Words by Carol Wright | Photos courtesy of Alysa Gutierrez-Sierra
We got to chat with young dancer Alysa. Who has danced for artists like Meghan Trainor, DJ Khaled, and Gwen Stefani.
How did you discover you have a passion for dance?
My mom says when I was in her tummy she would put music on and I would move so much. She says I was performing a show in her belly. Whenever I heard music as a baby, I would dance and I couldn’t even walk yet. When I turned 2 years old, my mom took me to my first dance class. At 5 years old, I started to compete with my dance studio competition team.
But I think it was when I was 7 years old that I realized that dancing is my passion. I auditioned to dance for Justin Bieber’s Children Purpose Tour. I was so happy when I got the email saying I was picked out of so many kids. I was so excited, but my mom was a little scared because I was so young. But I was not scared. I had a great time and I told my mom I want to be an artist when I grow up. I love to perform. I felt so happy to dance on that big stage. It was the largest audience I had ever danced for.
You moved from New Jersey to LA to pursue your dancing career. Was it a hard transition at first?
It is still hard at times. The first and main reason is that I miss my yaya and papa. I wish they could move here with us. When we moved here, we only brought clothes with us and we had to buy everything all over again. We had to find an apartment. We had to find a school for me and my little sister Alexa. A year later, we were robbed in our apartment and it was sad because they took a lot of our stuff and we didn’t even have that many things. My mom was most upset about them taking our computer because it had all our memories and pictures in it.
What has it been like meeting other young dancers in LA? Do you have a favorite dance studio?
I was so excited to meet so many of my idols. When I was in Jersey, I would watch them on YouTube and now I get to dance with them. I am so grateful that they accepted me as their little sister. They show me so much love and support. Thank you Nicole Laeno, Tati McQuay, Tahani Anderson, Bailey Sok, Gabe De Guzman, Conner Finnerty, Sheaden Gabriel, Jadyn Hernandez, Audrey Lane-Partlow, Jayy Hancock, Mia Mugavero… just to name a few… for your kindness.
I love all the dance studios. I spend a lot of time training at Millennium dance complex, Tmilly Tv, and Playground just to name a few.
You’ve danced for Meghan Trainor, Pharrell, DJ Khaled, and Gwen Stefani. What did you learn from those experiences?
I love meeting celebrities. I especially love when I get to work with them. They have all been so nice to me. They are really sweet. They are hard-working and very focused. I am learning from them how to be an artist. One day, I would like to be just like them. I want to inspire little kids to dream big and to never give up and keep trying because those artists have taught me that dreams do come true. I want to thank them for inspiring me and for their kindness.
Do you hope to be a choreographer one day?
When I grow up, I want to be many things. One of the things I want to be is a choreographer. I want to direct a movie. I want to star in a movie. I want to make my own music. I want to have my own line of makeup, perfume, etc. JLO is one of the artists I admire the most and I hope one day I can be just like her. We are both Puerto Rican and JLO started as a dancer as well. Now JLO does it all, so I know if I work hard I can also do it all like her.
What advice do you have for aspiring dancers?
My advice for aspiring dancers is that anything is possible. We have to believe in ourselves, we have to work hard, and we have to always set goals to achieve. Sometimes we don’t get some of the things we wanted, but it’s ok because things always happen for a reason and we have to trust that something better is coming for us. And we can’t give up. I always use the hashtag #nevergiveuponyourdreams because if we give up, then we’ll never know if it would have been possible to achieve.