Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Sutherland.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve wanted to be a dancer just about my whole life! I started with ballet when I was about four, and eventually trained in jazz, modern, hip hop, musical theater, cheering, ballroom, and Irish dancing. Something about Irish dancing really stuck with me – I loved the glitz and glamour as well as competitions. In fact, my first real paid gig was a little Irish dance performance I would do at a local Irish tea shop when I was just eight years old. I’ve been doing competitions and performances for a couple of decades, and I’ve been teaching for about five years.
For a while, I was performing in a modern dance company and the director gave me some really good advice. He basically said there’s no money or job security in being a performer, and that I should learn how to be a good teacher. It’s something that really resonated with me, and I take the responsibility of being a teacher and a positive role model very seriously. I found out that I actually love teaching and watching my students grow as dancers more than I enjoyed performing.
Despite some injuries and other setbacks, I was able to enjoy a pretty long career competing and performing. Dancing got me out of my hometown (Cleveland, Ohio) and made me realize how much I loved to travel, explore new places, and meet new people. Now, I want to focus my energy on helping others to love Irish dancing as much as I do.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A career in the dance industry is never going to be a smooth road. There were a lot of ups and downs when I was working through injuries and trying to achieve my goals as a competitor. You can’t exactly conveniently schedule multiple stress fractures leading up to the All-Ireland Championships.
One of the worst things I did was putting too much pressure on myself to place well. My own nerves were destroying me and I was so critical of myself that it was inhibiting my ability to perform to my best ability. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t control the way judges ranked me against the other dancers, I could only prepare and perform my best.
I feel that it’s important for me to instill in other competitors and my dance students that the best you can ever do is giving the audience or judges your best performance and learn to find the joy in that, rather than whether or not you ended up at the top of the podium. This applies to other aspects of life as well – you shouldn’t be discouraged if you really did give something your best effort.
On that note – you’re going to lose a lot more than you’re going to win. Losses are okay! It’s a part of learning to be a better, stronger individual. Learn what your strengths are and play to those.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Right now, I’m working independently as a dance instructor. I’m a certified teacher (T.C.R.G.) with the official Irish Dancing Commission (C.L.R.G.), and I taught Irish dancing at the O’Hare School of Irish Dance in Ohio for five years before I moved to San Diego. It actually broke my heart to leave my dance students and the closeness I felt with their families. I literally watched these kids grow up, and being a part of their successes was so much more rewarding than anything I’d accomplished in my own competitive career. I was not the best competitor, but I think that’s what sets me apart as a teacher – I really relate to everything these dancers are going through, whether they’re struggling to pick up a new step or trying to overcome an injury.
I’ve had the benefit of a really well-rounded dance career, so I know how to teach to different levels and learning styles. I still perform occasionally, though some lingering injuries have made it more challenging as I get older. More than anything it is just so important to me that my dance students or audience fall in love with dancing the way that I did. I want to share that feeling.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
The dance industry obviously has a very strong female presence, so many of my heroes growing up were female dancers I admired. Being surrounded by talented, smart, determined, hardworking young women definitely shaped who I am, and made me feel well positioned for opportunities in life. I worked a number of jobs to pay my way through college and graduated with honors. Now, I work in marketing and have been promoted twice in two years. The opportunities exist, but I learned how truly capable I was through dancing.
Something I’ve noticed in media seems to be a more conscious effort for women to build each other up instead of tearing each other down. That’s hugely important, and I want all women to feel supported by each other and encouraged that they can be positioned for anything they want to do.
Pricing:
- $35/1 hour introductory private Irish dancing lesson
- Inquire for Group Rates
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2167022272
- Email: cara.sutherland@gmail.com
- Instagram: carasx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaraSutherlandIrishDance
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