Behind the Scenes with Andrew Roth, Imagery Board Member

Imagery is committed to transparency in our values and processes, both within our organization and in our engagement with you, our audience and community. The following interview is the second in our “Behind the Scenes” series, where we will delve into the people behind our work, from board members to administrators to artists, collaborators, longtime patrons, and cherished community members. Everyone’s voice is important to the work that we do, and we’d like to share and uplift those voices as Imagery moves forward into a bold vision for the future. Conversations are the most important tool we have for generating change.

Today we welcome Andrew Roth, one of Imagery’s newest board members.

What follows is a transcript of our lively conversation. You can listen to the audio version of our interview below:

Sarah: Welcome. Thank you for joining me, Andrew. I’m wanting to learn a little bit more about you, as you have just joined the board of Imagery. What's your background with dance and ballet, and why were you attracted to Imagery's work in particular?

Andrew: Great. Well, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here and talking with you. And in terms of my background in dance, I started dancing (for classical ballet) somewhat late, as I was 14 when I first put on tights and soft shoes and started dancing. I had some natural ability, which of course is always helpful. And I also was fortunate that I had access to some great training. So by the time I was in my late teens, I was training at Pacific Northwest Ballet and spent a summer at the School of American Ballet and then went to the National Ballet School of Canada for a two-year program. And after that, went back to Seattle and danced with Spectrum Dance Theater for several years and served as a guest artist and different ballet companies doing Nutcrackers and things like that. So I really enjoyed a 10-year performing career, in terms of when I started working and the last time I hung up the dance shoes. I then taught for several years after that and finished a college degree and entered the workforce professionally, but always kept the love of dance close to my heart. 

In late 2016, early 2017 I joined the board of Sacramento Ballet. And that's where Amy and I connected. She was one of the individuals who applied to be the Artistic Director there. And I had the privilege of serving as the chair of the board’s search committee. So she was the successful candidate and I became the Board Chair. So she and I got to work together. And that's where I became familiar with her work in Imagery. And fast forward to 2021, and of course the pandemic has changed many things in the world. So we're now at a point in time, I left the board of Sacramento Ballet in 2019 and it felt a little bit like missing something in terms of an artistic connection in my life. Amy and I had stayed in touch and she invited me to consider joining the board and I was fortunately successful. And I will say in terms of the work that Imagery does, what I really appreciate is the contemporary nature and the deliberate inclusiveness that Amy takes to the work that the company performs. That's really important if something that I think the dance world in general and ballet in particular struggles with. And so while there's no kind of, this is the answer, this is how to do it, being thoughtful, committed, and intentful is crucial in my opinion. And I feel like Amy and the Imagery team, other board members, participants, and artists share that vision and it's just exciting to be a part of.

Sarah: That's great to hear. It's really nice to have someone on the board and behind us who has some of that insight experience with what it's like to be a dancer. I think it changes the way that you see things and the way that you see possibilities as well. So I wonder, as you're coming on to navigating this new board environment with Imagery, how do you hope to bring your unique qualities and experience and viewpoints to Imagery's vision and values in the world?

Andrew: Talents and skills: I think having a background in dance is helpful in serving as a board member, a trustee of a dance company, having been a dancer in a company, sometimes the board is a shadowy body of people that you wonder do they understand what we do? And having been on the board of multiple dance companies now I know sometimes getting board members to come to performances and really engage in the art is sometimes a challenge. I'm hoping that my background in dance is useful and helps engage other board members. And then also in terms of my own skill set, I've been working in the financial industry specifically in institutional investing, large US pension funds. I am an executive in an educator's pension fund here in Texas. So have a fair amount of operational skills, financial skills, governance, also leadership. And so any of those traits, I'm happy to put on whatever hat is helpful to further the mission and the goals of the organization.

Sarah: It sounds like some of those skills and experiences will be really key for us as we're navigating these weird times we live in. What are some of the challenges that you see right now for the current state of dance and for its future, and what would you like to see change as we approach these different challenges?

Andrew: I think one of the immediate issues is the pandemic and the fact that gathering in person is something that we haven't done much of in the last year and that's probably going to be another year before anything approaching what we all remember and treasure becomes possible again. So figuring out how to reach audiences and remain relevant is key in the short term. 

And in terms of dance in general, what I like about dance is that it's a wide and varied art form. So there are many different kinds of dance and there's an audience for each genre of dance. Now Imagery is a contemporary ballet company. Ballet in general, I think is an art form that needs to evolve. I think there are a number of companies across the United States that are yoked to what I would call a 20th century paradigm. There's usually a male artistic director. Most of the company is mostly homogenous in terms of the race and ethnicity of its dancers, typically Caucasian, and that paradigm seems dated. I think it’s key and critical for the art form to evolve, to embrace a more multicultural model and to incorporate other forms of dance into ballet, anything that's like it's a rigid syllabus and it can only be classical. We can't ever have someone touch the floor or sit on the floor, do a contraction or anything that would destroy the purity of ballet. Well, and you're going to have fewer and fewer people that want to come and see that, because the world has changed and people are looking for a reflection of what they know and love to see in the world when they come to watch a ballet. 

I think there's always a place for the Nutcracker for some of the great story ballets of the 19th century, for some of the wonderful work that 20th century choreographers have done. It's just, we are well into the 21st century and there's so much talent out there. There's so many voices that we've not heard, women choreographers, choreographers of color, gay and lesbian choreographers, choreographers who may be differently abled. Those are things that people with that kind of perspective and background can create compelling art. And I think in order for dance to survive, in order for ballet in particular to thrive, it needs to embrace that diversity, that need to be inclusive of different voices. It's something that there's this, we don't want to offend our donor base. And the donor base is a small group of people. Yet art is a community expression and it's ultimately supported by the community. So in order to remain relevant and, in my opinion, in order for dance and for ballet to remain vital and to thrive and to grow, I really think it needs to change and it doesn't mean it needs to go away and become something different. It just is an evolutionary process. And I think that Amy Seiwert’s Imagery is doing some of that work and it’s very exciting to me. There's all different kinds of opportunities to grow and evolve, and I'm just excited to be a part of that myself.

Sarah: Thank you. That's really well said and that leads perfectly into my next question: What are some of your specific hopes or dreams for Imagery's future in shaping the field of contemporary ballet?

Andrew: You know, I have a lot of faith and confidence in Amy's ability as a leader. I think that women choreographers that enjoy a national profile here in the U.S. are a pretty select group. It's thrilling to me that Amy is a part of that group, is a part of that community. And even more important to me is Amy's commitment to diversity and inclusion. And so my hope is that the model of Imagery is a nimble company that isn't necessarily tied to a specific theater, a brick and mortar presence, that because Imagery is able to deliver art on multiple platforms, for example, during the pandemic Imagery has been able to swiftly pivot to plenty of video content. We know how to do it, and it's not just setting an iPhone on the stand at the front of the studio. There's beautiful, gorgeous settings and compelling things that you couldn't do on a stage because it is a video. It’s just as artistically relevant and gripping and thrilling. I'm hopeful that Amy and the artists that she collaborates with will be able to bring some of this cutting edge, contemporary dance, contemporary ballet, to a really broad audience and inspire other artists who are choreographing. Some of whom may be in those larger brick and mortar type companies and think, "Wow, wouldn't it be cool if..." And they're inspired by the work and Amy really starts to help shift the conversation and help wake up some of the more static companies that have been doing the same thing the same way for so many years, and really help the art form itself evolve and grow. That's my hope and my dream.

Sarah: That's fantastic. I'm going to do everything that I can to help those things come true.

Andrew: Happy to help you.

Sarah: So on a more personal note, what's your favorite thing about dance that you might wish to share?

Andrew: You know, for me dance is a cathartic art. It's an emotional art, dance is one of those art forms. Music is similar because music will inspire emotion and we can go on a journey through a symphony or through a live music performance, but dance, it's physical. And so there's this athletic component to it. When an audience is engaged with dancers, as a dancer you can feel the energy of the audience and it feeds you and you become larger than just me, Andrew one single performer. The best dance experiences I have, the ones that I remember 30 years later, getting chills, are some of my most treasured memories, when it was live music, a large audience, a beautiful pas de deux, gorgeous choreography, and really channeling the emotion of the choreographer, receiving the energy of the audience, channeling that into emotion and having people say, "Your performance was so moving. And we cried. It was so beautiful." Those are the things that as a dancer it’s why I danced, it was to bring the joy of movement and art and beauty and music all put together and delivered to the audiences that were watching it. And I really do think that live dance is unique and special. I mean, we need to be able to deliver on video platforms and reach broad audiences that's an essential component. Yet as a performer, some of the most memorable, most beautiful experiences I had were in front of a live audience.

Sarah: You gave me chills there, thinking about my own experiences, the last time I was on stage was toward the end of 2019. And I dream about dancing all the time and most of the time it's things happening on stage or backstage in these ways. There's nothing like it. And it's really something that I think we're all hoping to make more relevant to people who think they might not be able to relate to dance. I think a lot of people look at dance and they say, "I don't get that." Or," I don't know how to understand that," but it's really fundamentally human. And for me, even writing about dance can help to give people a way in to understand something that might seem incomprehensible, but is really fundamentally human. So thank you for those reflections. That really illuminates a lot.

Andrew: You're so welcome. And I really liked what you said, it reminds me about reaching audiences and doing that through writing and watching dance and through dancing yourself, Amy talking about access points. The more access points that we as the artistic community of dance can offer to our patrons and our viewers, I think the better off we all are, to demystify what people don't necessarily know. There's a lot of mental, "Oh my gosh, it's going to be boring or I'm not going to like it, and I'm not going to get it." And instead, really making an effort to relate to those folks. I like how you put that. That's great.

Sarah: Absolutely. And I think we've actually learned a lot through the pandemic about how to engage people in different ways, because we've been totally shut out of our normal platforms of engagement. So it's made us creative and I really love all of the dance language that's happening around stuff too of organizations being nimble and pivoting in these ways. And Amy's choreography is quite nimble, many pivots, I would think. So we've been doing it, we've been prepared for this, and I'm really looking forward to what the future can bring with this company in general, and with someone like you behind the scenes and on the board.

Andrew: Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. Look forward to serving.

Many thanks to Andrew for his thoughtful generosity. We look forward to more conversations and his contributions to Imagery’s future!

Andrew Roth is the Chief Operations and Administration Officer (COAO) and number two in charge of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), the sixth-largest pension fund in the US. TRS provides retirement security for some 1.7 million members and health care for over 750,000 members, their spouses, and dependents. He oversees Finance, Health Care, Benefit Services, Organizational Excellence (HR), Information Technology, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Andrew joined the board of Amy Seiwert’s Imagery in early 2021. Prior to that, he served as the President of the Board of the Sacramento Ballet from 2017-2019. Andrew holds a BA in History and a master’s degree in Public Administration, both from the University of Washington. Andrew is an avid Masters swimmer and coached Special Olympics athletes from 2014-2018. 

Andrew is also a former professional ballet dancer. He trained at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, the School of American Ballet, and the National Ballet School of Canada. He performed with companies including the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, and Spectrum Dance Theater. Andrew also taught and coached ballet at schools in Sacramento for several years.

[ Image description: Andrew is a white man with short, light hair and light eyes, smiling into the camera while wearing a gray suit jacket, light blue shirt, and blue and gray patterned tie. ]