Conversations with Tatiana Parker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tatiana Parker.

Tatiana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Toronto born dancer – teacher – choreographer – actor. I knew at a young age that I wanted to be a professional dancer and dedicated my life to pursuing that dream. I was fortunate enough to begin my professional journey as a teenager dancing in live shows for artists and in music videos. I went on tour at age 18 which took me all over the world. That experience gave me a taste of what the rest of the globe had to offer, this sparked my passion for travel.

In 2012, I moved to Los Angeles to further my career. I love LA and am so grateful for all that the sunny city has offered me thus far. 2020 hit and I made the decision to momentarily head back to Toronto with the intention of providing a safe and inspirational space for the local dance community. I launched a dance training company called Home Intensive in 2021 – offering master class intensives featuring international and local experts. I’ve flown in some friends from Los Angeles as well as managed to gather some local OG’s to share their knowledge in dance, acting and more. This has been a dream in the making for quite some time, yet has transformed into something other than I had initially drawn out. I know it is just the beginning of something far greater than I could ever imagine and I am just excited to see where it goes. I hope to take Home Intensive internationally as I continue to maintain a bi-costal lifestyle between Toronto and Los Angeles.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Choosing to move back to Toronto a few years back felt extremely difficult. I still wake up some days feeling sad because I miss my life in Los Angeles a lot. I have to remind myself that everything is temporary and that the purpose behind my choice was to positively impact the Toronto dance community, help provide some tools, support and information so that when I do head back to Los Angeles, the younger generation of dancers feel better equipped to attain their professional and/or personal goals. It feels really nice to be able to confidently say that I am doing what I sought out to do, I can see the growth already.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My specialty is in hip hop but I like to move to many different genres of music which bring out other styles of influence. I love to perform not only as a dancer but also as an actor. I feel what sets me apart as a performer is my ability to connect to a piece of music, a story, movement and to others. As much as I love to be on a stage and in front of a camera, I have found an equal amount of joy in choreography and directing. Another purpose in choosing to move back home was to gain more experience as a choreographer and move past my imposter syndrome. I have had a ton of amazing opportunities since being back, which have helped me to feel more confident in the role so that I can better stand alongside the experts in LA.

I am extremely proud of having already launched six Home Intensive events in the past year, which have included a four-week long training program, on-camera focused training, Meisner acting technique, seminars with agents, social media specialists, immigration lawyers, and more.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I find mentors to be extremely helpful in the growth of one’s career. My past mentors have been people who I have trained under. Teachers who have then become employers, who I then began to assist and continued to learn from them in that position. Many of my friends and family members are also mentors to me in life. Whenever I am trying to do something that I have never done before, I look to those who have already done it and ask them for guidance. I am lucky to have a lot of talented friends but I am also constantly speaking to people I meet, even strangers. I enjoy being able to learn from anyone and I find the more I get to know people, the more I get inspired by them – which often leads to networking and sometimes even collaborations.

My advice would be to continue to seek out classes and people that light up your soul, remain open to challenges, criticism and always thank your teachers at the end of class. Compliment someone next time you feel inspired by them (even if they are a stranger), perhaps even ask them what inspired their behaviour/appearance/performance or whatever it is that has caught your attention. See if there is more to them that you can learn which might open up a new layer within yourself. If and when you see someone who you are a fan of, say hello! You never know where a simple conversation may lead.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @tatiparker / @home.intensive
• Youtube: YouTube.com/tatianaparker
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tatiparker

Image Credits
Christine Do, Rachel Hunter from Palms & Pines, Brian Tong, Amanda Lee Coffey