PAULETTE DOZIER
Singer, Actress, & Talent Coach
Always Staying in RHYTHM
By Dina Morrone
What led you to become the artist you are today? Tell us a little bit about your first steps into the world of entertainment.
On my mother’s quest to find better work opportunities for herself, she moved us to New York. I’d see advertisements about how to become a model. I became fascinated with the glamorous world I saw and wanted to be part of it. But money was an issue for her as a divorced single parent raising two kids. Still, with the little money she could spare, my mom allowed me to enroll in a modeling school at age fifteen. A few years later, while trying to get through my first year of college, I was booked as a full-time showroom model in the garment center (7th Avenue) flaunting collections by designer Carol Cohen. I remained connected to the New York school, and they eventually asked me to work for them as one of their instructors.
The New York school then opened other facilities in various parts of the country. The one in Hollywood, CA, expanded to be a full performing arts center, and there, I was hired as a talent coach to train aspiring artists of all ages.
How do you find performing as an actress on stage different than singing on stage?
I love performing in both arenas, but of the two, I have to say that the theater stage is more challenging. I thrive off of a good theater production, especially a musical. When working in a production, whether it is a musical or play, the script and director rule. My task as the actor is to get it right – as scripted.
There is no easy method to memorizing a script and songs verbatim. I know how to navigate this process very well. But when I portrayed Billie Holiday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” I felt the challenge. Imagine a one-woman show that required me to memorize thirty-six pages of monologue and fourteen songs verbatim. This was also paired with coordinating the direction and blocking with the author’s words, while maybe having to burst into a song interwoven amongst the dialogue or even the song being the dialogue. Not to mention, having to be on point with my instructions for the production’s technical aspect, e.g., lights, sound, costume order, etc. All of this capped with someone hired to see your performance each night and make sure you performed the book “as scripted.”
However, on the concert stage, as a jazz singer and entertainer, there is more freedom with the songs, and the performance is unscripted. Rehearsals are done to get the music right. But with jazz, improvisation plays a major role, and that does not happen in rehearsal. For me (and sometimes the musicians), it happens during showtime. Improvisation becomes the script, so to speak. Backstage preparations, however, are the same as in the theater. Everything must align in order to have a great show. Knowing that anything can happen on stage, I must be ready to accept whatever comes my way and work it into the show as if it was rehearsed that way.
Each of these stages has its challenges, but the one challenge I welcome any time is making sure my audience enjoys the show.
Where did your love of jazz come from?
Listening to Ella Fitzgerald got me interested in jazz. At the time, I did not know what style of music I wanted to perform. I just knew I wanted to sing. It was inevitable that my dance career would have to end. You know you can only kick your legs up high for so long. I had to make a decision about what would come next. Since the great standards drew my attention, jazz seemed to be a good fit.
Ella Fitzgerald was the voice of choice for me to listen to. Her stylistic technique served as a learning tool for song interpretation and scat singing in particular. I appreciated how scat singing gave you the freedom to express how you felt in the moment. Ella performed with such ease that even her live performances sounded like well-rehearsed concerts. Many of which came with perfect “mistakes” that worked so well on stage. After listening to her, there was no question that jazz was the kind of music I wanted to perform.
I was even fortunate enough to be introduced to Ella Fitzgerald after one of her concerts in Caracas. I was beyond nervous, knowing that I was going to meet my idol. I entered her dressing room, and there she was. It’s amazing how being in the presence of a true legend like her can bring you to tears. And there I was in front of Ella Fitzgerald blubbering like a baby. I managed to get myself under control. And after that experience, there was no turning back. A jazz singer was what I wanted to be.
How did your childhood influence your creativity?
I guess you can say I was influenced by my experience as a kid singing in the youth choir at Saint John’s Baptist Church (Panama City, FL). That short-lived time sparked my interest in the performing arts. Choir rehearsal was a fun time because it meant getting together with my friends. When it came time to rehearse, the strict hand of our choir director instilled respect for the performance (and church) and gave us stage discipline. On Sunday mornings, it was showtime. I believe it was mostly our enthusiastic congregation and their generous appreciation for the singing that made me want to be in front of an audience some more.
You worked in New York City and then traveled to Venezuela, where you worked and lived for some time. Please tell us about your time in Venezuela?
I was scouted by a singer in New York to join her dance ensemble for a South America tour. I didn’t exactly know what international travel would entail. I just wanted to get out of New York City, so I said yes. Like many of my experiences connected to Venezuela, that trip was my first time traveling abroad. I also learned my first foreign language there, signed my first T.V. and recording contracts, recorded my first album, and met my first and only husband, who is Italian. Both of us were on contracts in Caracas, he an engineer, me a dancer. Before I met him, he had seen me in the show I was doing, and as they say, the rest is history.
The early 80s were the glory days in Caracas. A time when the country was beautiful and the bolivar (its currency) stronger than the dollar. While I was with the show and even after leaving it, I traveled to many parts of the country, usually on tour. Venezuela was different from the states. I saw it as an opportunity where I could excel and become a big part of their entertainment industry. They loved what I had to offer, plus money didn’t seem to be an issue. I would be paid well, at least, much better than in the States, so I decided to give this new place a try.
I spent ten years abroad, the latter part of that time overlapped with me living in Milan, Italy for a while then returning to Caracas. In retrospect, the decision to move to Venezuela probably should have been more concerning, but I don’t recall any hesitation. Even though it was a very different world from what I knew, I wanted to explore it. Imagine arriving at the airport and seeing the military-like security carrying machine guns, which was the norm—or being met with a new language, different currency, and food, plus seeing extreme poverty in plain view, etc. Yet I enjoyed much of my time there. I took a leap and discovered who I was as a young 23-year-old woman, and what I could achieve in the entertainment industry and life.
The time then came to start a new chapter and return to the U.S. (Miami), where I gave my husband a hand with his boat business for a while and received my Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Arts. The new chapter began.
What has been a highlight in life that had a significant impact on who you are today?
It might sound a little corny, but it was giving birth to my beautiful daughter. Although it has been years since that special moment happened, the maternal feeling of closeness still lingers, and I am thankful it never ends. She is my heart.
Domenica is a successful musician (flutist) and lead singer of the band Underground System. It’s always a thrill when I see her on stage in her element. Mind you, her concerts are “pretty darn wild.” But all the same, I am a fan and will be in the crowd cheering her on. I admire her as a colleague, respect the growth and success she has accomplished professionally, and as a woman.
Where would you like to perform next, and why?
Hands down, no doubt, in a Broadway production! That would be the highlight of my career because Broadway is the maximum theater experience. Besides, New York is where I got my training and “I Love New York”! It’s where you can find entertainment 24/7, at least during normal times without Covid-19.
Are you involved in any charities?
Yes, I am involved with “Cancer Excludes No One” or C.E.N.O., as it is better known. Since 2008 I have been invited to perform at the annual “Cancer Excludes No One” benefit, which contributes funds to Fresno State University’s cancer research department. A department under the direction of Professor Dr. Jason Bush.
C.E.N.O. falls under the umbrella of the “As One Services” nonprofit organization that was started by my sister Valette Farwell. The organization is, in part, dedicated to fundraising for cancer research, yet their efforts are also immersed in finding activities “to strengthen the community involvement in the fight against all forms of cancer.” One such activity is their Healthy Eating & Exercise workshop. It is a free community event open to the public hosted by A.O.S.
C.E.N.O., on the other hand, hosts special events where for only a $60 to $75 ticket, you can have a delicious dinner and great show. My work with C.E.N.O. has been as an entertainer and MC working alongside comedian and radio host Andre Covington. Each year the challenge is to pack the house, and Valette Farwell has never failed to have a SOLD OUT show. This year’s CE.N.O. event was canceled due to Covid-19, but everyone connected to the organization is looking forward to filling the seats and stage once again as One Services welcomes the fight to continue raising money because as C.E.N.O. reminds us, Cancer Excludes No One.
How have you kept busy during the pandemic?
Besides trying to declutter my house, I’m working on my children’s book and teaching my online RHYTHM Exercise classes. The pandemic has been the only event that has made me slow down and not cater to an overloaded schedule. The main problems I had in trying to move forward with both of these projects were a lack of time and the money to kickstart them. Plus, for
the exercise program, I needed an inexpensive space where I could teach the classes.
Once Covid-19 contained us to the house, this gave me the time needed. I found time to write and even research apps that could help me with my book illustrations. I’m a big fan of the D.I.Y. factor. That is, if you cannot find or afford someone to do it for you, then Do It Yourself. I also had time to put the RHYTHM Exercise program into action this past April. Zoom.us is the medium I use to teach, and a room in my home (or wherever I might be) is the space where I conduct the sessions. As for the money needed to start, a nominal investment to have a Zoom account, along with some advertisements to promote the classes, is all I needed to get it going. The RHYTHM workout is ideal for baby boomers. In fact, it is designed for the active 50+ demographic. There are familiar tunes from “back in the day” to dance and exercise to. The aerobic routines are doable by everyone yet still a challenge to the body. And one of the best things about RHYTHM is the comradery. It’s a lot of fun.
In July, we did a 21-Day Challenge. The group was required to set a goal, commit to the 21-Days of activity, and persevere when faced with a difficult task/exercise. These three actions are useful when striving for success, setting a goal, committing to
it, and persevering. Anyway, the 21-Day Challenge included only one full day of fasting. On day 20, a Nutrition Specialist was invited to speak to the group. And on day 21, the group (along with their daughters, if they had one) was invited to
participate in my daughter’s Zumba class that has different music, moves, and higher impact movements. It was the final test of the stamina, and everyone did a great job.
Do you adhere to a special diet or meal plan?
I’m a vegetarian, and I generally like any vegetable plate if well prepared. However, my favorite dishes are my mom’s collard greens, my husband’s homemade tomato sauce, and my niece’s sweet potato pie. Then throw in a good polenta and Caprese salad with a bottle of Brachetto wine – so good. And to top this off, last year while dining at the Agriturismo Montegualdone restaurant on the hills of Tortona, I.T.A.L.Y., I discovered fried mushrooms. What a tasty surprise. The way the mushrooms were prepared had a flavor typical of fried foods (not greasy) from the south (the U.S. that is), and they were deliziosi. Translation, “um um good.”
What’s next for you professionally?
Producing and staging a play that is named after my 2017 CD, “In Walked You.” My dear friend, and colleague, Chantel Deniese, was inspired to write the story after seeing me in rehearsal for one of my concerts. The production was scheduled to debut this past July, at the 2020 Fringe Festival, but the event was canceled due to the coronavirus shutdown. Plans are in the works to perform an excerpt from the play via Zoom and
Facebook this November.
“In Walked You” [is an intriguing story] about a woman who comes face to face with the biggest challenge of her life. As she relives the days of her youth, she finds herself trapped in her own memories. When confronted with a reality that threatens her very existence, she lashes out at the ones who can help her. Losing herself in a world of her own making is her only outlet to inner peace.
For more information about Paulette and her upcoming online performance, please visit PauletteDozier.com.
Special thanks to :
Paulette Dozier
Amy Pasquantonio Photogrpahy
Norman Black Photography
Comments