Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Cramer.
Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
So, I have always dreamed of doing performing arts, like theatre and dance. I would beg my parents all of the time to put me in dance classes and into a theater program so that I could live out a potential hobby. However, it was almost impossible due to my family’s work situation, my age, and what was the norm for us. My mom was a Paramedic for my hometown and worked 24 to 48 hour shifts throughout the week. The norm was that my dad took me to school, volunteered for the traffic outside of my school, pick me up, and take me home. I would see my mom but not as much as I would see my dad or brother. Throughout my young life, I prayed for an opportunity to learn dance on a technical level and to express my abilities in acting. One day, however, my prayer was answered through a tragedy, a blessing in disguise. While I was sitting in my history class in sixth grade, I got a phone call that I had to leave early. My mom, while I was in school and she at work, was hit by a car and was rushed to the hospital. To get straight to the point and skip over the anxiety you may be feeling, she survived and is still with us! My prayer was answered in a way I could never think possible. However, because of this accident, my mom was out of the job because she was now physically disabled. The loss of the job allowed her to spend more time with us, her family. My dreams of doing performing arts were now a reality! I started first with theater, I did about eight or so plays before getting into ballet. I did Nutcracker during my time at the ballet company and the spring shows we had. Of course though, all good things are accompanied by something to make appreciate what you have. Nutcracker of 2019, which was my second Nutcracker, my third performance with the ballet company, and my thirteenth performance in front of an audience, I was practicing briefly about five minutes before curtain opens. I slipped and broke my right ankle in three places and had to be replaced in the show on the opening night of my senior performance. I was so upset and felt like all the hard work was for nothing but it helped me to understand that God gave me an amazing opportunity to do the arts in this sort of capacity and in a lot of ways, I was putting my artistic performances above my faith. I ended up making a full recovery and participated in a recital that year and headed back into the seasonal performances. Fast forward to the present day, I live in North Charleston, South Carolina on campus at my university and I drive an hour back home on Fridays to teach a new school. I teach dance and theatre to kids who may not have an opportunity to get into classes for either dance or theatre but has the same desire I once did and still have in some capacities. I also have a lot of opportunities to teach ballet on campus by using the open studio at the gym on campus and having a generous group of people eager to know more about dance.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not. I had to go through trauma with my mom experiencing her accident to get involved. Then I had a lot of discrimination in my theater because of my expressive personality. Then in ballet, I had a huge injury that took me out for three months and I had to regain my strength to where it was.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I teach dance and theater to kids at this new school in my hometown who are like me, have the desire to perform but are unable to because of circumstances beyond their control. I think I am most proud of the journey that has gotten me where I am now. There are many obstacles, and there are still a lot of obstacles that I am currently trying to overcome. I am set apart from others because of my testimony and how I was able to get here, I think also is my personality is very unique and there are few people who have a mind that is like mine.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Well, this is something personal that some people know but it is something I do not tell everyone. My last name is biologically incorrect. By definition, my last name is wrong. In a way that is easy to explain and understand without getting myself confused is to explain it like this: my grandad on my dad’s side took the last name of his stepfather because he did not know his true biological father. My grandfather did not know his real father so took the last name of someone who was a father figure to him. My last name is Cramer but it is supposed to be a French name called “Blais” (pronounced blay).
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelec921/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelec921
