Dance on Location: Los Angeles – Commercial Dance Destination
Los Angeles is a prime city for commercial dancers but it’s necessary to have a finger on the pulse of the city. Much of that will be learned through first-hand experience, but some can be gleaned from the experts who live there.
Take, for example, Adrienne Malena. She has danced in Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupre and Blink-182 videos, filmed a commercial with the Pussycat Dolls and performed on the Carson Daly show and in Matthew McConaughey’s upcoming movie “Surfer Dude.” She offers practical advice to newcomers. “If you’re moving far from somewhere else, you should probably save up money because housing is expensive…You’ll need reliable transportation. There’s not a real good public transportation system so you’ll need a car to get around.”
You’ll also need to be motivated. “There’s no one watching out for you anymore. There’s no one to babysit you so you have to be very disciplined.”
For the visiting dancer, there are plenty of studios to help with the discipline. Debbie Allen Dance Academy has much to offer. Alla Khaniashvili, academy director, says, “We have group classes, a big program with group classes. It includes ballet, tap, hip hop, modern, flamenco, salsa, krumping, jazz and African. Everybody is welcome in our place.” She adds, “Teachers are allowed to watch class. If they’d like to take class, they’re allowed to do this too.”
Another prominent place is EDGE Performing Arts Center. Their staff has worked with entertainers like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, Prince and Jennifer Lopez, and they have about 50 teachers who use the center for their classes.
They have a group registration form on their website that arranges private classes and workshops prior to arrival. They also list nearby hotels offering special rates for EDGE students.
Then there’s Millennium Dance Complex. Millennium’s teachers include Wade Robson and Shane Sparks, and if you can get to L.A. early enough, they have master classes every Friday night. Studio owner and director Robert Baker says, “It hinges on the idea of choreographers who normally don’t teach for their own tour but want to give back to the community. It’s for both students and teachers. In addition to Robson and Sparks, Justin Timberlake’s choreographer Marty Kudelka sometimes teaches.
Baker has some advice of his own for dancers. “What I would tell them is basically, first and foremost, [I’d] get in classes where the people are you want to audition for. Pretty much, the style is going to be similar to that. Get to know the choreographer and try to stand out. That would be the first thing.”
The second thing? Get an agent. Jim Keith, dance department director for DDO Artists Agency, says, “In order to participate in 90% of those auditions, you’d have to have commercial representation. They’re not open calls.”
But Baker says, “I think it depends on the audition. Some are agency only and some are open. We had a big audition when Janet was there and she wanted an open call. Mariah was agency only. I think for the bigger gigs, it’s up to the artist. Britney’s had open calls as well.”
Dancer Stefanie Santiago adds, “Some calls you won’t hear about unless you have an agent but nine times out of ten I’d say you don’t need an agent to start working.”
Malena says you can readily find auditions listed online. “A lot of jobs are posted on Craigslist or LA Casting or Actors Access. Also [check out] Answers4Dancers.com”
But let’s say you want an agent. How do you get one? Keith advises, “They need to audition for any agency. They would call the agency or check on the agency’s website for the next round of auditions. They're usually seasonal.”
Baker says, “Some agents are more willing to meet dancers to do a walk-in and some don’t like to deal with that. But I would say make the rounds. Make some phone calls. Some will say, ‘Sure, come in and drop off your head shot.’”
So then, what sells in L.A? Keith says, “The market out here is very hip hop heavy…Technique and skill do still stand for something in Los Angeles, but look is heavily considered. Los Angeles is a commercial town. ‘Can you sell me a box of Tide or a can of Coke?’”
“Dancers are used as a tool in L.A. to enhance things so people want to buy them. It’s great that they can do 12 pirouettes, but you’re never going to see that. How they look is more important than their technical ability. If they get cut from an audition, at least they know it’s not about their dancing.”
Still, it’s technique that first grabs the attention. As Malena says, “Commercial dance is a little bit of jazz, hip hop, freestyling. You really need freestyle, not just a dancer who can learn a bunch of steps. You need to be able to give it your all and show them you can be confident and look great on stage without being given any steps. It’s kind of a wake up call when you go to your first audition and they say, ‘Okay. Freestyle the first four counts of eight.”
So where can a visiting dancer go to see a commercial production? Keith says, “They won’t have the opportunity to go on set where a commercial is being filmed unless they’re represented, so their best bet is to take class. You can go to a studio and take class from choreographers who work in a commercial medium.” Or as Frank Hughes, co-owner of Screenland Studios, says, "They could come to us to see what a studio is like. We have rehearsal space; we’re centrally located; we have a good name.” Screenland’s clientele includes the likes of Britney Spears, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake.
Or consider a tour. Universal Studios includes a tram tour of the back lot; Warner Bros. Studios has a two-hour tour that takes in working studios; Paramount’s two-hour walking tour includes a look at the workings of a film studio and Sony Pictures has a walking tour of its back lot, sets, sound stages and historic scenery.
Then relax at the end of the day. Take in “A Chorus Line” at the Ahmanson Theatre through July 6. It’s followed by “The Drowsy Chaperone,” July 8-20 and “9 to 5,” September 3 – October 19. Group discount rates are available on select nights through Center Theatre Group at (213) 972-7231.
The Pantages Theatre has ongoing performances of “Wicked” through January 11, 2009 and the Hollywood Bowl will have “Les Miserables” playing August 8, 9 and 10.
The Debbie Allen Dance Academy will be performing at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center on June 20 and 21. Khaniashvili says, “We have very special performance. Whole academy is going to dance production, which is ‘Don Quixote.’” Those tickets will need to be purchased in advance.
If you’re a dance group planning a summer visit to L.A., keep this in mind: Robert Baker, at Millennium Dance Complex, says he might be able to get tickets to a taping of “So You Think You Can Dance” – no guarantees! He says you should contact him directly at www.millenniumdancecomplex.com. “They want that kind of energy in the audience.”
Ultimately, L.A. is a commercial dancer’s paradise. It just takes persistence and confidence. Malena says, “Have a positive attitude because the industry’s small. People talk so if you have a bad attitude in class or you have a bad attitude on the job, it’ll come around. If you’re professional, I’d say 85% of the time, they’ll call you again.”
And Baker adds, “One little thing I think people make the mistake of doing is that they tend to give more power away. They tend to idolize the choreographers. But I would suggest that if you have the talent, you need to know that you’re a needed resource and that’s all you need to know.”