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Happy New Year and welcome to a new decade lled with promise We d like to take a moment to remember some of our favorite moments for our Answers4Dancers members with a look back at 2019 Each featured story is being shared once again to remind you that if you focus on your goal you can achieve your dreams just the way these members did in 2019 We invite you to ip through these pages lled with amazing accomplishments and stories we hope will inspire you to achieve your goals for 2020 From your friends at A4D
Rachel Perlman A4D Dancer To Watch As seen in the January 14 2019 DanceBlast
GREAT CAREER ADVICE FOR 2020 FROM A4D S DANCERS TO WATCH Dancer To Watch Rachel Perlman posted the inspiring photo on the previous page for 2019 s New Year She had just closed out the most amazing 2018 of performing all over the country and she was ready to begin again It s the attitude of a true pro There s a lot to learn from all of our Dancers To Watch Here s some more great advice Set a goal once you surpass it make another Do your homework do your research train constantly stay positive and BE YOURSELF Brandon Hudson Broadway s Hamilton Head Over Heels Don t stop don t give up You can t compare yourself to the success of others You have to keep going and realize your time will come It took me eight years but I never gave up It s made me more grateful for my achievements Kate Harpootlian So You Think You Can Dance Shaping Sound Be yourself love yourself and always go for it If you have a dream go for it You only live once why not try and see what happens before you X yourself out Michelle West National Tour Disney s Aladdin
It s important to have very direct goals Write them down Say the Victoria s Secret show is my goal Who choreographs for them Who dances in them What classes do they take Work in strategic and direct ways Stephanie Scull Beyonc Channing Tatum Victoria Secret Fashion Show Brooklyn Nets Stay focused When I auditioned for West Side Story I got cut after America The next day there was a blizzard in NYC I sat in my apartment thinking I REALLY want this job So I put my hair in a bun changed my look auditioned again and booked the gig NaTonia Monet The Great Black Way Dream Girls Saturday Night Live National Commercials Read everything on A4D over and over so you re ready for your next opportunity Gregory Omar Osborne Producer and Memphis Chorus Line Cats Take class from as many teachers as you can stay humble there s always someone who s a better dancer but if you show you love what you do people will want to keep working with you Sarah Kaye Coco The Vanity Vixens Celebrity Cruise Lines Training is your homework it s your duty to keep your body performance ready Frank Sores Celebrity Cruiselines Tokyo Disney Peter Pan National Tour
NETWORKING LESSONS FROM A4D S SARAH KAYE I guess the moral of the story is work hard and be nice to people and work will always keep coming in ways you didn t expect Even though I haven t sailed since 2014 I still have connections from my first cruise ship contract in 2008 As seen in the February 4 2019 DanceBlast
A4D s Dancer To Watch Sarah Kaye is one busy dancer She books one gig after another and is on top of her game How does she stay so busy In a word Networking Sarah booked her first cruise ship contract with Celebrity back in 2008 The connections she made while at sea in the early days of her career are still keeping her busy on land today Sarah just worked at the very large New York Times Travel Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City representing the newest ship in Celebrity s fleet the Celebrity Edge It features the most amazing space called Eden with three levels of sensory experiences completely wrapped in glass with every angle looking out to the ocean Sarah explains I was hired to showcase my aerial skills in one of their booths for potential guests to give visitors an idea of what their newest interactive entertainment and dining experience in Eden would be like And she s quick to add I even saw auditions on A4D for this new conceptual restaurant meets atmospheric aerial and dance performance space Yes Sarah is constantly booked but still checks the Auditions Calendar Before one gig is over Sarah s got the next one lined up She ll be performing with a former Celebrity cast mate in a mini tour of Cabaret Follies a Parisian showgirl meets burlesque cabaret production Through networking and a lasting friendship Sarah was hired several years ago while living in Miami to perform with this company and now the director wants to work with the original cast again Sarah says it best I guess the moral of the story is work hard and be nice to people and work will always keep coming in ways you didn t expect Even though I haven t sailed since 2014 I still have connections from my first cruise ship contract in 2008 SARAH KAYE S DANCER TO WATCH PROFILE
NATONIA MON T ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE NaTonia continually reaches for the stars in her approach to her career There s no barrier that stops her from visualizing herself reaching her goals As seen in the February 25 2019 DanceBlast
Dancer To Watch NaTonia Mon t is burning up 2019 She joined SAG AFTRA after booking a national commercial for the Maryland Lottery that made her a must join She set a goal to become eligible to join the union and she did it Another milestone NaTonia set for herself is to meet someone she really admires specifically award winning actress Regina Hall NaTonia s a strong believer in the Law of Attraction and put it out there that she d love to meet Regina one day NaTonia tells the rest of the story About three weeks ago I put in my InstaStory a funny clip from the Showtime series Black Monday starring Don Cheadle and Regina Hall I want to be just like her I think she s brilliantly funny so I watch all her stuff She and Don are hilarious together especially in that particular scene I posted and watched about a million times Fast forward to last Thursday when choreographer Nick Kenkel contacted me to see if I was available to work on Saturday Night Live that weekend as a dancer Of course I said yes and who was hosting Don Cheadle During rehearsal on Friday I met Don I told him I loved him in Black Monday and then in good ole NaTonia style I proceeded to start reciting the hilarious scene I loved so much Now this was a risk because he could have looked at me like a complete weirdo or worse say please leave me alone But Don started reciting and doing the scene with me He does a million movies and TV shows and how did he remember those exact lines He was very cool and we laughed about it At that moment I knew I was just one person away from knowing Regina Hall NaTonia continually reaches for the stars in her approach to her career There s no barrier that stops her from visualizing herself reaching her goals And why not With the Law of Attraction approach she uses there s no limit to what she IS GOING TO ACHIEVE WATCH FULL SKIT ON NATONIA S DANCER TO WATCH PROFILE
ANTONIO BOOKS THE MASKED SINGER FIVE TIMES My definition of LUCK is preparation meeting opportunity A4D was a major key to creating my LUCK With audition notices and info from A4D I was able to create several effective demo reels which then landed me my 1st dance agency MSA in Los Angeles a national SAG commercial a guest entertainer contract and things haven t slowed down for me since then
When A4D member Antonio Martinez dreamed of relocating to Los Angeles from Oklahoma he didn t know what adventures were ahead Seeing Antonio s potential from his activity on Answers4dancers Grover Dale introduced Antonio to three LA agencies they were all interested but Antonio felt MSA was the right agency for him and it s working out pretty well After years of hard work things have shifted into high gear Antonio has been booking one amazing job after another He has an enviable list of credits and has danced alongside Jennifer Lopez Taylor Swift Derek Hough Ne Yo and Jennifer Hudson to mention a few On TV he s appeared on Speechless World of Dance Dancing With The Stars and America s Got Talent plus many others Recently Antonio has been very busy working on FOX s The Masked Singer It s a new celebrity singing game show hosted by Nick Cannon with panelists Jenny McCarthy Nicole Scherzinger Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke Antonio has appeared on the new hit show an incredible five times He performed in The Poodle Performance as an aerialist and as a dancer for Alien Rabbit Bee and Raven It seems the law of attraction is in full gear in Antonio s career The more he works the more work he gets It s a great accomplishment for a kid from Oklahoma who took a chance left everything he knew and made the big move to LA WATCH ANTONIO S COMMERCIAL DANCE REEL HERE As seen in the March 25 2019 DanceBlast
STEPHANIE SCULL BOOKS OLD NAVY COMMERCIAL As seen in the April 8 2019 DanceBlast
A4D s Dancer To Watch Stephanie Scull is currently appearing in an Old Navy High Rise Rockstar Jeans commercial Only the journey to this booking wasn t so easy Stephanie shared how it all unfolded with Answers4Dancers To book the Old Navy commercial I attended a casting where I had to freestyle on camera in a small room full of people my worst casting nightmare Then I got a callback where I had to dance a solo on camera again only this time it was to a different song in front of an audition panel Then I waited to hear if I booked it Five or six days later they hired me after all of the other dancers had just finished a ten hour rehearsal I was told to come straight to set the next day it was a big surprise since I already assumed I didn t book it because I wasn t called into rehearsal I had to arrive at 7 00 am to do a fitting and learn all the choreography and scenes on the same day we shot them It was a very long day and definitely a challenge for me I think we shot for 14 hours Fortunately the cast was so great that we all were able to feed off of each other s energy and positivity despite our exhaustion We also got to work with choreographer Blanca Li and director Jonas Akerlund which was awesome because they re both so amazingly talented And with all that said I think I speak on behalf of everyone in saying we were all super grateful to be there It takes a real pro to quickly adapt to the events that landed Stephanie on the set of a national commercial The hard work she s put into her entire career prepared her for a moment just like this WATCH STEPHANIE IN OLD NAVY COMMERCIAL HERE It s important to have very direct goals Write them down and then work backwards Say the Victoria s Secret show is my goal Okay start there Who choreographs for them Who dances in them What classes do they take Figure out how to reach the goal and then work in strategic and direct ways to get there
MICHELLE WEST CELEBRATES TWO YEARS IN DISNEY S ALADDIN As seen in the June 3 2019 DanceBlast
Happy Two Year Anniversary to Dancer To Watch Michelle West and the entire cast of the North American tour of Disney s Aladdin The tour recently welcomed its Two Millionth guest to see Michelle and the cast perform since it launched in Chicago at The Cadillac Palace Theatre on April 19 2017 They have played to capacity houses in 25 cities during 869 performances Future stops include Baltimore Charlotte Dallas Durham Fort Lauderdale Houston Kansas City Memphis Orlando San Antonio and Washington D C Michelle is living her dream as part of the Disney family and they re busy making history On Broadway Aladdin has welcomed more than 10 million people and has grossed over 1 billion Its global footprint has expanded to include productions in Tokyo Hamburg London and Australia During Michelle s time in the show we ve seen her win a car on The Price Is Right pay off her student loans sing The National Anthem at a Philadelphia Phillies game be interviewed on her hometown news show FYI Philly and she even got engaged Thanks for the amazing journey you ve shared with us every step of the way What a magical carpet ride this has been CHECK OUT MICHELLE WEST S DANCER TO WATCH PROFILE When I first signed up for A4D I looked at the auditions all the time It helped me figure out the whole audition process and I used all the info to get my video reel done I met a lot of my audition friends through A4D At auditions I d recognize them and go up to them It was great And now in this phase because I book so much A4D really promotes me as a performer who I am what I m doing which reaches out to other dancers
HOW A LETTER CHANGED KARMA S DESTINY I dreamed about this moment since I was 6 years old when I made a decision to NEVER GIVE UP AT ANY COST and that s just what I did As seen in the June 10 2019 DanceBlast
In the Fall of 2018 A4D s Karma Stylz came across a flyer on Central Casting that caught his eye It was a dancer call for a brand new show on FX centered around the New York Ballroom Vogue Scene Knowing he was perfect for the project Karma began playing detective to find all the inside information Who were the choreographers Talent coordinators Head of casting This wasn t as simple as it seemed since the new show was POSE and Ryan Murphy was heading the project But that didn t stop Karma from chasing his dream booking Karma picks up the story from here I emailed a professional but personal letter from my heart I shared my REAL LIFE contribution and affiliation with the New York Vogue Ballroom scene Since the show would be centered around the original style of Vogue I felt It wouldn t be right for an outsider to represent my community on film So I did everything in my power to get booked I submitted my headshots a few eye catching photos my updated Performance Reel and included footage to reflect exactly what they were looking for I wanted in and I promised myself I would do it Weeks went by and then I received a text from a Pose Season 1 Choreographer Danielle Polanco She let me know I was booked for Season 1 But that s not the end of Karma s dream story When it was time to cast Pose Season 2 The Wonder Woman The Queen of Vogue was now the head choreographer How amazing since Leiomy Maldonado is also Karma s friend And then something magical happened Another life changing message Leiomy Hey Luv Can you choreograph an Oldway Vogue Routine for the Pose Marketing TV Commercial And of course I said YASSSS because that s what I do every day The commercial shoot and what happened next The Marketing Promo turned out so well that they asked me to come back to appear on Season 2 to play the role of Corey You ll find out more about Corey when Season 2 begins on FX on Tuesday June 11 As a dancer this opportunity means everything Especially because I ve been booking jobs on my own since I arrived in NYC in 2015 I moved from Texas to New York and in just 3 years I ve found myself on a Time Square Billboard working with Major Brands to now seeing my choreography and artistry on TV screens across the world Karma s final thoughts I dreamed about this moment since I was 6 years old when I made a decision to NEVER GIVE UP AT ANY COST and that s just what I did The major lesson I ve learned is to be steadfast unmovable and faithful to yourself and your craft If Dance is your story if it s really your language if it s the thing that brings LIFE to you honor and cherish that first The rest will follow WATCH KARMA S POSE COMMERCIAL HERE
IN THE HEIGHTS FILM BOOKS A4D S YOUNGEST DANCER When Delaney was just ten years old she auditioned for Mariah Carey s Christmas Show and booked it and returned to the show two more years Delaney has been seen in national commercials performed in the Macy s Thanksgiving Parade twice earned her SAG AFTRA card and was signed by MSA in NYC all before turning 12 As seen in the August 12 2019 DanceBlast
Meet A4D s youngest member Delaney Diaz When she was just ten years old she auditioned for Mariah Carey s Christmas Show and booked it and returned to the show two more years Delaney has been seen in national commercials performed in the Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade twice earned her SAG AFTRA card and was signed by MSA in NYC all before turning 12 Now we re thrilled to announce her most impressive booking to date Thirteenyear old Delaney will be seen in the Lin Manuel Miranda produced In The Heights film set for release June 26 2020 A4D asked Delaney how the adventure unfolded I got the call from my agent the night before the audition It was so exciting to audition for a movie and what a bonus to dance in front of Christopher Scott That was in January and I didn t hear about the booking until May My Mom found out first and called me when I was at the mall I didn t care I was in a store I screamed so loud with excitement I couldn t have been more blessed that the rehearsal and shooting days this past June didn t conflict with other important events like my dance recital Starpower Nationals or Dancer Palooza Working in rehearsal and especially on set were the best days of my life I felt like it was a dream The choreography team included Christopher Scott Dana Wilson Ebony Williams Emilio Dosal Eddie Torres Junior and Princess Serano Of course rehearsing and shooting in front of Lin Manuel Miranda made us so happy We re all such fans and in awe of his brilliance The choreography team and director Jon M Chu were super supportive and inspiring I really hope to work with them all again It s no secret why Delaney is so talented Her great grandparents met in Vaudeville Her grandmother was a dancer and her mother was an elite gymnast and dancer Delaney has the best pieces from each generation mixed with an impeccable work ethic And now she s growing into the most fierce and driven dancer We can t wait to see what else you accomplish Delaney See you in the movies
IT S YOUR FIRST PRO AUDITION NOW WHAT It s your first audition What should I wear What shoes should I bring What about my hair and makeup What should I expect We ve got great news The answers you re looking for are right here on A4D As seen in the October 21 2019 DanceBlast
At A4D we get lots of questions about auditions Just last week we heard from Sarah She s a brand new member about to audition for her very first professional job during a first ever visit to New York City Like Sarah many of you probably have the same questions as you contemplate taking that first important step in your career What should I wear What shoes should I bring What about my hair and makeup What should I expect We ve got great news The answers you re looking for are right here on A4D If this sounds like you make sure to do your homework by studying these pages How 2 Overcome Audition Fears This article will give you 3 key takeaways that you can implement right now to become more confident and more resilient using body language Walk in the door and take these 3 steps with you Best Makeup 4 Auditions In this article professional makeup artist and long time A4D member Emily Dann gives you tips and tricks to keep your makeup flawless for the most demanding auditions Watch her stepby step videos to learn how to apply sweat proof makeup What 2 Wear 2 Auditions Not sure what to wear Read valuable information in this article from Grover Dale award winning director and founder of A4D There s lots of tips including what should be in your dance bag for every audition Be sure to search the site until you find the info you need to walk into any audition with confidence And remember your audition begins when you walk into the room Enter the room with poise and a positive attitude And no matter what happens you ll gain valuable information you can apply to your next audition FIND MORE TOOLS 4 AUDITIONS HERE
Join Answers4Dancers Now and Get 2020 Off to a Great Start A4D Is About More Than Jobs And Auditions It s a Vibrant Community Where We Become Faster Better And More Productive Versions Of Ourselves Questions Contact ladance pacbell net