Dancer's Choice

Hey yall! We are back this week to share a special episode with guests, Gio & Melissa Gotay of Unveiled Productions! Unveiled Productions is a videography company based out of Nashville, TN with a mission to create compelling stories through dance and film with messages of finding hope in hopeless situations. Directed by Melissa & Gio, they join the podcast to share their testimonies of st...

You loved her before, so we brought her back for a part two! In this episode, Dawsen and guest, Ally Miller, dive deep into all things nutrition. We go everywhere from macro tracking and how it can be a helpful tool to sleep and its importance in our daily lives (and secret: you're probably not getting enough of it). Grab a coffee, get your hot girl winter walk on, and buckle up for this weeks epi...

WELCOME BACK to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! In the spirit of the holidays, food, and football we thought there was no better episode to share again other than that with the lovely ALLY MILLER- Nutritional Therapy Practitioner! This episode is JAM PACKED with advice on how dancers can adequately nourish their bodies for performance, train for pro auditions, feel more comfortable in their skin, and...

If you're a dance mom, LISTEN UP! This week Riley and Dawsen asked THEIR MOMS what advice they'd give to current dance moms and share on the podcast what their moms wish they knew before diving into the competition world. & on the other end, the girls sit down to share what THEY LEARNED from their moms growing up in the studio!! a sweet episode, LOTS of advice and counsel, and a whole lot of i...

Hey y'all! Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley and Dawsen sit down with fellow dance judge and choreographer, Malea Boggess, to discuss her upbringing from performing to coaching at competitive dance teams. Malea has been dancing since the age of two, and is now a choreographer for multiple competitive studios in Northern California. She trained and danced competitively in...

In this episode, Dawsen sits down to discuss how your personal life and professional life connect while working/performing on a cruise ship. From not having much privacy to most of the crew knowing whats going on in your/the cast's life, its pretty hard to separate the two. We know that having a work/life balance is important, but while working on a cruise ship, it seems to be pretty tough to do t...

WELCOME BACK TO THE DANCER'S CHOICE PODCAST !!! This week Riley sits down with creative, Vanessa Eirekat, to discuss what life looks like exploring different medias and career paths outside of simply dancing. If you're interested in becoming an entrepreneur, mentoring young artists, creating a balanced life for yourself, or seeing what else exists in this industry besides "being the dancer" then t...

Welcome back all! This week Riley & Dawsen are inspired to sit down and reflect on everything dance has taught them and how it applies to the real world and stages of life they are in now. We've all heard a teacher say it before..."even if you don't dance professionally, ______ will help you in whatever you pursue" so let's talk about it ! We hope this inspires dancers to...

CALLING ALL DANCE COMP JUDGES, ADJUDICATORS, & FRIENDS OF THE COMPETITION WORLD !!!! Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast :) This week, Riley and Dawsen sit down with Dance Professional, JASON PICKETT, for a part two discussion about the competition dance scene- specifically the role judges play in weekend events. -Is there a lack of education and training in our field? WHY? -What d...

WELCOME BACK FRIENDS !! It's officially football season which means it's officially TOPCAT SZN !! This week the girls sit down to unpack Dawsen's FIRST GAME DAY as an NFL Cheerleader (go panthers). Riley's asking all the questions we want to know and Dawsen answers opening up about all the highlights and all the learning moments. What's it like switching from stage performance...

Another Week, Another GUEST! This week the girls are THRILLED to be bringing on a phenomenal professional in the industry- KALEY JENSEN! Kaley Jensen, a wife and mother, is also a professional dancer, adjunct professor, Pilates teacher trainer, choreographer, cross-fitter, and creator of the Mentoring Program for Dancers: Mindset to Movement. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Kaley attended Bri...

Hey y'all! Solo episode with Riley this week calls for a much needed chat about the current trend on the market- WHY IS EVERY DANCER AND THEIR MOM PURSUING FITNESS COACHING RIGHT NOW ??? Is it just us or does it seem like every dancer is taking on the "side hustle" of a working at a fitness boutique or pilates studio? Having worked in fitness since 2021, Riley sits down to share the...

THE PODCAST TURNS 1 !!! We have made it to ONE WHOLE YEAR of Dancer's Choice! In today's episode, Riley and Dawsen sit down to unpack what the last year has looked like, celebrate this new milestone, and share many other milestones that have happened the last few months recording together! DANCING ON THE BIG SCREEN??!! BOYCOTTING THE OLYMPICS??!! A DANCERS CHOICE WEDDING ??!!! Get ready to...

Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week we are joined by the one & only, Mina Witte @minapro!! In today's episode, the girls break down the importance of collaboration, as all artists truly all share their styles with one another. From Irish Step, touring internationally, moving onto ballroom dance, teaching, owning a studio, and running her very own competition, Mina op...

Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! Today, the girls are blessed to sit down and chat with artist, Myles Canonge!  Myles Canonge is a dynamic artist whose faith in Christ is the cornerstone of his life and work. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Myles honed his craft at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, where he graduated with a B.F.A. in dance and performance. Driven by a passion for...

FIRST GUEST OF SEASON TWO WOOHOO!!! Welcome ALL to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! Today, Riley & Dawsen have the privilege of sitting down with Angela Cole! Struggling paycheck to paycheck? Have you always been told you can't make a living dancing? Want to teach, but don't know WHERE or HOW to start? Scared to discuss rates as an artist? ANGELA ANSWERS IT ALL! Angela is a dance artis...

WE ARE OFFICIALLY BACK!!! Welcome EVERYONE to the Dancer's Choice Podcast- the podcast BY dancers, FOR dancers where NOTHING is off limits! Today, Riley & Dawsen take the time to sit down and reintroduce themselves and the podcast- sharing their goals for the show, changes coming this season, and BIG LIFE UPDATES! We cannot wait for you to hear the episodes and GUESTS we have lined up for...

Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast + welcome to the LAST full episode of Season 1! This week, to acknowledge & respect May as Mental Health Awareness Month, Riley and Dawsen sit down to not only share advice based on their own mental health journeys, but open up about what we as a dance community can do moving forward, when it's not mental health month, to help break the stigm...

Welcome back to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley sits down to open up about the other side of audition conversations...the choice to not. Are you auditioning for the wrong reasons? How do you know what it is you truly want? Is it okay to stop going to auditions when so young? Are you auditioning because YOU want it or because your PEERS/TEACHERS want it? How can you avoid compariso...

Welcome back to the solo episodes everyone! We've missed ya! It's been a hectic month but we're getting excited for season two coming up! In today's episode, Dawsen sits down to discuss some audition tips for your pro sports team auditions - or any audition truthfully. She goes into some important topics so get your pens and paper ready! It's a short and sweet episode but packe...

WELCOME BACK to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley & Dawsen are sitting down with the CEO of Elevate Convention, Jadell Lee! Curious about the business side of dance? Curious how to get IN the room, but also STAY in the room? Want to know how you can better prepare yourself for a sustainable career? Jadell's professional insight will answer all your questions! Professional da...

Y'ALL!! Welcome Back to the Dancer's Choie Podcast! We are SOOOOO LUCKY to be joined by Special Guest, CHI LOPES on this week's episode! Chi, CREATOR of Hollywood Dance Intensive, has had an extensive career in the arts. She moved to L.A. and started working as a professional dancer. From TV, Film, Commercials, Awards Shows, World Tours, Music Videos, Corporate Shows, Musicals, Theme P...

Welcome to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! Audition season is among us and this week Riley & Dawsen sit down to chat about their personal audition experiences and open up about their biggest lessons, eye-opening moments, and mindset shifts discovered in doing so. From their best auditions to worst auditions, each one had a lesson to walk away with in some way or another, and it's time to...

WELCOME BACK to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week the girls have the privilege of being joined by former NFL Cheerleader and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Ally Miller! Ally previously danced for the Commanders and is now bringing her passion for Nutrition into the industry by helping many other pro dancers heal their chronic health issues, struggles with body image, and break away fro...

Welcome (or welcome back) to the Dancer's Choice Podcast! This week Riley & Dawsen sit down for a little Q+A chat- answering all your biggest questions about competition dance, college dance, the industry, and MORE! How do you keep up with training after school? How do you apply/audition for colleges? Is it possible to increase body confidence in dance? Where do you find jobs and auditions...