At the age of seven, Karina Taylor attended her first acting camp, “Applause,” located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. What began as simply a hobby quickly evolved into a deeper passion. Taylor’s transformative experience at Applause enabled her to discover true affection for the performing arts and created a pathway to self-expression. The stage became a safe haven for her and a guide through the challenges in her life. Taylor shares, “I get an adrenaline rush on stage, so I have more fun performing than nerves…I guess it helps that you can’t really see the people. In the audience, it’s pitch black so I have fun.” From the excitement of embodying a character’s life and sharing their story, to the lasting friendships that come with the commitment, acting and dancing quickly began to fill Taylor’s life with joy and direction.
Dance was the means by which Taylor learned a crucial life lesson: resilience is key to success. In seventh grade, she was faced with what could have easily been a lasting setback. Taylor was rejected by an advanced dance company she had trained for months to join. But her energy and commitment was undaunted. Taylor has an unwavering devotion to the art, acting as a constant reminder of her willingness to put in whatever time was necessary to achieve her goals. She recalls, “I made the choice to work harder than I ever believed possible to earn my spot next year.”
As Taylor stretched her abilities, she drew inspiration from her support system, including her instructors. Her dance teachers since she was in 6th grade, Kristina and Max, emerged as lasting sources of motivation. Kristina’s untamable efforts to continue dancing while battling health challenges revealed to Taylor the resilience needed to overcome personal challenges. She shares how, “Despite people telling her she wouldn’t be able to dance because of conditions out of her control, Kristina didn’t let this interfere with her career and that was really inspiring.” For Taylor, Max represented the possibilities of a professional acting career. She says, “He was on Broadway in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Spider-Man,’ so he’s doing a lot of really fun stuff right now and it’s really cool to see someone living out your dream and their dream.” These mentors, combined with the relentless support of her mother, have enabled Taylor to grow not only as a performer, but also as a person.
Taylor has rehearsed with her mom, Kristalina, since she was young, and says that she has been “extremely supportive and a great collaborator for years.” Some roles Taylor has played include a man in “Guys and Dolls,” Farquaad in “Shrek,” the Witch in “Into the Woods” and Miss Pennywise in “Urinetown.” They work together to learn lines, fine-tune Taylor’s performances and help her to better embrace the character’s role. Taylor explains, “My mom is a retired harpist, but she also plays the piano so she’ll play in our living room while I sing for a few hours.” She also recalls, “My mom will find clips of my character’s roles on Youtube and send them to me while I’m in class and get mad when I don’t respond.” This experience has not only helped strengthen their bond but also adds another layer of meaning to each performance and role Taylor plays.
As she moves between theater and dance, fictional roles and reality, Taylor finds herself embodying the roles she plays, using these experiences to strengthen her empathy for others and better resolve conflicts. She says that being forced to step into a character’s point of view has “taught [her] to view life and other people’s experiences from different perspectives.” Being able to take a step back and consider an opposing viewpoint can allow for more meaningful conversations and overall, stronger communication skills. Each role forces Taylor to understand a character’s triumphs and fears by listening first, and then thoughtfully responding. She voices, “Last year I did ‘Mean Girls,’ and I think that helped me listen better because it’s a show about bullying in high school and like popularity and peer pressure. Seeing this from an outside perspective and listening to older directors and teachers talk about things we’re going through right now really made me think about all this from a more mature perspective.” Taylor adds, “In auditions, you can’t be nervous and shy so I guess this has helped me talk to people and do uncomfortable things. Playing different characters that you’re not used to or telling stories you don’t live through helps you see the character’s perspectives and the bigger picture they’re representing.”
Taylor shares how theater and its laborious requirements has fostered a strong work ethic. She adds, “I really like staying busy because I feel like you can’t fall behind or get lazy when you’re really booked, so theater has really helped me in that sense.” Taylor also highlights her efforts to balance her time, “doing things a week in advance and pre-studying for classes.” When she was younger, Taylor shares how she struggled to manage the time commitment. “I think it was a lot more difficult because I was doing it for the first time, but I feel like I’ve gotten used to it. I ask for extensions sometimes. Sometimes I stay up really late.”
Taylor is a diligent student and performer who is willing to put in the extra effort to be successful. For young artists, Taylor has a simple piece of advice: “Setbacks are inevitable, especially as a teenager, but don’t give up when it gets challenging or you won’t get to where you want.”
