Meet our new intern, Isabella!

Monkeyhouse is pleased to introduce you to our new Photography Intern, Isabella Carmenate. She recently helped out during the Fleur d'Orange residency, including taking some excellent photos at workshops, musing, and performance at the Somerville Armory.  To help you get to know her better, Monkeyhouse dancer Aisha Cruse asked her a few questions via email. Keep an eye out for Isabella and her camera at future Monkeyhouse events!

AC: How did you first get involved with or hear of Monkeyhouse? What's your favorite aspect of the organization?
IC: I first heard about Monkeyhouse from other interns, around the time when Nicole was co-directing our fall show. Nicole reached out to me in the summer to see if I wanted to intern and I was really excited. I'm still finding new things out about the organization all the time, but I really liked when I got to watch musings last week. It really showed me how well everyone works together and collaborates, which I think translates over to all the great things the organization does.

AC: Your bio says that you have been taking art classes for seven years, and you're currently Monkeyhouse's photography intern; do you work exclusively in photography? Do you have other mediums you enjoy or frequently work in?
IC: I actually don't have any formal training in photography, I've just been learning from friends, reading books, and the internet. However, I have been practicing the whole traditional art thing since I was in elementary school. I really love sketching and doing oil paintings, especially when the subject is people. They're most interesting for me because every person is different. Yes, there are proportions that most of the time are similar, but everyone's features are different. I think that's kind of why I like photography too because in an instant, you can take a photo and see all these interesting things like movement, or an expression, or even just how someone's features make up what they look like.

AC: Your bio mentions you've recently become involved in theater and dance, and you also sing in your church's youth choir. What drew you to performance?
IC: I actually really hated performing up until about two years ago. My friends sort of pushed me into the whole theater and singing thing because they thought that I would like it. I was very reluctant at first to even get up on stage or sing in front of anybody, but I guess in that first year I got more comfortable with it. Performance has taught me to be comfortable with myself and making mistakes, and I'm definitely different now because of it.

AC: If you could meet and/or take class with any dancer/choreographer (living or dead) who would it be and why?
IC: I would want to meet the dancers who were in the paintings of Degas because I would definitely want to see how those paintings were made.