Today we’d like to introduce you to Miriam Kraatz.
Hi Miriam, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
For as long as I can remember, I have had somewhat of a “dual life”: I am a scientist by training and heart, and I have always loved studying and experimenting – but *only* if at the end of the day I could go play with sounds and shapes. As a kid, I drew and painted mostly, and my teenage years and early twenties were focused on music, particularly jazz.
But trying to become a professional musician in Berlin in the ’90s was daunting and I had that other side of me, so I ended up continuing my academic studies, which brought me to Nashville via Vanderbilt. I worked as a statistician in the industry for about 10 years until 2021. While living in Nashville, I started breaking in 2006, when I met Q (QKong), who was running the local breakdance practice at Rocketown. We sort of co-existed side by side for a while – him organizing the practice sessions, jams (breakdance competitions including Bashville), and competing all over the South, and me trying hard to get to a chair freeze.
Eventually, we were hanging out more and I started assisting with some of the organizational aspects of his activities, and the rest is history. About 10 to 12 years before we (Q and I) actually started Construct (Jan. 2016), I sort of had the vision for it, and that really was a vision – an image in my head of people organically flowing in an out of the space, chairs turning into climbing equipment, someone drawing on a window, someone dancing, a band making music. All at the same time!
It doesn’t quite work that way lol! But that was the idea. A creative space where every thing is a piece of art, getting repurposed and transformed over and over again. I’ve had to make a few concessions since – some things and ideas are just not practical or will take a very long time to implement, but I think all in all we are well on the way. The space is designed with longevity in mind – both physically and culturally. It will be its best self the more people contribute to it, I or Q alone cannot make it what it is.
To give it its best chance to grow, we own the building, to gain independence from the local market and the global economy. By the way, the construct is, primarily, a dance studio. If you had told me this when I was 25, I would’ve laughed at you. I started dancing (breakdance) at the age of 28.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Since the start in Jan. 2016, there have been no catastrophic situations that put Construct’s existence in question, if that is what you’re asking. Covid obviously mauled our income, which dropped by 85% for a while, but it’s designed to withstand catastrophes, and so it did. Knock on wood. The struggles are mostly mental.
I make close to no money from the studio (if you’d like to know: a total of $730 net in 2023), my reason for doing it is that it feels meaningful. And not everything and everyone will work with you, so your feeling of meaningfulness sometimes has to be enough when you have no money or nice things or fame to show as you’re cleaning the toilet and picking gum off the parking lot. Fortunately we’ve been clear of any legal troubles so far!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m known for asking questions. I like to analyze, and I don’t let go until the question/problem is actually *solved* or an inextricable uncertainty has been reached and we have to accept that.
Asking questions and not giving up searching for solutions applies everywhere, and I feel that breakdance is a great medium for it because it combines so many things, strength, flexibility, musicality, discipline, creativity, social interaction and unity. I believe it’s a very wholesome way to train your entire self.
I apply my bloodhound nature to almost anything I do, and so my best move in Breaking (breakdance) is headspins, a highly technical (and fun) move with the super duper benefit of costing very little energy once you get comfortable (that’s helpful if you’re 45 years old). But you do have to sit there and sort out your balance with great patience.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I don’t think I have *one* favorite childhood memory; I have several important ones. For the sake of this article, I am going to actually pick a recurring nightmare I had at around ages 4 and 5. My parents’ bedroom’s wallpaper had stylized little trees on it, with a thin trunk and a circular crown.
In my nightmare, there would be some kind of lead up such as me running from something or whatever, until I had one of these trees in front of me, and the tree would start pulsing. It would very rapidly get really small and then extremely big in front of me, which made it look like the tree was coming towards me really, really fast, scaring me (I’d wake up at that point).
I’m picking this memory because that was the first time I got a feeling for and started thinking about the power of the mind.
Pricing:
- Kids’ Breakdance (7+ age group): $65/month
- Kids’ Breakdance (4-6 age group): $50/month
- House Dance drop in (adults): $10
- Capoeira drop in (adults): $10
Contact Info:
- Website: constructnashville.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constructnashville/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConstructNashville/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7gh8mWRvgZRlvdzg0qGzhw
Image Credits
Tommy Phothisane and Miriam Kraatz
