Conversations with Ryan Ramirez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Ramirez

Ryan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I found my passion for movement and dance at a very young age. As a child, I was extremely shy and introverted. I was always very focused though, and my mom began to notice that I would memorize the routines from my Barney VHS tapes and then perform them perfectly when I thought that no one was watching. She recounts that in those moments, she noticed something in me light up and recognized I had a love for music and dancing. She put me into dance classes when I was 4 years old and I never looked back.

I would say I knew that dance and choreography was what I wanted to pursue for my career when I was around the age of 11/12. I was training as much as I could, in as many styles as I could, and was tunnel vision on being the best dancer I could be. I think what made me special was my passion and ability to feel and be completely free within my movement. I was fearless when I danced and didn’t care if other people thought that the way I moved was weird. I started choreographing my own solos to compete when I was 12 years old, and when people started seeing me perform my own choreography I started getting asked to choreograph for other dancers and dance studios around age 14.

My “big break” came at age 16 when famed choreographer Mia Michaels asked me to become her assistant. She was one of the most well-known choreographers at that time and was someone I was extremely inspired by. It was a life-changing opportunity. I quickly began traveling across the country assisting her and working on television shows such as So You Think You Can Dance. Working behind the scenes on shows at such a young age really helped me gain knowledge and insight into working in the entertainment industry very early on and allowed me to make connections and a name for myself before I was even in Los Angeles. I moved to LA in 2010, and since my move I have had an extremely successful career as a professional dancer and choreographer. I currently am focusing on my choreography and transitioning more behind the scenes creatively.

I think that I am where I am today because I was fortunate to find what I was passionate about at a very early age and worked hard every day to be the best I could be at it. I was very driven because I knew it was what I wanted to do. However, I wouldn’t have been able to find my passion as easily without the support I had from my parents. They have always believed in me and sacrificed a lot to be able to provide me with the best possible opportunities to pursue my dreams! They exposed me to a lot of iconic and diverse music and movies in my childhood and I think that exposure also helped inspire and boost my creativity at an early age. A core memory I have from my childhood is my mom teaching my brother and I Michaels Jackson’s “Thriller” routine in our living room. I got the Michael Jackson: Greatest Hits – History DVD for Christmas one year, and I watched those videos obsessively on repeat! I am so thankful to my parents for fostering the artist in me.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. It’s taken a lot of hard work, dedication and perseverance to get to where I am! The entertainment industry is already difficult, but then on top of that you add the physicality of dance and the toll it takes on your body – it is a whole other level. I sacrificed a lot of my social life when I was younger to train and I watched my parents sacrifice in order to allow me to train. My family didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up, so financially I watched my parents go through hard times in order to keep me in dance. Watching them struggle made me even more determined to succeed and to make them proud. Having no financial cushion or support to fall back on while living in LA made it mandatory for me to figure it out and live my dream. I didn’t have another option.

I’ve had a lot of success, but with that I have also had a lot of rejection. I’ve had what I thought at the time were my “dream jobs” not work out, I’ve had injuries that have made me not able to dance and do what I love for long periods of time, I’ve watched friends come and go from LA etc. The life of a creative is a tough life. It’s a life full of the highest highs and the lowest lows mixed with a lot of uncertainty and little security. However, if it is what you love and what you know your purpose is, it is a life that is worth it. There is beauty through the hardship and I believe you become a better artist when you go through the hard stuff!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Choreographer, Dancer and Educator.

As an artist, I think what has always set me apart has been my ability to be extremely raw and vulnerable with my movement and performance. If an audience hasn’t felt anything while watching my work, then I have not done my job. I also have extensive training in a lot of different dance styles with experience in both commercial and company dance. This sets me apart because I can pull from many different tools – fusing both worlds. I have versatile knowledge, so my work is not limited.

I have choreographed for television shows such as The Voice and American Song Contest and for artists such as Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani. I love telling a story and I definitely lean towards abstract and emotional pieces of work. Next, I would love to move more into the film space.

I have danced professionally since I was 16 years old and have performed with some of the most iconic artists of our time including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Cher. I have danced in films such as La La Land and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as well as on award shows including The Academy Awards and The Emmys.

Aside from dance and choreography, I also love being a dance teacher – educating the up and coming generation of young artists. Teaching and performing are two different skills. While a resume is very valuable, so is correct knowledge in technique/styles and patience to really dive into what your students need to evolve. I take pride in being a teacher and hope I can inspire young dancers the way my teachers and mentors inspired me.

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits
Lee Gumbs Photography
Marisa Leigh