McLaughlin & Stern

DDP: Can you share a specific story or experience where mentorship played a key role in your career development?

Lauren Cramer: I was asked this question recently at a panel. I actually had to pause. As a woman of a “certain age,” female mentors were few and far between. I realized that I look to the mentorship of my grandfather. While a gym coach in Brooklyn, and dead over 40 years ago, “Poppy” had danced with Fred Astaire (I found him in the movie, Top Hat as one of the dance boys). Poppy also taught at Arthur Murray studios and taught me to dance, but more than that, taught me the importance of listening and trusting to achieve goals.

His motto was: “The man is always right… .but only on the dance floor.”

DDP: How do you view the role of mentorship in fostering leadership and growth within the dance community?

Lauren Cramer: It is so important to try other avenues to learn as much as possible and push yourself even if it doesn’t feel like it isn’t exactly what you want to do – it is just as important to find the things you DON’T like as to find the things you DO.  All these lessons come back for growth, and more importantly, leadership. For example, I would suggest looking into financial avenues, fundraising or ticketing/earned income opportunities to see how all this is connected to the arts.

DDP: Have you mentored others in your career, and if so, what lessons have you aimed to impart? 

Lauren Cramer: Yes. I get a great sense of accomplishment, although frustrating at times. It is a willingness to be patient and potentially explain the same things a number of times. The importance of a mentee in accepting criticism in order to grow. Otherwise what is the point? A lesson that has been cherished by my mentees is this: “Just as important to know what you don’t like as what you do. I put myself out there! I took a chance at trying something new, and it forced me to think beyond what I am used to doing.”

DDP: What qualities do you think are essential in a mentor-mentee relationship?

Lauren Cramer: As a mentor – someone who listens and connects at a deeper level. Provides more than advice, but a willingness to work with the younger person. Someone that connects with what the mentee wishes to do in the future.

As a mentee – they need to have trust in their mentor. 

DDP: Are there challenges or opportunities in mentorship within the field of dance that you feel are unique to the industry?

Lauren Cramer: It is important to find the mind body connections – and not shy away from the arts and financials. Often dancers have a knee-jerk reaction to words like: “budget,” “revenue,” and “finance,” as if these terms are totally separate. It would be good to bridge the perceived gap between dance and life skills, which is also how to run a company.