe’s Italian Ice in Anaheim. I’m also a fiend for good boba and my favorite spot is HNTea, also in Orange County.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people deserve acknowledgment and many friends and mentors have my utmost appreciation. I would not be the artist or person I am today without the kindness of countless people and organizations. This list includes but is not limited to; my dear friends Azuki Umeda and Sammi Waugh, my wonderful partner Erik Tracey, many of my past professors at Chapman University, my friends and mentors Florian Lochner and Alice Klock, and of course my fellow creatives at both GEOMETRY Dance Company and Backhausdance. Most of all, I want to acknowledge my parents for their unwavering belief in me and the countless sacrifices they made that allowed me to cultivate my own path to success.

Instagram: @mogoodfellow

Facebook: Morgan Goodfellow

Image Credits
Photos in Green clothing w/ brown hair: Adrien Padilla for Backhausdance Photos in Black w/ orange hair: Lexi Colvin for GEOMETRY Dance Company Photos in Blue w/ orange hair: Edie Tyebkhan for SCOPIXdance Photo in Blue with blonde hair: Azuki Umeda