Creativity and Collaboration: An Interview with Kay

Last year, one of our students Julia approached Kay with a school project. She was given the task to interview a leader within a community she belonged to, and decided Crossmaneuver was the one. Julia has danced and created with Crossmaneuver for a few years now, and as you can see in her improvising on the cover of our website, she embodies a style in her movement that is unique, intricate and down to earth.

The result, a small glimpse inside the community and values of Crossmaneuver from an interview with Julia and Kay.

Kay and Julia dancing at Wesbrook Community Centre.

Julia: What are some words you might use to describe yourself?

Kay: I am creative, outgoing, and emotional.

Julia: What are some of your hobbies?

Kay: I love dancing (a given), music, cooking, baking, and reading.

Julia: How would you describe the community of Crossmaneuver?

Kay: Crossmaneuver is a place where artists can immerse themselves in the creative exploration of the arts. They will be trained and be given opportunities to collaborate with others and create multi-disciplinary original works.

Julia: What do you think Crossmaneuver does well?

Kay: Crossmaneuver has an amazing team who approach the teaching and training of young artists with passion and experience. Our strength comes from the diversity within our team, and the way we approach the creative process as one that is collaborative with our students. We also have a lot of fun.

Julia: What do you think is a challenge for Crossmanuever?

Kay: The lack of our own space is the biggest challenge that we currently face. We are so grateful for the Old Barn and Wesbrook Community Centre but it’s hard to plan and grow Crossmaneuver beyond a short foreseeable future without a permanent space. We can’t offer year long programming and instead, the students must register separately per semester. The dream would be to have a space where we can plan for growth in the future.

Julia: Do you consider yourself a leader?

Kay: Yes, I do consider myself a leader. At Crossmaneuver, I have the opportunity to set the vision and hire a team that I believe will bring the right values and qualities to all of the programs and camps that we offer. I view leadership not as a title or position, but rather anyone who shows genuine care for others and who is able to lift others up with their strengths. They have the ability to change the culture around them positively by their presence and actions. That is a leader.

Julia: What do you think other people in Crossmaneuver can learn from you?

Kay: That relationships are at the heart of all that I do. My staff and students are irreplaceable and valued, even if it is only for a season.

Thanks Julia for taking the time to interview Kay at Crossmaneuver and to all of you who have made it this far along the journey! We look forward to creating, exploring, dancing and sharing more through this forum in the days ahead.