It’s rare to find someone who never compromises authenticity for profit. In a world where a career in the arts seems like a dead-end option, and where too many individuals seem to “sell out” in order to make an extra buck, finding someone with passion that outweighs practicality is quite the irregularity. Diane Sharp-Nachsin, founder and head choreographer of SHARP Dance Company, is this exception. The company is an eight-member operation based out of Philadelphia, which originated in 2005, jokingly, as a “cash outflow” company. Forced to retire from a professional dance career because of injuries, Sharp-Nachsin was determined to form a company that could preserve her passion and provide an outlet for dancers like her, despite the obvious risk behind the endeavor. SHARP continued out of love and a passion for its objective “Meaning behind movement,” a venture which for many years seemed to come without reward. Eight years later, the company tours internationally and consistently receives rave reviews; SHARP has become the poster child for a success story of passion over profit.
The company was invited back to perform at the month-long Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) this past April, which posed the question: “If you had a time machine, where would you go?” Sharp-Nachsin’s response: An Aquarian Exposition: A Trip Back to the Original Woodstock. “Our fall season is a very serious professional performance so I like our PIFA show, which is in spring, to be more lighthearted,” she explains. “With that in mind, I wanted a theme that would really speak to us as the family of SHARP” – in this case, a representation of Woodstock, “with all its laughter, love, and hippie spirit.” She, as usual, refused to compromise authenticity for anything, pulling up lists of every single song played at the original Woodstock festival and painstakingly listening to each one before choosing which to incorporate in the set. Although the joyful nature of this exposition strayed from the typical SHARP vibe, Sharp-Nachsin’s authentic creative process remained the same, as she looked solely for music that “spoke to [her] the most.” Says Sharp-Nachsin, “the choreography was really based on my style, but I just let the movement be more free in movement and form.”
The Woodstock ideals of peace, love, and acceptance are exactly the ideals communicated and held by SHARP, which functions more as a family than as a business. “The mission of [the company] is to translate raw human emotion utilizing contemporary movement to connect to the audience through individual interpretation,” explains Sharp-Nachsin, a description which supplements the basic objective of “Meaning behind movement.” She elaborates further, discussing the company as its own entity: “SHARP feels that dance should be more than a performance; it should be an experience…We tour internationally and nationally and strive to build our group in a family type atmosphere as I believe the love and caring you feel for another dancer shows in the work when you perform it on stage.” The company is accepting of all types of dancers, focusing on quality over quantity, and has even held the distinction of being “sexually-infused,” meaning that it is openly accepting of all sexual orientations – and has openly performed pieces about non-normative sexual identities in the process.
The open and loving environment communicated by SHARP is felt by its audience, and is likely what keeps them coming back for more. Sharp-Nachsin’s painstaking attempt to choose exactly the right song and choreography in order to evoke particular emotions clearly does not go unnoticed, and is reflective of the passion which so fervently guides her work. A past performance was so emotionally-charged that it was (not so) jokingly referred to as “Tissues and Razorblades,” a distinction which clearly references the strong emotional influence which SHARP’s pieces has on the audience. That being said, her inspiration is constantly changing and evolving to fit the times and to fit her ever-increasing expectations of herself and her dancers. “I usually have an idea and fit a song to it,” Sharp-Nachsin explains. “However, there have been times when I hear a song and it directs me toward what the piece will be about and which dancers will dance it.” The increasing national – and international – success of the company clearly has come as a result of this constant dedication, through which the music and choreography are always at the forefront of Sharp-Nachsin’s mind.
She has even shifted focus throughout the years in order to cater to her dancers as well as to growing expectations of what SHARP is capable of. She elaborates, “As I proceed in my ever-evolving ideas on choreography, I try to use music with less and less lyrics, as I do feel it influences the audience in what ‘story’ I am trying to tell.” Plain and simple: “What I have in my mind may not fit the wording.” The passionate subjects the company pursues have crossed the spectrum, tackling grief, infertility, abuse, and mental insanity, to name a few. To communicate these ideas without the aid of lyrical support, through the objective of “Meaning behind movement,” is all that the company strives to do. The passion put behind the work – especially work of such heavy subjects – is communicated through the passion which Sharp-Nachsin instills in her dancers, which is then translated through her passionately expressive choreography. Lyrics, in this instance, only serve to impede the creative expression which SHARP Dance Company is so excellent at communicating. Says Sharp-Nachsin, “I rely on music a lot but not [ever] to the point where my inspiration is changed.”
The inspiration behind SHARP’s work seeks to explore boundaries. Sharp-Nachsin and her dancers extend beyond the stage and utilize outside influence to guide performances. The PIFA performance, for example, featured the performances of live singers Jennifer Hallman and Jason Andrew, as well as of Wesley Raft, a percussionist who also wrote a song for a future SHARP piece. It also included a costume contest that encouraged fans to dress in their most creative Woodstock attire. In the past, they have held photo shoots for montages in order to extend beyond basic movement, as in Sharp-Nachsin’s emotionally-charged 2009 piece “I Grieve.” In “Une Soirée au Cabaret” (2011), they created a French ambiance, complete with live musical acts in a quaint coffee house set-up (not to mention, a BYOB policy!) For their fall 2013 season, boundaries are continuing to be crossed, as Sharp-Nachsin is currently utilizing audience participation by accepting letters about inspirational individuals in an effort that is sure to be part of something miraculous.
It is clear that, above all else, the individuals behind SHARP Dance Company love what they do. In a time when “selling out” is the socially acceptable thing to do, this team does nothing of the sort, and is thriving because of it. The transition from a “cash outflow” company to an internationally-renowned operation is nothing short of incredible, and has occurred solely through the persistent and unfailing dedication of its fearless leader. When asked what it is like to be on the side of success, Sharp-Nachsin humbly replies, “I love my job.” She again references the familial support which her company brings her, as well as the importance of a person as a whole over one’s technical skill. “A dancer’s skill, to me, comes second to their personality. I can make someone a better dancer, but I can’t make them a nice person. We all spend a lot of time together outside of the theater. These bonds with these lovely dancers and, more importantly, people, are truly what I believe make a company strong.” The strength of this family is quite apparent, and proves that passionate pursuit of one’s goals, despite potential risk, is always worth the reward.
* Visit sharpdance.org for more information about their upcoming fall 2013 performance set.
Amanda Matteo is the Editor in Chief of the Rutgers Review