“I'm Living Proof That Dream Jobs Happen!”
- Stephanie Moseley, A4D member
Stephanie MoseleyWe talked to Stephanie’s mom, Deb Moseley. To her, it seemed logical to do everything she could to help make her daughter's dream come true. Supporting 15 years of training was challenging, the high school years alone costing $26,000. Deb worked three jobs, as did Stephanie, to get there. And Stephanie excelled. Top awards at competitions and offers of scholarships surfaced. Many teachers advised her to be a modern dancer. "The Ailey organization wanted her," claimed Deb, "but she was determined to go in another direction....music videos and pop tours." Deb supported that dream. Together, they did whatever it took to give Stephanie the chance she wanted.
As luck would have it, training got Stephanie closer to the dream. Attending a convention in Vancouver, Stephanie caught the eye of Gil Duldulao, Janet’s choreographer. "I called Steph up on stage to demonstrate with me, " says Gil, "and I found myself thinking....hm, she's good. I'm going to hire her someday." As it turns out, that day wasn’t too far off.
Another bonus occurred when Laney Filuk of bloc agency signed Stephanie on the spot without seeing her dance. "All it took was one look at Stephanie's resume," claimed Laney, "the list of awards, convention scholarships, and references from top teachers was all I needed to see."
The Internet:
From the beginning, both Deb and Stephanie knew they needed reliable career info. "As it turned out," claimed Deb, "Answers4dancers led us to the next important step. Tools like personal grooming, salary info, who to study with, and where the jobs were located helped Stephanie decide where to direct her energies. "We ranked job opportunities on a one-to-ten scale" said Deb, "and focused on the best ways to go after them."
Today, Stephanie says the site keeps her on top of her game by reminding her what's going on, what jobs are happening, and why choreographers hire certain dancers over others. "When I'm on tour," claims Stephanie, "my mom emails the info to me. It keeps me in the loop. The audition postings are especially good for dancers without agents. It gives them an opportunity to be seen."
Gil Duldulao volunteered his own take on A4D. "I don't know any other site that provides so many insights from choreographers who are working in the industry. To have access to so much info on one website is great for dancers."
The Career Plan:
Armed with info and an impressive resume, Stephanie and Mom put together a plan of action. Hopefully, it would soon take the form of "paid employment."
One of Stephanie's first jobs came up when Deb created a print-work opportunity based on, of all things, Stephanie's vitamins. "I went to the manufacturer and said here are the vitamins my daughter takes and these are her pictures; let us know if she's a prospect for print ads. They used her for a national campaign in a drugstore chain." Deb wrote repeatedly to Dance Magazine, sending them stories about Stephanie until someone paid attention. They finally did an article on Steph being chosen as an outstanding dancer at multiple conventions across the country.
Stephanie auditioned for Tokyo Disney. This job enabled Stephanie to save enough money to cover six months of living costs in Los Angeles. "You cannot go to an audition worrying about paying the rent," insisted Deb, "If you do, you won't dance well."
As part of the career plan, Stephanie's personal presentation surfaced. She is half black / half white. Today, she describes her look as "ethnic with big hair"...but it wasn't always that way. At first, she wore a weave, long straight hair, "because that's what all the mixed girls wore in music videos. "They were all beautiful," says Stephanie, "and I was like, okay, I'll wear a weave, too." Just before a Britney Spears audition, Steph was having her weave redone, and as they finished, she blurted out, "take it out, it's bugging me!" That was the first audition she did with natural hair. And she booked the gig. Ironically, there was another tall dancer with curly hair they paired Stephanie with; they wanted a bookend/twins looks. Stephanie suggests that had she gone with her old look, she wouldn't have gotten the job, but this writer thinks there's more to it than that. In L.A., dancers have to find a look that not only works commercially, but they need to feel comfortable with it. When I asked Stephanie if it was possible she danced differently in that audition because she felt freer with her natural hair, she responded, "Yes, that's right, because it was me! I wasn't trying to be somebody else; there wasn't any part of me that wasn't true."
As soon as Stephanie stopped trying to fit in, she stood out. "Steph's curly hair," says Gil, "is great. It really works for her." Her agent agrees and assured me that Stephanie's personal package evolved very quickly. "Her body changed so much. The way she dresses and presents herself today shows that she tuned in to what was going on around her and she made good decisions about what worked best for her."
Stephanie expected to work hard for success. "If you want to work with the best," she claims, "you've got to show that you belong there. It's not enough to move to L.A., get an agent, and wait for things to happen. You need to be pro-active."
When I asked Gil, Laney, and Deb to describe Stephanie's work ethic, certain words came up unanimously. Humble, appreciative, driven, professional, disciplined, respectful.
"She's open to any means of becoming more professional," says Gil. "She's hungry. If she keeps that mindset, she'll go far."
"Talent is important," points out Laney Filuk, "but not necessarily the most important thing. Reputation and professionalism are every bit as essential. And also the ability to network, gather info, and get yourself known."
The Wrap-up:
Stephanie's career plan is uniquely her own. For every young dancer out there, there is also a workable career plan. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every aspiring teen out there could sit down and "plot out" what it will take to achieve their goals? Together, Deb and Stephanie Moseley consciously created, revised, and tweaked their path to a dream job. We wouldn't be surprised if there were more dream jobs in Stephanie's future. But, for now, something very "complete" has happened. Stephanie Moseley is onstage with Miss Janet Jackson.
Follow Up:
Steph went on to touring with J-Lo and TV bookings playing Jamie Foxx’s wife in “Unpredictable.”
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