Meet Alissa Smith | Creative & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alissa Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alissa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process of starting Kontrol Kourse was honestly noticing how the dance world started to lose the community aspect in the classroom. Everything seems so standoff ish and individualized & the idea of community and uplifting each other in the classroom begin to fade away in my eyes & everything we did was always for the gram or the cameras. It started to feel like no one really was in class to actually train or build each other up but just to simply look good & get the content. I would notice it when I would go take class in LA. I would feel the same way when I would go take class New York and I’m from Philly so I would also notice it at times in the Philly community as well.. It made me feel real uneasy and not wanna train in my craft in open dance class setting if I’m being honest.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When it comes to me creating my art (choreography/creative direction/ fashion ) I always pull from a very real authentic place emotionally. When I watch people dance or perform I am consistently mesmerized by body language. I have always admired how dancers could tell a story without even saying a word, to me that’s very powerful. So that is what I continuously strive to express through my creations… power, presence and story. Being a creator is not easy people steal your ideas alllll the time, it’s hella frustrating because people don’t understand why you created what you’ve created or what it even took for you to create that piece of work. It took me some time, but I am finally at the point where I really don’t care if people try to duplicate what I have created because they’ll never ever be able to be like me. Some of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned as a creator and choreographer is to not be so consumed by your art, but to live your every day life, that’s where the real inspiration comes from. I dont shy away from my real authentic emotions, no matter how deep the pain or how happy it is I use that and channel it into some type of creation. Whenever people consume anything that I’ve created I always want them to always walk away feeling something.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So many people have helped me along the way! First and foremost, I have to say thank you to God without Jesus, I’m nothing… But my family, friends & Kontrol Kourse community has had so much impact on my self development over the years. Every conversation, phone call /texts, or even sharing a laugh has beens tremendous motivation and support that keeps me going strong.

Instagram: @lissalove_

Youtube: Lissalove _

Other: Kontrol Kourse Instagram: @Kontrol_Kourse