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

Hi Bridget, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
My favorite quote or affirmation is “Choose courage over comfort”, which is something author and researcher Brené Brown writes about. For me, it means choosing risk, vulnerability, and letting myself be seen, especially in instances when it may be easier to do otherwise. Growth and true connection happen outside of comfort zones. In my art, choosing courage over comfort looks like following my authentic and intuitive processes and disregarding what I assume audiences preferences are. It is constantly reminding myself that I don’t make dance to please others; I make it to share some of my gut and to deepen my relationship with my body and to further explore this existence.

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.
In 2019, I graduated with a degree in Dance and International Studies from Denison University. I then moved to Durham, North Carolina to work and dance at the American Dance Festival. January of 2020 brought me to Colombo, Sri Lanka to teach contemporary dance and improvisation at the University of Visual and Performing Arts. Only a few months in to this adventure, COVID became a global concern. In April 2020, I made the difficult decision to move home to rural Illinois to live with my parents. I remained there for over a year and a half. During this time, my relationship with dance and creativity fluctuated. I presented work at the Detroit Dance Choreographer’s Showcase and attended an artist residency in the mountains of western North Carolina. By 2021, I started feeling really stuck in my creativity. As many people were, I was entirely in survival mode, doing whatever work I could find to make ends meet. It was a tough year during which my relationship with dance was tense and not a priority.

Overcoming this tension and feeling of stuckness is partly due to my commitment to redefining my relationship with art making. I had been telling myself the story that I couldn’t consider myself a dancer if I wasn’t actively working to build my life around it or making money from it. I released these expectations, which in turn, released the pressure that I had been putting on myself to make dance happen. I reconnected to my childhood uninhibitedness of making any sort of art simply for the sake of creating.

At the end of December 2021, I moved to Boulder on somewhat of a whim. While I understood that changing my physical environment wasn’t necessarily going to remove the tension around dance, I did realize that immersing myself in a community that prioritized the arts more than in rural Illinois was certainly going to aid in reducing some tension. This also involved a letting go, allowing room for more flow and playfulness to enter. Having space for play and a childlike sense of approaching art making helped me feel a sense of capability in cultivating the life I desire. I ultimately learned that I am in charge or my life. I have control over my thoughts, my choices, my ways of becoming.

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.
Two of my favorite spots in Boulder for hanging out and getting coffee are Trident Booksellers and Cafe and Spruce Confections. Sunday mornings at Spruce include live music, and Trident always has so many great community events in the evenings.

Walking along the Pearl Street Mall is good for people-watching, grabbing a bite to eat, and window shopping at local stores. The used book section of Boulder Bookstore is always worth checking out. Rayback Collective is one of my favorite places to get a beer with a friend outside, and they have a fun trivia night on Tuesdays. The Boulder Farmers Market is my favorite thing thing to do on Saturday mornings. It’s right along Boulder Creek, so I enjoy buying a pastry from one of the several local pastry vendors and sitting in the grass by the creek. For some movement and community, Mi Chantli and Yoga Pearl have thoughtful, diverse offerings. Eldorado Canyon State Park and Betasso Preserve are two nearby places to hike that allow for connection with the natural beauty of Colorado.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not have the relationship with dance that I do today without the love and support of my mentors Molly Shanahan and Sandra Mathern-Smith. They have been instrumental in encouraging me to prioritize dance, even if life seems harder sometimes because of it. My dear friend, Abbi Morgan, has been a constant source of support for living courageously and in validating the uncomfortable feelings that accompany that. Since moving to Boulder at the beginning of 2022, Mi Chantli has fostered a sense of community and has become a supportive home for dance.

Website: bridgetryan.org

Instagram: @bridget_ryan13

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTWnp6cg96VRPFJgyO2zD7g

Other: email: bridgetmryan1@gmail.com

Image Credits
Bailey Ashlynn Photography

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