Dancer's Choice

Hey yall! We are back this week to share a special episode with guests, Gio & Melissa Gotay of Unveiled Productions!

Unveiled Productions is a videography company based out of Nashville, TN with a mission to create compelling stories through dance and film with messages of finding hope in hopeless situations. Directed by Melissa & Gio, they join the podcast to share their testimonies of starting as dance professionals, to working through injuries and a pandemic, stepping into positions as business owners, and ultimately making a career change to pursue their greatest purpose of doing ministry through the lens of dance on film.  

This episode is filled with so much passion, heart, & encouragement for dancers out there wanting to make a difference and unlock their true calling in this industry.

To further connect with Gio & Melissa:

Instagram: @giogotay

Instagram: @melissamgotay

To Watch Unveiled Productions:

https://youtube.com/@unveiled_productions?si=TijxHIqHIRlGB0Kr

(https://youtube.com/@unveiled_productions?si=TijxHIqHIRlGB0Kr)

Instagram:

@unveiled_productions

You loved her before, so we brought her back for a part two!

In this episode, Dawsen and guest, Ally Miller, dive deep into all things nutrition. We go everywhere from macro tracking and how it can be a helpful tool to sleep and its importance in our daily lives (and secret: you're probably not getting enough of it).

Grab a coffee, get your hot girl winter walk on, and buckle up for this weeks episode!

WELCOME BACK to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! In the spirit of the holidays, food, and football we thought there was no better episode to share again other than that with the lovely ALLY MILLER- Nutritional Therapy Practitioner!

This episode is JAM PACKED with advice on how dancers can adequately nourish their bodies for performance, train for pro auditions, feel more comfortable in their skin, and achieve fitness/physique goals WITHOUT the dieting! Not to mention, Ally shares with us her incredible testimony of how she went from taking time off dance & serving our country to pursuing a career as an NFL cheerleader and now coaching dancers through Nutritional Therapy.

CLICK HERE to further connect with Ally & don't forget to check out HER PODCAST on Spotify!

If you're a dance mom, LISTEN UP! This week Riley and Dawsen asked THEIR MOMS what advice they'd give to current dance moms and share on the podcast what their moms wish they knew before diving into the competition world. & on the other end, the girls sit down to share what THEY LEARNED from their moms growing up in the studio!!

a sweet episode, LOTS of advice and counsel, and a whole lot of info (and love) for our current "moms of dancers" out there :)

Hey y'all! Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley and Dawsen sit down with fellow dance judge and choreographer, Malea Boggess, to discuss her upbringing from performing to coaching at competitive dance teams.

Malea has been dancing since the age of two, and is now a choreographer for multiple competitive studios in Northern California. She trained and danced competitively in jazz, contemporary, lyrical, tap, and hip hop. By age thirteen Malea booked a tour alongside dancers from America’s Best Dance Crew. During her high school years she was a member of the Rocklin High School dance team and was a student director in the dance program both her junior and senior years on top of dancing competitively on her studio’s elite team. Malea then attended Sacramento State where I was apart of the Hornet Girlz Dance Team for one season under the direction of Jolie Roberts. Towards the end of Malea's college career she was also apart of Chapkis Dance Family under the direction of Greg Chapkis and a part of Kreativ Mndz LA under the direction of both Kolanie Marks and Antione Troupe. She now spends time assistant coaching a high school dance team, choreographing, and traveling the country to judge during competition season. 
One of the biggest things Malea stands for is a positive and healthy environment. When teaching and working with dancers her goal is to always help dancers feel confident, mentally and physically, and to make sure they feel safe. 

This is a GREAT episode for younger dancers wanting to listen in and hear where their current competitive training could take them into the near future :)

In this episode, Dawsen sits down to discuss how your personal life and professional life connect while working/performing on a cruise ship.

From not having much privacy to most of the crew knowing whats going on in your/the cast's life, its pretty hard to separate the two. We know that having a work/life balance is important, but while working on a cruise ship, it seems to be pretty tough to do that.

WELCOME BACK TO THE DANCER'S CHOICE PODCAST !!! This week Riley sits down with creative, Vanessa Eirekat, to discuss what life looks like exploring different medias and career paths outside of simply dancing.

If you're interested in becoming an entrepreneur, mentoring young artists, creating a balanced life for yourself, or seeing what else exists in this industry besides "being the dancer" then this episode will be a breath of fresh air for you!

Vanessa Eirekat is a proud alumna of Point Park University, where she received her BFA in Dance with a minor in Communications. Her versatile dance training stems from working with profound choreographers and mentors such as Jennifer Archibald, Tyce Diorio, Christopher Huggins, Jason McDole, Garfield Lemonius and more. She has had the opportunity to perform at the Joyce Theatre in NYC, receive an acceptance into the Cirque Du Soleil dancer database, work with Nickelodeon, perform back-up and more. Her experiences have allowed her to launch a thoughtful mission surrounding the arts...Vanessa is the founder of Vanessa's Creative Connect - a space where private dance processes and creative media connect. She collaborates with creatives of all forms to help them thrive through their art. These processes include dance mentorships, photography, video content creation, and graphic/logo design. Vanessa has always believed artists have the advantage of wearing many hats. We understand how a variety of art forms align and compliment one another!

To Further Connect with Vanessa:

Instagram: @vanessaeirekhat

Vanessa's Creative Connect: https://www.vcreativeconnect.com

Hiphop Mentorship- Winter Sessions: https://www.vcreativeconnect.com/winterwaitlist

Welcome back all! This week Riley & Dawsen are inspired to sit down and reflect on everything dance has taught them and how it applies to the real world and stages of life they are in now.

We've all heard a teacher say it before..."even if you don't dance professionally, ______ will help you in whatever you pursue" so let's talk about it !

We hope this inspires dancers to reflect on their personal journeys and brings relief to any parent listening to know that their dancer is learning more than just dance steps along the way :)

CALLING ALL DANCE COMP JUDGES, ADJUDICATORS, & FRIENDS OF THE COMPETITION WORLD !!!! Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast :)

This week, Riley and Dawsen sit down with Dance Professional, JASON PICKETT, for a part two discussion about the competition dance scene- specifically the role judges play in weekend events.

-Is there a lack of education and training in our field? WHY?

-What does it take to be a judge and HOW can professionals approach this position with an emphasis on QUALITY?

-How can we avoid "passive judging" within these large companies/events?

-Are judges today ADDING value to dancers' education and training or are we just chasing a paycheck?

In this episode, WE TALK ABOUT IT ALL !!

Don't agree? Unpopular opinions? Let's start a conversation: @dancerschoicepodcast

TO FURTHER CONNECT WITH JASON:

Instagram: @heyitspickett

Artists Who Eat: @artistswhoeat

No Starving Artists: nsadance.com

WELCOME BACK FRIENDS !! It's officially football season which means it's officially TOPCAT SZN !!

This week the girls sit down to unpack Dawsen's FIRST GAME DAY as an NFL Cheerleader (go panthers). Riley's asking all the questions we want to know and Dawsen answers opening up about all the highlights and all the learning moments.

What's it like switching from stage performance to stadium performance? How does a dancer have to alter their training to take on the 3+ hour games? Are there similarities from past gigs or is NFL pro dance in a whole other world?

Dawsen is an open book!

If you're curious what the "day in a life" looks like for a Pro Dancer, LISTEN UP !!