Dance Saved My Life: Aaron R. White
“As I tell many others, ‘Dance Saved My LIFE!’”, says Aaron R. White, a Chicago, IL native, who found dance at the age of 14. His training began in high school with Deidre M. Dawson (former member of Joseph Holmes Dance Theater) and soon intertwined with Pierre Locket of the Joffrey Ballet. Aaron attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to earn his B.F.A. in Dance Performance then obtained his M.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Aaron is a performer, Reiki Master-Teacher, and educator. Check out his website here.
Phillip: Thank you Aaron for taking the time out to speak with me. I am really excited to communicate with you. Let’s start with how you got started in dance. When did you get started and what kept you doing it?
Aaron: I began dancing when I was 14 in high school. I attended Roger C. Sullivan High School on Chicago’s Northside. It was an amazing privilege to have dance at my school. I reluctantly switched my schedule to use dance as my physical education requirement because of a friend. It was the best thing I ever did.
I kept going because dance became an escape. I had a tumultuous childhood and dance kept me occupied, positively focused, and driven toward personal accomplishment.
P: There is something powerful about the arts that teaches us more about ourselves than any other field. Can you speak a little about your childhood and how danced helped you transition from those earlier years in high school throughout your BFA dance program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign? What was it about dance that pushed you forward?
A: I came out to my family as a gay male during the same time I found dance. Dance empowered me to be happy in my own body. I may have been asked for various intensities in my dancing but all the emotions were rooted, grounded, and expressed from my own experiences. This, again, gave me the courage to admit to everyone in my family that I am a proud gay man.
My parents were heavy in the drug game and had many children. I am the eldest of 11. Yep, 11. My mother had seven children and my father had four. I was the only child they shared. Needless to say, holidays were interesting. For their first child to be gay was unfathomable. I, their offspring, went against all they represented. Now, they always encouraged me to go to school so that it could take me out of “the hood,” but being gay was not a part of their idea of salvation.
In dance and all arts, one is constantly asked to delve more into themselves with the goal of self-improvement. In striving to be better, I had to continually challenge my ideas, beliefs, and my family, who did not understand me. Fortunately, dance provided a safe place to explore who Aaron was.
P: I want to come back to something you shared but in a later question. You’ve been to Taiwan as a student and dancer. Can you briefly talk about that experience? Did you ever see yourself traveling the world when you were younger? What are some unexpected highlights that dance has brought into your life and how have you used them to make you an even stronger dancer?
A: Yes! I attended the Taipei National University of the Arts for a semester to study Classical Chinese Dance, Kung Fu, Ballet, Dance Composition and was able to perform a work by Xiao-Xuan Yang-Dancigers. Taiwan was a dreamland. The Taiwanese have such a beautiful connection and respect for the earth. Also, I was like a celebrity. They don’t see many black people in the flesh so they wanted to touch my hair and shake my hand. It was cute, when I was open to it, but became invasive after a while.
I always wanted that to travel the world but had no idea that my life would be like this. It’s the ultimate gift! I’m doing what I love, I’m sharing it with others, I get to meet people from all part of the world, and my family still says “You’ve been to places that I would never be able to see.”
Unexpected highlights? Going to grad school was one! I had no idea what to do post undergrad but I auditioned on a whim and received a scholarship. That led me to Sean Curran, the choreographer I’m currently working with, and he’s challenging my mind, body, spirit, and energy in amazing ways. I would say the most unexpected events are the people I have met. They are brilliant social changers and I am so honored to call myself an artist.
P: For our younger readers, what are some lessons you learned about yourself through dance while in high school or undergrad at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign?
A: Self-love is your most important possession. Once you have it, no one can take it away. You can only give them that power. Through self-love, believing I could accomplish my goals, and constantly moving in a forward motion, I was able to arrive at this place. In dance, artist say, “You’ll get many ‘No’s’ before you get a ‘YES,’” and I had that experience. However, I never lost sight of my goal.
I also learned about the power of manifestation and 3 essential tools to create the life I wanted. Manifestation works on 3 levels: thoughts, actions, and words. If you believe you can’t do something, act in ways to sabotage yourself and say “I can’t do it,” of course you won’t get what you desire! Only through acting, speaking, and thinking in ways that say to the U-N-I verse “I can have this, I deserve this, and I am physically working toward this,” will that desire, person, opportunity become real on this plane.
P: How do you take care of your body? The body is such a powerful but sensitive tool. What are some ways you’ve taken care of yourself, especially during these times where articles on sleep deprivation and stress management seem to be all over the place?
A: I am a Reiki Master-Teacher and work on myself everyday. Reiki is an energetic healing modality where the practitioner channels Universal Life Energy for the purpose of aligning energy, removing blockages and debris, and to promote vibrant health. I also have a regular practice of meditation.
Honestly, my spirituality is what keeps me grounded and whole (not to mention my partner Rick). I’ve found that most issues originate in the mind. If we can release negative and self-defeating ideas, they won’t create havoc on the other body systems. I also eat really well. Mainly whole foods (not/minimally processed), dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian + no juice, soda/pop and PLENTY of water. I’m not saying others need to follow regiment to be “healthy” but 64oz of water a day is a must for everyone.
Lastly, I give thanks to everyone I see. If a person is emptying the public trash can, I say “Thank you for your work.” There are many of us who ignore all of the hands it takes for us to be able to complete our tasks and jobs. We don’t exist in a bubble. We are all connected. It makes me feel good to let someone know that their work, their life, their contribution is appreciated.
P:You are also an educator and have been for years. Can you talk about a couple of your favorite teaching experiences and how they affected you as a professional performer?
I think tied to this question about education is also the idea of professionalism and what it means to be someone who practices their craft for a living. Do you, when you teach, teach others how to be professionals in everyday life?
A: I have quite a few favorite moments. When I joined the faculty of Atlantic Theater Conservatory in NYC. This was the first time they had ever taught dance as a semester-long course and I was/am the dance “department.” In my classes, we start with a positive affirmation circle where everyone says something uplifting about their life and we end with a guided meditation.
So, at first, I didn’t think the students were into what I was sharing with them. They seemed reluctant and I was having some really negative internal dialogue like “They’re probably saying ‘what’s this new age BS?” However, the following week, I didn’t leave time for the meditation and released the students on time. They all said, “WAIT! Aren’t we going to do the mediation?!?” I was ecstatic! They saw the value of this practice and most of them had never meditated before.
Another was when I taught at NYU Tisch Dance and a professor reported how the students love my class and thought I was hilarious. I don’t teach students, directly, how to be professionals in everyday life. I teach them how to be open, honest, fearless, vulnerable, and loving humans.
P: Again, thank you so much for doing this interview with me. You said earlier that dance gave you space to discover who Aaron really is. Who is Aaron R. White? What does he want to leave behind has his legacy?
A: I am Love, I am Light, I am capable, I am illumination and illuminating, I am a brother, I am a son, I am kind, loving, supportive, stubborn, irritable (sometimes) and human. As such, I am a work in progress and there is nothing wrong with changing. I felt that I had to be who everyone else wanted me to be. Fortunately, I discovered that I only needed to be the person that made me happiest. Living my true self unabashedly.
I wish that people will remember me as a beacon of Light, Hope, and Joy. I want them to know they are capable because I, a little brown boy from a Chicago “hood,” decided I didn’t have to live/repeat the mistakes of my parents and neither do they. Lastly, I want them to know I loved them SO much. Even those I never met. I Love Them Too.
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