Daily Inspiration: Meet Megan Grabau

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Grabau.

Hi Megan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a choreographer, dancer, and creative director. A couple of years ago, I officially started my own production company, MEG Productions, and I am very proud of what the company has done in such a short amount of time.

Not only have I put on multiple dance conventions flying in choreographers from out of state, created my own merchandise line, and choreographed lots of dances for teams all over the state, but I have also worked hard to make everyone in each one of those ventures feel seen, important, and valuable. I am proud of the why and how more than I am proud of the what.

I started dancing when I was 2 and started dancing professionally when I moved to LA straight out of high school when I was 18. I went on tour in Europe for two years as a dancer and aerialist then moved back to LA and went back to commercial dance work there. Very shortly after, COVID hit and the industry went completely silent, as did the world.

For that entire first year, I lived half in LA and half in Colorado. I did some huge jobs in LA that year including a movie and other jobs such as being on Beachbody with ShaunT, a music video for the pop star “P!NK” and a model for F45’s national campaign. However, at the end of the year, I decided to move back to Colorado and travel to LA for jobs.

At this point, I had been dancing rather than directing and choreographing. The pandemic pushed me to start creating opportunities for myself and work hard to figure out an industry that had taken a massive hit by COVID-19.

This was a huge pivotal moment for my career of truly stepping into my artistic expression, not waiting for others, trusting my hard work and creative voice, and this is what began my own production company based in Colorado. It was the challenges and changes that I did not want to happen that have placed me where I am today and looking back, I could not be more grateful and thankful for every turn in my path.

I have learned that with adversity comes resilience and with struggle comes strength. It is not what is happening to you but how you respond. One of the biggest lessons I have learned by stepping into a choreographer/creative director role is your art is never about you. It is about how others feel experiencing it and how your art can inspire others.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I am grateful to say that starting my own company, MEG Productions, and transitioning into more of a choreographer/director role was a relatively smooth transition. However, my entire journey to where I am today has not been smooth. I think the largest noteworthy struggle that has happened in my journey, as well as many others, is the global pandemic and starting to figure out a new way of life and work after COVID-19 hit the world.

But, in the entertainment industry, in my personal experience, the biggest struggles are not the physical ones but rather the mental battles. I am very grateful that my passion is my profession, but there is a flip side to that. I get the opportunity to do what I love every single day, but that does not mean that the business side of what I do is less important.

I have learned to separate my love and passion for dance from the planning, cultivating, and business side. Yes, my passion is what drives my business, but in order to grow and truly make an income from what I love, there has to be a separation in the mind. When one ties together their passion, work, and self, one starts to lose a sense of reality and starts to not see what is truly in front of them.

In order to be a successful business owner, I have had to detach my love for dance in some ways from my business. When everything starts to entangle into one another, a struggle becomes a crisis. I have chosen to be focused on my career but not let that deplete my love for movement.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a choreographer, dancer, and director. I specialize in jazz funk, hip-hop, and commercial styles, although I have been technically trained since I was 2 years old. Through all my amazing job opportunities all around the world, I think I am most proud of how I have done them and conducted myself over the credentials of the jobs themselves.

I am proud of my how over my what. Instead of focusing on how I can elevate myself through art, I focus on how I can empower others through art to believe in themselves and believe in their own greatness. I think that this mindset is shown through my choreography.

Instead of focusing only on the steps, I look at the overall picture, how to highlight every dancer on stage, and how to inspire the audience. I understand that the art I create is not for me or my gain, but to make others feel inspired, empowered, and loved.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love Colorado. I have traveled all over the world for dance but nowhere has ever felt like home quite like Colorado. I love the seasons in Colorado, the sunshine, and the people. I love that we have the city life and mountains a couple of hours away.

Besides the entertainment industry, I am a part of the fitness industry as well, and love that Colorado is such a prime location for some of the top athletes in the country and even in the world.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @megangrabau

Image Credits
Michael Greco, Moffatt, and Angelli Nguyen