Meet Christiana Wheeler | Dance instructor, performer

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

Hi Christiana, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Starting an artistic career is a risk in itself! I think the biggest risk that’s on my mind as an artist, and many would agree they feel the same, is the fear of putting so much work into something and people not liking what you created, as well as not making your money back, and other fears alike. But the thing is, if you don’t take any risks you will never find out what would have happened if you just did it! So just take the risk, because yes the risk is that it doesn’t work out and you move on and take a different risk, and such is life. I took a risk last year and directed, choreographed, and performed in my dance company’s first show, it was extremely nerve racking, I almost didn’t want people to see it. But people did and they loved it! It didn’t even feel real and I was so proud of everyone involved and myself. Through the process I met people who wanted to work with me and got my name out there more. So just do it!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am first and foremost a performer, I have always loved to dance and have been infatuated with the history, language, and culture for as long as I can remember. With dancing comes the connection to music. I play the guitar and drums when I’m not dancing and when I play, part of me feels like I’m dancing. There’s a certain connection between the two art forms and how they work together is destiny. With that said, as a choreographer I dance as if I’m playing the instruments that are in the music, and ask the question where is the energy of this instrument in my body and how is it making me feel, how do I translate this musical language into the visual language of dance.

What I’m most excited about is my dance company, CarnivalGlass! We just had our first show in October of 2023 and we are going to be performing the same show, titled “this is a protest” in August of 2024. Our show is set to grunge rock music and is a blend of contemporary and hip hop dance styles. Every dancer in the company has a completely different dance background than each other and has their own unique style, hence the name CarnivalGlass, we are a diverse blend of creative individuals.

I’m still pretty early on in my professional career, and it’s definitely not an easy process, but I’m really grateful for the people I’ve surrounded myself with since I moved here from Seattle, WA two years ago. There’s an incredible artist community in the Boulder/Denver CO area, everyone is so supportive and if you attend events, network, and put yourself out there it’s easy to make friends and connections and find support. Asking for help and advice from your peers is one of the best things you can do for your business and art. Currently I’m overwhelmed with the amount of inspiration and ideas that have piled up in my head, so I have to write them all down!

I’m learning how to overcome challenges that pop up in a multitude of ways but something that’s come up recently is understanding that it’s ok to let projects move to the back burner. I love to over work and over book myself and it usually backfires, so now when I start to feel overwhelmed with my workload I tell myself that not everything has to be done now and everything has its own timeline, and it’s ok to let things go or get pushed to a further date.

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.
Oh my goodness, there’s so many! I would take them into Boulder for breakfast at Lucile’s Creole Cafe and then drive to Moxie Bread Co Nobo to visit my bestie Kaylin The Miller (the best miller, singer/songwriter/performer around!), and then just walk around Pearl Street, maybe go into Longmont to check out some used book stores. Later in the evening we’d go up to the Gold Hill Store, eat great food and listen to wonderful live music. I recommend everyone check out Gold Hill for a fantastic local mountain town, everyone knows each other; the best feeling! As far as places in the city of Denver, I would pick the Museum of Illusions, Temple Nightclub, and if there’s a Red Rocks show I would defiantly take them there!

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 want to make a shout out to, Tom Wingerd. Tom helped me create my first show and really got the ball rolling. He always showed so much support and is so wonderful to work with!

Website: https://www.christianawheeler.me/

Instagram: Christiana_dancer22

Facebook: Christiana Wheeler

Youtube: Chrissy Wheeler @chrissywheeler8114

Image Credits
Grace Creative Studios (fabric shot)