Meet Niyah Pratt | Dancer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Niyah Pratt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Niyah, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I would say the biggest factor behind my success has been approaching dance with a sense of play! This mindset has led me to have the most success because it not only serves to ease my mind, but it also is required of me as a professional dancer. This approach of play is how I am able to stay curious. As dancers, it is our job to unfold and investigate the movement once it is given to us and there is always more that we can give to the movement . The play allows me to keep pushing my work because each time might feel a little different but having that approach makes it not so serious and promotes a healthy mind. I feel having this mindset in the studio is super important just because dancing is so deliberate and we are very serious about our work as artists. It may be misconstrued to others that I am not as serious about my work. The reality is I am 100% myself in the studio and the energy of learning about dance with others is so exciting I can’t help myself but to have a blast! Moreover, this energy and play is something I keep with me and I truly believe it keeps me fueled as a dancer. This is something that brings me the upmost joy and I love sharing it with others.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My journey to dancing was far from being easy, but I had a great village of people right behind me to get me where I am today! My parents created an environment that let my creative spirit live free. I had an art easel that seemed to have an endless supply of paper for me to paint on at all times, a huge bin of dolls that were living their best lives all over our house, and of course a boom box so I could practice all the dances I made in my room. I started dancing around 5 or 6 years old. Prior to dancing, I started running track and began gymnastics. I grew up playing lots of sports; basketball, volleyball, tennis, and golf were widely practiced believe it or not. In Renton, Washington I grew up dancing at the British Dancing Academy where I trained in RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) technique. I trained in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap and also along the way got exposed to hip hop, jazz fusion, and contemporary. I also had many great opportunities to do summer intensives including Debbie Allen, Ailey experience, and Hubbard Street. It really was when I was 16 years old at Debbie Allen that I knew I was meant to be a dancer. Growing up in Seattle, there were not a lot of dancers that looked like me at my studio. My mom did a great job of taking me to see shows like Alvin Ailey and Dance Theatre of Harlem when they were in town, but dancing and being surrounded by other black dancers felt so much different. This experience emphasized how important it is to see people just like you in your field. It helped me become more interested in my craft because I could see there were so many people that paved a way in a field that is not always the most accepting. This stayed with me and launched me to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and received my BFA in Choreography and Performance as well as a BS in Urban Studies. I loved my time at school. We had great opportunities to learn from choreographers at the local and national level as well as some traveling opportunities like New York and Greece. A month after graduation I auditioned for Houston Contemporary and a month after that I found myself driving from Las Vegas to Houston! It was a whirlwind after couch surfing for 5 weeks and being so unsure of what was ahead of me as a dancer, but I’m always so glad I took the risk and just tried everything. I’m extremely grateful for the experience dance has brought to my life. It’s taught me so many things pertaining not only to dance but life as well. I would say I’m most proud of dance leading me into the person I am today, I absolutely would not be who I am without it, and I am most excited about seeing where dance will take me next!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Fortunately, I have had many friends come to visit Houston! I love taking them around the city, I usually start near downtown or the Montrose area. Being from Seattle, we have to go grab them a coffee at either Agora, Catalina Coffee, or Duo Coffee + Pilates and proceed to take a walk at buffalo bayou park! With visiting Texas, it is vital that they indulge in some BBQ as well as Tex-Mex and lucky for us the spots are endless! I am still trying to find my staple spots, but everything I have had so far has been incredible. For grabbing a drink I love taking friends to Better Luck Tomorrow, they have the cutest vibes and I can sit and talk there for hours catching up with friends! I also love going out in the heights so I would definitely take them to bar hop up and move and groove.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to UNLV Dance! They not only shaped me into a well rounded dancer but a well rounded human. I am so grateful for the time spent with Louis Kavouras, Cathy Allen, Dolly Kelepecz, Jason Hortin, Victoria Dale, and Michael Jarret. They each contributed to guiding me on this dance journey and created an environment that promoted me to grow.
I also would like to thank both of my parents. They have been the biggest supporters since the very beginning. I feel so blessed to have parents that did what they loved everyday and growing up you saw that by the time they got home. I feel every more lucky that they support me in doing the same.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niyahpratt/

Image Credits
Courtesy of Houston Contemporary Dance Company
Photographer: Claire McAdams