Meet Angelica DeLashmette Hurst | Professional Dance Artist, Educator and Entrepreneur.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angelica DeLashmette Hurst and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angelica, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
Never burn a bridge. If you do, this can often come back and bite you in the bum in the future! Relationships and reputation matters. You never know when you need someone or need their business partnership or support. Thus, be aware of what you do and say, and how you interact with everyone so your reputation proceeds you in a good way! Take the high road, give grace, stand up for yourself and advocate for the things you believe in and do so professionally and with grace.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think in our current world, we are so used to getting things instantaneously we can lose patience for the longterm commitment and resilience that is required when we want to achieve something. When it comes to developing your voice and creative work as an artist, that takes work and time. It requires daily, weekly, monthly, yearly commitments. It doesn’t happen over night, but it’s consistency and your daily efforts that make a difference. It requires prioritizing your goals and making sacrifices. Often you have to make lifestyle changes to create time and space in your life to center your artistic practice. You have to be willing to pick up those side gigs and jobs so you can support yourself while pursuing your artistic goals. Nothing has ever been handed to me, so I learned at an early age that if I wanted something, I had to go out there and get it and make it happen. Thus in life if I want something or want an opportunity, I either go get it or create it myself. I am a very resilient person, and I think that is a skill you need to be a successful in running a business venture or project.

I am really excited about the nonprofit organization I created in 2022, Third Space Dance Project! This is a new nonprofit organization in the PHX Valley. After receiving my Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance with a choreographic emphasis from The University of Iowa I moved to Arizona and quickly found employment as dance faculty in academic/higher ed dance programs in several local universities and community colleges. As I began engaging in the community, I found myself asking why there aren’t many platforms for professional dance artists in Arizona. So, I decided to create where there appears to be a lack. I formed Third Space Dance Project to facilitate connection and collaboration and create platforms for artists. This organization reflects the kind of work and creative spaces I am interested in being a part of. I have personally experienced dance to be one of the most powerful mediums to teach people how to come together, bridge differences, share ideas, and create third spaces of thought and understanding. I believe that the more we share and tell our stories, the more we can find common ground and connect, allowing for different realities to exist simultaneously with ours. My hope is that Third Space Dance Project can become a hub and community creative arts space, much like what Velocity Dance Center was for me as a young artist.

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.
I am still fairly new to Arizona, but I am definitely a foodie so that is where I would take any visitor, to all the good spots to find food! I also love the unique downtown areas for the metro cities, and would spend some time wandering or getting lost. I love farmers markets, artisan markets, and community events centering dance and music and culture!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a shoutout to the Seattle dance community and Velocity Dance Center. This organization supported my early growth in building my career and skills as a community leader. Without it, I wouldn’t have gained all of the experience that has led me to where I am and what I am doing today. We desperately need places that support artists in their growth. Velocity Dance Center was a place that gave so much support for artists and allowed me to create and produce my work and produce the work of other artists and collaborators. Velocity was a place where the entire community came together for live performance experiences, to share creative work, people gathered for workshops and classes, and used the space to create. This place was magical and inspires me to this day. My goal as an entrepreneur in Arizona is to create a space like this for dance artists in the Phoenix Valley. My life would not be what it is today without this space I had access to for many years, and I want to create something like this in Arizona. It had a tremendous impact on my life and my artistic trajectory and growth, and I know how important it is that a community has a place like this to call home.

Can you support our mission with a tax-deductible donation? Third Space Dance Project is a platform for professional dance artists and educators to present their work and research through a variety of programming such as festivals, performances, workshops, and ongoing community-centered classes and events. Dance is not only an expression of culture but also a profound way to continue to build and challenge it. Third spaces are in-between spaces where ideas that appear very different can work together to generate a new, third idea. In a world that can often be polarized, dance teaches us how to come together and bridge our differences, as well as celebrate and respect them. The goal of Third Space Dance Project is to create spaces for differences to be examined, allowing the generation of new connections and possibilities. Third Space Dance Project as an organization builds and facilitates the exploration of difference, identity, and community through dance. We appreciate all donations of any amount, every dollar makes an impact!

https://bit.ly/donatetothirdspace

Your donation will directly allow us to:

– Provide free, economically accessible classes and workshops for dancers for the 2023 Season

– Support each presenting artist by providing access to rehearsal space

– Pay for our outstanding Venue rental costs

– Support our artists by allowing us to pay a modest Artist Fees

– Provide professional documentation support for artists which includes videography and photography

– Provide tech support and equipment rental costs for our live performances

– Provide supplies needed for our events

– Help us pay for promotional materials such as flyers to get the word out about our projects!

Website: https://thirdspacedanceproject.org/

Instagram: @thirdspacedanceproject AND @angelica_thedanceartist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThirdSpaceDanceProject

https://bit.ly/donatetothirdspace

Image Credits
Natalie Michelle Photo https://nataliemichellephoto.com/ Larry Hanelin