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Versatility in the Dance World · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
0:11
SPEAKER_00: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_00: This is making the impact of the dance competition podcast.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Each week, we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: We've all heard the phrase, death of all phrase but master of nuts.
0:27
SPEAKER_00: Today we're challenging the assumption that just because we do a little of everything, we might not be great at anything.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: In the dance world we live in today, works at quality is the make or break quality that means the difference between being asked as or not, or being perceived as a one-term quality.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: Join us as we break it down for you on this week's episode of Making the Impact a Dance Competition Podcast.
0:48
SPEAKER_05: Hi everyone, it's Court Court Keith, and welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact a Dance Competition Podcast.
0:56
SPEAKER_05: I'm your host, and of course, I am here with my co-host, Ludwig Maylor.
1:00
SPEAKER_05: Hi, Dance Friends.
1:01
SPEAKER_05: Always here for you.
1:02
SPEAKER_05: Yes, and we love all of our fans.
1:05
SPEAKER_05: Thanks so much to everyone for tuning in and joining us for season two.
1:09
SPEAKER_05: It's been a blast.
1:10
SPEAKER_05: So many good episodes.
1:11
SPEAKER_05: Oh my goodness, so many.
1:13
SPEAKER_05: If you're just joining, you have a lot to catch up on.
1:16
SPEAKER_05: So definitely go start listening now, y'all.
1:19
SPEAKER_05: You have so many episodes and they're spectacular.
1:21
SPEAKER_00: They just keep getting better.
1:23
SPEAKER_05: I I really do think they do.
1:24
SPEAKER_05: I say that after each recording.
1:26
SPEAKER_05: I'm like, oh my god, this episode's so good, and they keep getting better and better.
1:30
SPEAKER_05: Every single one of them is my favorite.
1:32
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
1:33
SPEAKER_05: Can't pick a favorite.
1:34
SPEAKER_05: They're all so good.
1:35
SPEAKER_05: But uh today we're talking about versatility, which is a hot, hot, hot topic in the in the dance world in general.
1:43
SPEAKER_05: And I can't wait to dive deep into it with our two lovely guests that I'll introduce to you very shortly.
1:49
SPEAKER_05: But before we do, I'd love to let you know a little bit about what's going on over here with IDA.
1:56
SPEAKER_05: And one of those things is our virtual competition, which I'm sure you've heard about a lot from us.
2:01
SPEAKER_05: We have an virtual competition.
2:03
SPEAKER_05: We just wrapped a March event last month.
2:06
SPEAKER_05: And guess what?
2:07
SPEAKER_05: We have registration opening now, a few days ago, for our May solo and group virtual competition.
2:14
SPEAKER_05: So if you want to send in your dances to get some awesome feedback from our IDA judges, you can definitely do so.
2:22
SPEAKER_05: Parents can enter solos on their own with studio approval.
2:25
SPEAKER_05: And we've watched so much amazing talent from all around the world who have joined us for all of our IDA virtual competition events.
2:32
SPEAKER_05: So be sure to head over to our website now and register before it's too late.
2:37
SPEAKER_05: Registration closes on May 10th.
2:40
SPEAKER_05: So you can learn more at Impact Dance Adjudicators.com slash virtual competition.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: And we have also been loving talking and chatting and answering questions on our new Facebook group.
2:52
SPEAKER_00: Yay! This has been something that has really taken off.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: I I was a little honestly kind of like, are people really gonna want to do this when we start started it?
3:00
SPEAKER_00: Just because everybody's so inundated with other things in their life.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: But this Facebook group has grown exponentially since we opened it up in January.
3:08
SPEAKER_00: And we've just been having a great time with everybody.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: So if you're interested in having some conversations about dance, dance competitions, hearing from the judges, hearing from other dance people, we have people in our group that are studio owners, teachers, dance business owners, other judges, other competition owners.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: We have we kind of run the gamut of the dance industry.
3:28
SPEAKER_00: It's called Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast community.
3:31
SPEAKER_00: We would love for you to join us and just be a part of the community.
3:35
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
3:35
SPEAKER_05: We love interacting with all of our fans and we've definitely grown it a lot.
3:39
SPEAKER_05: We have a lot of members, y'all.
3:40
SPEAKER_05: So check it out now.
3:42
SPEAKER_05: All right, and we have some wonderful sponsors who have been on the podcast that I'm sure you've heard us chat about before.
3:49
SPEAKER_05: But I cannot wait to let you all know that we just gained another brand new sponsor for Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
4:00
SPEAKER_05: And they have some adorable, sleek dancewear that I know you would love to add to your dancewear collection.
4:07
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4:15
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4:19
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4:24
SPEAKER_05: Because as a dancer, we always want to look and feel our best, and the right dancewear can change everything.
4:30
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4:33
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4:39
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4:41
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4:47
SPEAKER_05: Thanks so much for our brand new sponsor, Work, for supporting us.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: And we have our tried and true oldie but goodie favorite sponsor, Dance Costumes by Urzua.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: We know that many of you dancers already have hit the stage this season in your beautiful costumes, but if you're a studio owner or a dance teacher looking for recital costumes, then check out our sponsor, Dance Costumes by Urzua.
5:07
SPEAKER_00: They were founded by dance teacher and costume designer Lily Urzua with the mission to give back to her local dance community.
5:12
SPEAKER_00: By purchasing a beautiful one-of-a-kind costume, you're helping another young dancer continue their training and live their dream.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: Each custom piece by Dance Costumes by Urzua features five variations in size slim, narrow, medium, curvy, and wide, for a completely customized fit.
5:26
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5:30
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5:34
SPEAKER_00: Head to their website now to check them out at DanceCostumesByerzua.com.
5:38
SPEAKER_05: Alright, listeners, it's time to dive deep into this episode topic all about versatility.
5:44
SPEAKER_05: And like I mentioned at the beginning, we have two lovely guests joining us, and they are actually both brand new guests to our podcast.
5:52
SPEAKER_05: I can't wait to chat with them today, and I will admit they are both extremely versatile, so that's why they are the guests on this podcast episode.
5:59
SPEAKER_05: So you're gonna hear all about them soon.
6:02
SPEAKER_05: And I'm going to introduce our first guest.
6:04
SPEAKER_05: She's an IDA judge on the roster.
6:07
SPEAKER_05: I've known this lovely lady for so many years.
6:09
SPEAKER_05: I've had the pleasure of judging Elide alongside her as well.
6:13
SPEAKER_05: And uh she's got a pretty extensive career resume that I'm sure she'll share with you in a little bit.
6:19
SPEAKER_05: I'd love to welcome Miss Eliza Omen to the podcast.
6:23
SPEAKER_05: Welcome.
6:24
SPEAKER_05: Hello, thank you for having me.
6:26
SPEAKER_05: Of course, I'm so happy to have you.
6:29
SPEAKER_05: And you've been on the roster with IDA since I think year one.
6:33
SPEAKER_05: And then you took a hiatus because you know you've been booked and blessed and busy doing some things.
6:40
SPEAKER_05: And now you're back.
6:41
SPEAKER_05: So happy to have you judging again.
6:43
SPEAKER_01: I am thrilled to be judging again.
6:45
SPEAKER_01: It's actually been so inspiring in a season of not having a lot of access to creativity to watch this next generation of dancers adapt and just show their hearts on stage every weekend and get to connect with them via the competition stage and giving feedback has been so special.
7:02
SPEAKER_01: So thank you, IDA, for making that happen.
7:05
SPEAKER_01: Lots of love to you guys.
7:06
SPEAKER_05: Oh, we love you.
7:08
SPEAKER_05: We love you so much.
7:09
SPEAKER_05: Uh well, Eliza, if you wouldn't mind talking a little bit about yourself and sharing with all of our listeners uh a little bit about you, where you're from, where you're based now, and any career credits you'd like to share.
7:22
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
7:22
SPEAKER_01: I grew up in Parker, Colorado, which is like 45 minutes southeast of Denver.
7:28
SPEAKER_01: And I grew up at a studio that's predominantly recreational, but we were a group that was really interested in competing.
7:35
SPEAKER_01: And so slowly but surely we started attending different competitions, a lot of competitions that were more focused on convention because we were a very like education-minded studio.
7:46
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I grew up in that scene competing.
7:49
SPEAKER_01: I think I was maybe nine or 10 when I first started, but I grew up at a studio that was really focused on all aspects of dance.
7:57
SPEAKER_01: So you had to take ballet three times a week.
8:00
SPEAKER_01: We grew up taking tap, and we ended up we were so blessed to have a really gifted rhythm tap teacher, and then they brought in a new teacher for us that for a separate company.
8:10
SPEAKER_01: So I got to be a founding member of Colorado Chapter of the St.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: Louis Toffers Club with Professor Robert L.
8:16
SPEAKER_01: Reed, who is just R.I.P.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: Robert Reed.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: I know.
8:19
SPEAKER_01: He was a wonderful mentor and just a titan in the community and such a huge advocate for the lineage and history of that art form and really passing it on to the next generation of dancers.
8:29
SPEAKER_01: So that was so special and I learned so much from him.
8:32
SPEAKER_01: But you know, we were doing lyrical, we were doing jazz, we didn't even really know what contemporary was.
8:37
SPEAKER_01: But we're still adding in Barbie feats sometimes to think it's like, oh, this is contemporary, right?
8:42
SPEAKER_01: Because it's not a point of toe.
8:44
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I grew up dancing there until I was 18 years old.
8:47
SPEAKER_01: I moved to New York City to go to college, where I actually took about three and a half years off of dancing to just pursue my degree, find a little bit about who I was as an individual apart from dance.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: And then my last semester, I got back into dancing through a program at Broadway Dance Center.
9:03
SPEAKER_01: And from there, it just kind of took off in a really exciting and slightly overwhelming pace.
9:10
SPEAKER_01: I got signed with an agent.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: I started doing industrials and commercials for like Macy's and Target.
9:17
SPEAKER_01: I booked my first job, which was the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in the ensemble, and that was so cool and such a learning experience.
9:26
SPEAKER_01: Linda Haberman was the director choreographer at the time who had assisted Bob Fossey.
9:31
SPEAKER_01: And so just learning in that environment, the expectation of someone who comes from a very specific generation of dance taught me a lot about work ethic and style and also terrified me.
9:41
SPEAKER_01: Like she's very scary.
9:43
SPEAKER_01: I've heard.
9:44
SPEAKER_01: But also it was amazing.
9:45
SPEAKER_01: Like I've never learned so much from a person in such a concentrated amount of time, with also very little personal contact with them.
9:53
SPEAKER_01: Because it's such a large company and very much she was set apart from the group, but her example really formed a lot.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: After that, I did Radio City for another season, and I continued to do more commercial work, sort of spots for Saturday Night Live or The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, uh, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, America's Got Talent, just random things as they came up.
10:16
SPEAKER_01: Music videos with Drake or The Lonely Island, um, Harley Ray Jetson.
10:22
SPEAKER_01: Very cold that day.
10:23
SPEAKER_01: Very cold in Soho in February.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: Coldest day on record.
10:28
SPEAKER_01: Not ideal.
10:29
SPEAKER_01: But then I started getting into musical theater more, and I got to make my Broadway debut in Hamilton, which was bananas.
10:36
SPEAKER_01: I was a dance captain for that show.
10:37
SPEAKER_01: I was with them for a while, and then I was an original company member in King Kong.
10:42
SPEAKER_01: I've done spots for Fossey Verdon and the marvelous Mrs.
10:46
SPEAKER_01: Mazel and dispatches from elsewhere.
10:48
SPEAKER_01: And now I am currently the US associate choreographer for Six, which hopefully is opening on Broadway sometime soon.
10:56
SPEAKER_01: Lord help me.
10:58
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
10:59
SPEAKER_01: It's coming back.
11:00
SPEAKER_01: Don't worry.
11:01
SPEAKER_01: It will.
11:01
SPEAKER_01: It absolutely will.
11:02
SPEAKER_01: I'm very of that I am very certain.
11:04
SPEAKER_01: It will come when it's time.
11:06
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
11:06
SPEAKER_01: The sign's still up.
11:08
SPEAKER_01: It sure is.
11:09
SPEAKER_01: That marquee is shining and sparkly.
11:11
SPEAKER_01: It's lost none of its shine.
11:14
SPEAKER_05: Oh my gosh.
11:15
SPEAKER_05: I love hearing your story and I love everything.
11:18
SPEAKER_05: You've you've done so much in the industry on all sides of it.
11:21
SPEAKER_05: So I think you're the perfect person to chat about versatility.
11:25
SPEAKER_05: So I can't wait to hear even more.
11:27
SPEAKER_05: But thank you, Eliza, for sharing and welcome to the pod.
11:31
SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
11:32
SPEAKER_05: All right.
11:32
SPEAKER_05: And our next guest that I'm excited to welcome is actually a new friend of mine.
11:36
SPEAKER_05: I'm just now meeting this lovely lady on the podcast today.
11:40
SPEAKER_05: So she was introduced through the DMV dance scene where we grew up.
11:45
SPEAKER_05: And well, Tracy Swartz, who is an IDA judge, connected us, but I know we have a lot more mutual friends.
11:52
SPEAKER_05: And when I asked a Tracy, who do you know that's versatile?
11:55
SPEAKER_05: She immediately said, Brittany Hall.
11:57
SPEAKER_05: So I'd love to welcome Britney Hall to the podcast.
12:00
SPEAKER_05: Welcome.
12:01
SPEAKER_02: Hello, you guys.
12:03
SPEAKER_02: Thank you guys so much for having me.
12:05
SPEAKER_02: I'm so excited to be here.
12:06
SPEAKER_02: Super psyched to have you.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm so excited.
12:08
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Tracy, for you know, connecting us.
12:11
SPEAKER_02: And it's such an honor to be here.
12:13
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, let's chat.
12:14
SPEAKER_05: Let's chat.
12:15
SPEAKER_05: Brittany, tell us since I'm learning so much about you as well.
12:19
SPEAKER_05: Please share with us a little bit about you, where you're born, where you're raised, what your early years were like, and then feel free to go into, you know, your professional career and share any credits and what you're working on now.
12:29
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
12:30
SPEAKER_02: So I started dancing when I was six.
12:33
SPEAKER_02: I'm from Alexandria, Virginia, which is a little bit outside of DC.
12:37
SPEAKER_02: My parents put me in a dance because I was so shy.
12:41
SPEAKER_02: Like to the point where I wouldn't talk to anybody but my dad.
12:44
SPEAKER_02: My dad and I were best friends.
12:45
SPEAKER_02: Like my mom and I were, yeah, my mom and I wouldn't even, I'd just be like, get away, mom.
12:50
SPEAKER_02: Like, so they were like.
12:52
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they were like, our child needs like socialization.
12:56
SPEAKER_02: So they were concerned.
12:58
SPEAKER_02: So they put me in a dance.
13:00
SPEAKER_02: And it's crazy because, you know, initially like they had to drag me in.
13:04
SPEAKER_02: I was crying because I was like, people.
13:06
SPEAKER_02: But once I finally start to, you know, go get into the combo classes, I like became a different person when I had to like perform and you know, do the recitals and we had our little showcases or whatever.
13:19
SPEAKER_02: They were like, that's my daughter?
13:20
SPEAKER_02: What?
13:22
SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
13:23
SPEAKER_02: So at an early age, I was like, okay, I'm supposed to be doing this.
13:27
SPEAKER_02: I love this.
13:28
SPEAKER_02: I live for this.
13:29
SPEAKER_02: So I, you know, they put me in the the competition team because they were like, she's a star.
13:35
SPEAKER_02: So did that.
13:36
SPEAKER_02: So grew up competing, you know, from six to age 18 when I graduated high school.
13:42
SPEAKER_02: I went to a predominantly like jazz lyrical studio.
13:48
SPEAKER_02: We were heavy on like the technique, very we love jazz, we love a turn combination, we love tricks, we love the technique, the tricks, the stardom, all of that.
13:59
SPEAKER_02: It wasn't until I moved to LA where I was like, I want to explore other things because I'm just already a very driven person.
14:06
SPEAKER_02: So I was like, I'm limiting myself by only doing this.
14:10
SPEAKER_02: So just wanting to like become the best version of myself and not, you know, being like, you know, you can do other things than jazz and lyrical.
14:17
SPEAKER_02: Let's explore a hip hop contemporary.
14:19
SPEAKER_02: And you know, we we did those things in the studio too, but our focus wasn't on the other styles as much.
14:25
SPEAKER_02: After graduating high school, I went to college in Chicago, and that's when I tapped into modern for the first time.
14:31
SPEAKER_02: Of course, it was completely different from what I was used to, but I loved it.
14:35
SPEAKER_02: I loved it.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: I again, I don't like to limit myself to only one thing, so I love learning something brand new.
14:41
SPEAKER_02: Then I so I did a year of that, and then I moved to LA and I did a program on uh Edge.
14:49
SPEAKER_02: It wasn't the scholarship program, which I feel like a lot of people are familiar with.
14:52
SPEAKER_02: It was called the Immersion Program, which is very similar to the scholarship program.
14:57
SPEAKER_02: You, you know, you got a list of classes and you had to do those classes every day, and just to work with like the top-notch choreographers as soon as I got to LA, that's already it's intimidating, but it's exactly what I needed.
15:10
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I think I was there maybe two months, and then I already booked my first job, which was victorious on Nickelodeon.
15:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's a Nickelodeon job.
15:20
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure the the teens are familiar with that.
15:22
SPEAKER_02: Ariana Grande is on the show.
15:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so that was my very first job.
15:26
SPEAKER_02: And after that, I was like, wait, I can do this for real, you know?
15:29
SPEAKER_02: And I was, you know, I was super blessed and grateful.
15:32
SPEAKER_02: Shout out to Christina Woodard.
15:34
SPEAKER_02: She booked me on that and Adam Parson.
15:36
SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
15:36
SPEAKER_02: Courtney, I'm sure you know Adam from the DMV, right?
15:40
SPEAKER_02: Maybe.
15:42
SPEAKER_02: I feel like you would, yeah.
15:43
SPEAKER_02: So shout out to them.
15:44
SPEAKER_02: They booked me on my first job, and then from there, I got signed.
15:49
SPEAKER_02: I wasn't even signed when I got booked on that job.
15:51
SPEAKER_02: Keep all that money.
15:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
15:55
SPEAKER_02: And you know, from there I just started to do Disney shows, shows on Netflix, Super Bowl commercial with um Eliza, you said you worked with Drake.
16:05
SPEAKER_02: I worked with Drake as well on the Super Bowl commercial.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
16:09
SPEAKER_02: Music videos uh for a walk the moon, Paul Abdul tributes working with Michael Rooney, Marguerite Derrick's Bunheads back back in the day when that show was a thing.
16:20
SPEAKER_01: Um Marguerite, another example of classic old school.
16:24
SPEAKER_01: You'll learn so much just by watching her in a space.
16:27
SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's one of the classes you guys will want to like tap into.
16:31
SPEAKER_02: Marguerite Derrick, if you don't know who she is, you guys gotta tap into her.
16:34
SPEAKER_02: Yeah amazing.
16:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
16:36
SPEAKER_02: What else?
16:37
SPEAKER_02: What else?
16:37
SPEAKER_02: Ariana Grande, Grammys, Kids' Choice Sports Awards, Paulina Rubio.
16:43
SPEAKER_02: There's a Mexican like MTV Awards version.
16:47
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
16:48
SPEAKER_02: So I I did that.
16:49
SPEAKER_02: That was really cool.
16:50
SPEAKER_02: They have they have a show called La Apuesta.
16:54
SPEAKER_02: I'm probably not saying it right.
16:56
SPEAKER_02: But it's like it's like they're the voice, but from Mexico.
17:00
SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay, okay.
17:01
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, some really cool opportunities that I got to be a part of.
17:06
SPEAKER_02: Beyonce's Blackest King, if I didn't uh mention that.
17:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so lots and lots of amazing things, but that wouldn't have happened, I feel like, if we're here on the show talking about versatility, but I I don't feel like that all of that would have happened if, you know, I didn't have those different styles under my belt.
17:23
SPEAKER_02: And if I just kind of stayed and stick to what I was familiar with growing up doing competition.
17:29
SPEAKER_02: Um and that willingness to learn.
17:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
17:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
17:33
SPEAKER_02: And that's just something that was always in me.
17:36
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, I have to be the best version of myself, can't limit myself, you know, God or whoever you believe in has put in all of this talent and whatever, and you just it's gonna do yourself a you know disservice if you just kind of, you know, stick with one thing.
17:50
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, that's still my mentality always.
17:53
SPEAKER_02: Then I tapped into personal training.
17:56
SPEAKER_02: I'm also a certified personal trainer.
17:58
SPEAKER_02: So I love kicking people's butts.
18:01
SPEAKER_02: I love bossing people around.
18:02
SPEAKER_02: No, yeah.
18:04
SPEAKER_02: No, I'm kidding.
18:05
SPEAKER_02: The main thing is again, I love for people to just like find their fullest potential.
18:10
SPEAKER_02: I always tell people, you know, you can do way more than you think you can, and your brain is blocking you more than the actual ask.
18:18
SPEAKER_02: God.
18:18
SPEAKER_02: And when I say that, people just do complete 180s.
18:22
SPEAKER_02: And so I'm just super grateful to just be able to share all of that with everybody.
18:28
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, in the midst of all that, I do some judging.
18:31
SPEAKER_02: I'm on a convention.
18:32
SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, how could I forget that?
18:34
SPEAKER_02: I teach jazz on a convention called Immersed Artist Experience.
18:38
SPEAKER_02: Shout out to Meredith.
18:40
SPEAKER_02: She's amazing.
18:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I love sharing, I love teaching, I love just where a dam so it's taking me.
18:47
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love it.
18:48
SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
18:48
SPEAKER_05: Yay! Wow, y'all are fantastic.
18:51
SPEAKER_05: I can't wait to I can't wait to chat with you both today.
18:53
SPEAKER_05: So thank you so much for joining.
18:56
SPEAKER_05: Yes, so good.
18:57
SPEAKER_05: Thank you for having us.
18:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I know.
18:59
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited.
19:00
SPEAKER_01: I feel like I want to learn so much too.
19:02
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited.
19:03
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
19:03
SPEAKER_00: We all like to learn here at IDA.
19:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: On making the impact.
19:07
SPEAKER_00: Well, we sort of jumped in as both of you were speaking about yourselves about the topic today.
19:12
SPEAKER_00: So we brought you on here to talk about versatility and why it is an important thing to be a jack or a jill of all trades in our business.
19:20
SPEAKER_00: So, but when we say versatility, what do we mean by that in terms of dance?
19:24
SPEAKER_00: In the world of dance, what does versatility actually mean?
19:27
SPEAKER_02: For me, it means to just be able to tap into different styles, not limiting yourself to one thing, be able to turn something on and off when you need to and tap into another thing.
19:39
SPEAKER_02: Dom Kelly, I'm just gonna shout out his name right now.
19:42
SPEAKER_02: If you guys don't know Dominique Kelly right now, he's the perfect example of this.
19:45
SPEAKER_02: This guy has done everything from Broadway to like just commercial dance, hip-hop work, jazz funk, all the uh choreographing from Mariah.
19:53
SPEAKER_02: He's a perfect example of like being able to tap into one thing and then you know go into a completely different direction when asked.
20:03
SPEAKER_02: But you have to like be ready when asked.
20:05
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
20:06
SPEAKER_02: So, which means you have to train and prep for it.
20:08
SPEAKER_02: It's not magic.
20:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
20:10
SPEAKER_02: Right.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: So, yeah.
20:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I totally agree.
20:13
SPEAKER_01: I think it is it's that willingness.
20:15
SPEAKER_01: I always equate versatility with adaptability because there's a certain level of being ready and game to go with the flow and embrace what's happening.
20:25
SPEAKER_01: Being also okay with like ambiguity and sort of living in this nebulous space where you don't always have every single detail.
20:32
SPEAKER_01: You don't always know every single thing that's expected of you or asked of you, or you have to make real-time decisions.
20:38
SPEAKER_01: So it's having the training to fall back on and like the thoughtfulness to rely on in those moments to know, oh, this is being asked of me now.
20:47
SPEAKER_01: I can totally do that.
20:48
SPEAKER_01: I can turn on that part of my brain exactly like what Britney's talking about, of just being willing to like be present in that moment and free your mind up of whatever expectation you had or thought that moment was going to be, being super present there and being like, okay, how do we do this?
21:03
SPEAKER_01: How do we make this work?
21:04
SPEAKER_01: What part of my skill set do I bring to light to really shine and celebrate or spotlight the thing I meant to spotlight?
21:12
SPEAKER_01: Because especially as dancers, there is a lot of ensemble work that we do.
21:16
SPEAKER_01: So finding your individual artistry in a way that also is in support of a collective artistry and point of view, I think is really important.
21:24
SPEAKER_01: So having the confidence that also is rooted in humility of being willing to like share space, I think those are like really essential components of versatility.
21:34
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, it's just that willingness to be game, to try new things and be outside your comfort zone and then discover oh, I'm not out of my comfort zone.
21:44
SPEAKER_01: I actually have a lot of freedom in this genre that I didn't realize existed already.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: Eliza, can you say that again?
21:50
SPEAKER_00: Confidence rooted in humility?
21:52
SPEAKER_00: Is that what you said?
21:53
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, confidence rooted in humility.
21:55
SPEAKER_00: I'm obsessed with that.
21:58
SPEAKER_02: That's brilliant.
21:59
SPEAKER_02: That's beautiful.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
22:01
SPEAKER_00: Because that's what it, that's what it comes down to is one one thing, one of those things alone, doesn't get you anywhere.
22:08
SPEAKER_00: It has to, they have to live together.
22:10
SPEAKER_00: They have to hold hands because otherwise you're just sitting on the floor doing nothing because you're so humbled that you're like you're never gonna step foot into a room, or you're overly confident and then that kicks yourself in the in the butt.
22:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you don't want to apologize for taking up space, but then you also don't want to be so egocentric that you feel like everyone needs to pay attention to you in that space.
22:32
SPEAKER_01: I think the beauty really comes from being so confident in your abilities and also so excited and ready to learn from all the people around you.
22:42
SPEAKER_01: Because there's so much to be gained, knowing like our journey.
22:45
SPEAKER_01: We're never we can become an expert at something, but takes like, what is it, 10,000 hours to have mastery over a skill.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: So I certainly don't think, even though I have been dancing a long time, like 40 hours a week since I was 10, I definitely don't think I've clocked 10,000 hours yet in any one discipline.
23:02
SPEAKER_01: In one style, right?
23:04
SPEAKER_01: So there's so much to learn.
23:05
SPEAKER_01: And even at all levels, there's so much to learn, which is why professionals still go back to like a beginning class to like recenter on the basics and be free of distractions.
23:15
SPEAKER_01: I just think that the humility aspect is really essential because, especially with regard to versatility, if you're not willing to ask questions and learn from other people and put yourself in situations where you feel out of your comfort zone, I just don't really think there's a space for you to thrive.
23:32
SPEAKER_04: Right.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: And I think all of that goes into being versatile.
23:36
SPEAKER_00: Because I think the I was trying to think of the opposite of rigid.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: Like when you have a rigid mindset of this is what it is, and there's no question about it, and you can't live in it in an ambiguous world, that is really limiting.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: You know, it's a limiting way to see things.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: But if you have a versatile mindset of, like you said, Eliza, being able to sort of look at a given situation and say, what can I pull from my back pocket from my training that I've always had to spotlight what is needed for me today?
24:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
24:06
SPEAKER_00: I think that's that's I think a core of versatility is the op being opposite of rigid.
24:11
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
24:11
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
24:12
SPEAKER_05: And another thing that I feel like when we when I think of versatility, I'm I immediately just think of like dance styles, like being versatile in specific dance styles.
24:21
SPEAKER_05: So, you know, if you're if you're versatile, then you're you can do ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, like lyrical, contemporary, you can put all the genres under your under your belt.
24:31
SPEAKER_05: You have training in that.
24:32
SPEAKER_05: But I think it goes even further than that.
24:34
SPEAKER_05: I think that even while we were listening to Britney and Eliza's beautiful careers that they've had, because they are versatile, they've been able to jump to different sides of the industry.
24:43
SPEAKER_05: Eliza's been on Broadway plus doing commercial work, plus doing other, you know, so many other things, backup dancing, whatever it is, or working on the choreographer side.
24:52
SPEAKER_05: And same with Britney.
24:53
SPEAKER_05: So being able to be versatile not only in the different styles that you have under your belt and training, then also being versatile enough to be able to jump to different parts of the industry, commercial work, concert dance work, Broadway.
25:06
SPEAKER_05: There's so many avenues.
25:07
SPEAKER_05: And then taking that even another step further is being versatile enough to be not just a dancer, but also a choreographer, an educator, a judge.
25:15
SPEAKER_05: That's being versatile.
25:16
SPEAKER_05: You know, the more things that you can do in this industry will make you more, you know, able to work.
25:22
SPEAKER_05: And that is really what I think versatility is is just being that person instead of just being like, oh, well, I only do ballet and I don't know how to do jazz and I can't tap.
25:32
SPEAKER_05: I've never done a commercial before, and I don't like to judge.
25:34
SPEAKER_05: And it's like, okay, cool.
25:36
SPEAKER_05: Then what are we gonna use you for?
25:38
SPEAKER_05: Here's your very narrow pathway.
25:40
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
25:40
SPEAKER_00: Which you can be thrown off of at any moment when you break your ankle.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, and you don't think about that.
25:45
SPEAKER_01: And I was hearing, Britney, just the way you're talking about that immersion program at the edge, like already you're a driven person, and then you're being you're in an environment that's pushing you to take different classes, force you to be in spaces that maybe you would have been like, oh, do I want to take so-and-so's class yet?
26:01
SPEAKER_01: There, it's super packed, it's it has this kind of an energy.
26:04
SPEAKER_01: Am I ready for that?
26:05
SPEAKER_01: But it's like, oh, I have to do that.
26:06
SPEAKER_01: Okay, here I am.
26:07
SPEAKER_01: So you had no choice.
26:08
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
26:09
SPEAKER_01: And all of a sudden, it's like you're just open to being outside your comfort zone and you're being you're training in all those different styles, like what Courtney's talking about.
26:16
SPEAKER_01: And then you're in the habit of going where opportunity leads.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: Like, you how would you know that doing this show on Nickelodeon is gonna introduce you to this person that's gonna give you this next job?
26:26
SPEAKER_01: It's just like just following where opportunity leads and like have goals in mind for sure.
26:31
SPEAKER_01: Write them down, work towards them, but then also like when a door opens, go.
26:37
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely, absolutely.
26:39
SPEAKER_02: I completely agree on that.
26:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, the more you can do, first of all, you'll be able to eat.
26:45
SPEAKER_02: I think we've all learned that from the pandemic, too.
26:49
SPEAKER_03: The pandemic didn't teach us anything.
26:51
SPEAKER_02: Yep, I guess I'm teaching class in the corner.
26:54
SPEAKER_02: But I mean, but I mean, this is a perfect example, kind of like what Courtney was talking about.
26:58
SPEAKER_02: I mean, when I first moved to LA, I had a group of people, I wouldn't call them friends because they kind of, you know, would make fun of me about being a competition dancer.
27:07
SPEAKER_02: And I don't know if I don't know, there's like a certain stigma with comp kids.
27:12
SPEAKER_02: We don't know how to do anything else but jazz and be super clean and what whatever.
27:17
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
27:18
SPEAKER_02: And that's not true, clearly.
27:20
SPEAKER_02: But not true at all.
27:22
SPEAKER_02: But so I had some, you know, a couple of people that all always joke about that.
27:26
SPEAKER_02: And it's funny because when the pandemic hit, I was able to come back to the East Coast and teach all of these comp kids that, you know, these comp studios that I grew up around that I would compete against.
27:38
SPEAKER_02: They all, you know, not every studio knows me in the DMV, but I've taught like a good chunk of studios around here.
27:44
SPEAKER_02: And things are open on the East Coast.
27:45
SPEAKER_02: So I was able to come back and teach and like fall back on that while everything in Los Angeles was shut shut down.
27:52
SPEAKER_02: And it's like when you only do one thing and you're just relying on, oh gosh, I got a book Beyonce, I gotta do this, and like that's it.
27:59
SPEAKER_02: When you're stuck in a corner, that's not good for you.
28:01
SPEAKER_02: It's just not that good.
28:03
SPEAKER_02: And same with judging.
28:04
SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, right, I judge because I enjoy it, you know, and I have that ex that competition experience already.
28:11
SPEAKER_02: But if I were to listen to the people that were making fun of me back in the day about being a comp kid, I would have, you know, maybe neglected that part of my life.
28:19
SPEAKER_02: But now it's like, okay, cool, now I can make money during a pandemic because competition's happening.
28:24
SPEAKER_02: Well, exactly.
28:24
SPEAKER_01: So it's like, yeah, it's like being open to there's always something to be learned.
28:29
SPEAKER_01: There are always value in these other experiences.
28:32
SPEAKER_01: And that gets back to like having the humility to recognize like just because this was my path or my experience doesn't mean there's not something to be gained from these other avenues.
28:42
SPEAKER_00: Right.
28:43
SPEAKER_00: And so yeah, I think like Courtney said, taking it, you know, from step one of being versatile means you can do ballet tap and jazz all the way to being versatile means you can teach, judge, you know, choreograph, edit music, do all the things, like those are versatile things that just make you more hireable, more able to put some food on the table.
29:02
SPEAKER_00: Because without having without without having to compromise who we are, because at our core, even if you are not on Broadway, you are still a dancer.
29:12
SPEAKER_05: Right.
29:13
SPEAKER_05: You know, that's what we love, and that's what we're here to do.
29:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's like you know, nobody's asking, well, I guess it who was it?
29:19
SPEAKER_00: There was some something happened in the middle of the pandemic where somebody's government was like, get a new job.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: It was like it was like, no, no, no, no, that's not what we're doing.
29:29
SPEAKER_00: No, we don't have a choice to do that.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna go be an accountant all of a sudden after a lifetime of DM.
29:34
SPEAKER_01: So we don't have jobs, we have careers that we've worked a lifetime for, and I will fight to the death on that point.
29:41
SPEAKER_01: If any if one more person says, get a job.
29:44
SPEAKER_01: I don't have a job.
29:45
SPEAKER_01: I have 20 plus years of experience and lifetime working towards a career.
29:50
SPEAKER_01: A career.
29:51
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
29:52
SPEAKER_01: Yes, thank you.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: Goodbye.
30:01
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30:06
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30:19
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30:50
SPEAKER_05: So uh continuing like just the chat about versatility.
30:55
SPEAKER_05: I mean, do you feel like, and we kind of talked about this, we kind of talked about how we don't want to get stuck in on one one lane, one path, one thing you want to focus on, you know.
31:05
SPEAKER_05: Why do you feel like it's important for dancers, especially dancers, you know, a lot of the dancers that are listening and a lot of the parents that are listening probably have kids that are maybe comp kids, like we all were at at a point in time.
31:16
SPEAKER_05: Why do you feel that it's important to be versatile at your studio now?
31:22
SPEAKER_05: You know, I do feel like we listen to your beautiful careers, and I think that that's a perfect reason.
31:28
SPEAKER_05: But why is it important for dancers to hear now why they should be a 12-year-old.
31:33
SPEAKER_05: Yes, why they should be taking multiple classes and things like that.
31:37
SPEAKER_05: What are your thoughts?
31:38
SPEAKER_01: For one, I think as a human being, to diversify your experience enhances the way that you perceive experiences and the way you perceive the world.
31:47
SPEAKER_01: And I think that makes you a more well-rounded human.
31:50
SPEAKER_01: And I think there's value for just what that offers in the world, in society at large.
31:55
SPEAKER_01: So, one, versatility is valuable because I think it makes you a better human being.
31:59
SPEAKER_01: Because I think it teaches you to like appreciate and learn from other things.
32:03
SPEAKER_01: As far as from a dance perspective, if you have an interest in any part of you, if it's there's a dream of, oh, maybe I want to do that.
32:11
SPEAKER_01: The thing is, our industry is always changing, it's always adapting.
32:16
SPEAKER_01: You never know what's gonna be asked of you for a project unless your only dream is to be, I don't know, what's a very specific show.
32:25
SPEAKER_01: Cats on Broadway.
32:26
SPEAKER_01: You want to be in some production of cats somewhere and you want to be Victoria, then sure, work on a dogio.
32:34
SPEAKER_01: Develop the end.
32:35
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
32:35
SPEAKER_01: Try the ballet technique.
32:36
SPEAKER_01: Work on a dogio.
32:38
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
32:38
SPEAKER_01: That's and make sure you have a lovely soda shop.
32:41
SPEAKER_01: I hear that, I see that, whatever.
32:43
SPEAKER_01: But if you have any desire to be like, oh, I could do this, if you watch TV and you think, oh, that commercial for Dell looks really fun.
32:51
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, Glee, what a riot.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, this movie musical, oh, Broadway shows.
32:56
SPEAKER_01: Guess what?
32:56
SPEAKER_01: On Broadway, there is like no, this is what Broadway dance is.
33:00
SPEAKER_01: It runs the gamut of genre because it's all dance told from a narrative point of view, dancing that moves a plot forward for the most part.
33:09
SPEAKER_01: Like you never know what's gonna be asked of you.
33:11
SPEAKER_01: You don't know the shows that are gonna exist 10 years from now when you're on the scene.
33:16
SPEAKER_01: So I think if you want to have opportunities at your fingertips and be ready and game to just adapt and adjust and keep growing, I think you have to train yourself to do that now to be ready and in the habit and have those tools that are gonna propel you forward in that capacity.
33:33
SPEAKER_02: I completely agree with everything you said.
33:35
SPEAKER_02: It's funny, you know, I have students who, like you said, you know, you see these things on TV, you see these commercials, and you're like, okay, I want to do this, I want to do that.
33:44
SPEAKER_02: Brittany, how do I get there?
33:45
SPEAKER_02: But then I find out that you skipped ballet.
33:48
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
33:49
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
33:50
SPEAKER_02: Because you don't like it.
33:50
SPEAKER_02: Or you don't, you don't go to tap because you don't like it, or you're not good at it.
33:53
SPEAKER_02: You're not the star in tap.
33:55
SPEAKER_02: So you won't, you know, right.
33:57
SPEAKER_02: You don't want to expose yourself.
33:58
SPEAKER_02: It's like, okay, you want this career, this this huge career, and you don't want to put the work in.
34:05
SPEAKER_02: It's it's again, it's like I'm big on it's not magic.
34:08
SPEAKER_02: Like you probably do the work.
34:10
SPEAKER_02: And I think you have to just take the ego out of everything because I think these days everybody wants to be a star and at everything.
34:19
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
34:19
SPEAKER_02: And quickly.
34:20
SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh.
34:21
SPEAKER_00: Quickly.
34:22
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
34:22
SPEAKER_00: Quickly.
34:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's no such thing as quickly.
34:25
SPEAKER_00: You can you can do a gli sad quickly, but you cannot be a star quickly.
34:29
SPEAKER_01: And even that glee sod, you better have learned how to degree first.
34:33
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
34:35
SPEAKER_02: Well, yeah, and it's like they want it so they want that microwave success, and they want to do what they see on ID.
34:43
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, it's like, okay, cool, but I just heard that you skipped top class, and that's not cool with me.
34:49
SPEAKER_02: Now you can't, you can't, I'm not gonna allow you to assist me on my project because I don't, I don't play that.
34:55
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
34:56
SPEAKER_02: And it's just, I think, like students, you just gotta just take your ego out of everything.
35:01
SPEAKER_02: You're not gonna be incredible at every single style.
35:05
SPEAKER_02: I mean, if you are, shout out to you.
35:07
SPEAKER_02: I'm not, but at least I tapped into every style, just you know, with a humble heart, ready to learn, open, ready to just not be the best in the room.
35:17
SPEAKER_02: It's okay.
35:19
SPEAKER_02: Uh yeah.
35:20
SPEAKER_02: And I think I think you guys have to just kind of approach the way that you are training with a more open mind, especially if you want to have careers that are insane, right?
35:32
SPEAKER_02: It's not gonna just happen.
35:33
SPEAKER_02: It's not gonna just happen.
35:34
SPEAKER_02: That's not realistic.
35:36
SPEAKER_02: Or maybe it'll happen for a short time, but you won't have longevity in that for sure.
35:40
SPEAKER_01: Well, and Brittany, how many times have you been on a job where you've been hired to do a particular thing and then in rehearsal or on set, been like, oh, you know what?
35:50
SPEAKER_01: We need to adjust this.
35:51
SPEAKER_01: Can you do?
35:51
SPEAKER_01: Or, oh, have you ever done and you're like, mm-hmm.
35:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I totally can.
35:56
SPEAKER_01: Right.
35:56
SPEAKER_01: That's not what I was hired to do.
35:58
SPEAKER_01: You've never seen me do that.
35:59
SPEAKER_01: You had no information five days ago when this was fast that that existed in my arsenal, but it does, and I'm totally game to do it.
36:06
SPEAKER_01: Can't wait.
36:07
SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, I've never had straight done what I've been hired to do.
36:11
SPEAKER_01: Right.
36:11
SPEAKER_01: One time.
36:13
SPEAKER_02: I I agree on that.
36:15
SPEAKER_02: I agree on that completely.
36:16
SPEAKER_02: And even in class, I take this class a bunch.
36:20
SPEAKER_02: Well, when studios were open in LA, Brian and Scott Nicholson, who are Ariana's choreographers, you know, I was going consistently for two years.
36:27
SPEAKER_02: And I I mean, I'm assuming that's how I ultimately got a book got booked on Ariana.
36:33
SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, they like to use props a lot in their classes.
36:37
SPEAKER_02: And one time we were, yeah, one time we were using just like handkerchiefs and the the choreo is super intricate.
36:43
SPEAKER_02: But I I mean, if I didn't go into that open-minded and I just shut down, it could have been that one time where they saw me and they were like, okay, well, she's not open-minded.
36:52
SPEAKER_02: I'm not gonna book her for an actual job.
36:54
SPEAKER_02: We're just in class.
36:55
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
36:56
SPEAKER_02: They use, they have a music video with umbrellas, and I think they taught that choreo one time in in class as well.
37:03
SPEAKER_02: Same thing.
37:04
SPEAKER_02: Like, I feel like if you go into these things open-minded, these choreographers see you and then they they book you on the jobs that you want to be on.
37:10
SPEAKER_02: But it's like you can't be narrow-minded and just be like, okay, well, I just want to do jazz funk, like with no, like just how I want to do it.
37:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
37:18
SPEAKER_01: Because also choreographers don't want to do that.
37:21
SPEAKER_01: Right.
37:21
SPEAKER_01: They're not trying to do jazz funk as you think jazz funk is, they're trying to do jazz funk as they see it.
37:26
SPEAKER_01: And we live in this like land of fusion now where we're pulling from so many different styles.
37:32
SPEAKER_01: So it's like anyone's class you take, they're gonna make five different points of reference that are within and outside that genre that you have to embrace.
37:41
SPEAKER_01: And like when I'm behind a table auditioning, I'm most interested to see what happens when people mess up and how they work through that.
37:49
SPEAKER_01: Because I, as a human being, I have all the energy and support to walk you through like your individual struggles and like help you be a better person.
37:59
SPEAKER_01: On a job, I don't have the funding.
38:02
SPEAKER_01: So I don't have the time and money to talk you down off a cliff every time you make a mistake.
38:09
SPEAKER_01: Right.
38:09
SPEAKER_01: I don't have there's no time.
38:11
SPEAKER_01: The producer's gonna cut me off.
38:13
SPEAKER_01: So I need to pick people that in real time can make a mistake and work through it and also laugh it off and not throw a fit, like a willingness to again make mistakes and roll with it and work through it.
38:27
SPEAKER_01: Like that's where that's what's interesting.
38:29
SPEAKER_01: And if you've never been in an environment where you felt out of your comfort zone, then I it makes it challenging to feel versatile on site.
38:38
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
38:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
38:40
SPEAKER_00: I think two things that you just both of you just said that I wanted to point out to our listeners is number one, everyone is always watching.
38:48
SPEAKER_00: Your judges, your backstage staff at competition, your teachers, your choreographers.
38:53
SPEAKER_00: So if you're in class thinking you're just like doo-doo, I'm in class, nobody cares.
38:56
SPEAKER_00: People care.
38:57
SPEAKER_00: They're watching you, they're watching how you take class, they are noticing that if you're not open-minded and you're like, oh, this scarf choreography is weird, it's not for me.
39:06
SPEAKER_00: Right.
39:06
SPEAKER_00: Like you can have that feeling.
39:08
SPEAKER_00: You can't have that expression and expect people not to notice it.
39:13
SPEAKER_00: So that's one thing.
39:14
SPEAKER_00: And so, second, uh Eliza was talking about how you work through mistakes and what could also come out of that is something new and interesting.
39:23
SPEAKER_00: So it could very well be that you uh make a mistake, something goes wrong, but out of it becomes something different that's usable.
39:30
SPEAKER_00: And so instead of, you know, having that crumbling, fit throwing, you know, moment of like, oh my gosh, now I have to go cry about this.
39:39
SPEAKER_00: It turns into, wait, what could we do with this?
39:42
SPEAKER_00: So that's another, you know, there's just so many ways to be versatile that I hadn't even considered before we started talking.
39:47
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
39:48
SPEAKER_00: And here we are with all these like myriad ways.
39:50
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
39:51
SPEAKER_05: I do wanna, I wanna jump in and mention something that came to mind while we were while I was sitting and listening to you all.
39:57
SPEAKER_05: And it it actually is from a previous podcast conversation that we had with the one and only Mr.
40:03
SPEAKER_05: Alex Wong, who is one of the most versatile dancers out there, but sometimes gets kind of funneled into being just the ballet dancer.
40:10
SPEAKER_05: That's like his specialty, right?
40:12
SPEAKER_05: And that's sometimes what happens in the industry, and like dancers will continue to experience this, and maybe even dancers who are listening who are at their studio might be, well, you're the jazz dancer and you're the tapper and you're the contemporary dancer.
40:25
SPEAKER_05: I mean, sometimes we tend to kind of funnel into specific genres and that's what you specialize in.
40:30
SPEAKER_05: But some people forget that Alex Wan can do every style of dance and he's not just a ballet dancer, right?
40:37
SPEAKER_05: So I think that's something that I say all the time in class for dancers is you can have a favorite step.
40:43
SPEAKER_05: You can have a favorite bot maw.
40:45
SPEAKER_05: If I say do a bot maw, you pick your right side because that's your favorite.
40:48
SPEAKER_05: That's cool.
40:49
SPEAKER_05: You can have a favorite, but can you do the left equally well?
40:52
SPEAKER_05: That makes you versatile.
40:53
SPEAKER_05: You need to make sure that you can do everything the same on each side if that's what the choreographer asks of you.
40:58
SPEAKER_05: The same with the dance style.
41:00
SPEAKER_05: Oh, I love jazz.
41:01
SPEAKER_05: Jazz is my thing, but can you do contemporary?
41:03
SPEAKER_05: But can you do tap?
41:04
SPEAKER_05: But can you do all these other styles?
41:06
SPEAKER_05: You can always have a favorite and a go-to.
41:08
SPEAKER_05: And sometimes we get, you know, singled into a specific style of dance, but there's so many dancers, even while talking to other dancers about casting this podcast, sometimes we get so put into one category as a dancer that it's hard to remember who can do everything.
41:26
SPEAKER_05: Right.
41:26
SPEAKER_05: And and there's not a lot of dancers that can do everything, if you really think about it.
41:31
SPEAKER_05: You know, there's a few that we can probably think about in our head, but like that's why I think you two, Eliza and Brittany, are so perfect because you are so versatile in so many styles and you have the success stories to show it.
41:40
SPEAKER_05: I think that's really important for dancers to hear because you might be like, well, I love contemporary, and that's I'm gonna do, and I'm gonna be a contemporary dancer.
41:48
SPEAKER_05: That's great, cute, good job.
41:50
SPEAKER_05: But are you still taking tap class?
41:51
SPEAKER_05: Like, that's my question.
41:53
SPEAKER_05: Because I will say from personal experience, I have been they're probably not FYI, and I hope you are.
41:58
SPEAKER_05: And if you're one of those that I just called you out, please start taking tap class.
42:02
SPEAKER_05: Anyway, I always say I preach the tap, take tap in the podcast.
42:06
SPEAKER_05: I love it.
42:07
SPEAKER_05: But you know, I will say, like, I've been at an audition that I'm sure we can all relate in one way, where the combination wasn't just the jazz combination.
42:15
SPEAKER_05: It had a little soft, a soft shoe step in it that had a time step in your character heels or your flats, then it had a ballet, the kitchen section, and a jazz combo, all in one combo.
42:25
SPEAKER_05: And they want to see your versatility in that because maybe that theater's casting for a variety of shows that are going to be all different and they don't have time to do three separate combos.
42:33
SPEAKER_01: Well, even so in Hamilton, one of the combos that is part of the audition process that we teach at the end, we, I'm not there anymore, that they teach at the end.
42:42
SPEAKER_01: Um you've taught it though.
42:44
SPEAKER_01: I have taught it, but I don't anymore.
42:46
SPEAKER_01: So I won't say the royal we.
42:48
SPEAKER_01: But one of the combinations taught is what did I miss?
42:52
SPEAKER_01: And the purpose of that is there's a little tap section at the end of it.
42:55
SPEAKER_01: And there's not tapping in the show, but Andy's rhythms are really reflective of tapped rhythms.
43:03
SPEAKER_01: And he lives in a very particular, syncopated musicality, and there's a lot of swing in his movement and in his rhythms in all of different styles throughout the entire show.
43:14
SPEAKER_01: And so it's a really good example of one just weeding out people who don't have the coordination, who inhale and like hold their breath and curl their toes and like create tension in their bodies instead of exhaling, relaxing, and being able to like change weight evenly because they're breathing through it and keeping their knees soft.
43:32
SPEAKER_01: But it also reveals their musicality because there's a ton of really gorgeous dancers who have unbelievable facilities, can create gorgeous shapes, but their musicality isn't as strong.
43:41
SPEAKER_01: And I think most often that comes from whether or not you have a background in different genres of dance that are pushing musicality, and tap is one of those.
43:51
SPEAKER_01: And there's so much crossover in all the disciplines that you can see in how someone executes hip hop if they also have a ground.
44:00
SPEAKER_01: That they're getting from modern training.
44:02
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it all comes through in different ways.
44:05
SPEAKER_01: And so the more that you can train in other styles, you just like won't believe how it increases your versatility in elsewhere and like actually brings more dynamic and energy to your styles that you're already excelling in.
44:18
SPEAKER_00: All of all of our podcasts recently have like looped back to each other.
44:22
SPEAKER_00: I like it.
44:23
SPEAKER_05: Because we just had a musicality episode, yeah, which is so good.
44:26
SPEAKER_05: Everyone needs to listen.
44:27
SPEAKER_05: But musicality and versatility go hand in hand.
44:30
SPEAKER_05: They complement each other.
44:31
SPEAKER_05: And then Alex being versatile, and here we are.
44:34
SPEAKER_05: So yeah, go listen to that one, by the way.
44:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:36
SPEAKER_00: So I'm wondering, so it's it sounds like to me, and this was, I think, similar for me too.
44:43
SPEAKER_00: So I would just want to hear if anybody else has this experience.
44:47
SPEAKER_00: Like we versatility in some ways sounds like it came very easily for both of you.
44:52
SPEAKER_00: Like you were exposed to multiple things.
44:55
SPEAKER_00: You had that inner sort of drive to learn and to expose yourself to different styles and everything.
45:00
SPEAKER_00: But has have there been struggles for you guys personally in finding more versatility?
45:05
SPEAKER_00: And what were they?
45:06
SPEAKER_00: And how did you overcome them?
45:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think a struggle that I had was I know earlier we talked about putting dancers in a certain box.
45:14
SPEAKER_02: You're just the ballet dancer, you're just the this, whatever it is.
45:18
SPEAKER_02: And then you don't ever do this.
45:20
SPEAKER_02: You guys, you start to listen to it and it comes in.
45:23
SPEAKER_02: And then you start to believe that.
45:25
SPEAKER_02: That's true.
45:26
SPEAKER_02: And then, and then, so you're like, okay, well, then I can't do hip-hop.
45:30
SPEAKER_02: I can't go to a hip-hop class.
45:32
SPEAKER_02: I'll look dumb.
45:33
SPEAKER_02: This is not my thing.
45:34
SPEAKER_02: Same with any other style, tap, whatever it is.
45:37
SPEAKER_02: You know, you start to believe that you're only a certain type of dancer, and then that sways you away from even trying, even stepping foot into another style of a class, you know?
45:47
SPEAKER_02: And that's the most ridiculous thing ever.
45:50
SPEAKER_02: Don't, don't listen to other people when it comes to that.
45:52
SPEAKER_02: And I feel like comp kids also have that stigma too.
45:55
SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, I I think I mentioned earlier, people see us as just like those technical dancers who, you know, can just do all the tricks and that's it.
46:03
SPEAKER_02: And we can't can't do hip hop, we can't move, you know, and that's absolutely not true at all.
46:08
SPEAKER_02: So just kind of don't be in your own head when it comes to just being able and being willing to try other things when, you know, people have told you that you're just a certain specific type of dancer, right?
46:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
46:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
46:23
SPEAKER_01: And I think when people are making those types of statements or being like a little bit antagonistic with the way they talk about certain things, it's usually rooted in fear and insecurity and brokenness.
46:35
SPEAKER_01: And so don't let that brokenness in someone else affect how you're gonna choose to walk through life and how you're gonna take ownership of your training and your journey.
46:45
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a really hard thing for kids to learn.
46:49
SPEAKER_01: And I definitely have my own struggles with that.
46:51
SPEAKER_01: I am someone who was blessed with always being willing to be like confidently uncomfident, where it's like, I have no idea how to do that.
46:59
SPEAKER_01: I'll happily try.
47:01
SPEAKER_01: I might fall on my face, but I'll go for it.
47:04
SPEAKER_01: Like that's something that I've always really been good at.
47:07
SPEAKER_01: And it initially came from a really low sense of self because it was like, well, I just don't really think highly of myself anyway, so what do I have to lose?
47:14
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm already not anything, so I can't be worse than that.
47:18
SPEAKER_01: But now it really comes from a place of just, but I was always hungry to learn as well.
47:23
SPEAKER_01: Like I was such a sponge, just absorbing information wherever I could.
47:26
SPEAKER_01: And so I think it now really does come from a genuine place of I know where my strengths are, I know plenty of things that I need to improve upon, but I also am always wanting and desirous to learn and grow and like latch on to things.
47:40
SPEAKER_01: But I do think kind of what Brittany's talking about, there's sometimes that little internal voice that's ultimately rooted in lies that you've absorbed from other people, both consciously and subconsciously, that if you're not diligent, can just take hold and manifest in some really unhelpful ways that just don't promote your personal growth, your professional growth, your artistic growth.
48:01
SPEAKER_01: And so I think just like being really mindful of your community of people and the people who you put your value in in terms of I value your opinion, I value your wisdom, I value your honesty, and letting those people have weight in your life and the other voices exist and you learn and you train yourself to say, I hear what you're saying, I also acknowledge it's not rooted in truth.
48:27
SPEAKER_02: So good.
48:27
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
48:28
SPEAKER_02: And I feel like sometimes even like your teachers can put you in a box.
48:32
SPEAKER_02: And you know, you look, you look up to them and you it's hard because you're like, oh, what they are saying must be the truth.
48:40
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
48:40
SPEAKER_02: And you've gotta, yeah, just be aware enough to acknowledge that that you hear it, but not all of it is always true.
48:48
SPEAKER_01: Because we walk through life like making categorizing.
48:50
SPEAKER_01: We're all trying to make sense of things.
48:52
SPEAKER_01: And so sometimes people are putting you in a box and they're not meaning it to be like diminishing or stifling, but it can feel that way.
48:58
SPEAKER_01: Because it's like, no, what are you doing?
48:59
SPEAKER_01: But like they're just trying to make sense of things and they see something in you and they're saying it, and you can say, I hear you.
49:06
SPEAKER_01: I know what I want though.
49:07
SPEAKER_01: And what I want is, yeah, I'm a fierce jazz dancer, but I also kill at heels.
49:12
SPEAKER_01: And I also love musical, like, love whatever you want.
49:16
SPEAKER_01: So hear that, acknowledge it.
49:17
SPEAKER_01: And if they put you in that box, it's like an affirmation, oh yeah, I am really good at that.
49:21
SPEAKER_01: Right.
49:21
SPEAKER_01: I can't wait to show you all the other things I'm really great at.
49:24
SPEAKER_00: Right.
49:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
49:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
49:24
SPEAKER_00: And take advantage of, like, when we were speaking with Alex, like he takes the work that's given to him or did, I think, earlier on in his career.
49:32
SPEAKER_00: And if it was ballet, it was ballet.
49:34
SPEAKER_00: I'm great.
49:34
SPEAKER_00: He's great at ballet.
49:35
SPEAKER_00: But like he also can do other things.
49:37
SPEAKER_00: So like don't negate if you do happen to be put in a box and it serves you, more power to you.
49:43
SPEAKER_00: Take that work, do that thing, stay in that style, and then don't be afraid to let other people know, hey, I also do these other things.
49:50
SPEAKER_05: Right.
49:50
SPEAKER_00: But I think the, you know, like we've been talking about, like, if it's putting food on your plate and it makes you happy, if if you've put me in a box that serves me, great.
49:58
SPEAKER_00: But if that box doesn't serve you, then it's time to like step out of the box and say, no, thank you.
50:03
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and you want to do what you enjoy to do.
50:06
SPEAKER_05: You know, if if you have if you're taking hip hop class at your studio and you just can't figure it out, you're just frustrated, you don't love it, then you know, you don't have to take it.
50:16
SPEAKER_05: It'll help you.
50:17
SPEAKER_05: And if you are stressed about it and you don't un don't love it, and once you become a professional dancer, if that's your path and that's what you choose to do, you have the freedom there to make your own choices as to what auditions do I want to audition for, what jobs do I want to do.
50:31
SPEAKER_05: If you made that choice while you were a kid growing up in training, saying, Well, you know what, hip-hop wasn't my thing, then you you've accepted the fact that you're eliminating hip-hop from your career path and you're okay with that.
50:42
SPEAKER_05: You know, like it's okay if if that's not what you want to do and you want to go on this one path, you're going to have more opportunities the more versatile you are, I think is like the main point to get across.
50:53
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
50:54
SPEAKER_05: And the other thing that I want to just briefly mention is that, you know, the stigma that you've been saying, Britney, about like what people look at as competition dancers and how we kind of sometimes have a bad reputation.
51:05
SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna say a success story for being a competition kid that I was trained in every style of dance, every style of dance.
51:12
SPEAKER_05: We were so fortunate enough to have two teachers come every week from New York City and teach us straight from Broadway dance and our steps all of the same material that they were getting there and and bringing it back to us.
51:25
SPEAKER_05: And we learned modern dance, lyrical dance, hip-hop, jazz, tap, contemporary before it was contemporary.
51:31
SPEAKER_05: We took everything.
51:33
SPEAKER_05: And I feel like I walked into the professional world because of that, because my studio set me up for success.
51:40
SPEAKER_05: Not every studio out there is going to.
51:42
SPEAKER_05: And a lot of people are probably listening saying, Well, my kid's not gonna be a professional, so you know, I don't think that they need to take all of these classes.
51:50
SPEAKER_05: But I think every studio out there needs to remember that there might be a kid that wants to.
51:55
SPEAKER_05: So why wouldn't you give them the tools to be ready for it?
51:58
SPEAKER_05: And at the same time, maybe you're maybe you don't want to be professional, but maybe you love dance and you want to teach dance.
52:04
SPEAKER_05: You have to be a versatile teacher too.
52:06
SPEAKER_05: You have to have taken those styles to know how to teach them.
52:09
SPEAKER_05: So you have, you know, regardless of whatever path, or you know what, maybe you just don't dance after you graduate and that's okay as well.
52:15
SPEAKER_05: And you're just dancing for fun.
52:17
SPEAKER_05: We're here for that too.
52:18
SPEAKER_05: But I think as studios, we need to remember that we're our goal is to help provide the tools for the dancers to go where they want.
52:25
SPEAKER_05: And I felt like that I was given those tools to have.
52:28
SPEAKER_05: And I feel like I can look back and look at all the variety of jobs that I had because I was versatile.
52:34
SPEAKER_05: So many dancers come up to me at auditions and they're like, I didn't know you could tap.
52:37
SPEAKER_05: And I'm like, yeah, I can tap.
52:39
SPEAKER_05: And then I do ballet and they're like, oh my gosh, you have such good ballet technique.
52:44
SPEAKER_05: You do point, right?
52:45
SPEAKER_05: And I'm like, I don't do point.
52:47
SPEAKER_05: But that is very niche, but that is.
52:50
SPEAKER_05: But I will say that like I could do point if I had to, because I have the training to do it.
52:55
SPEAKER_05: You know what I mean?
52:56
SPEAKER_05: I choose personally not to, but I think that the more versatility that we have can continue to impress people.
53:01
SPEAKER_05: And I think a lot of times I know me personally, I do get stuck, like put into that.
53:06
SPEAKER_05: I am a jazz dancer box.
53:07
SPEAKER_05: And then when I go to other auditions and people are like, you can do other things, it's like, yeah, and I'm I work because of that, you know.
53:14
SPEAKER_05: So that's just important to for dancers to remember.
53:17
SPEAKER_05: I hope that everyone listens to this and like goes into take a new class at the studio next week or something.
53:23
SPEAKER_01: Try new things.
53:23
SPEAKER_01: It's like what you're talking about, the value of beyond offering as studio owners, beyond offering all these different styles, just because there might be one kid who wants to pursue this professionally.
53:35
SPEAKER_01: I also think as an educator in the arts, there's actually a responsibility to impress upon young minds and appreciate and learn to value the arts and different facets of the arts in the same way in our public education system.
53:49
SPEAKER_01: We encourage reading and we have kids go through the canon of reading, like American literature, English literature, Spanish literature, like we have kids reading Don Quixote, we have kids read The Iliad, we have kids read Charles Dickens.
54:02
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's so much to be learned from how different cultures and communities communicate and what they celebrate and what comes through in those ideas.
54:11
SPEAKER_01: And that's what dance is.
54:13
SPEAKER_01: It's an art form that is born of these different cultures.
54:16
SPEAKER_01: So if you can learn to appreciate and see the value in the arts in those capacities and recognize the significance and really also understanding like the history and the lineage in each of those art forms, it's such an essential component, I think, of training young dancers as artists and again as like human beings, as well-rounded human beings that extends beyond their professional pursuits.
54:42
SPEAKER_01: I think that is just really essential and important thing to keep in mind.
54:46
SPEAKER_01: And it's hard because then there is responsibility in an era of all of these tricks on display in various reality television shows.
54:54
SPEAKER_01: Kids want to dance because they want the instant gratification to do some insane thing that they want they saw on television.
55:01
SPEAKER_01: It's like, well, that person has 15 years of training at minimum.
55:05
SPEAKER_01: So that's not a thing, but it does put responsibility on studio owners and on teachers and on educators and competitions, et cetera, to like make sure that we are teaching this generation to understand the value of those things and how you get to those things and what extends beyond just like the trick you saw on a television show.
55:25
SPEAKER_02: Right.
55:26
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
55:26
SPEAKER_02: I I wanted to go back to Courtney was saying that, you know, studio owners may think, oh, I only have one person that like wants to become professional, so I won't even put anything into that.
55:36
SPEAKER_02: Well, I feel like that's not necessarily true all the time because I feel like more people want to be professional.
55:42
SPEAKER_02: They just don't have it, they don't have representation to see it in their studio group.
55:46
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
55:46
SPEAKER_02: They no one's ever, you know, no one's ever done it in their studio.
55:49
SPEAKER_02: Because maybe that comes right.
55:51
SPEAKER_02: That comes from like the mindset of the directors and the instructors, like not giving them the tools that they need to become professional because they just assume that, oh my kids don't want to do that.
56:00
SPEAKER_02: Right.
56:00
SPEAKER_04: Right.
56:00
SPEAKER_02: Well, maybe so-and-so does, but they've never seen it and they hear you saying that.
56:05
SPEAKER_02: So then that just discourages them even more.
56:07
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
56:08
SPEAKER_02: Totally.
56:09
SPEAKER_02: So you never know.
56:10
SPEAKER_02: You never know.
56:11
SPEAKER_02: If they're provided with the tools and, you know, the education to make it happen.
56:16
SPEAKER_02: I think I think you should, I think it's better safe to just do that than to like totally exit out.
56:22
SPEAKER_02: No one wants to become professional at my studio, you know.
56:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, give them permission.
56:25
SPEAKER_02: Because you never know.
56:26
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
56:27
SPEAKER_02: And I think, yeah, a lot of times people won't do things because they've never seen it happen before.
56:31
SPEAKER_02: They don't think, oh, like that's even a possibility.
56:33
SPEAKER_00: Capable of doing that.
56:34
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
56:35
SPEAKER_00: Like, oh, I didn't know you could even do that.
56:37
SPEAKER_00: I didn't know you could dance.
56:38
SPEAKER_00: Like, I thought those people in commercials.
56:40
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what I thought, but like, I didn't know you could do that, you know.
56:42
SPEAKER_00: Like somebody would pay me to do that, yes, they would.
56:45
SPEAKER_02: Right.
56:46
SPEAKER_02: Or like a lot of the times it's like, oh, I have to already be living in LA, like I have to be from LA in New York or like whatever it is.
56:52
SPEAKER_02: They don't know that they can come from like Virginia, wherever Virginia and make it happen, you know?
56:58
SPEAKER_05: So yeah, I think I think that's r a really good point.
57:00
SPEAKER_05: I'm really glad you said that because I think it really does start from the top.
57:03
SPEAKER_05: And not just the studio owners, but the parents too, because I think a lot of parents are aren't didn't grow up as dancers, you know, are just putting their kids into dance, like all of our parents did, because we loved to dance around the house.
57:15
SPEAKER_05: And then it grew into something that we loved.
57:17
SPEAKER_05: And then we, as dancers, at a point in time made the decision that we want this to be our career.
57:23
SPEAKER_05: For parents, that's a scary thing because dance is a very uncertain career path for a lot of people.
57:29
SPEAKER_05: And it's you don't know if you're gonna succeed.
57:32
SPEAKER_05: It's all based on auditions, it's all based on how you're perceived in the industry and if people, you know, want to hire you.
57:37
SPEAKER_05: And it is like any job, but usually with dance, it's continuously auditioning.
57:41
SPEAKER_05: So there's more rejection and all of the things.
57:44
SPEAKER_05: So it is a scary career path.
57:45
SPEAKER_05: And I think if your parents are kind of saying, I don't think that you can do this, even if the dancer loves it and wants to, we have to reassure them that you can do this and you just have to work hard to get to that point.
57:56
SPEAKER_05: It's gonna take a lot of hard work, but we also need the the studio owners too, like you said, Brittany, to really be in support of that too.
58:02
SPEAKER_05: And if, you know, if dancers are listening and they feel like they're not in an environment that is giving them that, then maybe we look for that environment.
58:10
SPEAKER_05: You know, there's a dance studio in every corner.
58:12
SPEAKER_05: I'm not gonna lie, like every corner.
58:14
SPEAKER_05: Every corner.
58:15
SPEAKER_05: And there's and every dance studio is going to offer different types of training, right?
58:18
SPEAKER_05: You know, there's some that's gonna be more recreational-based, there's some that's gonna be more intermediate.
58:22
SPEAKER_05: I focus on competition.
58:24
SPEAKER_05: And then there's some that are training for elite dancers.
58:26
SPEAKER_05: You know that you want to make a career out of this.
58:28
SPEAKER_05: And if you get to that point where you're like, you know what, mom, I think I want to be a professional dancer.
58:34
SPEAKER_05: What do I need to do as a dancer to get to that point next?
58:36
SPEAKER_05: You're gonna be taking every class and be versatile, right?
58:39
SPEAKER_05: You're gonna learn your musicality.
58:40
SPEAKER_05: And maybe we need to switch our training up a little bit and find a studio that's going to support that dream or does have people who have had success to look up to.
58:50
SPEAKER_05: Because I do think that that is that is a good point, Brittany, that you might not have ever had that access before if no one from your studio has really gone on to look up to.
58:59
SPEAKER_01: I think it's important for young dancers and parents to hear this as well, though, to know that like it is your ownership of your training.
59:08
SPEAKER_01: Because you can be at the best studio and not take ownership and go nowhere.
59:12
SPEAKER_01: Or if funds are tight, like I did not grow up in a well-off family.
59:17
SPEAKER_01: My mom taught dance to help support my dancing.
59:19
SPEAKER_01: I taught dance and had other jobs to help support my dancing.
59:22
SPEAKER_01: I paid for the competitions.
59:24
SPEAKER_01: We scround, like, saved up pennies to go to intensives and used scholarships whenever we could.
59:31
SPEAKER_01: It I was not surrounded by people that were all necessarily wanting to be professional dancers, but I knew what I wanted to do and took ownership of that and found people who were gonna help support me through that.
59:44
SPEAKER_01: And so I think it's you can everyone, I'm we all of us can attest to this.
59:49
SPEAKER_01: Every single person I've ever worked with has gotten into a professional field on their own trajectory.
59:54
SPEAKER_01: There's some crossover, but everyone's journey is different.
59:57
SPEAKER_01: We all got into it at different ages.
59:59
SPEAKER_01: We all started training in different styles at different times.
1:00:02
SPEAKER_01: Some of us went to college for it, some of us didn't.
1:00:04
SPEAKER_01: There's just so many different ways to do this.
1:00:07
SPEAKER_01: So, whatever your journey is, is the right way for you.
1:00:10
SPEAKER_01: But the common denominator in that is that we all took responsibility and ownership of that process and that training.
1:00:18
SPEAKER_00: And the majority, I mean, there are some exceptions to this, but the majority of us did not get handed anything.
1:00:25
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
1:00:26
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's where parents sometimes, this is like a whole nother podcast probably, but like the thought maybe is well, the people who are successful, you know, maybe sometimes it's it was favoritism or it was nepotism or it was whatever.
1:00:38
SPEAKER_00: And no, every single person I know worked really, really hard and took ownership of all of that working hard from day one, like Eliza said.
1:00:46
SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, if you think your kid has what it takes to do that, then by all means support them.
1:00:52
SPEAKER_00: And if you think that they don't, support them in getting to that point.
1:00:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:00:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:00:57
SPEAKER_02: So good.
1:00:58
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
1:00:58
SPEAKER_05: Well, y'all, we could chat about this for so much longer.
1:01:02
SPEAKER_05: I wish we could.
1:01:03
SPEAKER_05: The time has come.
1:01:05
SPEAKER_05: Sadly, we have to wrap it up.
1:01:07
SPEAKER_05: And I just love this topic so much.
1:01:10
SPEAKER_05: And I think that we really we really drove it home with with why versatility is important.
1:01:16
SPEAKER_05: And I hope to all of our listeners, you learned a little bit more about why we we love a top class, we love a hip-hop class, we we think that it, you know, it'll just help elevate all of the dancers out there.
1:01:28
SPEAKER_05: So keep keep training extra hard and try something new maybe next season or this season, try a new solo, who knows?
1:01:36
SPEAKER_05: You know, there's so many options throughout your training.
1:01:38
SPEAKER_05: But thank you all for listening and thank you to our wonderful guests, Brittany and Eliza, for joining us for this wonderful discussion.
1:01:45
SPEAKER_05: And how we typically uh finish out our episodes is that we have our guests lead us out with some final thoughts, with any words of encouragement or anything else you'd like to say on the topic of versatility.
1:01:59
SPEAKER_01: I think something I say a lot that is really valuable in all aspects of this art form is that comparison is the thief of joy.
1:02:07
SPEAKER_01: And so as you pursue versatility, don't get upset that someone else is better at a certain style than you are.
1:02:16
SPEAKER_01: Let that be a source of inspiration and a reminder of oh my gosh, there's so much to learn from that person.
1:02:21
SPEAKER_01: There's so much to learn in this discipline, and just trusting the journey of letting yourself be in spaces where you don't feel like the best, and letting yourself be in those spaces, knowing that that is how you grow and how you pursue this, I think, in the most effective way possible.
1:02:39
SPEAKER_01: Just trust yourself, trust your journey.
1:02:42
SPEAKER_01: There is nothing to be gained by being afraid of making mistakes.
1:02:46
unknown: Yep.
1:02:47
SPEAKER_02: Totally agree.
1:02:48
SPEAKER_02: I, you know, I feel like going into these classes, going into these opportunities, you guys just humble yourselves.
1:02:55
SPEAKER_02: Don't be afraid to be, you know, not the best in the class.
1:02:59
SPEAKER_02: That's not how you're gonna grow.
1:03:00
SPEAKER_02: But also with that being said, don't forget about your light and your own individuality that, you know, makes you special.
1:03:07
SPEAKER_02: Don't downplay yourself.
1:03:08
SPEAKER_02: I feel like that's a big thing that we do too.
1:03:11
SPEAKER_02: We're too afraid to, you know, to let our shine come through.
1:03:15
SPEAKER_02: So just with that being said, be humble, but don't downplay yourself.
1:03:19
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, continue to just be yourself, know what you bring to the table, and be confident enough to just confident in your skill enough to just like be super, super ready, open, willing, and that's all you go.
1:03:33
SPEAKER_02: For sure.
1:03:38
SPEAKER_05: We hope you enjoyed this week's discussion all about versatility.
1:03:41
SPEAKER_05: Don't forget to follow our wonderful guests on Instagram.
1:03:45
SPEAKER_05: You can find Eliza at Eliza Omen and Britney at BritneyHall.
1:03:50
SPEAKER_05: And be sure to check out some of our guest projects as well.
1:03:53
SPEAKER_05: Brittany has an on-demand virtual experience where you can take fitness and dance classes with her and other guest instructors from anywhere in the world.
1:04:00
SPEAKER_05: Learn more at BritneyHall.
1:04:03
SPEAKER_05: And jump into class virtually with Eliza Omen, where she teaches at Steps on Broadway live from New York City every Tuesday from 1 to 2.15 p.m.
1:04:11
SPEAKER_05: Eastern Standard Time.
1:04:14
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1:04:59
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