Lindsey Dean is fresh to LA as of a few months ago, and I'm so grateful to call her my friend! We met in a contemporary class at Millennium, and now we take regular classes together every week where we are growing from amazing teachers like Sam Nelson and Shelby Fletcher. Lindsey also trains hard in jazz funk with Mary Mason, and she is KILL-ING IT! Lindsey actually spent two months in LA about a year ago to do the Millennium Certificate Program. She lived in a house with other dancers, and they all took ten classes a week! Lindsey reminisces on that time when the only thing she had to think about was, "What classes am I gonna take today?" Now that she's living here, she has to think about work, money, balancing her schedule, and other responsibilities, along with being consistent in all her dance classes. Tune in to the full episode to find out how Lindsey is making it work and what it's like to be new to LA, pursuing dance!

Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: 

@lindsey.dean15

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA

Sanna was the very first person from LA Unbound dance company to reach out and get to know me when I was new last season, and she made me feel so welcomed! She is one of the kindest souls and also very hard working and disciplined. Sanna grew up in San Francisco. Her family is from Ukraine, and she was the first of them to be born in America. They quickly connected with the Russian-speaking, Jewish community at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, and that is where Sanna first learned to dance! It was mostly Russian folk and Israeli dance, but she started training in jazz and hip hop once she was in middle school. She then started taking classes at other studios, learned ballet, and joined her high school dance team that had a more modern focus. Her interest in musical theater developed in college where she helped choreograph and produce musicals. She loves performing dance, especially fosse style, and it's her dream to be in a production of Chicago. So if you know of any auditions coming up, please reach out! Tune in to this episode to hear more about Sanna's journey pursuing dance as an adult and all the feelings and thoughts that go with it. 

Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: 

@Sanna_Rafalovich

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA

You've probably seen him dancing in hip hop classes at Millennium and Athletic Garage, or maybe you knew him in his ballroom stage, but now it's time to get to know Eric Huang's full dance story! Eric didn't get into dance until after college, and the main thing that drew him in was the community aspect. He's especially grateful to have started training in dance before the pandemic because it gave him something to focus on and a way to connect with others, as it did for so many of us during that time. Learn how it's been for Eric to step out of his comfort zone with new styles of dance and how he's been enjoying LA since moving here less than a year ago!Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: @dancing_ericc@DanceJourneyPodcast@TracyinLA

I met Danielle through LA Unbound, and I was in awe of her dancing and dance teaching abilities! She didn't choreograph for that season's show, but she is for this upcoming one in November, and we are all so excited! Danielle loves dancing and has many years of performing experience, ever since middle school when she started competing on her school's dance team. She studied dance in college and then became part of a dance company called Evoke, where they put on annual shows, and she was often in multiple contemporary pieces as well as hip hop! For most of Danielle's adult life, she did dance around her elementary school teaching career. But she recently resigned from it and spends much of her time focusing on dance class, LA Unbound, and other dance performances. She is currently in a season of exploration to figure out what's next for her in life, and we are loving that she has more time to dance and hang out! Danielle is one of the kindest people and also just so much fun to be around, and we can't wait to see where life takes her. 

Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: 

@daniella_wella

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA

Crazy story–I actually met Caroline at church and then found out she used to be a professional dancer! It's also a funny story how I discovered this because she's so low-key about it, lol. She's not one to brag or try to draw attention to herself, but she did used to curate her Instagram when she was pursuing dance so that she could book those jobs! So scroll down a bit on her IG and check it out if you're interested. :) She was on "So You Think You Can Dance" and danced in music videos for artists like Saweetie and Olivia Rodrigo. She was booking TV jobs. She also has some really fun dance class vids, killing it in hip hop and contemporary. BUT! She retired from dance????? At 22???? Why???? Well, you'll have to check out the full episode to learn about that. She also gives good tips and advice for how to book jobs in the dance world (or at least how it worked for her), while also sharing candidly about what it was like for her to live that "dream" and why she felt like it was no longer her path. Learn how she found a new career direction and whether or not she thinks she'll ever return to dance.

Follow our dance and life journeys on Instagram: 

@carolineghd

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA

She just moved to LA a couple months ago, but you may already know her because she takes so much class and is such a fierce dancer, especially in hip hop and contemporary! Willow Beccia grew up dancing in Massachusetts among her family of dancers, doing all styles and competing. Also, her mom owns a studio, so she ended up teaching there full time and loving it! She became the assistant director and thought she might work there forever. But then she started to realize she had sort of lost sight of her own dancing and dance training. She felt compelled to push herself out of her comfort zone and move to LA to train hard for dancing professionally. So here she is, loving studios like Millennium and Playground LA and enjoying the warm, sunny weather. She is working hard to attain her goals and having faith they can happen, but in the meantime, she's enjoying the journey and just happy to be here. :)

Follow our dance journeys on Instagram:

@MyDancingMoments

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA

You've met a lot of her friends already, but now it's time to get to know dancer/teacher/choreographer Yari Rivera! Yari has been dancing all her life–every style but with much focus on ballet and currently contemporary. We would describe her choreographic style as angsty floorwork contemporary with lyrical vibes, and it is GORGEOUS. She has created multiple pieces for dance company LA Unbound, and she considers this a vulnerable process as she puts a meaningful part of her heart on stage. Tracy describes taking Yari's class as a challenging and fulfilling experience. They also discuss Yari's LA Unbound dance from May, which was a tribute to her grandmother and uncle who passed away in recent years. It was beautiful and touching, and we are so excited to see what she'll bring to the stage this November!

Follow our dance journeys on Instagram:

@LeorizRivera

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA

This week we have the amazing hip hop performer, teacher, choreographer, artistic director... Aukai Cain!! You may know Aukai for his 20+ years teaching hip hop at Athletic Garage or for his dance company Legacy VDC, but did you know he started out as a singer and performed in a boy band??!! This was his full-time job for many years, but then he got into musical theater, and then through a series of events, found himself becoming a professional dancer. He didn't start taking hip hop classes until 31 years old, but check out the full episode to learn what led him to pursue dance and how he achieved a successful career in it. Aukai discusses his own dance story as well as his passion for helping other dancers achieve their goals. Whether it be professionally, fitness-wise, or just to have fun and be challenged, Aukai enjoys reaching everyone where they're at and inspiring them to love dance as much as he does. 

Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: 

@HouseofAukai

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA

I met Kaycee Tacata through LA Unbound. It was my first season performing with them and her second. We were in a contemporary piece together, but she was also in five other pieces! This girl can do it all–contemporary, jazz, jazz funk, cheer and pom, musical theater, you name it! So talented not only at dance but also in organizing and administration. She was the PCN (Pilipino Cultural Night) coordinator her last year of college, and she loved being able to put that dance show together. She also teaches dance and choreographs for competitions. She's starting grad school soon and plans to go into entertainment industry management, but she's also auditioning for pro cheer teams! Kaycee is driven and hard working, ready to give 100% to everything. She's equally inspiring as she is vulnerable and relatable. We have so much fun in this episode, and I hope it gives you joy and comfort for your own dance journey! 

Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: 

@KayceeCamilleee

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA

Christina Wampler is a beautiful dancer. She grew up loving dance, training in dance, and even teaching dance by age 14! She taught mostly ballet and acrobatics, and that definitely shows in the type of choreography she creates today. I met Christina because she started a Christian contemporary class called The Way Dance Company that meets once a month and learns a dance to a worship song. This has been a wonderful experience. Her class is so peaceful and inviting, but then she throws in a crazy turn or floor work move, and the challenge begins! I have loved getting to know Christina and learning from her, so it was extra fun to learn way more about her story on this episode! Like I didn't realize she moved to LA as a child to do acting with her older brother and sister. And get this, she was on two of my favorite TV shows!! Whaaaaat. Such a fun conversation about that, but she hasn't been focusing on acting lately because she mostly feels called to teach dance and work with kids. She teaches preschool and kindergarten, as well as high school students, so she has the full spectrum! Tune in to learn all the details of Christina's dance journey and what her ultimate vision is for dance performance.

Follow our dance journeys on Instagram:

@CricketWampler

@DanceJourneyPodcast

@TracyinLA