Welcome back to Member Monday!
Edward Spots is an impressive, multi-talented NOAC member. He’s a dancer, actor, choreographer, and teacher with an incredible list of achievements. In New York City, he danced with the Urban Ballet Theater and the Ailey II Company. In New Orleans, he’s danced with the KM Dance Project, New Orleans Opera Association, Marigny Opera Ballet, and New Orleans Ballet Theatre. Currently, he teaches ballet at NOCCA, is on the board for the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, is part of the NOMA Creative Assembly Cohort, teaches at the New Orleans School of Ballet and has his own dance company, Magnolia Dance & Company. It seems that it’s all come full circle for Edward, since he started his dance journey right here in New Orleans.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Edward began dancing when his middle school girlfriend convinced him to try Modern African Dance. “We need boys to lift the girls,” she said. What a simple way to start an amazing journey. Soon after, he started ballet where he first discovered his love of the athleticism of dance. Fast forward to his out of state studies, Edward graduated from the Walnut Hill School for the Fine Arts in Massachusetts, attended the Washington school of ballet in DC for a Summer, and attended the Ailey School in NYC. Ultimately, his studies at the Ailey school led to him joining the Ailey II dance company, and with that he began his many tours, domestic and abroad. Lucky for Edward, his favorite thing about dancing is the travel. This meant that the trips to Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Italy, France, Canada, and around the USA were exhilarating, not just exhausting. Through his many travels, he’s been able to share his art and act as a sort of “dance ambassador” which allows him to give something back while engaging with various cultures and languages.
Edward’s desire to give something back through dance brought him home to New Orleans. He wanted to teach in his community, build in his community, and also reconnect with himself. After all, this is the place where he discovered his love of movement and channeled it into dance. This is where he first saw dance and thought, “How do they know how to move together like that?” This is where he first experienced the euphoria of performing onstage and how it forces you to be in the moment. Mahalia Jackson Theater is where he went to see the big ballet performances as a child. Now, it’s his favorite theater to perform in. One of Edward’s favorite experiences at Mahalia Jackson Theater is performing in Terence Blanchard’s ‘Champion: An Opera In Jazz while in STILTS. Edward’s lack of stilt experience was no match for his natural physicality and love of an athletic challenge.
It’s his love of movement and athletic nature that brings him to NOAC on a regular basis. He found an appreciation for gym culture while working as a personal trainer in New York City, so once he was back in New Orleans he needed a gym. Since 2020, he’s been training at NOAC and embracing fitness culture. As a contrast to his dancer lifestyle, he’s gotten into weightlifting. In general, his workout regimen acts complementary to his dancing, so he goes for arm day over leg day, strength over cardio, and evening workouts over morning ones.
www.magnoliadance.co
www.nocca.com
www.neworleansballettheatre.com
www.tennesseewilliams.net
noma.org/learn/creative-assembly
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