When I got the e-mail from Beth Konopka saying she’d want to partake in this video project, I was beyond thrilled. Not only is she such a lovely person (and a dancer), but the program she’s involved with is profoundly important. Artist’s Striving Against Poverty (ASTEP) “uses the arts as a tool to empower young people with creativity, knowledge, and a strong sense of self-esteem, factors which help them advance their lives and communities. At ASTEP, [they] provide artists with opportunities to connect with global youths, allowing them to use their gifts to create meaningful and effective change for young people in need.” Here Beth shares a few facts about ASTEP and some of her own personal experiences with the organization. After this video, please visit their website; and if you can, find a way to get involved.

1. What is the first creative moment you remember?

It isn’t the actual creativity I remember but the preparation. I was probably 4 or 5 years old. I remember walking into my mother’s closet, which for a very tiny 4 or 5 year old seemed like an endless Narnia style adventure. I was in going in to pick out some of her clothes to ‘put on a show’. You know, one of those little kid ‘look at me’ events. I remember picking out a long flowing wrap skit that my mother then helped me fashion into a dress so it would somehow remotely fit.

10-12 years later I saw a video of this ‘performance’ in my mothers wrap skit. It began with me sort of swing dancing with my father and rather unexpectedly turned into a very dramatic Isadora Duncan style interpretive story dance. I still have no idea what the story was about but it was hilarious to say the least.

2. Where did you grow up and how did you end up where you are now?

I was born in glamorous Denville, New Jersey. Then I lived in even more glamorous East Brunswick, New Jersey until my father moved us to Connecticut for business reasons. It was in Stamford, Connecticut that I had a ballet teacher, Laura McClain, who suggested to my parents that I audition for the National Ballet School in Canada. I did, was accepted, and spent my high school years in Toronto. Ironically, in an attempt to avoid ballet altogether, I auditioned for Juilliard. I did, was accepted, and spent the next four years studying dance in New York City… and have been here ever since.

3. Which performance, song, play, movie, painting or other work of art had the biggest influence on you and why?

Honestly, I feel the largest influences on me have been people as opposed to art or performance. If not for these particular mentors I would not have been exposed to certain styles of art that inspired me and therefore might not have taken the steps to get where I am today.

4. What is your ideal creative activity?

Anything that is multimedia or multidisciplinary. Combining different artistic elements and talents really excites me.

5. How do you begin your day?

Everything usually begins with the sound of my boyfriend’s alarm and/or two hungry cats reeking havoc and knocking over water glasses and the like. There’s breakfast, showers, and giant mugs of really strong coffee, followed by a subway ride to Times Square where I linebacker my way through a block and a half of tourists and on Wednesdays, the outrageous lines for TKTS. I find my way into the Actor’s Equity building and to my office on the 13^th floor and there begins my day of work at ASTEP.

6. Have you ever had to make a choice between work and art? What did you choose, why, and what was the outcome?

At a certain point, not that long ago, I was working more than I did anything else. I had three or four gigs including working at a restaurant, teaching dance to kids in suburban New Jersey, personal trainer and was freelance dancing on a project to project basis, and still not quite making all of ‘the bills’.

After six weeks of employment as a personal trainer I was offered a job as a Training Manager which provided a steady paycheck, bonus commissions and health insurance. It was a full-time job and pretty much stopped me from pursuing anything else… but I couldn’t say no to the money. While it was the least ‘creative’ job I’ve ever done, in hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

It just so happens that that one decision unfurled a series of events that completely changed the trajectory of my entire life and led me to where I am now; living an extremely happy existence with my boyfriend of 2 years, working full-time for ASTEP and having more ambition and direction than I’ve ever had in my entire life. All is well that ends well I suppose.

7. When you work, do you love the process or the result?

As a kid, I would start all of these different arts and crafts projects and intentionally not finish them because I didn’t want the process to end. I’m not sure I would be any good at what I do if I didn’t enjoy the process. Much of what I do now is administrative operations and management type work which often involves hours and hours of working on details and editing. At ASTEP part of our mission is to help end childhood poverty… a task that I most likely will not see completed in my lifetime. I know that every little thing we do now is getting us one step closer to this goal and I find a lot of joy in knowing that I am a piece of this intricate puzzle. Even when I was dancing I was inspired by the everyday challenges and steadfast commitment to fine tuning the craft. I guess I’ll forever be a process person.