9 minute read
Cover Story
Art, Travel, and Joy: Apolonia Davalos
By Natalie Slieter
Photos by Maggie Sweets Photography
Sioux Falls gains a new joyful advocate! Since 2018, when Apolonia Davalos moved to Sioux Falls with her mother Sandra, her positive impact has resonated throughout the city. To name a few accomplishments; she spreads her positivity through her show “Music Matters” with SDPB and Levitt at the Falls, she starred as Mary, Mother of God, for Christmas at the Cathedral (which aired Christmas day on KELO-TV), and has been appointed to serve on the advisory committee for the 2035 Downtown Plan.
Apolonia says she grew up everywhere due to her mother’s service as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force. She was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, and has two sisters, one older and one younger. Most memorable to her is the time she spent as a child in Washington D.C. at the Pentagon.
“I’m a product of the United States Air Force and a stranger nowhere. Growing up a little bit of everywhere, home is really where my mother is,” Apolonia said. “Implanted in me is to make a home wherever you are. It was a different way of life that prepared me to be a traveler as a performing artist.”
Apolonia earned her name after her mother – a woman of faith – was in Apollonia, Greece, in the military and pregnant at the same time. Her mother dropped the extra “L” to give her name a little more originality. Apolonia says her name has encouraged her to read her way through the Bible (the city of Apollonia is mentioned in the book of Acts) and develop a love for history.
Apolonia discovered her love of the arts as a child at just nine years old. She knew then that she wanted to be an actress after seeing her older sister perform in the production, “The King and I.” At 17 years old, after graduating high school, she
moved to New York City. There she pursued her dream of being an actress, bringing joy to people and to the world through the arts. She attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and earned an associate of arts degree in stage, film, and television.
True to her nature, Apolonia was only in New York for a couple years before traveling on to Boston. There, she joined Chamber Theatre Productions, a children’s theatre tour. At Chamber Theatre, she held many roles including the female understudy, house manager, and sound technician for the tour, and later, the Assistant Reservations Coordinator for the company. While on tour, they performed in a new city every day for four months.
Also, while in Boston, she was cast in multiple roles in the play “Metamorphoses”. According to Apolonia, she says, “It was a dream to perform in Boston’s professional premiere of the play.”
Working in film in Boston, she earned the opportunity to work behind the scenes on “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” with Happy Madison Productions. She was hired as a stand-in for one of the lead villains, Vixen. Following Boston, back in NYC, she had a number of other projects happening, including performing Off-Broadway in the production, “Looking for Billy Haines” and also producing and acting in one of her first films, “Jolly”. Needless to say, Apolonia has had a full schedule and workload since then.
“I believe you learn more by doing. When you work with fellow artists that are more experienced, you can learn from them and you yourself become a better artist.”
After her time in Boston, and her return to NYC, she traveled to Texas. The Lone Star State is where she was able to focus on her relationship with God, and also study and grow in her faith. She was mentored and studied Scripture for six months in a program called “Christ Renews His Parish”.
“Christ Renews His Parish was revolutionary for me. I experienced a spiritual renewal, and the desire to root my art in faith. Basically, putting God first.”
Next, on to Nashville theatre and film. She was cast as a recurring
background actor for the show “Nashville” and brought to life Queen Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Nashville Shakespeare Festival during its 25th Anniversary. She also got to work behind the scenes for The Stellar Awards, held to recognize artists in the gospel music industry.
In addition to her many talents, Apolonia recalls that one of her coolest adventures occured during the time she was a certified pyrotechnician in Texas for Illumination Fireworks.
“To be an effective director and producer, you have to have an understanding of all the roles. I value servant-leadership. If you are in a leadership role you are really of service to everyone around you to help them achieve their ultimate success. I’ve worked in lighting, audio, and video to better understand the language and appreciate these departments. My endeavor is to be a well-rounded creative person when I bring a production to life.”
Since being in Sioux Falls, Apolonia has, of course, been busy. She is a student in media studies at the University of Sioux Falls and originated the Coo Cinema Club, a film club at USF. She directed and produced the short film documentary called “The Making of: Loving Arms” which has received film awards from around the world, including Brazil, Paris, and London. She was the host of the 2021 spring and summer season of “Levitt in Your Living Room” for Levitt at the Falls, in partnership with South Dakota Public Broadcasting. She was also cast as Mary, Mother of God, for Christmas at the Cathedral’s 2021 production of
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“Be Born in Me.” Even though she is in Sioux Falls, she also produces a film festival in Tennessee called the 54 Film Fest, and she invites all South Dakota filmmakers to compete in the 54 Film Fest in 2023, a great opportunity to create, cultivate, and network with filmmakers from around the country.
Recently, she was appointed to the advisory committee for the 2035 Downtown Plan, which she looks forward to since she loves Sioux Falls and is excited to be part of its continued growth. She is currently doing freelance work for South Dakota Public Broadcasting where she is producing, writing, and hosting the show “Music Matters”, which explores how and why music matters to the community and features 2021 Levitt at the Falls concert series artists. She also plans to do this for the upcoming 2022 Levitt concerts. “I will be at every Levitt concert this summer, so come dance with me!”
Since Apolonia’s art and talents have taken her in so many directions, she is happy to thank those that have provided her opportunities and helped her get to where she is today.
“I want to thank Joe Obermueller for recommending me for the challenge of portraying Mary, Mother of God, for Christmas at the Cathedral, which I like to call ‘the Broadway of Sioux Falls.’ I want to thank Nancy Halverson for my newfound relationship with Levitt at the Falls – thank you for the opportunity to live my dream. To Brad Van Osdel at SDPB, for continuing to say yes to this relationship. To Paul TenHaken, thank you for encouraging my passion for community engagement and for the gift of serving as a member of the Sioux Falls Arts Task Force. And to my mother, you are everything. You are the reason I have my faith walk. You taught me not to limit myself. You are my angel and my guide.”
Looking to the years ahead, Apolonia hopes to grow the film market here in Sioux Falls and in South Dakota, because she says, “ there’s a great opportunity for it and so many talented creatives and artists are already here”. She loves Sioux Falls and wants to share our city with the world. Her ultimate dream would be to open a studio for episodic TV and film production.
To the women of Sioux Falls, she says this: “Every woman has a mission and a purpose. We are a temple of God and we are part of a divine plan as co-creators of the Almighty artist to live, breathe, and teach Heaven here on earth. True beauty comes from within your soul. Express it. Every woman’s inner beauty is a light to brighten the world, so shine, girl, shine!” n
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