Meet Melissa Becraft | Dancer and Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Becraft and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have a passion for music and dance and I’ve always been a dreamer. There are amazing possibilities for those who work both hard enough and long enough.

For me, I dance as much for myself as I do for the next generation of dancers. So many people invest time into their passions as they come of age. When it was time for me to make big life decisions, I wasn’t ready to stop dancing. I wanted it to be my career despite the lack of belief others had in me. Honestly I didn’t even think I could do it, but I tried anyways. I want to be the example to young artists. If 1 person keeps dancing because of me, I’ll feel accomplished.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Artists never have an easy road.

I thought I was going to take NYC by storm. Four years later, I had booked only one dance job. The industry is really tough, and I was ready to give up.

In 2017, I made the NBA Brooklyn Nets dance team, (The Brooklynettes) This was a tipping point in my career. A job like this in New York gives amazing exposure and networking. I learned skills that are vital to me now, interviewing, public speaking, representing a brand well, etc. I also got scouted by a talent agent through this job.

In 2020 I signed with Wilhelmina models which launched new possibilities for me.

With my dance career finally feeling steady, I lost all opportunity when the pandemic hit. Within a few days of things getting intense in New York, all of my work got canceled for the foreseeable future. I didn’t realize that it would provide me the time to create a new life for myself.

I had the need for a creative outlet, so I started a Tiktok page. I began creating dances outside on a driveway because that was the space I had. The dances, concepts, and costumes started to become more elaborate, and I started to gain a small following. For 6 months straight, I made 3 videos a day. I was so committed to this project. I was re-creating movie scenes, broadway songs, and music videos. I made series about decades, seasons, elements, etc. I told myself, “maybe by the end of the pandemic, I’ll have ten thousand followers!” I had no grasp on what would happen next.

I gained over 900,000 followers in less than a year. I did this solely by creating art I was proud of. I started to see young dancers latch on to my videos and comment how much I inspire them. There are people all over the globe re-creating and posting my choreography.

My career is brand new. I worked so hard for this. I am proud to be an example of a working dancer for young creatives. If I can do it after years of failure, you can too!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, I would bring them to a Nets game to watch me perform at Barclays Center!

We’d walk through Dumbo and get the best views of the city, go to my favorite bakery (L’Appartement 4F), to get raspberry croissants, read our books at my favorite bubble tea shop (Debutea NYC), see a broadway show, and get delicious cocktails at a speakeasy (Please Don’t Tell).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Every time I almost gave up, I met someone who believed in me. These people are a part of milestones in my journey as a dancer.

Criscia Long, Senior Director of Entertainment for the Brooklyn Nets

Topher Despres, Head of Sports and Fitness at Wilhelmina Models

Instagram: @Melissabecraft

Other: Tiktok Profile: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdMTbnPD/

Image Credits
Sam Todd Anthony Steverson Michelle Farsi