5-6-7-8

This week, Jen chats with fellow dancer, Elisabeth Lee. Unlike Jen, Elisabeth got some formal and technical training in school while growing up in Maryland, but she soon realized that making the transition to hip hop and the dance scene in LA was not what she imagined it would be. We chat about how finding the right class and studio can be a bit of a trial and error process, the many ways we hold ourselves back in class and how we continue to train during Covid. 

This week, Jen chats with dancer, choreographer and business woman - Kayla Janssen! Kayla speaks about her time growing up overseas and how dance remained her one constant. Kayla shares what truly motivates her as a teacher of beginner dancers and how becoming clear on your intent can help dancers achieve long-term success. 

Have you always thought about dance, but never made the leap to taking classes consistently? Then you and my guest this week have something in common! I chat with my friend and Australia native, Ali King about what's been holding her back from making the jump into hip hop classes. We discuss the dance scene in her home country of Australia, her experience calling several LA studios and what it would take in a perfect world to get her into her next class. 

This week, Jen chats with Columbia native - Val Paez about how dance helped her gain confidence after moving to the states from her home country. Val also tells us about her first dance camp experience at the famous PlaygroundLA and she shares the bit of advice she got from a mentor that has stuck with her throughout her dance journey. 

Hairstylist and entrepreneur, Tiffany Minyon is my guest this week! Tiffany talks me on a walk down memory lane where she tells me about the time she started HER OWN dance team in highschool! It literally plays out just like the movies. Trust. Tiffany also shares how she thought her size and age held her back from dancing in the past and how COVID-19 cut short her year of dance. 

We go back in time for this one! My guests this week, Albert James and I discuss our very first hip hop class at PlaygroundLA, Albert tells me how dance has helped him in his acting career and we each look back on how finding a "family" in the studio has helped us be consistent in our dance training. 

P.S This is the FIRST EVER episode recorded for 5-6-7-8. A real blast from the past!!!!

If you ever want to TEACH a beginner class, this episode is for YOU! This week, Jen chats with dancer and choreographer, Karma Raines about what it's like to teach beginner hip hop classes in LA. We discuss how teaching is more than just a job, but a responsibility, the importance of a warm-up and how students can approach training in quarantine and out of quarantine. 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a triple-threat on the show this week! Kung Fu artist, musician and fellow dancer, Angelo Vivo chats with Jen this week about how his love of Kung Fu and music impacted his adult dance journey, the not-so-easy transition from watching dance videos on VHS at home to actually performing in a studio and the importance of figuring out how YOU learn best. 

If you've ever made a conscious decision to QUIT DANCING, THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU! This week, Jen chats with fellow dancer, Mercedes Sandoval to discuss her journey back to dance and the reasoning that led her to quit almost a decade ago. Mercedes shares how diving into different styles of dance helped her rekindle her love for an old hobby and she even schools Jen on the importance of practicing your freestyle. 

This week's episode tackles MENTORSHIP! Jen chats with fellow dancer and rollerskater, Hannah Zlomke about the various forms of mentorship, how to seek mentorship in a variety of people and the importance of being a mentor to yourself - first and foremost. 

This week, Jen chats with Natasha Slayton of G.R.L to talk about everything that happens in class BEFORE those notorious PlaygroundLA videos you see on Instagram are shot. Natasha gets honest about how her career as a singer and a performer has influenced her dance career and how it plays a factor in her anxiety around dancing for camera. Jen and Natasha also share how they each approach breaking the cycle of saying "no" to groups discuss their attempts on figuring out how to flip the switch from nerves to excitement when performing in a classroom setting. 

In this episode of 5-6-7-8, Jen chats with fellow dancer, Richard Clark. Richie and Jen discuss the mythical barriers of entry when taking a dance class in LA, the ability to switch between the masculine and feminine versions of hip-hop and one way teachers try to be helpful in class - but it ends up rubbing some students the wrong way.

Jen chats with fellow amateur dancer, Liz Caggiano about how hard it was to find a dance program in LA that would fit into a working adults scedule. Listen to how they each built their own dance programs from scratch with lots of trial and error. 

Meet your host and find out the motivation behind 5-6-7-8, the podcast for non-professional dancers.