Breaking the glass ceiling one creative move at a time

Cinema, music, theatre and dance all have one thing in common: storytelling. Whether it's through a heart-felt performance on screen or a mesmerizing dance routine on stage, it is art forms like these that allow the audience and the creators themselves to be deeply impacted by the stories told. 

But for these four UO students, art is much more than that. For them, it's about creating a space to express themselves freely, and taking what they have learned from their personal experiences to make positive changes in their creative industries and pave the way for future generations.  

Lights, Camera, Action! 

Growing up in Los Angeles for most of her life, UO junior Ayah LeBrane was surrounded by and drawn to the magic of film. However, it wasn't until she moved to Las Vegas during her senior year of high school that she realized she wanted to pursue a career in screenwriting. 

"I didn't know anyone over the summer, and the only thing I did was just a whole bunch of writing," she said. "It kept coming out as scripts, ideas and movie treatments. That's when I started to realize this is what I wanted to do." 

Since then, LeBrane has been working on a few projects of her own such as writing two coming-of-age story treatments, a detailed document presenting the story idea, creating lead roles for women. When it comes to her creative process and overall passion for film, she said filmmakers such as Ava DuVernay and Spike Lee have an influence on her. 

"[DuVernay] was just starting to come out with her films and to see a Black woman in a field that is dominated by White males was a big deal," she said. "With Spike Lee, all of his movies are pretty unconventional, especially for the time they came out. So to see that in the mainstream is also huge." 

More importantly, LeBrane said her main goal as a screenwriter is to have younger people in the BIPOC community see themselves on screen in ways they usually aren't represented. She wants to stray away from writing struggle stories and create "characters that actually look like us," she said. 

Representation, both in front of and behind the camera, is important, LeBrane said. For instance, she said stories surrounding other marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities and individuals struggling with their mental health should also be in the spotlight. 

"I feel like people should see it so much that it's not taboo anymore, and that it becomes the norm," she said. "There's still so much room for other faces." 

However, it wasn't easy for LeBrane to put herself out there, especially at UO. During her freshman year, she said she dealt with imposter syndrome and was the only Black student in most of her Cinema Studies classes, which made her question her career. 

Nonetheless, she said she found a sense of community by joining UO Black Student Union and attending UO Film meetings where she's learned more about the film process. She also said she encourages others who might feel the same way to seek out these resources. 

"I was doubting myself when I started, but I stayed with it and I'm really glad I did," she said. "It's what I want to do, and I want to create spaces for other people who feel like that." 

¡Musica, Maestro!

UO senior Leah Jacobo's schedule is the epitome of "Sorry, I have rehearsal." As a music education major, her days start at 8 a.m. with class lectures and last until the evening when she practices with the UO Symphony Orchestra or campus orchestra. 

Music has always been a profound part of her life, Jacobo said. She grew up playing the violin in a worship group with her father, who is a self-taught musician and plays the bass, guitar and piano. Jacobo said she was fascinated with how her father was able to play any note by ear, and it influenced her love for music. 

However, she said she wanted to become a violinist after watching the film "Barbie of Swan Lake," at 8 years old. 

"There was a special features section in the movie that talked about how the creators had the London Symphony Orchestra play music for the movie," she said. "They showed people playing the violin or cello, and I was like 'I want to do that!'" 

Since then, she's pursued her passion and she hopes to become a music teacher for children in low-income communities while playing music professionally on the side, she said. She also wants to introduce classical music to Latinx students and be a support system for them — something her educators didn't do when she was starting out. 

"I was always ostracized and isolated from the group, even though there were other students who were struggling with the same problems as I was," she said. "I want to let my students know, specifically Latinx students, that anything's possible and to know their worth."

Moreover, Jacobo said she hopes that music departments in schools, including UO, branch out and incorporate classical music composed by BIPOC musicians into the academic curriculum. 

"There's always big names like Bach, Beethoven or Tchaikovsky, which is cool," she said. "But they don't add anybody else because there's no space being made for them. I want to hear more from them, but it seems like an extracurricular for some professors."

As she finishes her last year, Jacobo said she's looking forward to watching the kids she teaches grow as musicians and include both BIPOC and women composers in her teaching. 

"That's one of the exciting things, I can finally have a part in changing that," she said. "No hard feelings to Bach or Beethoven — I just want something else too."

Breaking All the Legs 

Ever since he landed the role of Dino Durkin in his middle school's production of Kurtz Gordon's "Fair Exchange," UO Theatre Arts senior Diego Millan pursued his passion for acting and never looked back. 

Throughout his education, Millan said he was fortunate enough to have educators who supported and had an impact on him as an artist. He also credits actors such as Jimmy Smits, Diego Luna and Pedro Pascal as his acting heroes and figures in the industry who paved the way for Latinx actors. 

While he doesn't know what's in the cards for him after he graduates, he said he's excited to hit the ground running and experience all there is to do as an actor. 

"I've been in academia for so long, and I've been a big fish in a small pond for many years," Millan said. "I just want to see what I can do in a bigger space and start making connections. There's a real-life element to this profession, and I want to get to that." 

As a Latino, Millan said he also recognizes the lack of BIPOC representation in the industry, as well as in academic settings. Throughout his education, especially at UO, he said he's been in situations where pre-casting, assigning an actor to a role before auditions, was involved and that he often felt tokenized because of his ethnicity. 

"One thing I see a lot of from the theatre department is doing shows for POC actors, which is awesome," he said. "But the other side of it is trying to find actors to fill those roles, because there's just not that many people." 

Although he appreciates the outreach, Millan said he hopes the department will continue to recognize and advocate for BIPOC actors and faculty to hopefully broaden the kinds of productions they can do in the near future. 

For the time being, Millan said he is preparing for graduate school auditions, while also being involved in clubs like Absolute Improv. He also encourages other students interested in acting to look into The Pocket Playhouse or Duck TV to start gaining experience. 

More importantly, he said he hopes other BIPOC artists will have the courage to take matters into their own hands and make the impact they want to create in their work. 

"You can grab a hammer and break the glass ceiling yourself," he said. "Don't wait for anyone else's permission." 

Eat, Sleep, Dance 

For UO sophomore Kelsi Carter, pursuing dance as a career wasn't on her mind at first, she said. She grew up participating in gymnastics, specifically floor exercise, for around seven years. 

"People always told me I was entertaining to watch and 'Wow, you just light up the floor!’," she said. "I then realized dance was something I always wanted to do and started developing a passion for it."

Carter said she was also inspired by watching award shows, but not because of the musical artists — it was the background dancers. 

"I was amazed by how cool it is to be dancing behind celebrities and how they moved their bodies in such fast-paced ways," she said. "So I said to myself, 'I can do that!'" 

With the support of her parents, Carter quit gymnastics and has now been dancing for nine years, aspiring to become a background dancer and specializing in hip-hop and jazz. She said dancers such as Bailey Sok and Sienna Lalau — who she has trained under — inspire her to keep dancing. Carter admires their "sharp, intricate and complex" style of dancing, she said. 

While her schedule may be jam-packed with early classes and dance rehearsals, Carter said she's enjoyed learning about the history of different genres of dance and how it debunks preconceived notions about the roots of dance. 

"We all say ballet is the root to all dances, but it's not and it's always assumed," she said. "But it was actually African dance, and then all the other dance styles were being created. That was something I just never knew." 

She said she has noticed the lack of BIPOC dancers and while there is always room for improvement, she said she believes the industry “is going in the right direction” in implementing diversity. 

Although she's a few years away from graduating, Carter said she's looking forward to not only the dancing opportunities outside of the studio, but also spreading the importance of authenticity and positivity through her platform as a dancer and a YouTuber. 

"It's so easy to compare yourself to others," she said. "It may be intimidating, but the only person you're competing with is yourself. Just keep it real and do the best you can." 

All in all, making something out of yourself in any industry comes with its obstacles — whether it be having self-doubts or being told to wait for your turn. 

But if there's anything to take away from these four students, it's that it's all about the drive and work you put into your craft to make something extraordinary happen.