Today we’d like to introduce you to Athena Garcia.
Hi Athena, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I found a love for performing at a young age. At the age of five, my mom put me in dance classes in Arizona where I discovered my love for Hip Hop dancing. There was something about hip hop dancing and being able to release energy through full out dance movements that spoke to me and made me feel good. From that moment on, I continued to take more dance classes until I reached the 5th grade, where I joined a Hip Hop team called AZ Hype at my elementary school. Being on the team, I learned how to do B-boy/Break dancing and competed against other hip hop teams not only in Arizona, but we traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada and Anaheim, California to compete against teams there as well. Everyday that I continued to grow in dance, so did my love for it. All I wanted to do was keep performing, keep competing, and keep growing. I then started to watch dance videos on YouTube of different dancers and started studying their techniques. I loved watching the competing teams on the World of Dance Competitions. I loved watching the dance videos from Urban Dance Camp and Millennium Dance Complex. The moment I saw kids my age dancing at these studios, I wanted to be just like them. At the end of the 8th grade, I asked my parents if we could move to Los Angeles, California so I could pursue my career in dance and without hesitation they said yes. When we arrived to California the first thing I did was take a dance class at Millennium Dance Complex. It was the most surreal thing that had happened in my life and at that moment, I could feel that my dreams were coming true. It was a feeling I never wanted to let go of.
Not only did I fall in love with dance but I have also fallen in love with acting. When I was little, I used to watch Wizards of Waverly Place and act out what the characters would do in the show. Selena Gomez used to be my idol because I loved the character she played. Her character was so sassy and so I would try to be sassy too. I always wanted to try acting but there weren’t any acting classes where I was living in Arizona. I didn’t start acting until I reached my high school years and moved to California. In High School, I took a theatre class and at first it wasn’t what I was expected and I wasn’t too excited about acting anymore. However, that summer, I took acting classes at The Young Actors Studio and it was there, where I performed a play called Brighton Beach Memoirs in front of a live audience, that I found my love for Acting. Performing in front of so many people was a rush and I felt the energy just like I did the first time in dance. At the end of the performance, when my family was congratulating me, they told me they were impressed with how well I did. That was when I questioned if I should make a career not only in dance but also in acting. After I graduated High School, I got accepted into The New York Film Academy in Los Angeles to study Acting for Film in the Bachelors of Fine Arts program.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has been a bumpy road along the way. When I was in Arizona on the Hip Hop team at my school, I would always get bullied by the other kids on the team about my dancing, so I would always be insecure about if I was actually good or not. Sometimes, the other kids would purposely get in my way while I was dancing, so it would mess me up or they would push me to the back and not talk to me. I would constantly be questioning whether or not I should continue dancing especially because a lot of times, I would come home crying to my mom when dance is supposed to be my safe space. My mom would always tell me that they were all just jealous of me but I couldn’t believe it since they were always talking bad about me behind their back. It got to a point where I had to figure out how to be happy for myself and not worry about what others think of me. It honestly wouldn’t have been without my mom that I was able to get through the times where I felt like giving up because she would always tell me that I would make it big, that I would prove everyone wrong and to allow all of the negative energy to fuel a fire under me.
When I got to California, it felt good to start fresh where no one knew me, so I thought there would be less pressure and less drama. However, when I would attend the dance classes at the studios, there was so much pressure and I felt like I had certain standards to live up to in dance. Everyday, I would motivate myself and remind myself why I loved dancing and started dancing in the first place. Everyday it helped me grow stronger and grow a thicker skin. I struggled a lot with insecurities because I would always compare myself to other dancers, but I learned to embrace my individuality in dance and find the things that make me unique as a dancer.
Since I had already been training myself to think freely and individually in dance, when it came to acting I tried hard not to compare myself to others and focus on my own training and my own growth which helped a lot especially for where I am at today. My confidence has grown stronger and I could strongly say that without all of the struggles in my past, I wouldn’t have learned how to carry myself today.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a dancer and actress. As a dancer, I specialize mostly in Hip Hop but I am also well versed in Breakdance, Jazz, Ballroom, Cha Cha, Salsa, Swing, and Bhangara. I have competed at the World of Dance Competition with a team called Young Skull Club. I have been featured in music videos such as Mickey Singh’s and Jonita Gandhi’s hit single ‘NA NA’ and Victor Semprit’s ‘Doblando Rodillas,’ to name a few. I have also starred in the Roku Original ‘Floored,’ hosted by Liza Koshy, as a dancer.
As an actress, I have studied under actress Isabella Hoffman, film director Miguel Cruz, voice actress Carol Stanzione and actor Christopher Cass to name a few. I have starred in various short films and I have also just finished filming a short film that I have written, produced, and acted in which is set to release in late spring of 2022 on YouTube.
Besides dancing and acting, I also sing, compose music, and paint on the side.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.athena-garcia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athenagarcia_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClmmy0sXnFXdmlWQV0r7bQw/featured
- Other: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm9445321?ref_=nm_nv_usr_profile
Image Credits
Andre Forrest Christina Garcia
