Meet Tiana Vassallo | Dancer
We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiana Vassallo and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Tiana, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
What was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Being a dancer has always been a goal of mine. I remember watching videos of Kaycee Rice and Sean Lew and wanting more than to be like them when I grew up. I trained in all styles of dance from the age of 2 and when I was in grade 7 was when I decided that this is really what I wanted to pursue. I loved and still do love training for hours in the studio with choreographers, refining my movement, getting feedback and becoming closer to those dancers I watched when I was younger. After graduating fulltime at Brent Street in 2022 I was booked on multiple corporate gigs in Sydney Australia and received my first contract at the Sydney Opera House in the production of ‘Gatsby at the green light’. This was truly a dream come true. To be able to perform on stage every night at such an iconic venue was just surreal. I remember thinking how lucky that I get to do what I love as my job.
What’s one thing about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
Being in Australian dance industry, there are so many talented performers that are itching to ‘make it’. I think outsiders are probably unaware of how much time goes into training to be a dancer. Dance is often seen as a hobby or a ‘fun activity’ by the public but that doesn’t capture what it is like to be a professional dancer. It is important for people to understand that most dancers train from 9am-9pm for years before reaching the skill level that they might see featured in a music video or onstage. Dancers are athletes, we are not only training physically but also mentally everyday and that training doesn’t stop after fulltime, we are always training, always bettering ourself and our craft.
Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?
Risks are scary and what I have realised is that we never want to take them at the fear of failure but looking back, all the risks have led me to be both the person and dancer that I am today. The dance industry itself is a risk, it is such a difficult industry to make it in as there are so few jobs in such a saturated market but it’s my career so risks are just an everyday part to my life.
Other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
I think being a part of the ‘Dance Life’ series on Prime was an amazing decision that has contributed to my career. Being a part of something so incredible with so many of my friends and mentors was such a rewarding experience. The exposure we all received has been incredible and it has been incredible to hear from dancers who have had similar life experiences. One of the most special aspects to this is being able to hear from dancers that I have inspired them and I could not ask for anything more, truly so special.
What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand?
I think that prioritizing my mental health has had such a big impact on my success. Obviously determination and consistency play a major role but the moments where I step back and take a break are often those where I reflect and grow as a dancer. I feel that this is overlooked and we often force ourselves to continue training and I understand that but we also have to focus on our mental wellbeing as mindset is such a core component of being a dancer.
What’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
To show up everyday to fulltime even with a broken foot. Watching everyone do what I love and they love but not being able to join is so painful. I had a commitment to the studio and I understand that often one of the best ways of learning is by watching otherwise but all I wanted to do was dance and I wasn’t able to. However, I did gain invaluable knowledge from watching industry professionals everyday and observe them teach granting me a new perspective on it all. This became especially useful as I started to teach more as I was able to draw on all the knowledge I learnt from those weeks sitting out and apply it to be the best possible teacher I can and for the students to walk away with the most they can.
Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?
Growing up I feel like I spent most of my childhood at the studio because I wanted to be the best and in my mind the only way to be the best was to train non stop. After my injury I found that I didn’t really know myself as a person without dancing and I think it was kind of the universe’s way of showing me that I needed balance. It was so foreign to me but that period of time really helped me to find out who I was and know that I was not just a dancer, but a person too. Although I do still spend a lot of time in the studio I definitely have a much healthier balance with career and life. My partner and I make sure we do ‘normal people’ things as much as we can and we try to spend every Sunday with my family to. I find that having this balance allows me to be the best version of my creative self as I am able to be inspired and reset as I enter each new week.
Do you have a favorite quote or affirmation? What does it mean to you / what do you like about it?
My favourite affirmation is ‘everything that is meant for me will come to me’. I love this idea and it really assist me in persevering through the disappointments in life and in my career. There are so many times when you find out that someone has made it to the next round of an audition and you didn’t or someone has booked a job that you were dreaming of but remembering this affirmation reminds me that it wasn’t meant for me and if it was, it will come to me.
Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?
Within a creative career there is no perfection, that is what I love. Perfect doesn’t exist within this realm and there is always room for growth, development and evolution. Often there is no set goal or milestone to reach but rather the everyday betterment of my craft. There is something so beautiful about this that really draws me to it. In so many aspects of life I, as many others do, strive for perfection but knowing that this doesn’t exist in a creative career is exciting and comforting and is why it is what I pursue.
What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want people to remember about you?
The girl that made it happen. I want to be remembered as a determined performer that made all of her dreams come true. I want to be remembered as someone who continued to persevere irrespective of any obstacle that I am faced with. I want my legacy to be a reminder that dreams are attainable with hard work, determination and consistency and that’s how I want to be remembered.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am most proud of my consistency. Even through my injury and other setbacks I am able to push through and use these setbacks as motivation and determination to achieve my goals. I have this thing where I love to prove people wrong haha, so if anyone has anything negative to say about my career you bet I will remember it and make sure I do it twice!
I have learnt that balance is so important in a creative career. Making sure that you allow yourself some down time will help to ensure you are your best creative self.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In LA? I love movement lifestyle, Millenium and TMilly! They are beautiful studios and have such incredible programs and classes to train!
I love Burbank and am OBSESSED with sweetgreens! Their bowls are my absolute favourite. I think I have eaten there all week! One of my other favourite places is definitely melrose. My partner and I are shopaholics so we spend a LOT of time there. You have to go visit the Paul Smith wall of course and also go and see the Hollywood sign. The grove is a stunning place for dinner, we found an amazing italian Restaurant there with plenty of GF options for me which was so good!
And of course, Disneyland in Anaheim has to be my favourite place in LA. It’s always the best day when we visit, absolutely magical.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have had so many incredible mentors and teachers over the years. I am very lucky to have learnt from the best of the best in Australia through my training institution, Brent Street. I am so grateful to all of my teachers especially Matt Lee, Cassie Bartho, Alex Miedzinski, Paris Cav, Jade Barnes, Lucas Newland and of course my family.
Website: https://focustalentmanagement.com/profile/tiana-vassallo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tianavassallo/?hl=en
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYyehe9DYG0
Image Credits
Luke Cornish from Dancelife on Prime Video.
Mr X.
Kishka Jensen.
Jake percy.
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
