I am a junior GFA major and am in the MAT Program. In my major, I have been experimenting with my love of painting and my former love of dance and have been making performance art where these two arts are combined. During the summer of 2012 I was an intern at Shen Wei Dance Arts. They are located in the heart of Manhattan, which is where the company was founded. Because they use dance as more of an art, using the body as the medium, this company has built a reputation for performing a “different” and “unique” form of dance. I was one of five interns who worked closely with the office staff of the company.
I found out about this internship in January on a website. I sent in my resume and cover letter and was lucky enough to get an interview with them where I showed them my work and shared my love for theirs. At Shen Wei Dance Arts, I worked in event planning, finances, and media/press to help company run. My direct supervisor was the event planner. She was in charge of running and planning the spring gala in May, which was one of my major assignments, and the summer intensive in July. For the gala, I was in charge of making the place cards, organizing the guest list, making the playbills, and helping to run the auction. At the actual event, the company performed two pieces which were breathtaking and inspiring to see live and up-close. I think the most important thing that I learned was exactly how a non-profit arts organization works. Perhaps I will even be a part of one in the future.