Today we’d like to introduce you to Shari Setchell.
Hi Shari, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I moved to Northfield from Los Angeles about 23 years ago. In LA I had worked for a kid’s education website doing quality assurance and game development and had hoped to get a job here doing the same. Unfortunately, the market for that kind of job dried up shortly after we arrived here. I had trouble finding any job because I was often overqualified for what was available to me. During this time, I began dancing at the Northfield Arts Guild. I had danced in Los Angeles and have been a dancer and theater artist for most of my life. The Guild was life giving and connected me to a wonderful community of people that I still stay close to today.
As I continued to dance at The Guild, I was given the opportunity to teach dance and theater for their summer youth theater program. This was an incredible, but intense trial by fire of learning how to be a teacher and director and child wrangler and I loved it! Because of my work during this time, I was offered a job as the choreographer for Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival at Northfield High School. I had never done a large scale choreography job, but had done several pieces for my swing choir in high school and like many young dancers had put together plenty of dances in my living room growing up. Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival is THE thing that most people associate me with and I have choreographed 12 of the shows over the last 20+ years, including one during COVID. The show is an absolute beast and I’m so grateful to have been a part of the outstanding team that puts it together every two years. From my work on Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival, I became the choreographer for the musicals at the High School. I’m also honored to be the director for their spring show as well.
The other opportunity I was given after teaching in The Guild’s summer program was the chance to get to teach Creative Dance in their dance program in the fall. It was a challenge I wasn’t quite up to as my background is primarily still in ballet and musical theater dance. However, I dug into some fabulous books for guidance and asked some of my other colleagues about how to approach this new dance form. After teaching Creative Dance for several years, I was finally allowed to take on a few beginning ballet classes. Then two of The Guild’s primary teachers left the organization to teach in The Cities and I took over the advanced classes. During this time, I also began the Dance Theater Company at The Guild and created pieces for them throughout the year.
I taught ballet and ran the Dance Theater Company at The Guild for several years and had always wanted to jet out on my own. I finally made the big leap in 2022 and formed Big Woods Movement Collective, a non-profit organization whose mission is to create a safe space for multiple styles of movement-based arts geared toward healing and moving all bodies of all abilities. Through Big Woods I have been able to focus my teaching on reaching out to a more adult population and working to get bodies moving in the studio in a community focused environment. I have two other instructors who teach for my organization. Their focus is on the 55+ population in town and on healthy alignment and self-care. Big Woods also holds a community festival every year that includes accessible yoga, musical performances, and dance jams. We continue to grow as an organization and recently partnered with The Guild again to use their gorgeous studio space and amplify our voice as an inclusive movement arts organization. I’m excited to see how we continue to expand over these next few years!
Alright, 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?
It has not been a smooth road. There are always challenges when working hard to create art and make your place in a challenging field. One of the biggest challenges I had early on was the perception that I was not qualified enough to teach ballet. I had studied dance very seriously when I was in grade school and middle school and had done musical theater all through high school, but I had never dance professionally or done much dance in college (I did Highland Dance for a semester at Macalester and did a semester of ballet!). To counter that perception I sought out ways to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. I eventually decided to complete my training as a somatic movement therapist. As a result of this intense training, I crafted a sequential body-based ballet curriculum that incorporates somatic embodiment principals and guides dancers through this challenging form through the natural resources of their own body. I still think there is a perception that I am not qualified to do what I do, but now at least I know I’ve done my due diligence and have a feather in my cap that I worked hard for.
Other challenges are more general. Funding for arts activities is always scarce and the way our culture views arts, and dance specifically, is always a difficult reality. People want dance to be a big recital and over the top costumes, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ve really stuck to my belief that dance can be done anywhere by anyone at any time. The recital sells, but it’s not necessary. Big Woods focuses on community, process, and joy. This does not make us the most popular place in town to dance, but it does provide a place for those who don’t want all of the bells and whistles. I have a committed group of dancers who I am overjoyed to see for our classes every week and that is how I measure my success.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work focuses on community centered, technique-based, joyful movement. I have a high bar for my dancers, but I work to get them there in their own ways. I specialize in creating a space where everyone feels welcome and capable in their own way no matter how they show up for each class. I think the thing that sets me apart from others is my ability to make movement accessible to everyone. Dance can be frustrating and uncomfortable for so many and I’ve gotten to a place where I’m mostly OK with this part of the process. It’s important to acknowledge that when I choreograph or teach and to find a way to get all dancers on board with where we are going. I also bring a wicked sense of humor to everything I do, which not only keeps me humble, but reminds me that we are not doing brain surgery and should approach our work while laughing and smiling…and sometimes crying because that’s where we are at on that day.
In addition to my work as a choreographer and dance instructor, I am also a body worker and movement therapist. After I went through my intensive somatic movement therapy training, I chose to open my own private practice. I’m very proud of being able to offer this unique modality to people in Northfield and love that through my practice I have created a space that people are at ease in and feel welcome in. I know that people who normally shy away from this kind of work can come in to work with me and feel seen and heard and supported through what we do in our sessions.
I am incredibly proud of all of the work I have been able to be a part of in this community. Without it I would be working an office job and slowly dying every day of my life. The thing that I continue to come back to every time I reflect on what I am most proud of, and what I’m most known for, is Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival. It sounds like a crazy, cheesy production and I know it has its naysayers, but I believe it’s a powerful tool for healing and transformation for the kiddos who participate in it. There is no other production in town that the kids or the staff involved get to work in such a multi-dimensional, multi-disciplinary way. The show itself is so big that it draws kids from the entire High School spectrum, not just kids who do theater or choir, but so many others! Because of this wide range of kiddos, I get the opportunity to show these young performers that they are capable of so much more than they ever thought possible. And I am able to do all of that in a safe environment where they feel pushed to do their best, supported, and loved. Every time we do this show, I swell with pride for every single human onstage and know how hard they worked to get there. In these sometimes hopeless times, it’s so important for kids to have these experiences and I cannot describe how proud I am to be a part of this production.
I would also like to shout out the incredible work I’ve been able to do at the High School during their falls musicals and spring play. I have choreographed a dozen shows at the High School and directed even more. While these often don’t have the high profile that Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival does, they give me the chance to work with students on a more personal level and to focus in on creating character and meaning during these productions. I love seeing ensemble build and grow over our time together and marvel at what we are able to accomplish during our short time together.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’ve recently been dipping in to Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Peace is Every Step”. Reading a passage from this has been a very grounding easy way to end my day. I appreciate the simplicity and profoundness of his ideas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bigwoodscollective.org
