Makia Chantel has an amazing dance story, and I can't wait for you all to hear it! Makia and I first saw each other at a free Christian hip hop class put on by non-profit organization Dancing Disciples. Shortly after that class, I ended up dancing in the piece she created for her church's Easter service, which was so fun and crazy! But Makia wasn't always dancing for Jesus. She used to dance for many big artists–in music videos, at the Grammy's, in commercials, and touring! In terms of her dreams and what she had worked so hard for since childhood, she had made it. She had everything she wanted. She looked shiny and successful on the outside, but inside she was dealing with insecurities, health issues, and depression. She was partying and doing things she never thought she would do, but she was so far deep in destructive habits and lying, she didn't know how she could ever get free. But then, one day, a friend talked to her about God, and this started a long and winding journey of her exploring this new idea. Makia had so many questions. Is God even real? Is it a he / she / force / energy? Is the Bible true? Who is Jesus? What's the deal with Christians? Follow along as Makia takes us through her adventure of navigating God, life, and her dance career. There are so many wild stories, you won't want to miss it!

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I'm so excited for you all to meet Zoe Ortiz! She's only 15, moved to LA about a year ago, and has already booked dance and acting jobs. She takes multiple classes a day, mostly at Millennium and Playground, and she is loving the training here. (Good thing, because she actually convinced her parents to move here from Texas through a PowerPoint presentation and months of persuasion, lol.) I noticed Zoe so quickly because of her amazing talents, humble spirit, and kind heart. She also works so hard, as you'll hear more about in this episode. And you would never believe some of the challenges she's had to face, because nothing is deterring her from being the best dancer she can be and achieving her goals.

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He dances, he acts, he sings, but you probably know him best for his creative and unique choreography... it's Paul Sivertsen everyone! (pronounced SEE-vert-sen) Paul moved to LA in 2009 to pursue his performing dreams and plans to continue forever! He loves to create and has now choreographed about 20 shows for LA Unbound, from country musical theater to Mortal Kombat theme to his most recent piece "Jurassic Creep," which had people and dinosaurs dancing together to TLC, and the audience ate it up! So much fun and hilariousness, as with all his pieces. I was actually a dinosaur in that one, so tune in to hear all about our experience and how it came together. Paul and I also connect on how we moved to LA the same year and what it's been like trying to live our artistic dreams while also surviving here and paying the bills!

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@silverjolt

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You would never believe that Michelle Shvedov started her dance journey last year because she is flying! She did spend 10+ years of her life doing rhythmic gymnastics where she also learned dance, but it wasn't until this past October that she started taking studio dance classes regularly. Her gymnastics skills shine in contemporary class, and her ability to give 100% effort to everything she does has helped her grow in dance quickly. She's starting to get called out in small groups and solos and is enjoying every bit of it because she loves performing! She also loves ANIMALS and will be leaving LA in the fall to go to grad school to be a veterinarian. Could be Ohio, could be London... but wherever it is, she will find a way to keep dance a part of her life. Check out the full episode, and get to know Michelle while she's still in LA this summer!

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@MichelleShvedov

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Giorgia Bertolotti moved here from Italy about six months ago, and it was so fun to chat with her about her dance experience in LA so far! She grew up doing ballet, lyrical, and contemporary, and her first ever class here was Shelby Fletcher's contemporary class at Millennium! She had no idea what she was getting herself into with all the floor work, flips, and thrashing movements, but she ended up loving it and going consistently ever since! She also started taking hip hop from Kayla Janssen, joined Kore Dance Academy, and has even performed multiple times already! Tune in to hear how she does it all around her job as a nanny and about why she loves dancing in LA so much!

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@giorgia.bertolotti1

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You've probably seen him around at one of the many classes he takes at Millennium, but now it's time to get to know Kam Feiz! Kam grew up playing soccer and wrestling, but he discovered dance as an adult and quickly got hooked. In college, after only taking two dance classes ever, he auditioned for a show and ended up performing in a Latin dance piece, and he loved it! Now, years later, he's training everyday, mostly in contemporary, but also hip hop, jazz, and others. And he's taking more advanced classes because he enjoys learning and growing so much. And speaking of learning, he's also a fourth grade teacher and in the middle of editing his first novel! How does he have time to do all this? Well, you'll find out when you watch his Dance Journey podcast episode. Hope you like it, and small warning: you will have no excuse to not pursue your dreams after watching this one. :)

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Okay I'm so excited for you all to hear Jess Keene's story because she has been so influential in my dance journey the past few months. I met her at a class she taught for LA Unbound, and since then, I started taking her regular Monday night class, trying all the classes she likes at Millennium, and now I'm in her piece for the LA Unbound spring show! Literally Jess has helped blossom my potential to do more acrobatic-style contemporary. I've always wanted to get more into this, but she helped motivate me to go for it sooner than I would have thought I could. She provides such an encouraging environment in her own dance class and at her rehearsals, and she's just an encouraging dance friend in general! She also seems to have limitless energy with working two jobs, taking classes, performing, and teaching. And she still has time to play with her dog! It's an inspiration, truly, and her passion and joy for dance and friendships help make LA a little bit brighter. So I hope you will take the time to get to know Jess on this episode and then continue to follow her journey because this girl is going places for sure!

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@jess.keene

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I've had the privilege of taking Scarlett Anastasia's contemporary class the past couple months, and WOW. It was a challenge! Her combos are usually over a minute long and full of acrobatic moves and floorwork. But I'm so, so grateful she reached out to me because if she hadn't encouraged me to come, I never would have thought I could do it. She believed in me from the beginning and took time to teach me crazy stuff I had never done before, and I've grown so much because of it! So I'm very happy to share this interview of her journey from dancing in a small town in Illinois to moving to LA to train and teach here. Scarlett visited LA when she was 12, training at the original Millennium as well as Edge, and she knew from that point on that she wanted to move here to be a professional dancer. But she had some unexpected setbacks come up! Watch or listen to her episode to learn how she persevered and never lost sight of her dance dream.

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I met Sal through an organization called Dancing Disciples, that gives free hip hop class on Fridays! Sal killed it in the cypher that night, and it's not surprising since he's been freestyle dancing since he was a kid, performing and competing with it too! It wasn't until a couple years ago, though, that he decided he wanted to learn how to pick up choreography as well. He discovered Athletic Garage and started going to hip hop classes there as well as taking private lessons. He's also been challenged by his teachers to make up his own choreography and figure out the counts too! Class was frustrating for him at first, not being able to remember the moves, but now Sal knows how to groove through it and just keep coming back to improve. Sal is taking class almost everyday, at other studios too like Snowglobe, and he has a performance at Disney California Adventure coming up this summer! Learn all about how he got into that and more by checking out this episode. :)

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@phatspeedo_

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I feel so blessed to have been connected with my newest podcast guest Reva Pincusoff, former ballerina who trained with The Royal Ballet and danced with Pennsylvania Ballet (now Philadelphia Ballet), Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and Eliot Feld's ballet company, among others! It all started for her after watching The Red Shoes at 9 years old, when she asked her parents if she could take ballet class, and they said she could if she practiced everyday. Reva said, "Deal," and from then on, she was committed. Ballet companies were noticing Reva when she was still in high school, and she danced professionally from 17 to 35 years old. She also never got injured during that time, to which she credits her amazing training. Watch or listen to the full episode to learn more details about Reva's dance journey as well as what she did for her second career, which she was just as passionate about! Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: @DanceJourneyPodcast@TracyinLA