Life & Work with Bailey Casillo of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Casillo

Hi Bailey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hey y’all! I am from Edmond, Oklahoma and started dancing when I was around 9 years old. I initially started dancing because I knew friends who were dancing so I wanted to try it out too, of course! I continued training at my dance studio and was your typical competition/convention kid growing up. Upon graduating high school, I knew I wanted to continue pursuing dance and turn it into my career one day. After getting accepted into the colleges I applied to, I ended up deciding to go with Chapman University in southern California. During my four years at Chapman I received my BFA in Dance Performance as well as my BA in Communication Studies. I did graduate in 2020, so moving to LA right away did not seem quite right as the world was adjusting to the new normal of the pandemic back then. I moved home for a little bit which ended up being a blessing as I got to spend so much time with family and gave myself lots of cushion in my savings! I was still set on living in Los Angeles and pursuing my career in the dance industry, so in the fall of 2021 it was time to drive across the country again and officially move to LA! Even a year and a half later than originally planned, I was just as eager and excited to begin my journey here.

As soon as I was settled in to Los Angeles, I immersed myself into training as much as I possibly could and have not stopped since. I believe that is a big part of how I got where I am today. Early on, I trained consistently with and was able to sign with my agency thanks to Marguerite Derricks and Kelly Allen. I will always be grateful to them for that! Additionally, by signing up for more quality classes and intensives such as Ian McKenzie’s “Imbrace,” and Cat Rendic’s “Formyoula,” from the beginning, it really helped me start to meet people and build community around me. Recently, I just finished up Erin Marino’s LA Establishment program which really helped me flourish new and previous relationships while discovering my artistry even more. I could not recommend it enough! Creating community is so important to have in life in general but especially when moving to a big city, and by jumping into as many spaces as I could, it really helped make the major transition to LA not quite as daunting. Now three years later, it is so fun to walk into a studio and know so many friends training/auditioning with me.

Along the way there have been so many quality educators that I have enjoyed learning from as well. Gosh there are too many to count by now but we truly are so lucky to have such an array of knowledge and access to training here in LA! To go off of getting to where I am at this moment, it is because of these incredible educators deciding to take a chance on me when hiring me for jobs and I will never take that for granted! So far I have had the opportunity to work on such fun projects such as The Masked Singer, Rebecca Black’s most recent music video TRUST!, Shein’s Rock the Runway with Avril Lavigne, and Apple TV’s Physical, to name a few. You truly never know what could be coming as long as you keep working hard, stay the course, and remain open to the possibilities life has to offer. With that being said, upon being contacted by VoyageLA I was actually getting ready to leave Los Angeles on my flight to Hong Kong, where I will be for the next 3 months in Franz Harary’s show “Imagine Nation.” Rehearsals are in full swing and it has been such a cool city to explore so far. Traveling for dance has always been a major goal of mine and I am so grateful to have kicked that dream off here in Hong Kong! It is fun looking back on the past 3 years of my journey in LA, but I have so many more goals I aim to achieve and I look forward to what the next 3 years and beyond have in store!

There are many who have impacted by dance journey so far, but those mentioned here are:
Ian McKenzie
Cat Rendic
Richy Jackson
Marguerite Derricks
Kelly Allen
Jennifer Hamilton
Erin Marino
Noel Bajandes
Kayla Kalbfleisch
Ivan “Flipz” Velez
Latrina Bolger-Washington

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For the most part, I can honestly say it has been a great ride. Of course, there are days and moments when things get hard, doubts naturally happen, and comparison creeps in. Every human can relate! I try to remind myself that I GET to be out here pursuing what I love and that is something I will never regret! It is also so inspiring to be surrounded by so many who are also reaching for similar goals, and watching them achieve great things as well. Even on the challenging days, I try to remind myself that good things are on their way and it is up to me to be ready and available for them; it isn’t a matter of if, but when!

I also believe it is so imperative to find mentors in any profession one chooses to pursue to continue giving me feedback, providing advice when necessary and consistently pushing me to be the best artist I can be in and outside the studio. There have been so many mentors that have impacted my time in Los Angeles thus far and I am so grateful for that. If they can do it, I know I can too! Shoutout to Kim Gingras, Erin Marino, Cat Rendic, Liz Guerreri, and Christina Grady among others for being generous with their advice to aspiring dancers and an inspiration to me. I hope one day I can do the same for others.

Lastly, when challenging days happen it is so necessary to get out and be a human first! I personally love forgetting about dance for a few moments and decide to have a day at the beach, find new things to explore around the city or get outside to go on a hike. It always helps me come back a more balanced and better dancer and human. Yes, pursuing a career as a professional dancer has its hard moments, but at the end of the day I am very happy to have chosen an avenue that brings consistent inspiration, challenge, growth and joy for me and the people I am surrounded by.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Put me on a stage, and I feel untouchable! I am a professional dancer and performer through and through and that has always been a quality that has set me apart from others. There will always be something so special about stepping into a different character and living that out in front of an audience. My stage presence is always something that I am proud of and helps me stand out. Tying my stage presence with being an adaptable, smart dancer is also something I believe showcases my professionalism in any room I have the chance to walk into. Adding on to that, I am a versatile dancer who grew up in a technical training environment, so I would say I specialize in the jazz world. Although I have trained in many other styles such as jazz funk, contemporary, house, heels, ballroom, hip hop and more. At the end of the day performing is the dream and will always be my number one love. I am the happiest anytime I get to dance on a stage so I’m ready for that world tour okay!?

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I am also certified in the Pilates method, Lagree method, and plan to get my NASM certification soon!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baileycasillo

Image Credits
Joe Duarte
Wes Klain
Alissa Roseborough