You Just Never Know!!!!!!

erinlamont | Jun 23, 2009 | 0

Me, on stage, working with one of "The Veronicas"

I knew I wanted to dance and choreograph for the rest of my life when I took my first class at 7. I graduated high school at 17, graduated with Bachelors degrees in Marketing and Dance at 21, got my first professional dance job at 21 also, moved to L.A. at 23, and now at 28, I'm still choreographing and dancing for a living.

I find myself muttering the phrase, "You just never know" quite frequently. With the ups and downs of the industry, the auditions, the relentless hustle, the phrase is easily applied to a choreographer / dancer's life.

I would like to share an "up" as my first blog.

On a normal "hustle" day, as i like to call it, I sit and well, hustle. Cold calls to dance teachers, event companies, award show producers, anyone and anything that has to do with dance. One day, I had submitted to this choreography competition in haste, and quickly crossed it off my list of things to do. I admittedly forgot about it and went about my day.

This past week, as I make my 20 phone calls per day and 100 emails inquiring why people should choose ME as a choreographer / master class instructor, even though they haven't seen me choreograph a piece on So you Think You Can Dance yet, (um, yeah, I've submitted twice and they went, eh?!) I feel like a one woman team. At the end of the day when I have an empty inbox and no vice messages, I have to go on my website and double check to make sure i really do have those credits and that long resume. It is so easy to give myself a pity party sometimes, but alas, when I do get that one maybe.... it is SUCCESS!

So I got an email last Friday saying that out of all the submissions for that choreography competition that I put on the back burner, I was voted "One of the top ten choreographers in the nation." THAT is why I do this job, obsess, and sit at the computer so long that my eyes cross. BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW. I get in the studio at least 2x a week to teach, 2x a week to take, at the gym 4x a week, but the rest of my time is sitting in front of my good ole computer.

I even go on craigslist every day and even if the ad is just asking for dancers I submit just in case they need a choreographer. And yesterday, as luck would have it, one of those ads that I had submitted to that initially replied back and said "they were already booked" changed their mind and then hired me! So yeah! Another line on my resume and more footage for my reel!

And then, there was the day two weeks ago where I lost on 2 big jobs - (2) $5,000 choreography jobs. The industry is fickle. You can be easily replaced and usually it has nothing to do with talent. Ah, such is the life. I will laugh about these trials when I stop having to make so many outgoing phone calls (probably immediately after i book So You Think You Can Dance, :)) and people call me... not only because I'm awesome at what i do, but I work hard, I'm on time, and I LOVE what I do. And that, even in L.A, has to count for something!!!!

Stay tuned!

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Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Retailer, Studio, Competitions & Conventions, Performance, Summer Study, Los Angeles, choreography, dance, jobs (all tags)