We were lucky to catch up with Kayla Rose recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kayla , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I truly believe most of my work ethic stems from starting ballet at the age of 3 and never stopping. It taught me loads of discipline, leaving my “bs” at the door, and trying my best. Ballet taught me respect, always be on time, be in proper uniform, show up for myself, do my best, and how to stay tuned with my mind and body. Which all reflects in who I am today and my work ethic. Staying in tune with your mind and body also helps a great work ethic, If you are coming from a clear mind you will do clear work.
I believe I have great work ethic thanks to ballet and all my dance training. I like to highlight ballet because it is the most strict form of dance so you really have to love it to take on all that discipline. But in the long run, it’s all worth it because it made you grow and be better. And isn’t that one of the main reasons we are here to grow and learn? I like to think so.
In dance there is always something else you can do or work on, there is never a limit. You can always do more turns, and jump higher, perfection does not exist. You just keep working, growing, and learning. Which creates a beautiful work ethic.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
When I started dancing at the age of 3 I fell in love with it immediately. I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life no matter what. I am now 30 years young and still dancing and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. It’s my lifestyle and I feel great in my new age!
After graduating high school I moved to Hollywood at 18 to pursue my dance dreams! I trained hard, learned tons, meet the best of friends, and graduated from AMDA Performing Arts College in June 2014 with my BFA in dance theater.
After dancing all over LA for a few years I booked dancing with Royal Caribbean Productions. Which was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I got to travel all over the world and get paid to do what I love most, dance. I went to Alaska, New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, Vancouver, and so much more! I am forever grateful for all the experience I gained from traveling.
I even got extra lucky and met my wife on the ship. After a few years of traveling, we decided to settle back down in LA and make a home for us on land. After being out to sea for so many years you miss a lot of things happening on land. Such as weddings, births, and deaths, it can be extremely tough being out to sea but also so rewarding.
Since being back in the city of angels, I have been dancing all over and living life. Finding that balance between work & play.
You can find me dancing burlesque with “The Doll Face Dames”, dancing Bollywood with “Lunasha Bollywood Company”, and doing many different freelance gigs around the city. I also am a proud dance instructor at The School of Dance & Music where I get to give back to the younger generations and do my best to make them into amazing kind humans/dancers. Giving love out into the world always.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The best three qualities would have to be, showing up on time, doing the research beforehand, and getting a night of good sleep.
My advice for folks early in their journey would be mostly those three things.
Showing up on time means the world to the person hiring you. No one likes waiting around. We all have other stuff to do. Treat people how you would like to be treated and show up on time. And by on time, I mean showing up 5-10 mins early. That is on time.
If you do research beforehand then you won’t be going in blind. Look at the website and get a feel of the company you are working for. What do they expect from you? What’s their vibe? Does it fit your vibe? Always good to have some info before going in, makes you just that more confident. Which is never a bad thing. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.
Last but definitely not least. A good night of sleep. Which just makes you feel and look better overall.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Okay going to get personal on this one…But I also feel like it shouldn’t feel that way because I know I am not the only one that experiences this type of pain. And it needs to be talked about more in my opinion. Amongst all humans.
The book “Code Red” which my best friend introduced me to, played a huge role in my development.
It has nothing to do with dance. It is about connecting to your period, using that to empower and transform your relationship with pain, and how to take control of your body/mind. My monthly cycle would take me out completely. I couldn’t do anything when it was that time of the month.
But this book has made me realize that my period is not a weakness it is my superpower. Changing my entire perspective made a lot of my pain go away. Instead of hating that time, I am now excited for my body to detoxify itself. How cool?!
I now know this is my “me time” and that is 100% okay. I no longer feel bad for taking time for myself. I have turned my pain into a strength.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: kaylarosela
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/6xcXAW83zdk
Image Credits
Ricardo Josay Flying Lion Photography Adrian Roup
