This is one of my favorite commercials EVAH!
I work every day with talented dancers, actors, singers, acrobats, musicians - it's great. I love nothing more than to see someone get an amazing gig and do great. As a young performer I always had my eye on the prize. For me - it was a Broadway show, for you it might be a world tour with an amazing artist like Britney or Lady Gaga. What's amazing is getting to experience your dream - it's amazing.
It's a challenge when a young dancer moves to LA, has to pay rent, bills, parking tickets - this city can cost a pretty penny - I've lived here ten years I know all about it. In your early twenties it's easy to just be concerned about the next job, the next class, the next choreographer, the next tour. Most jobs come and go in a split second in this town.
How about a long term vision for your career? The realities of a dance career ending are pretty real. What happens if you get injured? A friend of mine - a YOUNG dancer - hurt her knee and spent 6 months at home with her parents unable to dance. It was torture for her.
What happens when you wake up one day and realize that the dancers around you at an audition are ten years younger than you - and much much faster as well? Have you given thought to where you would go, what you would do or how you would even survive if, God forbid, you couldn't dance? - Don't start singing "What I Did for Love" - It's a very real question to face.
I, personally, feel like I've got a great solution for most of you out there - Diversification in your career. Instead of focusing on just getting Glee, a world tour or that next music video - what if you started diversifying your career into commercials and print modeling?
We all know that a career in this business takes time - sometimes years to press through until the breakthrough happens. Now is the time to consider how much money you made last year dancing and decide if it's not a great idea to jump into the commercial world and give it a go. You can do commercials till you're 92!
I told a client who was complaining about not having enough dance jobs what he was doing with his time when he wasn't auditioning or in class. He said "Nothing". Well - that's what "Nothing" will get you... "Nothing". This city requires you to bust your ass in order to succeed because for every 100% you are giving, someone else is giving 150%. Can you keep up?
DANCERS HAVE AN EDGE OVER EVERYONE ELSE IN THE COMMERCIAL WORLD!!
Dancers have a few things that most actors in this city will never have:
1) Camera Time: Dancers spend SO much time in front of cameras doing music videos, awards shows, concerts etc... that it's like second nature to them. Most actors out there only have the experience they've had in an acting class or an independent film. Use this to your advantage!
2) Body awareness - as a dancer you are moving constantly. You know every muscle in your body. With a few classes, you can learn about how to move as an actor in a commercial and learn techniques that might take an actor twice as long to learn!
3) Agencies with commercial representation. All the dance agencies, CTG, MSA, Treo, Bloc, DDO and Abrams all have commercial departments who will at least really take a look at your and see if your ready to work in commercials and give you viable feedback that can help you in that process. Most actors fight for years just to FIND an agent that will be real with them and give them feedback, send them out, care about their career. Your dance agencies already do that! What a better way
Taking a step into the world of commercial acting than with a great agency already behind you!
4) Dance agents in LA are DYING for you to know this! I've had conversations with at least 4 dance agents who send me their clients to get great commercial shots because they know their clients could work MORE in commercials - BUT they need the tools - photos and training.
Are you ready to take another step in your career. You have so many advantages above all the other actors out there trying to make it in this city. I encourage each of you - formulate a plan - talk to your agents - as them what you need to do to run in that direction. They'll be sure to have your back!
Let's Shoot Soon,
Levi
