Meet One of the Honorees of MashUp’s 2024 “Exemplary Women in L.A. Dance” Award: MaryAnn Chavez
MashUp invited the dance community to nominate women who have displayed inspirational and transformative leadership in the Los Angeles dance industry to receive special recognition, honor, and gratitude. Meet MaryAnn Chavez, one of 2024’s honorees!
We asked MaryAnn to share a bit about her career journey, what dance means to her, what she envisions for dance in Los Angeles, and more. Thank you Kate for being a warm, supportive, inspiring force in this dance community!
MaryAnn Chavez
Dancer | Choreographer | Dance Educator | Mentor
Co-Founder Lume Dance
Website: maryannchavez.com | lumedance.com
Social Media Handles: @itsmaryannchavez
Can you share a bit about your personal dance journey, particularly as a professional in Los Angeles?
My professional journey started straight out of high school. I was born and raised in SoCal, so LA was just an hour (sometimes two w/ traffic) drive away. My second audition ever was actually to join MashUp Contemporary. When starting out in my career, it was all about finding my people, so I joined FLiRT Dancers, MashUp and Soul Fresh fam and Oceans 11. It was within those groups I was able to make genuine connects that have brought me so much joy and success today. It was through those connections that I booked my first job with Forever 21, Disney Channel, and got signed to dance agency. I have been in the dance industry for 10+ years now and really feel like the seeds that I planted 10 years ago are really starting to sprout.
Tell us about what you currently do in the industry.
Currently I am a business owner alongside my partner Monika Felice Smith, Lume Dance. We have curated three programs that mentor pre-professional and professional dancers and creators. I am also signed to Bloc as a professional dancer and am still in the auditioning and self tape game along with dabbling in choreography within the industry. My most recent work was creating some tour visuals for Elderbrook’s tour stops. Teaching is my passion and I am so thankful to have so many opportunities to do just that. I am currently on tour with Soul de Soul Dance convention, have a weekly slot at Movement Lifestyle on Monday’s at 1pm, and do pop up classes and sub at other top studios in Los Angeles. Most recently I have been putting on my mentoring hat and assisting dancers, teachers and aspiring choreographers with their promotional materials like resumes, reels, bios, mission statements and social media.
In your opinion, why does dance matter?
In my opinion, dance matters because it teaches you so many lessons with each season of your life. When I was younger, it taught me structure. I come from a divorced home where my time was split between two spaces. I could always count on coming to dance and having the same routine within the dance space. Throughout middle school and high school, dance really saved me from falling into the wrong crowd. I had a creative outlet and made life long friends within the dance space all while staying active and healthy. Into adulthood is when I absolutely fell in love with dance, dance helped me blend my purpose and passion into one and make a career out of it.
What excites you most about dance in LA right now?
Something that excited me about dance in LA right now is that I see the concert and commercial worlds colliding. You no longer have to choose this or that when it comes to contemporary dance, it feels like this and that. I am able to witness concert dancers and choreographers have opportunities to shine in the commercial industry and commercial dancers now have more interest in exploring the concert world. It feels like endless possibilities!
What do you envision for the future of dance/dancers in LA?
I envision more inclusivity within the industry. I feel like right now we are in a space where there is tension because there are people who are advocating for more inclusive spaces and opportunities that are getting push back from the more “traditional” spaces, but I do believe there will be less push back int he future and it will be the new normal.