Check Out Karina Bromberg’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karina Bromberg.

Hi Karina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 
I was born and raised in a small city in the north of Israel called Karmiel. My dad was an athlete growing up, and my grandma was a gymnast and taught Physical Education at an elementary school; my aunt taught swimming, and my grandfather was also an athlete in his childhood, so athletics and the discipline that comes with that world were always around. My journey started when my grandma took me to her friend’s competitive aerobics class, and I started competitively performing aerobics around the country and placed 1st in many competitions. After multiple injuries, because we didn’t have a proper training space, my dad forbid me from going, and my way of staying in touch with my friends is to enroll in that studio’s hip-hop classes. That forever changed my life. I fell in love with the music, the styles, and the culture. I started competing with mega crews and varsities around the country and quickly became a big part of the studio and known as Karina the Dancer in my little community. 

When I was 14 years old, we immigrated to Canada with my immediate family. Not knowing where to go dance, I learned dances off of YouTube and slowly would start taking class in local studios. I was terrified! I remember being so scared I left in the middle. I persisted, and slowly overcame my fear and was very consistent in my training and I went to everything I could afford, I just wanted to soak in as much knowledge as possible. 

I started going to auditions and participating in local showcases, and my first booking was Netflix’s “Christmas Chronicles 2”, a life-changing gig that opened my eyes and mind to the film and TV industry. Rapidly after, COVID-19 hit, and the collectives I was a part of discontinued. Another life-changing decision I made was auditioning for Motus The Company, which ended up being a consistent and crucial part of my life from May 2020 until November 2023. Throughout these years, I kept auditioning and making trips to LA and had the honor of being a part of “Honey Girls,” the movie and “Monster High”. In 2023, I finally got signed to a dance agency in Vancouver and booked the series “Riverdale.” 

A new-found purpose entered my life when I produced and directed my first live show, “Rishon,” in June 2023. An idea I had and brought to fruition showed me a passion for directing and producing, and it is now part of my brand and creative escape. “rishon.2” was another success in January 2024, and currently, I am expanding on my endeavors as a dancer, choreographer and show producer. 

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?
No, and I’m happy it hasn’t. I’m a firm believer that the challenges I face are uniquely for me and uniquely shape my way in the world. Coming from a strong cultural background and being an immigrant, I’ve had to re-learn and constantly adapt to many habits and practices that are innately foreign to me, starting with learning the English language! Questions of identity and behavioral habits often rise in my journey, and I try to embrace them as I go and trust that everything that is meant for me will be, granted I work for it and have passion towards it. 

My starting point didn’t include access to quality and professional training until I had moved to Canada and settled in, which I viewed as an obstacle that I had to overcome and almost “bridge the gap” with the new community I moved to. Now, I can see the benefits of such an obstacle in my journey as I had to develop my work ethic and work hard to gather the skills. 

After that came the struggle for connections and knowledge about the professional industry, and many more challenges came afterward at every stage of building my artistry and my career. 

I believe the ‘struggle’ never really ends; it evolves and changes as we reach new heights and overcome old habits. At any stage I am in, there is something that challenges me forces me out of my comfort zone, and requires overcoming or growing, and I think it’s the beauty in all of it. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Coming from a multicultural environment, my dance background is similar. It is infused with athleticism, discipline, different dance styles and inspirations, and different experiences from different avenues of dance. From aerobics and physicality to dancing behind an artist, to live performances, to film and TV, and competitive dancing. All the different experiences in the arts, added with my life experience and my academics, make me the artist I am. I am most proud of “Rishon” art showcase, mostly because of the bravery and courage it took to follow through with an idea and taking the risk, and committing to developing it until the end! It has become a home for me and a home for the artists part of it as well as the audience and supporters through the first 2 shows of it. While producing the show, I’ve had to learn behind-the-scenes preparation and organization skills, as well as expand my thinking into lighting, video editing, positioning in the space, and much more. All the different areas and skills I’ve developed add to my thinking and abilities as an artist and ultimately to whatever role I take up in a space. 

What are your plans for the future?
I am currently working on the third edition of the “Rishon” art showcase and look forward to the risks I am taking with the expansion into the third show! Creatively, technically and artistically the idea and presentation of the show is developing and changing, and it scares me, and I’m excited to take on the challenge and rise to the occasion. I look forward to seeing how “rishon” continues expanding and to make mine and my friend’s wildest dream happen with it. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.karinabromberg.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karina.bromberg/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@karinabromberg

Image Credits
Eli Difiore
Albert Normandin