Melissa opens up about her first and favorite roles in Cats. And what happened on the national and international tour of "FAME: The Musical" that changed her career and training!
Melissa, or "Dina," as Lady Gaga called her, has ventured into commercial dance, feature film, and world tours. She has gone on tour with Lady Gaga and was a featured dancer in her video for "Marry The Night," as well as touring the world with A.R. Rahman, a multi-Grammy award winner and film composer who penned "Jai Ho." Other performances she is proud of are television shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance," "Dancing With the Stars," and feature films like "Gnomeo and Juliet" and "Step Up."
Julio Fuentes is a Vancouver based dancer, MT performer, and choreographer. Although dance came to him at the later age of 19, he has since then fallen in love with dance and has been training & teaching throughout Canada. So, what's it like to take your 1st ballet class as a grown man? How do you break into the Cdn MT industry? Julio shares his dance stories, audition rituals & the powerful lessons he has learned from an injury. We talk body, mentorship, and the winding path of tries, fails & experiences in this dance world!
Lisa La Touche never imagined Tapping her way through a dance career, but through a lot of love and hard work, Lisa has performed in Shuffle Along on Broadway, Stomp off-Broadway and educates around the world. We talk about her Plan A vs Plan B career strategy, how she locally created the opportunities that she was in search of, and about the inner voices & Artists Will that guided her journey. She has mentored by the incredible Sean Cheeseman and has worked with some of the Tap communities best like Savion Glover, Bril Barrett, Trey Dumas and Jumaane Taylor. Lisa also speaks to the Tap Legends like Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, and Jimmy Slide.
What are the best & worst parts of being in a company? What is it like to be the only boy dancer, in the studio and at school? How do you get over the Europe to dance? Jake Casey shares his thoughts and experiences. Casey was a 2013 NYC Finalist for the Youth American Grand Prix and joined Cincinnati Ballet in 2014 in the Corps de Ballet. In 2015, he choreographed a piece for the Inaugural Cincinnati Ballet Choreography Workshop. During the Summer of 2015, Casey danced at the National Choreographer’s Initiative in Irvine, CA. As a guest teacher and artist, Jake has instructed and danced at institutions all around the country, even virtually with CLI studios!
Let's talk about building an International festival, teaching dancer's with a new vocabulary and the debatable line between Bravery and Stupidity! Emily Bufferd talks about NYC show BUSINESS and PERFORMING arts. A Producer, Choreographer, Teacher, and Performer, Emily Produces The Young Choreographer’s Festival. She also teaches at Joffrey Ballet School and Broadway Dance Center in NYC where she takes fresh approaches on how to train, support and talk to dancers. Emily has also been featured by Dance Spirit, Dance Informa, and Dance Mogul Magazine, as well as on the television show ‘Inside NYC Dance’.
Kathryn McCormick is a world class dancer who is recognized for appearances on SYTYCD, as a competitor and all-star, Step Up Revolution, and Like Air. Beyond the stage, Kathryn mentors the next generation of dancers to navigate the dance world and know their worth. We talk about how she got her agent, what grounds her when self doubt and fear show up, and her most powerful performance ever!
Mentorship is a powerful way to receive guidance and advice from the people who you admire and respect. So many of us crave mentorship, but what how do you approach a mentor? What do you do when you have one? And do you need one? With 5 steps, Lauren dives deep into the strength, approach, and relationships with a Mentor.
Casey Garvin is the ultimate Triple Threat - singing, acting and dancing on the Broadway stages. Currently in Miss Saigon, Casey shares his journey from the audition, to rehearsals, tech onstage and opening night! What do you do when you bomb an audition? What's is like to work with comedy masters like Zach Braff? How do you maintain your body? What did he wish he would have known about NYC? Listen up as we take you from the studio to the stage on Broadway.
They have dance for over 20 Seasons with Alvin Ailey - and done it withmastery and grace. From Injury prevention, to what dancers and parents need to know- Glenn and Linda share how dancers create longevity and happiness within their career, Linda Celeste Sims began her dance training at Ballet Hispanico School of Dance and is a graduate of LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. In addition to a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts award, Mrs. Sims won Outstanding Performance at the 2014 New York Dance and Performance Awards (“The Bessies”). Featured on the cover Dance Magazine, and in annual “Best of” lists, she has performed as a guest star on So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, and The Today Show. Glenn Allen Sims began his classical dance training at the Academy of Dance Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey. He attended The Juilliard School under the artistic guidance of Benjamin Harkarvy. In 2004, Mr. Sims was the youngest person to be inducted into the Long Branch High School’s Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. He has been seen in several network television programs, including BET Honors, Dancing with the Stars, The Today Show, and So You Think You Can Dance.
Born in LA and raised in a pivotal period of street culture, clowning and growing aggression, Jo'Artis Ratti is one of the original creators of Krump. We talk about what KRUMP means, how it grew into an international phenomena, documentaries and dancing on tour with Madonna. It's a conversation with history, reality, and inspiration for all dancers and the dance community!
This episode is dedicated to the Evolution of You; the wandering, curious soul committed to big dreams and personal growth!
Chris Hale is Associate Director and Director of Education at Pushing Progress Contemporary Dance in NYC. He started out in the industry as a Triple Threat and at a young age, established himself at one of the world's leading Dance Drop-In studios, Broadway Dance Centre. Chris talk about how he built up his classes in one of the largest dance communities in the world, how his perceptive of a dancer's body and its functionality has evolved, and OF COURSE, we connect about Liz Gilbert and the act of following our Curiosity.
The Texas native is known as the "It Girl" of music videos and tours, she has appeared alongside chart-topping artists, including: Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Chris Brown, Nick Jonas, Meghan Trainor, and many more. Brittany speaks powerfully on what happens when you get fired, how to treated your fellow dancers, and the most effect way to build your career. Perry-Russell has made an incredible transition from lead dancer to actress and can now be seen in Netflix hit 13 Reasons Why! Listen now!
Heather has performed on stage and screen as an actor, dancer and singer. Her journey has lead her to weave in and out of the commercial and company sectors of dance. She recently choreographed the Lifetime Biopic "Britney Ever After". As an on set choreographer Heather has choreographed for The CW Network's iZombie (season 2& 3), A&E's "Bates Motel", Hallmark Network's "Harvest Moon", and many more! The premiere of her new full length contemporary dance piece "The Tunnel" will be presented by New Works at The Roundhouse Theatre, April 2017 in Vancouver. HLG shares her insights as an adjudicator, what it's like to work as the only head female in a male, and how she has made a long career grow and flourish in Canada.
Andrea Dvorak was deep into her Ballet training when she started to struggle with identity, self worth and relationship with food. When she could no longer walk, she knew she needed help. We talk about she was able to deepen her artistry and compassion as she recovered and share some tidbits of wisdom to anyone working through their emotions.... which is all of us, right?!
David Hofmann, better known as 'Sharkcookie', is a renowned dance photographer with over 600k follows on instagram alone! David shares how he took his career from the movie industry into the dance community, what he believes makes a great photo shoot, and how experimenting and failing is the best thing you can do for your craft.
The best kind of reunion - old duet partners!! Scott Maybank had a late start in his training, but that didn't let him shy away from pursuing the top Ballet schools across Canada. Over his ten year career Scott worked for Ballet British Columbia, West Australian Ballet and the Queensland Ballet, eventually retiring in his hometown of Edmonton after dancing with Alberta Ballet. With the help of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre, Scott is now a Chiropractor committed to helping Dancers feel healthy & work efficiently. From the worst thing you can do to your body, to best physical & mental practices- Scott shares his how to create a successful career with a lot of laughter!
Jeff Mortensen is a multi-talented dancer, gymnast, assistant choreographer, and performer. Jeff shares his unique journey through So You Think You Can Dance, to Cirque Du Soleil, to performing and assisting on renowned productions like Disney's The Descendants and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Jeff gives quick and applicable advice on what you can use as inspiration in your career and solid tips when on set!