Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education, UNC Charlotte (2019)
Master of Arts Administration, Florida State University (2021)
Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC
Gabriela Shutt received her BA in Dance Education from UNC Charlotte in 2019 and then moved to Florida to earn her MA in Arts Administration from Florida State University. During her graduate studies, Gabi interned with the Arts Administrators of Color Network, “Negro Spiritual” Scholarship Foundation, and the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium.
Currently, Gabriela works as the Community Engagement Fellow at Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) in Seatle, WA. In her new position, she will be working to increase accessibility at PNB. Her first responsibility includes researching and planning a sensory-friendly Nutcracker performance, and she hopes to develop a sensory-friendly adaptive community-based dance program.
"This fellowship is an amazing opportunity to gain experience in arts administration while also providing more diverse perspectives at legacy cultural organizations in Seattle," Gabi says. "I am excited to build relationships in the community and provide more opportunities for all people, especially the neurodiverse community, to feel welcome at the ballet."
When asked about her time at UNC Charlotte, she said the biggest lesson she learned from undergrad was that "almost nothing will go according to plan. Anything from a performance, to scheduling classes, to juggling school with work and other extracurriculars, but that is what makes life exciting.” She also reflected that her favorite memory in the Department of Dance was being asked to perform in dance adjunct lecturer Niche Faulkner's West African piece from Fall 2017 for The College of Arts + Architecture's Gala event.
During her time at UNC Charlotte, Gabi was an Education Intern with the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Fall 2018, her senior year. "I really enjoyed my internship with the Blumenthal," she says. "I was able to learn a lot, and it allowed me to see other career opportunities in the performing arts. After my internship ended, I was hired part-time in the ticketing department due to the connections I was able to make. I enjoyed working with everyone in the education department. As my supervisor, Jenny was very encouraging and taught me new skills through different tasks I was able to assist her in."
What's her advice for prospective dance students? “You get out as much as you put in," she says. "So take advantage of those master classes, guest artists, study abroad programs, and all the other wonderful things the Department of Dance has to offer. It will only make your experience better.”