“We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams. We are the movers and shakers of the world, forever, it seems.” – Arthur O’Shaughnessy
Get to know MoCo in this new monthly feature where we spotlight one of our talented teaching artists.
We had the chance to sit down with MoCo teaching artist, Kristen Leach. Kristen has been with MoCo for nearly eighteen years. In addition to teaching some of the popular Kids Bop classes at MoCo, she is also Director of MoCo’s Middle School Musical and Choreographer for MoCo’s High School Musical. Oh, and she’s also the Artistic Director of New Hampshire Dance Institute, has three awesome daughters and is heavily involved with several different theatre groups throughout the Monadnock region. For instance, she choreographed the dances in the Monadnock High School Drama Club production of Newsieswhich is taking place March 7th– 9th. And she was recently seen leading the warm-up with NHDI at the Red Cap Run – a charitable 5k race run in Keene each February to benefit a local family in need.
To say Kristen is a busy lady is an understatement. Yet, somehow there’s always a smile dancing across her face. We asked Kristen about how she got her start, what she loves about MoCo and what advice she has for new students and parents as they embark upon their creative arts journey. And of course, we absolutely NEEDED to know about her rescue puppy and her favorite treat.
MoCo: How did you get your start in arts education?
Kristen:My primary background is in Musical Theatre. I actually studied Voice in college, not dance. Which is a surprise to some people. On the side I was taking dance classes occasionally and was involved in a few musical theatre productions that were dance heavy. When I was teaching at Dublin School, I contacted Carol Batchelder at The Moving Company Dance Center (MoCo Arts) and pitched the idea of a dance program that was based on story-telling instead of recitals. She really liked it. She was also just bringing Reagan (Messer) on board to lead the dance program and the whole thing was kind of twisting from a recital-based thing into something that was creating some pretty significant artistic contributions to the community. It was really cool to be a part of that growth.
MoCo: You teach Kids Bop at MoCo. What is it about those classes that you most enjoy?
Kristen:I like the athleticism of hip hop, and its accessibility to children. I’m also choreographing and directing for the musical theatre program, which again is a story-based kind of dance – telling stories through movement. I really love that. Movement is really kind of organic for kids. They know how do “this” now. Showing them that if you do “that” to it, it looks totally different, and kind of melding it into an artform is so much fun.
MoCo: Would you say then that Kids Bop, or Hip Hop is a good place for a child to start in dance?
Kristen:Well, you know what’s beautiful about what we do at MoCo? It’s that every child can find something that works with their natural style of movement. Some children may feel more fluid, and there are classes for that. Some may feel more tribal or beat driven, so they may gravitate more towards hip hop. Those that are more percussive may gravitate towards tap. I guess I feel like any of our genres are really great for children. Sometimes you get kids in the door because they want to try Kids Bop. Then they hear about ballet or tap or jazz, and they end up taking those as well. I love that! If Kids Bop gets them through the door… then that’s perfect. Though I’m always pushing ballet. Everyone should take a ballet class.
MoCo: Tell us something about yourself that your students probably don’t know.
Kristen:That I’m a tri-athlete. Although they probably know that because I talk about how cross-training for dance is really important. It’s interesting when I’m teaching in a public school setting to talk about the athleticism of various sports and then connect it to dance. I want to encourage the kids to try something new! Tris are relatively new to me, having been doing it just the last three or four years, so it’s awesome. The open water swimming was a little shocking.
MoCo: I bet! Seems a little daunting.What advice would you give to students coming to MoCo for the first time?
Kristen:We all do this, and I love it. We just say “Welcome. Come on in!”Pretty quickly the whole vibe of our space and what we do and how much we love our little community becomes apparent. They feel it right away. Before they even come in the door, I would tell them not to assume anything. Don’t assume that you’re not going to be able to do this because you probably are. When it seems tough, keep going. Everybody learns at a different pace so when you come into a room and it seems like everybody’s getting it and you’re not, you’re doing better than you think you are. Don’t quit! If it’s something you love doing, keep going. Ask for help. And bring a friend! Enjoy the process. This is your class. Don’t look in the mirror and look at somebody else. You can’t compare yourself to others. The teachers at MoCo LOVE their students. Above all else, we’ll go back to what we know. Which is that we want students from the moment they walk in the door at 18 months until they graduate, to leave feeling like they grew as a dancer. That they feel like they’re better than they were when they walked in. It’s about growing their confidence and their sense of community. There is an amazing staff here to help them achieve that.
MoCo: What advice do you have for parents about how they can best support their child and help them grow in the arts?
Kristen:When parents ask me how they can best help their child grow and improve I tell them, put music on in your house and dance! All different kinds of music. Latin, percussive, waltzes, musical theatre pieces, even rap. Find clips of people dancing on You Tube and share them with your kids. If a parent is looking for a way to connect with their kids about dance, there’s ways to do that sitting in your own kitchen on your device. And take them to see things whenever you can. There are TONS of great things happening in this community. Come see Time to Danceat MoCo. Go see at show at the Redfern or The Colonial. Go see stuff! It can be really inspirational.
MoCo: What else do you enjoy doing when you’re not at MoCo?
Kristen:I love, love, LOVE my family and walking my dog and spending time watching my children do the things they do. While all of them have been involved with MoCo, they’re primarily doing other things. Kenzie is a cross-fit coach, so I like hearing about what’s going on there and with her personal training. Jayna plays violin so I like going to concerts. Liza is a swimmer, so I love going to swim meets. So, I guess, diving into what they’re all interested in is cool. It’s very different than dance and theatre. I also have an incredible husband who can build or fix anything and is arguably the coolest human on Earth! He’s also a musician and composer and occasionally plays for MoCo shows. I love spending time with him.
MoCo: What kind of dog do you have?
Kristen:Oh, who knows. (laughter) We got her at the Humane Society. She’s a lab/retriever/something… She’s amazing.
MoCo: What’s your favorite junk food?
Kristen:Cookies. I really love cookies. I mean, even just saying the word “cookie” makes you smile.
MoCo: True. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?
Kristen:Actually, yes there is! I think it’s really important actually to me and for MoCo, that I am the Artistic Director of the New Hampshire Dance Institute. At NHDI we’re serving 3000 children in this community, introducing them to dance as part of their school day. And the number of children that are inspired by that and decide to continue dancing is really awesome. The fact that NHDI partners with MoCo and we collaborate in creative ways means a lot to me. MoCo offers a scholarship to one of our dancers every year. When I see an NHDI kid walk through the doors at MoCo it’s just awesome. The idea behind NHDI isn’t to train dancers, it’s only to give them an introduction to what it is. The discipline of it, the love of it. It’s a non-competitive team sport. And when these kids want to continue and they show up at MoCo, it’s just really great. The fact that MoCo is also a nonprofit and offers tuition assistance is fantastic. For me to be able to say to a child that I know is getting tuition assistance from us at NHDI that there’s a place they can go to continue dancing, is just extraordinary. I feel like this is a really important part of me and my connection to MoCo Arts. That this is available to the children in this community is beyond awesome. That’s the real #MoCoMagic.
MoCo: That’s incredible. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to chat with us, Kristen!
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Kristen. We’ll see you next month when we profile another #MoCoMagic Maker.
