55: Stand by Your Values — Darla Lemay

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Darla Lemay, who has spent nearly three decades as Artistic Director of</span> <a href= "https://stageworksacademy.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Stageworks Academy of the Performing Arts</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">which offers performing arts education to all people, no matter their gender, abilities or financial status. On top of her nearly 28-year-run with Stageworks, Lemay has also directed many different Broadway Productions — such as Annie, the Sound of Music, the King and I, Hairspray, and Mamma Mia — and has been extensively involved community projects.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lemay teaches dance for the love of dance, and her pursuit in life is to share that joy with all people who are willing to have it; however, Lemay also knows the danger of losing sight of that target — of veering off course. On the podcast, Darla shares about her incredible dance journey, deep dives on her dance academy, and expresses the importance of sticking by your values in all situations, even if it means taking a more difficult road.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Moving Quotes:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I heard a quote — ’Talent is universal, but opportunities are not.’ And I want to switch that. I want to say, ‘Opportunities are universal in our organization.’"</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The arts are just an extension of who we are. If we love the arts, it’s hard to deny the arts."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When you’re dealing with people, they’re not robots. They come with their own experiences, desires, and passions."</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">3:17: Darla deep dives on her academy, describing its structure and the values that it instills into the hearts and lives of its stud