This week I interviewed a peer of mine within the dance department: Tal Kamin. I have known Tal for two years and have had the amazing opportunity to watch her grow and develop into the artist she is today. Over a year ago she started her own non-profit: We Are Queens. I wanted to interview her and see how the first year of We Are Queens is going, and how COVID-19 affected this new and developing organization. She is a very impressive 20-year-old, and I am so honored to have the ability to dance and learn with and from her.
Tell me about yourself: majors, year, where are you from?
“Hi I am Tal Kamin. I am a Junior double majoring in Dance and economics. I also am pursuing a minor in PAM. I was born in Israel but moved to New Jersey when I was 7 and have lived there ever since. I traveled to New York City to dance professionally ever since I was 15.”
What do you want to do professionally? Dance, Business or both?
“Both, my dream is to be a radio city rockette, with a part time job with a marketing agency in New York City, I also would love to continue to grow We Are Queens. My dream is to be happy and celebrate those around me, so my goals may change to accommodate that.”
How do you balance your time between dance and business?
“What I have learned in pursuing a non-traditional path is that passion and resilience are the key to succeeding, anyone can learn time management, prioritizing, and balancing mental health, but at the end of the day what makes this so fulfilling is that I can wake up everyday and do what I love. Independently of what others think.”
How did you decide to major in dance in college? What led you to Michigan?
“Majoring in dance was never a choice, I knew that this is exactly what I wanted to do. I started dancing when I was 2 and started dancing professionally in New York City when I was 15 and my college application process was centered around a curriculum that would give me a rigorous dance training with a liberal education around business. Michigan had that, and the dance department had reached out to me so I already felt welcomed.”
What is “We Are Queens”?
“We are queens is a female empowerment organization committed to fostering a groundbreaking future through the arts. The arts were more of a transformation because it’s a more powerful platform that brings people together, educates, and inspires change. It also gave me a personal outlet to employ my skills and talents. Focusing on art as a medium allowed us to be more specific in our mission, instead of branding for everyone we were being more diligent about our programming and audience.”
Did you ever think that queens would grow from one groupme of 300 people to this recognized organization today?
“Absolutely not, it started with a very innocent goal: of spreading positivity and uniting girls to break the stigma against mental health through a 30-day challenge, however, the mass support and celebration of the women involved inspired me to recognize that this mission was way greater than me and it was a calling to continue and expand.”
How did you start it?
“Culmination of me as a person, I was born to a very big family in Israel where community is very important and I grew up dancing both competitively and professionally and saw how toxic the environment can be when competition is taken to the extreme. And both of these experiences always pushed me to spread positivity wherever I went.”
Why did you decide to rebrand?
“After Covid hit I felt a need to become more conscious in our organizations programming and branding, whether this means recognizing the social injustices in our world, the implications of Covid on our health and community, the lack of resources for artists and young women in developing countries. This inspired me, as a leader, to ask myself what our vision for the organization should be long term, and recognizing that this is a marathon and not a race. Consequently I became more focused, more open-minded, and more collaborative with my time to ensure that all voices are heard.”
Photo taken from We Are Queens first benefit concert
With the rebranding what was the most difficult challenge you faced?
“I think the biggest challenge I faced was with myself, I am a perfectionist, problem-solver, and I enjoy getting things done and with every new idea or initiative it is not only important to dream big but also to take our time and fully fleshing out the details im implementation. As a result, I learned to abandon my mindset that I need to do everything all at one and all by myself, and learn to trust myself and my team within the beauty of the process to its fullest extent.”
What can we expect to see from Queens this year?
“With our newly implemented DEI plan to foster a more inclusive and empowering community of women, we are working on an upcoming music video that is focused on amplifying female BIPOC voices which will premiere in November. Be on the lookout for upcoming ambassador programs, music video submission, and merchandise as we continue growing.”
Where can we find information about music video submission ideas for those that are interested?
“Check out our website, for more information on how to get involved as well as our instagram. We would love to have you join our empire of kickass women!”
Tal:
Instagram: @tal.kamin
Website: talkamin.com
We Are Queens:
Instagram: wearequeens.joinus
Website: wearequeens.org
A still image of me, Tal, and Dee all dancing together during the workshop.
