Our People - Stefanie Noll
A dancer with a new love for choreography.
Showing expression through movement and sharing those feelings with others has given her a drive towards choreography. We talked to Stephanie about the past year, the hardships and the slow times.
Her passion to create and keep moving forward through these tough times is incredibly refreshing. It’s a pleasure to introduce, @_stefanienoll .
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine but grew up in Kansas City. When I was 15 I moved to New York City. I’ve never felt like there’s one specific place that I’ve called home or a growing up location.
Did you always want to practice dance or is it something you found later?
I started dancing when I was 5 and became pretty serious about it around 12. Lots of different things interest me, but dance has always been something I’ve wanted to pursue as my priority.
Do you dance with one company or do you work with lots of different people?
I work with different people. I love a variety of textures in my life. This past year I was dancing with Ballet BC; right now I’m working on an evening length show with choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo in New York City.
It seems like you travel a lot for work and training, what helps you feel most at home when you find yourself in a new city?
That’s a great question and I think a question we continue to ask ourselves over time. I would say people in my life allow me to feel grounded, despite how near or far they may be at a given time. Dance and being creative helps me feel grounded and helps me find a home in myself.
You’ve said that during Covid, you’ve started to lean more into choreography as you were unable to perform on stage. Going forward do you see yourself taking on more choreography as a way to make art or is the physical dancing part where you find most of your creativity?
Going forward I want to be both dancing and choreographing. I think the main focus right now is pursuing a dance career, but I also enjoy making my own work and have begun to explore that avenue in ways.
What do you like to do when you’re not creating?
When I’m not creating I like spending time with people important to me, I love traveling, I love reading. I’m not someone who typically likes a lot of off-time and usually find myself working most of the time, so when I do have off time I like to take advantage of it to rest and refresh.
