"I remember sitting in front of the TV at five years old, watching the Bolshoi Ballet perform the Nutcracker on PBS and just being mesmerized by the elegance of the dancers, their movements, and their beautiful tutus. I wanted to move my own body like that, light as a feather, the way they did. My mom was a single parent and couldn't afford dance lessons then, but that didn't stop me. I was always dancing around the house, always imitating the ballerinas. When I was ten, my mom took an extra job, which allowed me to join the River City Ballet Academy that met at St. Matthew's church on Pendleton. I took lessons from the same teacher, Carlton Lee Johnson, until I was sixteen. We practiced every day after school from 5:30 until 9:00 at night and performed all over: Tennessee, Mississippi, Atlanta, and New York. Even though I took a short break from formal training when I was sixteen, I still freelanced, dancing at weddings, churches, and other events.
"After high school, I started college as a pre-med major, but it didn't hold my interest for long. I really wanted to dance, so I changed my course of study. Up till that point, I had only done ballet, jazz, and tap, but earning a BFA in Theater and Dance at the University of Memphis allowed me to explore other forms of movement. Contemporary dance, which is a mishmash of all sorts of different techniques, was new to me, and I discovered a new freedom in dancing, a fluidity I hadn't known before.
"Dance is a great outlet and a wonderful way to channel energy. Besides teaching dance at the U of M, I have my own contemporary dance company called Bridging Souls Productions, which provides instruction to students from age three through adulthood. Teenagers especially benefit from that. It allows them to excel and to change the way they see themselves. Recently, a grandparent told me that her 16-year-old granddaughter's grades went up from Ds to straight Bs after she started dance. It gave her focus, which is so important for a teen.
"Everybody needs somebody to help them along the way, to help them find something they can be good at. My mother was that person for me. She was always in my corner. She used to tell me: 'You can do anything you have a mind to. We will find a way. Let's sit down and make a plan.'"
"After high school, I started college as a pre-med major, but it didn't hold my interest for long. I really wanted to dance, so I changed my course of study. Up till that point, I had only done ballet, jazz, and tap, but earning a BFA in Theater and Dance at the University of Memphis allowed me to explore other forms of movement. Contemporary dance, which is a mishmash of all sorts of different techniques, was new to me, and I discovered a new freedom in dancing, a fluidity I hadn't known before.
"Dance is a great outlet and a wonderful way to channel energy. Besides teaching dance at the U of M, I have my own contemporary dance company called Bridging Souls Productions, which provides instruction to students from age three through adulthood. Teenagers especially benefit from that. It allows them to excel and to change the way they see themselves. Recently, a grandparent told me that her 16-year-old granddaughter's grades went up from Ds to straight Bs after she started dance. It gave her focus, which is so important for a teen.
"Everybody needs somebody to help them along the way, to help them find something they can be good at. My mother was that person for me. She was always in my corner. She used to tell me: 'You can do anything you have a mind to. We will find a way. Let's sit down and make a plan.'"
Tamara Parrish is the founder and Artistic Director of Bridging Souls Productions.
- Website: Bridging Souls Productions
- FB: Bridging Souls Productions
- Instagram: tamarapparrish
- Twitter: @bridgingsouls
BSP CLASSES
MONDAY
TUESDAY
CLASS PRICE: $50 PER MONTH
CONTACT: TAMARA PRINCE-PARRISH
901-240-7879
LOCATION: AWANATA HEALING ARTS CENTER
3624 AUSTIN PEAY HWY
MEMPHIS, TN 38128
MONDAY
- BALLET (AGE 7-14) 5-6PM
- MODERN INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED 6-7PM
TUESDAY
- CREATIVE MOVEMENT 5:30-6PM
- MODERN (AGE 7-14) 6:15-7:15PM
- ADULT BALLET 7:30-8:45PM
CLASS PRICE: $50 PER MONTH
CONTACT: TAMARA PRINCE-PARRISH
901-240-7879
LOCATION: AWANATA HEALING ARTS CENTER
3624 AUSTIN PEAY HWY
MEMPHIS, TN 38128
BSP 2015 EVENTS
March 15, 2015
Sunday 6pm-9pm
Diversity on Stage Awards Ceremony
Buckman Performing and Fine Arts Center
60 Perkins Extended / Memphis, TN 38117
April 17-19, 2015
Thursday-Saturday 7:30pm & Sunday 2:30pm
SOUL II SOUL
Hattiloo Theatre
37 South Cooper / Memphis, TN 38104
May 8-10, 2015
Friday/Saturday @8pm & Sunday @2pm
Song and Dance host by The Hot Foot Honeys
The Evergreen Theatre
1705 Poplar Ave / Memphis, TN 38104
November 28, 2015
Saturday 2:30pm & 7:30pm
5 Year Anniversary Concert
Buckman Performing and Fine Arts Center
60 Perkins Extended / Memphis, TN 38117
March 15, 2015
Sunday 6pm-9pm
Diversity on Stage Awards Ceremony
Buckman Performing and Fine Arts Center
60 Perkins Extended / Memphis, TN 38117
April 17-19, 2015
Thursday-Saturday 7:30pm & Sunday 2:30pm
SOUL II SOUL
Hattiloo Theatre
37 South Cooper / Memphis, TN 38104
May 8-10, 2015
Friday/Saturday @8pm & Sunday @2pm
Song and Dance host by The Hot Foot Honeys
The Evergreen Theatre
1705 Poplar Ave / Memphis, TN 38104
November 28, 2015
Saturday 2:30pm & 7:30pm
5 Year Anniversary Concert
Buckman Performing and Fine Arts Center
60 Perkins Extended / Memphis, TN 38117
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