Conversations with Rainey Scarborough

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rainey Scarborough.

Hi Rainey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
I grew up doing everything creative – from singing, dancing, and playing the violin to amusing myself with painting, drawing, and writing funny stories on the weekends. I loved all of it. By the time I was in middle school, dancing was what was called to me most. I enjoyed how it collaborated so well with storytelling, athleticism, visuals, costumes, and of course, the music, the inspiration to it all. I continued pursuing my other outlets, but dance brought me joy.

Once I was in high school, I expanded my interests into art classes and musical theater, participating in the school musicals, orchestra, and choir. I also began to teach myself photography because I wanted to take dance photographs of myself for Instagram ( lol). Eventually, I stumbled upon film photography and, later, videography because I was really into live music and wanted to document concerts.

I had a bad knee injury at the end of my senior year of high school and had to give up dancing for about a year. This was when I had to reevaluate what my purpose was. I pursued photography and film in my early college years when I could not dance but missed the feeling of moving my body. During Covid, I vowed to get back into dance class and feel how I used to feel. I met a great group of inspiring dancers in Durham and continued to pursue my interest in contemporary dance. Now, I have the pleasure of dancing, choreographing, and merging my films and images with my movement in my shows as projections and visuals. The American Dance Festival and Durham creative arts scenes have inspired me and shaped me into the artist I am today.

Since graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, I am moving to Brooklyn, New York, and starting my life as a creative professional, dance artist, and lover of all things exciting and compelling.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
It definitely could have been a smoother road! As previously mentioned, having a knee injury (ACL tear) end of senior year of high school when you wanted to become a professional dancer, as well as having COVID put a wrench in everyone’s plans, and ceasing college for practically 2 years was not the best of times. These obstacles, among others, have made me stop and start and stop and start my interests, passions, and life all over again. As an artist and creative person, I realized this is just the way of life. Things get in the way. But if you love it enough, you will continue to do it and fight for it any way you can. I have told myself that no matter what happens, I will still find places and outlets to continue to grow, expand and create, even when it isn’t possible.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am still trying to decide who or what I am as a “professional.” All I know is that I am an artist and creative. It took me a while to call myself that artist. I have often been in environments that don’t necessarily recognize people as artists as frequently as they should. From competitive high school and college environments to majoring in advertising and realizing that is not what I want to do, being an artist as my career is something I am still trying to make a reality. But I am an artist. I do many things and wear many hats. I have realized that is what artists do. I specialize in being someone who is an artist of many forms. Some of it was self-taught, some learned, but many of my ideas come to me as inspiration from many different sources worldwide. I am a dancer, performance artist, photographer, videographer, occasional writer, and more. I am most proud of the work I can create that crosses genres and collaborates between mediums.

Most recently, I produced and choreographed my dance show, Memory Sketch, along with my sister, where we mixed dance, art, projection, old home movies, original music, and childlike memorabilia and nostalgia as a theme. I also performed in and choreographed a video for one of my favorite music artists, Field Medic, which was inspiring and gratifying.

We’d love to hear about your fond memories from growing up.
My favorite childhood memory was when I went to Walmart on Saturdays as a kid with my dad, and I got to pick out a barbie.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raineyscarborough.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.ain.ey/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rainey-scarborough-77a57a190/

Image Credits
Cullen Keogh, Anabelle Scarborough, Naveed Moeed