Featured Dancer: Britney Hall
Britney Hall wasn't the protégé of famous choreographers before she moved to LA. She took a leap of faith and arrived not really knowing what to expect (and three years later, she's still learning). She's not sure where her career will take her, but Britney is absolutely certain about one thing: she belongs in LA. Quite possibly the sweetest dancer we've featured thus far, Britney is not only determined to be successful, she's determined to achieve that success by staying kind to others and true to herself. She's not just driven by her dreams, she's also driven by her faith. Britney loves letting music move her, and Everything Dances was moved by her inspiring interview.
Don’t forget to view her feature video on our YouTube channel, everythingdances!
Q: Why did you start dancing?
A: I started dancing when I was six just because my parents put me in it because I was super shy — like seriously shy, didn’t want to talk to people at all — and my parents were like “You’re going into dance.” I just started out in combo classes, recreational, and then that same year the owner of the studio was like “Can you start competition?” and so I started competition. And then when I was 12 I moved to Strictly Rhythm, and I think my thing with Strictly was I thought everyone was so good so it pushed me to practice (I practiced my turns every day). So that’s when I knew I wanted to dance for life.
Q: What has your path been like so far?
A: After that, I went to school in Chicago for a year when I graduated. The dance program was really different, not like anything I was ever used to doing. It was a lot of modern and ballet. Surprisingly I was okay with the ballet, and not so much the modern. I actually really liked the ballet, but I was like I want to move to LA. And I knew I wanted to move to LA when I graduated [high school], but my parents told me no because I was too young. So after I finished that year of school, that’s when I moved here.
Q: What made you take that leap of faith and move to LA?
A: So I was sort of like, “Mom, Dad, you told me to try school out for a year, so I did that, and I know I want to go, and I’m not getting any younger, so I need to go now.” I feel like I have to be here.
Q: When you got there, was there anything you weren’t expecting about LA?
A: Well not necessarily for me, but when you move out here people think you’re going to start dancing with Beyonce right away. Or be this big blown-up dancer right away. But it’s not like that at all. You really have to train and make a name for yourself. Like I’m still doing that, and it’s been two, almost three, years. So it takes time. LA is definitely not the place for people who like to give up. Your big break doesn’t come right away, so you really have to train and keep pushing yourself. Try to make a name for yourself without sucking up to choreographers — that’s not good.
Q: What would you say is the hardest part about living and dancing in LA?
A: The hardest part is staying motivated because when you’re auditioning, you get cut all the time. It doesn’t even matter how good of a dancer you are, most of the time it’s not even about that. You could be amazing, and they’re just not looking for that type or you’re too short, you’re too muscular, your boobs are too big — it’s not about your dancing most of the time, it’s about what they’re looking for. Just be true to yourself. Sometimes people are like “Oh, this person’s booking this job, so let me try to change and be like them.” But you can’t do that, you have to stay true to yourself and the right job will come to you.
Q: What keeps you going, what is the best part about being in LA dancing?
A: All of the different opportunities — the dance stuff I never thought that I would ever love or do, it’s super cool. Meeting people on the job, and just meeting new choreographers and taking class from these people you never thought you’d take from. I’m super grateful to be able to take class here every day.
Q: What are your audition tips for dancers who go to LA and don’t really know what to expect?
A: Like I was saying, to always stay true to yourself. I always want to grow and get inspired by other dancers, like yesterday I was at an audition with Courtney Schwartz — she’s so awesome and looking at her dance, I’m like “She’s so cool, let me try to just watch.” It’s cool to grow and watch your friends and learn from them and pick up new moves, but I feel like staying true to yourself is a fierce thing. Because if you try to be like everyone else all the time, who are you as a dancer? I feel like you have to just know what you’re good at, and use that. Obviously if at an audition if they say, “Can you tumble?” and I can tumble but that’s not my best thing, I’m not about to try to whip out a back tuck. Learn from others, but don’t try to be them.
Q: What has been your best experience in LA so far?
A: I think I mentioned Victorious? That was my first job, it was so cool to be at Nickelodeon Studios where they film iCarly and their other shows. It was cool to be around Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande. So I think performing here was such an adrenaline rush. I was like, “Oh my gosh I can do this, I could do this for life.” I think the first job was just so much fun, and the atmosphere and vibe was so cool, everyone was just super nice. It was only me and another girl dancing behind Victoria, so it wasn’t like you had to pick me out of the crowd.
Q: What was the process like of getting an agent?* Obviously, that’s the key thing. But sometimes people are just like, “So, how do I do this?”
A: After I completed the Edge program, I started looking around for agencies and MSA was literally right across the street from Edge. The owner of Edge was like you should stop by MSA and see if they can represent you, and he’s represented by MSA too, and they came to watch me dance at Edge. I went into a meeting and they just signed me, but sometimes it’s not that easy. That’s just another one of those things where you can’t give up, because you will get signed. Having an agent is important for auditions, without an agent you don’t really get auditions. There are general auditions, those big cattle calls, but for exclusive auditions, you definitely need an agent.
*Britney is now represented by Go 2 Talent Agency.
Q: What is it like living in LA completely on your own?
A: Well first of all, it’s super expensive, which is why I teach at two studios. But it’s so fun. Sometimes I miss my family, but I talk to them every day. Besides that, just as long as I’m dancing, I’m fine.
Q: What’s something people may not know about you?
A: I’m strongly involved in my faith. I go to church a lot, and that’s one thing that keeps me sane while I’m living out here and keeps me from getting discouraged. I’m involved in a church group, so I’ve met some friends through that. I wake up every morning and pray or watch a Christian broadcast online or something, or read my devotionals. It just makes my day so much better. I could be stressed about an audition coming up, but if I pray or spend time with God, I feel SO much better. So that helps me calm my nerves, cause I’m a stress case.
Q: That’s really cool to see since Los Angeles has a reputation of corrupting young artists, and when you’re dancing sexy roles, that there’s another side.
A: It makes everything better when I interact with dancers — of course every dancer is competitive, but I don’t see it as “I need to beat this person,” or “Why did they book this job and I didn’t?” I try to lift everyone up, even if it’s something small. I’ll text my friend and be like “You looked awesome in class today.” Because dancers can get super catty out here. Basically I just try to make people feel like they’re important and they’re doing the right thing by being out here. It’s so tough for a lot of people, so making that first step is such a big thing. Even if they don’t book jobs right away, or get an agent right away, that they’re still amazing at what they’re doing because they’re following their passion.
Q: What would you say has been the biggest obstacle to overcome in dancing?
A: I feel like at a young age really pushed myself to be better because I really felt like I wasn’t a good dancer, and everyone else around me was amazing. I would go home and put a scrunchie on the wall and spot, practicing my turns. The biggest thing I had to overcome was my self-confidence.
Q: What is your biggest piece of advice to dancers?
A: I think my biggest advice is to branch out and meet people, take class, and go to conventions. But at the same time, people don’t realize the balance of sucking up to people just because they’re good dancers or big-time choreographers — of course you want to network, but just be genuine about it because people see right through that. Be genuine about the connections you make, and don’t make connections just because you want the job or you want to have a lot of Instagram followers. It’s not about that at all. Well, for me it’s not. I think of it like when you get old, people are not going to remember how famous you are, how many Instagram followers you have, they’re just going to remember how you treated them. People sometimes just do it for the same. But of course are also those really nice people, like the dancers from STARS who are amazing and have tons of Instagram followers but are actually genuine. People like that are the greatest. Because it can be taken away from you just as quickly as it was given to you.
Q: Why do you dance?
A: I dance because it’s honestly an escape from all the things that stress me out, and all my problems. Like when I was going through my breakup with my boyfriend that I dated for four years, I was just on my floor. This is dramatic, but I was just so sad. But then I went to dance and forgot about it. I just forget about everything else when I dance. Sometimes when I listen to music I’m just like, “Wait. This person knows my life. Her lyrics are my life.” And just to let the music move me — not even move to the music, have the music move me — it’s really cool.
Q: So what’s next?
A: I want to tour with an artist. I’m working towards that, working on getting jobs to build my résumé. Any job I get is super fun and I’m grateful for the opportunity, but I think touring would be amazing being able to travel. I have a friend touring with Taylor Swift, and he gave her private lessons the other day. Just that he gets to know her and perform for millions of people is amazing.