How I Got Here: Bangarra dancer Kassidy Waters
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Admit it, we’ve all been there—deep dive stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you wanted to know about the secrets of career success.
Our latest guest is Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Kassidy Waters, who is also an ambassador for the National Museum of Australia’s Feared and Revered exhibition.
Photo by Gregory Lorenzutti
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Kassidy Georgia Waters. I’m a contemporary dance artist and choreographer as well as a wife to Sean and mum to my Cavoodle Poppy. I’m a proud Aboriginal Woman from Wonnarua Country. I also acknowledge I’m German, Irish, Spanish, Swedish, Prussian and Welsh from my wisdom of grandparents.
I love to dance and am a company dancer with Bangarra Dance Theatre. I’m passionate about nature and our interactions, issues regarding my people—the First People of this continent including Torres Strait Islander People and our futures, including educating, inspiring and empowering ourselves to create change and awareness.
There’s beauty in nature and its ecosystems and a lot to learn from listening, seeing and treading lightly on our Mother Earth. So I love the sunshine and snow, beach and earth, rain and storms. And everything in between.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid, have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
I didn’t have a clue I would be in this industry. My first passion was with animals growing up in the countryside. Then I loved sports like swimming, tennis and soccer. Then I fell in love with the dramatic arts, doing acting lessons for theatre and television that my amazing mum would drive me all the way to Sydney to attend. This lead me to some big changes—changing High School in Year 9 to Hunter School of the Performing Arts, where I majored in Drama. It was here my connection to culture was strengthened in a whole new way. I read in drama class ‘The 7 Stages of Grieving’, co-written by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman in 1995, was offered ‘Aboriginal Studies’ the elective class, and joined the Millabah Aboriginal Dance group in school.
In my last year of high school I auditioned for the NSW Aboriginal Dance Company (recommended by our Millabah Teacher Tammy Gordon) which was in partnership with The Arts Unit and Bangarra Dance Theatre. It was through this Aboriginal Dance Company that my eyes were opened to who Bangarra Dance Theatre was—learning little bits of the company’s repertoire and then performing them.
When I finished high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I joined my friends I met from the NSW Aboriginal Dance Company in auditioning for NAISDA (National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association) with the hope to one day possibly be in Bangarra Dance Theatre. I guess I wasn’t sure if I could become all that a dancer needs to become and what I had seen on stage.
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
When I first started out dancing it was more about celebrating my identity and my culture, learning about the good and the bad—what some of our families can hesitate to talk about and truth telling of black Australia. Dance was quite healing for us all, a way to learn and have fun but also learn respect.
Then seeing Bangarra Dance Theatre on stage—I was shocked. Experiencing First Nations culture, my culture on stage and seeing it celebrated with such guts and beauty changed my life—it was so motivating for me. I knew I wanted to be able to do that, to be able to dance and affect audiences in the same way it immensely affected me.
I have sacrificed a lot to get to where I am just as my peers and colleagues today have done. I have asked for help, stayed back late to get those counts perfect, trained my body physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. I have woken up sore and pushed through to only feel even more sore the next day. A dancer goes through a lot of changes everyday but it’s worth every failure to see where I am today.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
I was finishing my last year of training and I was unsuccessful with an audition that I was eager to get a traineeship from. At the time I had not entered the independent dance scene of Sydney so it was super daunting. I had no work lined up for the next year so it really made me try get myself out there. I just told myself not to give up all this hard work. I had to be open and willing to take the best from every experience. And it was true, I actually had the best year working with many different people on various projects both dance and non-dance which only gave me a wider range of skills and outlook of myself as an artist. I’ve stayed connected with these people in many different ways over the years and it fills me with absolute joy.
What was your biggest break?
Well each break feels like it was my biggest break— if I jump back to my younger self. Successfully auditioning to NSW Aboriginal Public School, successfully auditioning into NAISDA Dance College, successfully getting in Sydney Dance Company’s Pre Professional Year of 2017, working independently in Sydney with artists like Matt Cornell, Jo Clancy, Craig Bary, Erth Physical and Visual Inc and connecting with bodies such as Legs on the Wall.
I must highlight working with Vicky Van Hout was absolutely remarkable and I learned so much from her process, artistic integrity and wit.
When I successfully got into Bangarra dance Theatre, it was a pinch-myself moment that I entered the company and was working with dancers (now alumni) that I first watched on stage. If I had stopped at my first failure I would never have made it to NSW Aboriginal Dance Company. That astonishes me. Failure becomes your best friend and is not to be feared. But it is a hard lesson to learn.
Photo by Daniel Boud
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I actually have 5…!
- To never give up-—only you can stop you
- Focus your mind and body and spirit on what matters to you.
- Never trust your fears. They don’t know your strength.
- Trust your gut and practice gratitude.
- Don’t waste your own time
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
I love that this industry is getting stronger at supporting artists of all ability, no matter who you are and where you come from. I love that there is a growing understanding of care and protocol when working with First Nations artists. I hate that artist skills and values can be undermined, undervalued and underpaid.
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
I don’t really watch TV or news channels. I love documentaries though! I listen to radio in the mornings—Triple J. Instagram I find interesting as it’s more personal. But I like to do my own research and follow people in particular on certain issues I’m interested in.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years time I see myself still dancing, choreographing a full-length work and teaching Pilates with my very own Gratz reformer. I would love some little Kass and/or Sean’s running around with my amazing husband. And to have a wildly fun veggie and fruit garden!
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
It has been a wild ride doing what I love. It’s hard work but easy to love and super rewarding. I have met incredible people who have changed my life in so many ways for the better.
What advice would you give your past self?
Let go of what does not serve you, whether it be emotionally, physically, spiritually, or energetically because you later realise you are wasting precious energy and precious time and you are precious. Rise above things humbly and focus on what matters. The quicker you realise failure is not to be feared—the faster you will reach your goals.
Main image by Lisa Tomasetti
