Life & Work with Adriana Rodriguez of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriana Rodriguez

Adriana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started when I was 6 years old living in a small town in Massachusetts. My parents signed me up for cheerleading to keep me active. I loved competing on the mat, in front of the judges, however I hated football games and cheering on the sidelines, especially in the cold weather. I had a lot of friends and family who danced and one day was invited to a “bring a friend day” at the studio and instantly fell in love. My parents signed me up for dance classes at Miss Tanya’s School of Dance, where I continued my dance education both recreationally and competitively. Dance was not just an after school activity, but also a second home to me where I completely forget about all problems in life. My friends at the studio and my teachers including Tanya Robichaud, Brittany Johnson, Brianna Sandrelli, and Kiera Letts became a family to me and inspired me to want to pursue a career in dance. Unfortunately, after the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, my senior year got cut short and changed all my post graduation plans. As I was worried for the world and did not know when the pandemic would end, I became too scared to pursue my dreams and went to college for a double major in psychology and biology instead, hoping to become a psychiatrist or counselor. While going to school, I worked part time at day cares, teaching at dance studios, and participated in my school’s dance team where we competed regionally and at UDA nationals. At the end of my sophomore year, while covid restrictions finally began to slowly go away, I went through a really tough breakup and decided to lift my spirits with a solo trip to LA for the summer. I had always wanted to go to LA since I was a kid, so I finally decided to go for myself. While in LA, I got an airbnb near Melrose and took every single class at Playground LA for a week. I took Beginner-Advanced classes in all styles and was dancing all day. At the end of the week, I was buying merchandise and talked to Molly Korman who had mentioned that they were looking for interns at the studio. As somebody who had watched Playground videos on YouTube and Instagram for years, this made me ecstatic. Molly introduced me to Elle Ryder, the hiring manager at the time, now a ballroom teacher, and we spoke about a possible opportunity at the studio. However, I was so upset that I could not take the internship as I was not living in LA. After going back home, I did a lot of self reflection and felt as if I was not growing anymore in my hometown and wanted more from life. After being asked if I would want to intern at Playground, I thought that might be a sign to make a change in my life. I came up with a one year plan which included me working three jobs and taking 6 classes a semester to finish my degree early. I was determined to save up all my money and make the move across the country to fulfill my dreams. A year later, I packed up all of my stuff and moved to LA on my own and became an intern at Playground LA and The Debbie Allen Dance Academy. Since moving to LA, in the past year I have also booked other gigs utilizing my other talents such as acting, improv, painting, basketball, soccer, yoga, instrument playing, swimming, photography, etc. While still training everyday and teaching at “Go Offf” Studios, I hope to be a well known teacher/choreographer, and ultimately direct music videos.

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?
Being a dance, especially in LA living on my own, has definitely not been easy. I would be lying if I said I haven’t struggled emotionally, physically, and even financially. One of the biggest struggles has been being away from my friends and family especially during holidays and birthdays. However I am very grateful for my friends and co workers at Playground LA for becoming a second family to me.

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?
As a dancer/choreographer I train in various styles such as hip hop, ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, jazz funk, ballroom, lyrical, and even cheer/pom. However as a choreographer, I am well known for contemporary and jazz. I am most proud of my dancers at Premier Dance Academy for taking my choreography to continuously place top 5 overall and even winning choreography/special judges awards at competitions.

Contact Info:

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