Dance Journey

TracyinLA
  • 5.0 (3)
  • PERFORMING ARTS

Welcome to my new podcast: Dance Journey! In this series, I want to share my dance story and hear about yours!

  1. 2H AGO

    Matthew Bej's Dance Journey

    You probably know him from his funny videos in ballet class, but now we're gonna get to know the real Matthew Bejarano, or "Matica," as his amazing and hilarious teacher refers to him. Matthew started out training in Taekwondo as a child, but it was next to his sisters' dance studio, where he often watched them do ballet before their parents came to pick them up. He did this for years before he realized that he wanted to do ballet himself and was more interested in practicing turns at home than martial arts. It was hard at first to make the switch because he often felt like an outsider being a guy in ballet class, especially in Texas. But once he got past that mental block, he was training and stretching everyday, doing summer intensives, and eventually got his first dance job at 17. That's when he realized he wanted to dance professionally for the rest of his life. After a small stint at college where he got burned out pursuing double majors, he left to focus on work and saving money to move to LA. However, his first year in LA was not what he expected. He couldn't believe how hard it was to even get an "easy job." And debt, injury, and a toxic relationship had him losing hope. Catch the full episode to learn how Matthew's life turned around with jobs, dance opportunities, social media following, and a new desire for college and learning. Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: @MatthewBej @DanceJourneyPodcast @TracyinLA

    1h 7m

  2. FEB 25

    Brooke Haun's Dance Journey

    Brooke Haun's been in LA only six months, and she's already done so much! She's an intern at Eighty Eight Studios, a dancer with HMG Squared, and she teaches and subs at various studios around town. Brooke taught dance to children for many years in Colorado where she grew up. But since coming to LA, she's been focusing on her own dance training and performing. She takes class almost every day, usually at Millennium or Eighty Eight. And she appreciates teaching adults now, whether beginner or advanced. Brooke creates a chill vibe in her classes by being down to earth and relatable, but that doesn't stop her from putting challenging turns and jumps in her choreo, which she enjoys breaking down for every level of dancer. Brooke graduated college with degrees in psychology and sociology, along with a minor in dance, but one visit to Southern California and one class at Millennium led her to decide to move to LA to pursue dance fully. She's so happy doing this and has dreams of starting her own company one day. Her passion is contemporary, but she grew up training in all styles and is enjoying her hip hop classes as well. So who knows where it all may lead? Follow our dance journeys on Instagram:  @BrookeHaun @DanceJourneyPodcast @TracyinLA

    47 min

  3. FEB 18

    Pauline Cheng's Dance Journey

    What a great day this was, taking class with Pauline Cheng at Westside Ballet and chatting about it after! Pauline and I used to see each other a couple times a week at this studio back when I was on the Westside more, but it's been a while now, and oh how I've missed it! We both started taking ballet as adults, not realizing how committed we'd end up becoming. Never underestimate how inviting a friend to dance class could change their life, because that's what happened for her! Now Pauline is growing in pirouettes and picking up choreography. She's performed multiple times in the Westside Ballet Showcase and volunteered as a coordinator for the costume department as well. She's made a whole community of friends through ballet and intends to continue pushing herself past all fears to grow in this mind-body art form.  Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: @pcheng0993 @DanceJourneyPodcast @TracyinLA

    1h 26m

  4. FEB 11

    Cher Krayer's Dance Journey

    Cher Krayer grew up learning piano, a very introverted activity, but she let her extrovert self loose in junior high when she decided to join the dance team! She ended up doing cheer in high school, but it wasn't until after college that she started training heavily in dance. She did the work study program at Athletic Garage in Pasadena and was taking class everyday. Cher danced because she loved it. She didn't realize it would lead to job opportunities like back up dancing, teaching, and performing! Cher has now been teaching dance to kids for 15+ years, and she considers it to be one of her main callings. Her primary style of dance that she teaches to kids is hip hop, and she has taught ballet to three-year-olds as well! She appreciates the structure and organization of teaching while also enjoying the performance aspect of being up front. Cher continues to train weekly in ballet and hip hop and is especially growing and inspired by the teachers and other dancers at Playground LA. Consistency is key, as her mom always said, "Little by little, day by day."  Follow our dancer journeys on Instagram: @dancewithmscher @DanceJourneyPodcast @TracyinLA

    53 min

  5. FEB 4

    Alex Torres's Dance Journey

    Alex Torres is my first guest of the new year for Dance Journey podcast, Season 3! Alex choreographed the Lion King piece we performed in November for LA Unbound—"I Always Wanted a Brother" from the movie "Mufasa." And it was such a blast! We got to dance around as little lions with tails and ears and paws, and Alex and I both share a passion for musical theater. Alex has always loved performing, but she got more serious about dance training in middle school and then joined the dance teams in high school and college. Her main experience is in hip hop, but she loves many styles including ballet, jazz, contemporary, and pro cheer. She also enjoys teaching hip hop and plans to teach more this year as well as choreograph for the 2026 spring show for LA Unbound. Tune in to the full episode to hear her specific plans for that and learn about her life dance goals and dreams! Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: @alextorresss_ @dancingwith_at @DanceJourneyPodcast @TracyinLA​

    48 min

  6. 12/10/2025

    James Velasco's Dance Journey

    James Velasco is an amazing professional ballet dancer, and it all started when he was a kid watching his sister in her ballet class. He tried to do one of the positions, and quickly the teacher noticed him and encouraged him to take ballet as well! That was the beginning of a lifelong journey of falling in love with ballet and performing. He and his sister competed in dance and singing and also acted in musical theater. They got into competitive cheer in middle school, and that's where James's acrobatic skills developed. After that, he decided to make ballet his focus and train more professionally. He studied at the University of South Carolina while he was still in high school and then went on to North Carolina School of the Arts. He eventually trained in singing and acting as well and found himself teaching, performing in regional musical theater, and doing commercial work. But the most vigorous and effective ballet training came when he was invited to join a ballet company! Tune in to this week's episode to find out how James got into the company, what it was like, and how he ended up living his dance life in LA.  Follow our dance journeys on Instagram:  @james__velasco @DanceJourneyPodcast @TracyinLA

    1h 16m

  7. 12/03/2025

    Shirlene Quigley's Dance Journey

    Shirlene Quigley started training in dance at 16, taking four to six classes a day at Millennium Dance Complex, and that was before she knew dance could be a job. A year in, she learned what a dancer could get paid on tour, and it wasn't long before she got an agent and was touring herself! Shirlene loved dancing but wasn't prepared for how the industry was going to push her to be the "sexy girl," which was never who she really was. Her pictures, clothes, and dance moves felt like a different girl, but soon she started to crave the affirmation and applause, so she stepped into her new persona. She became what they wanted and did all the things she thought would make her cool. Years later, Shirlene went though something difficult, and she started talking to (maybe yelling at) God, reading the Bible, and going to church. And that was when God redirected her dance path in a new way that better aligned with her true self. Tune in to learn how it all happened and why Shirlene is so content with her current dance career and life. Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: @ShirleneQuigley @DanceJourneyPodcast @TracyinLA

    1h 7m

  8. 11/04/2025

    Sophie-Kate Tutokey's Dance Journey

    Sophie-Kate Tutokey is in high school, busy with dancing in the competition world. But she also takes class at Millennium and Athletic Garage when she can, focusing on contemporary and jazz funk. She also LOVES ballet and has participated in the Joffrey West Summer Intensive! Sophie-Kate has been dancing her whole life but decided to train more professionally with it a few years ago. She takes 10+ classes a week at Revolution Dance Center and enjoys competing and performing with them. She's done group dances and trios, but this season will be her first time competing with a solo, and we are so excited for her! Did you know that you can actually go to dance competitions just to watch? Hopefully I'll get to see SK perform in this way at some point, but for now it's fun to dance with her in class and cheer each other on. She also has experience singing as well as teaching dance to little ones, so it will be interesting to see how her dance and performing journey unfolds.  Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: @sk_dances @DanceJourneyPodcast @TracyinLA

    51 min
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About

Welcome to my new podcast: Dance Journey! In this series, I want to share my dance story and hear about yours!

Information

  • Creator
    TracyinLA
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    76
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © TracyinLA
  • Show Website
    Dance Journey