Dance, Photography, Activism, and Science: Arielle Dettmer
Arielle isn't your typical 17-year-old. She is a professional dancer, photographer, activist, and science enthusiast. Find out how she found her rhythm moving from one career to another, balancing multiple passions, and ultimately dancing to the beat of her own drum.
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Q: Tell us about your current work roles.
Hi, I’m Arielle and I am a creator! To me, the title “creator” encapsulates a lot of what I do, but my main focus are dance and photography. I am currently a dance teacher at Dance Star Academy of Performing Arts and a photographer for Break the Floor Productions. Even though I am only 17 (18 in August), I've been working professionally since I was 10.
Q: What led you to that career?
I began dancing when I was 2, competitively at 7, and professionally at 10. After a year of sending out my headshot, resume, and reel, I had signed with the Movement Talent Agency after attending a live audition. Photography came into my life when I was 7 years old, and my dad had brought home a baby pink point-and-shoot camera. When I was 13, I bought my first professional camera: a Sony A6000. I had created a photography account, posting any photo I had taken with the camera. I upgraded to a Sony A7rIII a few years later and after getting hired by friends to shoot senior photos, I decided to launch my business, Shots by Arielle!
Q: What is your educational background?
I graduated from Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) this year. OCSA is a charter arts school in Santa Ana; I had been attending since 7th grade and my emphasis was in Commercial Dance. In the fall, I'll be studying at Chapman University with a double major in dance and physics, and am considering film as a minor. People are always curious as to why dance and physics, but I've been a nerd for science since I was young.
In High School, I was granted $5,000 by a fellowship program and together with my best friend, founded a summer program called Dance Science Integration, a 3-week enrichment program, where we taught jazz ballet, contemporary and hip hop, and included physics, anatomy, biology, nutrition, health. We showed that there is an intersection between the two, how the body functions, and even the mental health aspect of dance as well. We saw people who never danced before grow as dancers and people.
Q: Did you have any life-changing experiences that led you to what you’re doing today?
There have been a few life-changing moments, but the most significant would probably be my 16th birthday and the first professional dance job I booked.
On my 16th birthday, someone broke into my car and stole all my camera gear. It was a blessing in disguise because with the insurance money we got, I invested in a Sony A7rIII. People started noticing how the quality of my photos and my artistic view changed. From that point on, my photography career took off!
After signing with my agent, my first audition was for a musical tour with Debbie Allen called “Brothers of the Knight”. I ended up booking the job and spent 3 months touring on the East Coast for the musical. Having this opportunity taught me so much and to this day, I use that experience as motivation for my dream to tour with a musical artist.
Q: How has your family and upbringing influenced your career choices?
My family has influenced me so much especially since they were the ones who put me in dance and helped me financially when I wanted to do photography. I’ve been dancing my whole life and my family was always there to remind me why I loved Dance, even when it got hard. Because I was so young, their support is very important. Having this support system to experiment in a variety of fields is what has helped me succeed. Without them and the support of my two best friends, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing?
I am definitely most proud of my growth as an artist. Sometimes I look back at my work and I’m like “Oh gosh who let me create that”, but I think that is what makes art so amazing. It’s continually evolving and is usually a result of the artist growing as an individual. If you had asked me 5 years ago if I would be a professional photographer and getting paid for my photos, I probably would have laughed.
But that’s the best thing about it: I’ve been able to turn something I’m passionate about into a career simply through practicing and creating more.
Q: What would you say motivates you most to do what you do?
Happiness has always been a guiding factor for me. If it makes me happy, I want to keep doing it, may it be dance or photography. The work I do, though, is truly for my family. I want to be a role model to my niece and nephews, as well as other young artists to just go after their dreams and do what they love. As my Dad would say, “You do what you love and the rest will follow!”
On Balancing Passions and Switching Careers
Q: How did you find the courage to leap from one field to another?
I’ve been dancing my whole life, professionally and competitively, but as I was in my crucial years, it took a toll in my mental health and self-esteem, so I left dance competitively. I was working as a dance teacher but it wasn’t bringing in enough money, I was ready to work retail, but I took a leap instead. I thought, “I’m also a photographer, I’d love to work in the creative field.” So I emailed a company that I had gone to a couple of conventions of and asked if they need photographers. Next thing I knew, I was getting an interview to go up to LA and signed a contract with them. I travel with them for their dance competitions and I photograph that. I’m the youngest in the team which is crazy.
There are two aspects to photography for me, my own business, where I specialize in lifestyle, movement, and fashion, and the other side works for a company, going out and traveling with dancers.
When I started Shots by Arielle, I knew that if I failed it would have been a learning experience. I was only 16 when I started it, and what gave me the most motivation was that if others believed in me and followed my work, then why couldn’t I believe in myself? I had something I wanted to share with the world, and I couldn’t sit on it forever.
If others believed in me and followed my work, then why couldn’t I believe in myself?
My sophomore year in high school I had made a more drastic and unartistic career jump. After the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass shooting I became more active in the gun violence prevention community. If nobody would do something to fix it, then I would have to. Overtime though I moved my efforts more to fighting for more equal representation in the Asian American Pacific Islander community. That slowly segued to API representation in the media, and ultimately leading me back to my love for the arts. I think no matter how scared you are to take that leap you will always come back to where you are meant to be, and for me that was the arts.
Q: What has been the greatest challenge for you when it comes to switching careers?
The greatest challenge had to be learning the ropes of the field and making connections. When I started doing activism work, I was so confused! What’s a lobbyist? What do these politicians stand for? Who even are these politicians? It was like a whole new world! The best thing though is that once you do your research and learn a little bit more, you start to gravitate towards the right area in that field and you can begin making those authentic connections.
The photo that launched Arielle’s Instagram
Q: HOW DID YOU FIND THE BALANCE PURSUING MULTIPLE PASSIONS?
During High School, I realized I still love dance, photography, and science. There were points that I thought, I can’t pick all, I have to pick one. I realized it can all work together in the end. Now I work as a professional photographer for a dance convention company.
Q: DID YOU EVER HAD CHALLENGES PROFESSIONALLY BECAUSE OF YOUR AGE? HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH IT?
Yes, being the youngest dance teacher, and coming from a strict dance background, I’ve had my share of parents questioning the way I taught. There was a comment like “ I don’t understand why there’s a 17-year-old in your staff when there are more qualified people…” So I wrote an entire email explaining my background, how I danced professionally and showed them my credits.
There will be people who are going to question what you do and why you’re doing it at such a young age, but you just got to prove them wrong by showing them that you are meant to be there.
It’s holding yourself in a way that shows you’re confident in your work and that you know what you’re doing.
In activism, some adults will say, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, you’re just a kid.” It’s about understanding where they are coming from, with their years of knowledge, experience, and education, but also letting them know that you are qualified for the position because otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten hired in the first place.
Q: What advice do you have for others who are still trying to find their passions?
Do what you love and the rest will follow. Start it as a side hustle, then build it up until it becomes your full-time job. As nice as it would be to just quit your job and go right into it, we all still have bills to pay! My favorite thing is making a mood board and writing down a couple of manifestations as daily reminders of where I am and where I want to be.
Also, take every opportunity you can get! You never know where it may lead you.
Q: What’s next for you, what are you looking forward to?
Specializing in photography and dancing professionally again. I currently do lifestyle and movement photography, but I want to work in the fashion and magazine realm. The dream would be to one day work for Teen Vogue and Urban Outfitters!
After college, though, I want to go to graduate school and probably switch my career again down the line. Ever since I had broken my ankle at 8 years old, I had wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. Being a dancer, I’ve always understood the severity of injuries. Whenever you go to the doctor, they’ll be like, “You just have to stop whatever you’re doing completely and find something else.” But I know that for us, when we’re so passionate, it’s just something you can’t give up, which is why I want to work in the medical field to help injured dancers and athletes heal quicker!
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Learn more about and connect with Arielle at:
Website: www.shotsbyarielle.com
Instagram: @arielledettmer, @shotsbyarielle
Youtube: Arielle Dettmer