Art is a deeply collaborative effort. No matter which art form it may be, there is always a sense of community and collaboration that will arise from countless creative pursuits. The art of dancing in itself is a powerful means of expression, but when a group of talented dancers come together, then a sense of pure harmony is created, elevating the art form into something deeper than what it already is. Cardboard Stage is a multifaceted global platform that puts New York creatives in a melting pot of endless collaborative possibilities.
Established by Dasha Schwartz, Cardboard Stage aims to push creatives to connect with each other and create something beautiful. Dasha was inspired to create Cardboard Stage out of sheer frustration with the lack of accessibility when it came to the performing arts. “I had just graduated from Canada’s National Ballet School and moved to Amsterdam to dance professionally at Dutch National Ballet,” shared Dasha. “I found that the ballet primarily catered to a whiter, older, and wealthier demographic, barring the entry to a huge community whom I felt would also value these arts.”
Hoping to bridge the gap she saw in the industry, she established Cardboard Stage to help creatives “create their own stage,” much like the name of the company implies. Before Cardboard Stage was established, Dasha ran into many speed bumps involving her dancing career. She would often find herself at a standstill when it came to collaborating with other talented individuals due to the lack of accessibility.
“There was no easy way to connect with artists out of our network. There is no aggregated community that serves just artists online, and if you wanted to do such a collaboration, you would need to rely on word-of-mouth or to post to your Facebook status in hopes someone knew someone, and it really sacrificed the integrity of the creation,” shared Dasha.
Nowadays, Cardboard Stage has managed to become a global success connecting creatives from all over the world within a singular platform. It currently has over 200 artists from over 20 countries worldwide, and that number only seems to grow with each passing day. Dasha Schwartz has truly flipped things around for herself and helped other collaborative artists in the process.
On Dec 5, Cardboard Stage will be having an event at the Break, “Faces of Cardboard Stage” at 62 Allen Street Floor 5, New York from noon until four. The event will be graced with beautiful live dance performances, interactive art, live dj sets where anyone can also take the opportunity to network and browse through the holiday market. This event will be a collaborative experience which a lot of people are looking forward to.
In the near future, Dasha hopes to grow her company so that even more people can network with other talented individuals from all across the globe. She’s definitely on the right track, and with the way things are going, it’s only a matter of time before she reaches the top, and she brings all of her collaborators with her.
To know more about Cardboard Stage, make sure to visit the company’s official website.
