Meet Kerisse Hutchinson | Actor, Dancer, Writer & Producer

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

Hi Kerisse, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The inception of most of the journeys I begin start with a call where I hear God asking me to embark on something that I usually don’t feel ready, prepared or, equipped for but I finally—sometimes while kicking and screaming—say, “Yes.” It happened when the call to “Dance!” caused me to leave my full-time job and dance full time, ultimately starting a nonprofit GuiDANCE Autism—Bringing the joy of dance to children with special needs it happened when the call of “Welcome home!” prompted me to move cross country from New York to Los Angeles and then again when I moved to Atlanta and it was God’s call that started me along the beginning stages of 2 The Left Productions. Growing up people often said I looked like Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, but it was an acting teacher who was the first to say I should do a project about her. He was the first but not the last because other people would begin mentioning the same thing to me. Then one year I had a film “August the First” in SXSW (South by Southwest Film Festival) and it just so happened to be the same time Lisa Lopes’ documentary “Last Days of Left Eye” was premiering there. As I sat in the theater watching the documentary, I heard God ask, “If you were sitting here and instead of a documentary about Lisa it was a narrative that you weren’t a part of, how would you feel?” It was in that moment I knew I had two choices: to say “yes” to the call or ignore it and allow it to be given to someone else. Not knowing what it would look like or how I would do it, I said, “Yes” and my oh my I had no idea where that, “yes” and many “yes”s to follow would end up taking me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a multihyphenate: an actor, dancer, writer, producer, and founder of the nonprofit GuiDANCE Autism—Bringing the joy of dance to children with special needs. I started dancing when I was 6 and dance became my saving grace during a very challenging childhood. I graduated Magna Cum Laude with Double Honors from Towson University and received my dance training at the Alvin Ailey School while dancing with numerous companies and music artists. While working at Sony Music and pursuing my vision of becoming an entertainment lawyer I heard God’s call to “Dance!” and left my job on a day I call “D-Day” (Dance Day) and began pursuing dance as a fulltime profession at the same time taking acting classes at HB Studios. A couple of months after leaving Sony Music I tore my MCL while dancing and it was the unexpected praise of a strict, “tell it like it is” teacher, Edward Morehouse during a scene study who said, “You are a very young and talented actress, but you’re going to have to work hard!” that led me to devote myself full-heartedly to acting.

I’ve gone on to work in film, theater, television, and commercials receiving the Best Actress Award at the Harlem International Film Festival for the film “August the First”, performing in numerous plays and musicals including “Macbeth” in Bonn and Neuss, Germany and starring in the hip-hop musical, “Honey Bo and the Goldmine” at the prestigious La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego, CA), and had a recurring role on “All My Children” and guest starred on “The Defenders”, “Law & Order SVU”, and “The Whole Truth”. I’m also a two-time recipient of Fulton County’s Arts & Culture Individual Artist Grant.

What sets me apart is in addition to having portrayed a wide range of roles on film, television, and theater, I create art from SEED to FRUITion that invokes spirits to move; literally and figuratively. Always seeking God’s voice in all I do, I envision, believe, then know where I’m going and allow for things to come into place for me to achieve them. Where I once thought I had to hide some of my artistic gifts—not wanting to be seen as a jack of all trades, master of none—I now know the melding of my gifts have helped create the multifaceted platform I now stand on.

My passion project I’m most proud of is 2 The Left Productions. “2 The Left: A Tribute to the Life of Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes” is an inspiring multimedia, music, and dance filled theatrical production chronicling the life and spiritual journey of Lisa Lopes, controversial member of the Atlanta-based 90s pop music phenomenon, TLC. I spent over ten years researching, writing, and developing the show including traveling to Honduras, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. It was my travels to Atlanta that ultimately led me to move here and call Atlanta home. While in Honduras, I got to visit Usha Village, home of Lisa’s herbalist Dr. Sebi and location of many of her spiritual awakenings as well as her fatal car accident. Honduras also served as an unexpected catalyst for my own journey of acceptance, healing, and renewed faith after my little sister’s unexpected passing. I also interviewed her family and some of her closest friends who’ve become like family to me, gaining first-hand accounts to help bring to light the empowering story of a modern-day music trailblazer and an Atlanta icon.

“2 The Left” was winner of Synchronicity Theater’s Stripped Bare: Arts Incubator Lab (Atlanta, GA) with sold-out workshop performances, was an Official Selection of the BorderLight International Theatre Festival (Cleveland, OH), was an A-List Selection of the renowned National Black Theatre Festival Readers’ Theatre (Winston-Salem, NC)—where it returned for a MainStage production this past summer, and I produced the premiere of the fully-staged production of “2 The Left” at Synchronicity Theatre for a successful two-week run. In 2020, during the height of Covid, it was part of Aurora Theatre’s Our Stage Onscreen series (Lawrenceville, GA). Although it’s a one woman show, many people have played an integral part in its creation and it’s been a joy collaborating with some of Atlanta’s most talented artists to bring my vision to life. One of the components of “2 The Left” that I enjoy are the Community Enrichment and Engagement programs paired with performances where we bring in artists, Lisa’s family, and health experts to talk about the show and discuss relevant topics including the responsibility and social impact of the arts, mental, physical and spiritual health and wellness; and the empowerment of the voices of women and people of color.

Along with continuing to produce the show in theaters nationally and internationally and creating a film adaptation, I’m most excited about my book “Journey 2 The Left” and education program “2 The Left: 4 Schools!”. “Journey 2 The Left” is a teaching memoir I’ve begun writing where I share my journey in the arts incorporating spiritual wisdom and practical lessons that breathe life into expectant spirits—young and seasoned—to hear, answer, and courageously leap for joy into their unique callings. “2 The Left: 4 Schools!” is an arts education program infusing the show with stimulating lessons that empower youth to become the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, culture shifters, and active change agents in their communities. It features an interactive STEAM inspired School Standards-Based virtual and in person learning curriculum for Grades 6-12 (in school and camps) as well as college workshops. I just returned from doing an amazing production with the students at University of California Santa Cruz, which also marked “2 The Left”’s West Coast debut!

Has this journey been easy? Heck no, are ya kidding me!? But “can’t” is my least favorite word and having dealt with numerous challenges to get to where I am, I’ve perfected turning life’s lemons to lemonade and now I’m creating my very own unique tropical fruit punch and it’s pretty darn yummy; if I say so myself. I’m a hardcore faith walker I do this by choosing faith over fear daily, praying and meditating, connecting to nature, keeping my body moving through dance and yoga, shifting my perspective to accentuate the positive instead of harping on negativity, and staying able and willing to pivot and adjust while remaining grounded in who and whose I am.

The lessons I’ve learned along the way are to remember to honor the sabbath—allowing for moments of rest; celebrate all the wins—big and small; love no matter what; and when you hear the call of that small voice, continue to whisper, “I think I can, I think I can” until you can say, “I KNOW I WILL!” and be ready to be amazed. Amen and Asé.

What I want the world to know about me is she kept smiling and always chose to live and stared the word “can’t” in the face and LOL’d!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d start a warm summer Saturday at Sandy Springs Farmers Market at City Springs and talk to some of the interesting vendors while enjoying local food and crafts with a nice backdrop of fountains and kids playing in the splash park. I’d then take them to Roswell Mills which has a gorgeous waterfall that you can even sit under and then to the Azalea Park Boardwalk where we can birdwatch and deer seek—my favorite pastime being from Queens, NY where all we had were pigeons and squirrels. We’ll then head to Blackburn Park that has nice walking trails and a powerful “Comfort Women” statue. Now that we’ve worked up an appetite, we’ll sit outdoors to eat at Dunwoody’s Café Intermezzo—I recommend the Intermezzo Hot Chocolate and the Chicken Salad Croissant. We’ll then head to Morelli’s Gourmet Ice Cream (my and my husband’s favorite weekly outing) for dessert—my fave, the dairy free Butter Pecan on a waffle cone with a side of fudge. Then I’ll take them to Little 5 Points to visit Moods Music where we can pick up some vinyl and enjoy good tunes and vibes. Then we’ll head over to one of the many Fulton County Arts & Culture neighborhood classes where I’ve taken African dance and yoga classes before going to Morgan Falls Overlook Park where we can take a sunset yoga paddleboard class in the Chatahoochee River. We’ll then close out the evening by catching a play at one of the city’s theaters—my faves are Synchronicity, Aurora, True Colors, and Horizon Theatres. When the show ends, we can grab a plate of oxtail and curried goat with a cup of sorrel at Tropical Cuisine before they head back to the airport. Hopefully we can navigate Atlanta’s wonderful traffic to fit in all of the good times.

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?
What a wonderful question! Though where I am is the result of the prayers, love, and support of so many people, I want to dedicate my Shoutout to my Mamabird. My favorite book is “The Little Engine That Could.” The steady chant of “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can,” that my mom would whisper to me as I fell asleep as a young girl still stays with me to this day. As a single mom on a teacher’s salary, she’s continued to support me and my many crazy artistic ventures. Most importantly she’s always allowed me to fly—my way—and mended my wings with her gentle spirit, love and encouragement whenever I had any bumps or bruises.

Website: www.Kerisse.net and www.patreon.com/Kerisse and www.GuiDANCEAutism.com

Instagram: @Kerissegram

Twitter: @Kerisse

Facebook: @KerisseH

Image Credits
Louis Cuthbert, Terrence Carter, Shawn Dowdell