by Clayton Ashcraft
Wow, how can I explain the workshop this last weekend with Tadd Gadduang?! Heart and soul would be the two words to define his class, the knowledge shared, and the feeling of the room. I take from not only my conversations with him to and from Tucson, but what he had to say about being an artist in everything. Tadd said,"As artists or whatever form of artistry you do; singing, dancing, painting, anything…anything that you do that expresses in a sense you're giving something to those who are engaged who are committed to what you are projecting on stage. Sometimes I am guilty of this…I would just move to music…I wasn't giving or sharing. I try to draw from experiences in my life and express it through what I do." The heart and soul of the dancers, ranging from kids to adults, that attended the workshop left the studio with a better idea of what being a 'true artist' is all about.
Part of my mission for Step X Step Dance was featuring talented dancers in small communities that don't normally have a large voice like other dancers, studios, or crews may have! The mission I set to achieve and the artistry of Tadd's class fused together to create a force of progression, happiness, and motivation for the future. No one should be left out of the equation that makes up this beautiful lifestyle and culture, which is something that I feel Tadd hit up very well in his explanation of 'artistry.'
After a very successful master class with Tadd, he spent another hour or so talking with a few of the dancers from the workshop outside. I could see him giving one on one time with many dancers who were itching to pick his brain on street dance culture, So You Think You Can Dance, making the leap to L.A., and many other subjects. Outside while talking to a few studio dancers he mentioned how the real important part of a class or workshop is the knowledge that is taught about the art, the culture, the foundations, the founders, and how it relates to our life. I look back now and wish I had really got that on camera because we all felt like we had the most nourishing meal for our minds, bodies, and spirits!
Big Thank You to Todd, Janna, Jolie, Garrett, and everyone at BreakOut Studios! Tadd absolutely loved the dancers, his experience and wants to come back! Thank you to everyone that came from others studios in Tucson and supported, we would love to support your studio as well! From the bottom of my heart, it's people like you that help make this dream of mine, Step X Step Dance, come true! Slowly, but surely we are "uniting dancers worldwide step by step!" Please make sure to check us out at StepXStep!
Here is the video link to the workshop recap with Tadd:
