Two things made it happen for Stephanie:
"Training" and a "realistic mom" (Deb Moseley).

20-year-old A4D member Stephanie Moseley from Vancouver knew from the age of nine that life would not be complete until she danced onstage with Janet Jackson. Jump cut. Ten years later. Stephanie books two television appearances with Janet Jackson. Yes, Stephanie's dream came true, but for thousands of other A4D regulars, the real question is, "how did she make it happen?"

Perhaps being a single mother boosts a normal tendency to support a child's goals. To Deb, it seemed only logical to do everything she could to help make her daughter's dream come true. Somehow she supported Stephanie's 15 years of training, the high school years alone costing $26,000. She worked three jobs, as did Stephanie, to get there. And Stephanie excelled. Top awards at competitions became par for the course, and offers of scholarships surfaced consistently. Many teachers and advisors encouraged 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 unequivocally, feeling strongly that it's wrong to get in the way of anyone who's that focused, especially when the change when that person is family. So together, they did what it took to give Stephanie a shot.

As luck would have it, training got Stephanie a few steps closer to the dream. While taking class in Los Angeles from Tovaris Wilson, Janet Jackson's soon-to-be choreographer Gil Duldulao was in class as well. Although Gil noticed Stephanie, it wasn't until he was teaching at a convention in Vancouver that a the real connection was made. "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." That day was not too far off.

Another bonus of strong training 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 information. "As it turned out," claimed Deb, "answers4dancers.com led us to the next important step. Tools like personal presentation, salary info, who to study with, and where the jobs were located helped Stephanie decide where to direct her energies. "We ranked the 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 (A4D) 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 answers4dancers. "I don't know any other site or organization 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 information and an impressive resume, Stephanie and Mom put together a plan of action. Hopefully, it would soon take the form of "paid employment" and "press opportunities."

One of Stephanie's first jobs came up when Deb created a printwork opportunity based on, of all things, Stephanie's vitamins. "I want to the manufacturer," said Deb, "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 laughingly 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 unique 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.

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