Rooted in the Making: Creative Women of San Diego pt.VIII

Part eight: Kayleigh Eidson

Grounding the Work

Kayleigh identifies with she/her pronouns and teaches fitness and dance, in addition to being a professional dancer herself. You can follow her on IG at kay_eidson. 

In describing her creative practice in her own words, Kayleigh breaks down her craft in three major ways: teaching fitness so that people can become their best selves; guiding children how to move in their own bodies; and in her own space through expressing vulnerable parts through movement. Kayleigh goes on to share, “I would say that being raw is the hardest…You are giving yourself to strangers, and you have to trust that they're going to receive it well all the while you’re standing in front of an audience in a theater and sharing your deepest work.” 

She shares that she feels resistance in the way of self-doubt if she’s not giving her absolute best at all times. In speaking of such, she goes on to mention that the idea of wellness for her has evolved quite a bit from when she was younger. “I think that for a long time, wellness meant things like you have be super fit or you have look a certain way and doing all the things and eating all the super foods but I think that wellness overall comes from having patience, having grace, and just having a lot of love for your own self before anything.” 

The Path Inward

In exploring the pivotal moment(s) that led her to want to create, Kayleigh speaks to her and her sister putting on shows for their parents as they were growing up. She highlights that college allowed her to find more of her voice in terms of creating after she was able to get into a show for her choreography. “I was a junior going up against seniors and so when I got the part I was like ‘I think I’m actually kind of good at this… I must be, if I’m in this conservatory with all of these talented people’... and at the time I was getting my butt kicked in dance!” 

Kayleigh reflects a bit more on the word wellness and how it’s changed throughout the years from early messaging that she received by her peers and other creatives. She speaks to it being labeled as more of a nutritional thing in her environment and the feedback that she received after losing weight following becoming sick in high school. She shares that she received validation and even praise for looking a certain way despite struggling internally. She thankfully had a supportive, safe base at home to help support her however as many 14-15 year olds know, her peers' input meant a lot to her at the time. 

She identifies the costs for services to have been a barrier for her in accessing care. She explains that people in the arts are not paid anywhere near a living wage whatsoever. On top of that, she mentions that it’s a very cut throat industry in which no one is going to advocate for you but yourself. “It shouldn’t have to be that way. I remember working like 8 jobs when I was 24 years old and still struggling.” In reflecting on the version of herself that she had to outgrow in order to get where she is today she mentions humility. She explains “You have to continually work on everything you have, including your relationships… There's always work that has to be put in and you're never gonna be the best. There's always room to grow.” 

Restoration

Kayleigh speaks of feeling supported in her own work by both the people who are in her life today and the relationship that she’s been able to grow into within herself. Completing a choreographed dance is what she finds to be the most restorative experience. She identifies feelings of pride, calmness and ease when she’s able to view her work from start to finish. 

In wrapping up, Kayleigh mentions that ultimately she’s someone who likes to just hang out. She thinks about the past versions of herself that spent a lot of time consumed in the dance world and the sacrifices that were made around it. Though she has had to sacrifice a lot of things, she also feels that dance has allowed her to feel a great sense of confidence and independence. She feels that being a woman who is also an artist can come with its challenges but it also comes with perks and she’s happy to have experienced it all.