Shut Up & Listen with Grace

We sit down with the incredible Grace who, upon getting to know her a little more, has the kind of integrity, passion and zest for life that seems to define the Shut Up & Dance community. Without further adieu, here’s a quick fire round with the incredible Grace Clower!

My name is
Grace! And I’m very excited to be interviewed today 😃

Coordination level:
Completely depends on how much sleep I have had.

I’m happiest when
I’m sailing ⛵️ and hanging with my family. I spent about a year sailing from North America to New Zealand and during Covid, I got caught in Tahiti and Fiji! 🤯 But you know, once your sails are set and you are out of sight of land, a quiet settles over you, which is incredibly relaxing 😌

My favourite “guilty” pleasure song is 
Calm Down by T Swift. I’m not normally a Swiftie, but that song was my ‘most listened to’ of 2021 on Spotify!

Best music video of all time is…
It’s Raining Men by the Weather Girls. The lack of budget is only matched by the utter joy I get when watching it.

Something that I continually ask myself is:
What what what are you doing?!

*SU&D raises THEIR hand* US TOO! 🤪

Why do you think dance is important? 
Dance helps you in coordination, spatial awareness, memory, exercise, flexibility, cardio, and an ephemeral SOMETHING ✨ that releases when you move.

And how does it show up in the other areas of your life?
I dance all the time – When I’m grocery shopping, doing dishes, or just when I’m home in my room and a bop comes on 😉

Something that has changed since my first Shut Up & Dance class is…
The amount of friends I now have! Moving to a new city – alone – and without the structure of school can make it really hard to make friends! I couldn’t be more grateful for the awesome group of special humans I have met through SU&D.

The Shut Up & Dance routine that best describes me is
Probably Grease. I’m a big ol’ Musical Theatre nerd 🤓 and I couldn’t stop grinning through that entire routine.

My life motto is:
I’ll try anything twice 👍 I’m all about giving things one or two chances, just in case the first time wasn’t fun for a different reason that had nothing to do with whatever I’m trying.

My alter ego is:
Someone Who Has Their Life Together. I pretend to be an adult better than I think I actually do it 🫠

Something people might not know about me is:
I lived in NYC for the past 10 years doing fight choreography and teaching stage combat at universities 🤺

My favourite artist is:
Impossible to choose! I need different styles based on my mood. But I few that I go back to are Bruno Mars, Sammy Rae, The Indigo Girls, and tbh The Hadestown OBC.

The most important thing life has taught me so far is:
To change your mind 🧠 ✨We are always changing and growing and learning. Being stuck with a choice you made when you were 18 isn’t always healthy. So let yourself change your mind, and find new things that make you happy. I wanted to be a Musical Theater performer for a very long time until I realized it didn’t make me happy anymore. . I had lived in NYC for the past 10 years doing fight choreography and teaching stage combat at universities when I left to go explore the world. Letting go of that old dream let me find a new one and pursue new adventures – literally – explore the world! 🌎 I am still obsessed with musical theatre though, check out my podcast “5678: A Movie Musical Podcast” for proof 🤩

To pay the bills…
I work in customer service! If money was no object I would run a Book Bar in Italy with my best friend and our cat. Boogie’s Book Bar! 🐱📚🍸

*SU&D raises THEIR hand* Those things go together WAY too well. We’ll be there on opening night 😍

My most dorky moment this week was
When I was grocery shopping and I was so into the song I was listening to I did a full kick turn and got quite a few stares 🤣

My most empowered moment this week was
Finally submitting my Visa application! 🛂 I wasn’t ever planning on ending up in New Zealand (thanks Covid), but it’s been a blessing in disguise, so my parents and I are trying to get residency in this lovely country. It felt really good to get that huge to-do item off my list ✅

I wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up!
I was a very specific child 😆 My favourite food was frog legs 🐸 Again, very specific.

The world would be a better place with
More empathy.

The routine I want to learn the most is
Bang Bang by Jessie J, Nikki Minaj, and Ariana Grande. Not sure if it is in the repertoire but I L O V E that song.

*SU&D slips a note to The Choreography team, k-thanks-bye* Grace – it’s not in the repertoire, but now it will be!

If I was a cake I would be
Red Velvet with Buttercream Icing. (Or maybe I’m just craving that) 🤔

We’re craving YOU Grace – your energy rocks. Thanks for making the Shut Up & Dance community what it is!