Dancer's Choice

WELCOME BACK to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley & Dawsen are sitting down with the CEO of Elevate Convention, Jadell Lee!

Curious about the business side of dance? Curious how to get IN the room, but also STAY in the room? Want to know how you can better prepare yourself for a sustainable career? Jadell's professional insight will answer all your questions!

Professional dance educator, published author and TEDx speaker Jadell Lee brings a fresh perspective of life to audiences across the country. Lee has served as adjunct professor of dance for Seton Hill University, (2x) guest lecturer at Southern Utah University, guest master instructor for Abby Lee Dance Company, Assistant Director of CRU Dance Competition and touring faculty with Thrive Dance Experience, Symposium Talent Contest, United States Tournament of Dance and Headliners Dance Competition. Lee has worked with American Idol Season 15 finalist; LaPorsha Renae, Jussie Smollett and Dance Mom's Season 8’s; Sarah Georgiana. Lee has also been featured in Yahoo, Thrive Global & more, as well as SiriusXM for his mental health advocacy. Jadell Lee is the CEO of Elevate Convention and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of California, Riverside; remaining dedicated to professionally mentoring and developing both students and dance educators.

To further connect with Jadell:

Instagram- @jadelllee

Elevate Convention- https://letselevatedance.com

Elevate Pro- https://letselevatedance.com/elevate-pro/

Y'ALL!! Welcome Back to the Dancer's Choie Podcast! We are SOOOOO LUCKY to be joined by Special Guest, CHI LOPES on this week's episode!

Chi, CREATOR of Hollywood Dance Intensive, has had an extensive career in the arts. She moved to L.A. and started working as a professional dancer. From TV, Film, Commercials, Awards Shows, World Tours, Music Videos, Corporate Shows, Musicals, Theme Parks, Casino’s, Resorts and more Chi has over 20+ years as a pro-dancer. Chi naturally moved in to choreographing after years of dancing.

Today, Chi is focused on helping dancers gain confidence as they start and further their careers, on both pre-professional and professional levels. She saw a need for career education, professional level dance training, and industry preparation, so with that came Hollywood Dance Intensive.

In this episode, Riley & Dawsen pick Chi's brain on all things commercial dance, specifically the pursuit of a career in Los Angeles. What do dancers need to do before even CONSIDERING a move? How should dancers be PREPARING to take on the LA dance scene? What do you need to embark on training, auditioning, and eventually booking in the west coast? How important are HEADSHOTS? What are dancers doing WRONG? How does one FINANCIALLY support themselves to train? Do you really NEED an agent?

BUCKLE UP! This episode is JAM PACKED with VITAL information for all aspiring professionals!

ATTENTION ALL LISTENERS! If you are interested in joining Hollywood Dance Intensive out in Nashville or LA this season, Chi is graciously gifting all listeners 10% off registration! Use Code: DANCERSCHOICE for 10% off!

To Further Connect with Chi:

www.hollywooddanceintensive.com

Youtube: @ShyDanceProductions

Instagram: @hollywooddanceintensive @chilopes

Welcome to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! Audition season is among us and this week Riley & Dawsen sit down to chat about their personal audition experiences and open up about their biggest lessons, eye-opening moments, and mindset shifts discovered in doing so. From their best auditions to worst auditions, each one had a lesson to walk away with in some way or another, and it's time to share it!

In this first episode of a 3 PART SERIES, the girls address REJECTION and how to deal with the many "No's" dancers will receive in their lifetime.

How can you refrain from taking rejection personal? Are you showing up as your best? Does how you audition correlate to how many no's you receive? How can you take yourself out of it and look at the bigger picture? How can dancers cope with being cut in a healthy way? Is every "No" going to guide you to your next big thing?

We've all heard the saying, "Every no gets you one step closer to your yes," but is it true? The girls unpack it all right here! Stay tuned for PART 2 coming April 25th!

WELCOME BACK to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week the girls have the privilege of being joined by former NFL Cheerleader and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Ally Miller! Ally previously danced for the Commanders and is now bringing her passion for Nutrition into the industry by helping many other pro dancers heal their chronic health issues, struggles with body image, and break away from dieting/restriction. Ally is determined to help dancers properly fuel like the athletes they are so that they can dance, audition, and perform at their best!

In this week's episode we get insight into what the NFL Pro Dancer scene is like- tips for prep clinics/auditions, tips on how to fuel before, during, and after long days, and how to handle the societal pressure of needing to "look like a dancer."

Is body type becoming more inclusive in the dance world? Do dancers have the stamina and endurance needed for the NFL? Is sugar really the worst thing to eat? How can we step away from the idolization of thinness? We talk about it ALL right here!

Thanks y'all! Enjoy the episode and let us know if you want Ally back for a PART 2 :)

To further connect with Ally...

Instagram: @eatingwith.al

Website: https://www.eatingwithal.com

Ally's Nutrition for Dancers Guide: https://www.eatingwithal.com/dancer-nutrition-guide/p/dancer-nutrition-guide

Welcome (or welcome back) to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley & Dawsen sit down for a little Q+A chat- answering all your biggest questions about competition dance, college dance, the industry, and MORE!

How do you keep up with training after school? How do you apply/audition for colleges? Is it possible to increase body confidence in dance? Where do you find jobs and auditions in the real world? How do you book gigs? What are the stepping stones after college? If you're in a training rut, how do you get out of it? WE ANSWER IT ALL!

Your dance big sisters have entered the chat! xoxo <3

WELCOME FRIENDS to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley & Dawsen had the upmost PRIVILEGE to sit down and talk with Dancer & Creative, Jason Pickett!

Could you be the reason your students are burnt out? Are kids sacrificing too much to compete? What age should you start teaching? Are teachers too young? Does the industry have an ego problem? Is social media really helping dancers? We open up about all of it in THIS EPISODE!!

Jason has spent the last 12 years teaching competitive dance & performing professionally. He has performed on film and in live events, can be seen in several viral YouTube videos, was a former cast member of Odyssey Dance Theatre, and is nationally ranked for numerous choreographed competitive routines. Currently, Jason is working on growing his online training platform for dancers, No Starving Artists, which is dedicated to taking dancers to their next level through movement exploration, stage presence work, & finding the HOW within their dancing.

To further connect with Jason, visit:

www.nsadance.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @heyitspickett

YouTube: @heyitspickett

TikTok: @heyitspickett

SHARE THIS EPISODE FOR A PART TWO!!!

Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Dawsen & Riley sit down to answer one of your biggest questions- "SHOULD I GET A DEGREE IN DANCE?"

The girls openly discuss what you questions you should ask yourself and things to consider when making this decision. What kind of college experience do you want? Do you want to perform or teach? Do you want to perform now or perform later? What does life look like after college? Is this what YOU want or just what you saw someone else do?

We are an open book- if you have more questions, MESSAGE US and we are happy to continue the conversation. For any student getting ready to enter college or graduate college, this is a GREAT episode for you!

Welcome to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley & Dawsen sit down to share some "hot takes" on what's happening in the industry today. More so now than ever lack of respect, etiquette, and professionalism is present (or should we say not present) in the industry and we've got some unpopular opinions on why this is happening, where it stems from, and solutions to move forward. As dancers who grew up in environments where being called out, reprimanded, and showered with a little "tough love" time to time was the norm, we've got some big ideas for today's generation of teachers and dancers.

This episode is in no means meant to offend, but if you feel some unsettled thoughts from this episode- tell us why! Let's start conversation!

Have any hot takes of your own? Share with us on Instagram @dancerschoicepodcast :)

Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week in honor of the NEDA Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Dawsen & Riley believed it was an appropriate time to shine light on the subject in the dance world- their experiences, insight, advice, and information to better understand exactly what EDs look like.

Though a heavier subject, normalizing conversation around disordered eating, eating disorders, and other mental health struggles have been a part of the Dancer's Choice Podast mission since day one. Our goal is to make it less scary to talk about and more apparent that no dancer stands alone.

Additional Resources:

https://nationaleatingdisordersassociation.org

https://www.stayhere.live

https://emilyprogram.com

https://eatingdisorders.ucsf.edu/how-family-and-friends-can-help

https://nimh.nih.gov

https://www.betterhelp.com

TW: This episode contains discussions around eating disorders. Please note we are speaking from personal experience and are not medical professionals. This episode is intended to spread awareness and advocacy and is in no means intended to diagnose or treat. Please know it is okay to take pauses, breaks, or step away as needed. If you have concerns about your physical or mental health, please seek counsel from a medical professional.

Welcome (or WELCOME BACK) to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley & Dawsen are laying it all out- the TRUTHS and REALITIES of being a professional dancer! Inspired by the honest conversations they had in school, the girls share their own lists of what they have learned as they begin a career in this industry. We love what we do, but the truth is it is NOT all sunshine and rainbows, and this episode is here to expose that. Coming from a place of wholehearted love, we're here to leave all the sugar coating OUT THE DOOR and be brutally honest about what to expect if you are pursuing the route of a professional dancer.

We hope this episode is eye-opening, educational, informative, and can act as a means of support to share that we are ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! You are not alone, friend. Sending all our love, support, and respect to our brothers and sisters in this wild industry.

xoxo,

your dance big sisters (Riley & Dawsen)