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

Hi Alexa, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have always been a creative at heart. From a young age, I was making dance, writing scripts, and performing for my family at every holiday gathering. I don’t know if life without artistic expression is one I want to live. There was a brief moment after I completed my associates degree where I took a break from dance. In my last year of community college, I sustained multiple injuries, and had a myriad of health problems that I was dealing with. The years of training and pushing my body and mind past its limits were finally catching up with me, and it got really scary. My mental health was plummeting too, and I felt like it was just time for a break. I thought that taking a year away from dance and from school would fix everything. It helped, for sure, but I just remember feeling lost. I was teaching dance at a studio, but I missed just dancing for me, and I so desperately needed an outlet to deal with all the things I was working through internally.
That’s when the idea for North Star Dance Project first came to be. I wanted somewhere to dance professionally, but I couldn’t put myself through all the struggles I went through again. I couldn’t give up my teaching career, and I could not put my body through the hours and hours of training each day again. It just wasn’t healthy for me. I reached out to peers from college, high school, and coworkers at my teaching gig at the time, and got a group of people ready to begin the journey… A week later, the world shut down. Now, in hindsight, starting this company in 2020 during the onset of a global pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We were able to start with no production costs, since we were only able to create digital showcases. It also gave us time to find our footing, and to figure out what the company would be, and what our purpose was as a project.
For me, North Star Dance Project is exactly what I needed it to be. It is a landing place for dancers who want an artistic outlet, and a place to belong. It is a group of incredible individuals with vastly different lifestyles and careers and dance backgrounds all coming together to create movement, to tell our stories. I think as the project has grown, I have had moments where I have contemplated whether to add more training requirements, change the dynamics, or morph the culture of the project, but I always come back to the reason I began this. It is important to me that we remain inclusive, low-stress, and be the place that I was looking for a few years ago.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Recently, North Star Dance Project presented our collection of works from the 22-23 season in our show, Untethered. Seven of our company members choreographed for the show, and I truly have never been more proud of a show in my life. I am so inspired by the dancers that join the project, and I love to see how everyone’s unique voices come together to create such an awesome collection. I think that’s what is so awesome about North Star, there’s a collaborative aspect to everything we do. We are always looking to each other for input, inspiration, guidance, and encouragement.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s so much to do in the metroplex! I am always in search of new and undiscovered places to visit, so my list of must-hits is always evolving. There’s an awesome little arcade in Rowlett with the MOST reasonable prices ever. It’s called Retrocade, and their selection of games is pretty awesome. I LOVE art, food, and coffee, so an ideal day in the city is a visit to the Dallas Museum of Art and then a picnic at Klyde Warren Park & a Lalaland Kind Cafe coffee to go along with it.

Some of my top favorite places to grab a bite are: Taverna, for some KILLER gluten-free pasta and focaccia, Oni Ramen, with the most SERIOUS spice levels, and Burning Rice for some bibimbap in a hot stone bowl.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Everyone in my life, currently and in the past, has had a direct impact on me and where I am today. It seems like a copout to say that, but it’s true. My favorite quote sums it up entirely; “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” -Paulo Coehlo, The Alchemist. There is something divine in this life, always steering me in the directions that I am meant to go. All of the experiences have brought me here, and every person, from my incredible family to the baristas that greet me in the drive through, have in some way impacted the journey. Love and hatred alike have made differences in me and in the ways I have evolved as a person. I think it’s important to recognize and accept that, even in times of difficulty, all of the universe is working to get us to where we are meant to be. So, really, I am thankful for everyone and everything that is and once was, and all that will be.

Website: northstardanceproject.com

Instagram: @northstardanceproject , @alexaoka13

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northstardanceproject/

Other: northstardanceproject@gmail.com

Image Credits
Courtney Klein Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.