Swany spoke to the students about the numerous contacts he has made during his career which he describes as, “the life I have; I could never have dreamed.” Swany, who started out as a dancer, has reinvented himself numerous times. Swany stated, “I thought I wanted to be a dancer, I thought I wanted to get married, I then wanted to dance for a company, work for Disney, later choreograph.” Swanhart told the students that reinventing yourself is just part of life’s journey.
Mark definitely has a résumé that most could only dream of; having worked with Baz Luhrmann on La Boheme (first in San Fran, then NYC). Baz who is the producer of the Broadway hits including Moulin Rouge and the upcoming Great Gatsby definitely gave Mark the edge he needed in accruing additional jobs in “the biz.” This however was not Mark’s first brush with Broadway he also danced in Fosse. Throughout his career, he has worked alongside stars such as: Nicole Kidman, Sting, Celine Dion and many more. Swany was the artistic director and choreographer for Celine’s World Tour and her first Vegas show at Caesar’s Palace. He has been the choreography and creative director for numerous commercials and music videos. Mark choreographed Circ Du Soleil: Elvis as well as the Bellagio and Macau Casino’s fountains. He is also currently the artistic director for LL Cool J, who, with creative help from Mark, is hosting the Grammy Awards this year.
Mark shared with the students some “top-secret projects” he is currently working on. One project involves next year’s NFL, which will be held in NYC. Mark’s planned football event is being pitched to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell next week. Additional projects include: a new movie release, an up-incoming TV network show where he will be a panel judge, which is hush-hush until production begins, and a network show idea of his own that he will be pitching to Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Sure Swany has rubbed shoulders with some of Hollywood’s finest, but he reminds students that while you may not be in LA, which he lovingly refers to as the “biggest microphone in the world where you can say big things” he reminds students that you can make just as great of an impact on the world by “…affecting the person next to you with a kind word. Impacting people is the reason I do what I do, not for the money or the fast cars. I think that being from a small town, Vinco, has given me the right reasons for doing what I do. It has given me the will to succeed and being a CC grad has taught me that I did have something to say to the world and something to give back.”
Another important message that Swany gave the CC students was that while his life may look amazing, for every success he had, he had just as many failures. He told students that they should never give up on their dreams and should pursue their goals even when faced with disappointments, letdowns, and adversaries. Swany goes on to honestly tell students, “you’re not always going to be treated the way that you treat people, but live by my motto: don’t take it personally and continue to impact others with respect and compassion anyway.”
The presentation by Mark Swanhart certainly had an impact on many students at CCHS. Lindsey Monito, a 9th grade student stated, “the presenter today was very inspirational…he reminded everyone that we can achieve our goals…and just because we are from a small town doesn’t mean we can’t do… big things. We have the power to set our goals, work hard, and succeed.”
Hannah Swope another 9th grade student stated, “I found it amazing that [Swany] took time out of his busy Hollywood life to come back to his hometown to give a motivational speech to high school students. He is a great example of how small-town dreamers can achieve their goals.”
Swany definitely left the students of CCHS with a feeling of empowerment. Swany’s final message he left students with was “Why not me? If they can do, why can’t I. And just as importantly, “why can’t you!”
