Meet Alisha Tallarico

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisha Tallarico.

Alisha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Vancouver, Canada and my parents put me in dance when I was 5 years old! I have danced ever since! I grew up dancing competitively in all styles including jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, modern and hip hop. I never liked ballet but loved contemporary and hip hop! The funny thing is … I was an underdog. I never did well in my solos but was always one of the most passionate! The technique never came easy like it did to others but I wanted it way more! When I was 15 I started taking heels classes and eventually joined a heels crew that I was apart of for almost 5 years! It was definitely hard to start off with but I grew a lot and improved along the way. We were called the Stilettoettes and performed dance numbers at clubs and events around the city! I was absolutely in love with dancing in heels! I had found my niche!

When I was 18, I knew I wanted to move to LA to pursue dance as a career. I went for two weeks and took a dance camp and instantly knew I never wanted to leave… the one thing stopping me was that I am a Canadian. You need a visa to be able to live and work in the US, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it is extremely difficult to attain one. So over time, I came back and forth to LA taking mini trips to take dance classes and train, getting a feel for it while working on my visa process back home in Vancouver. When I was 22 I submitted and got my visa! When I got to LA I decided to try out for my first model casting.. and booked it! I had never really wanted to model before but it started appealing to me. So I went to a few more castings and booked a few more runway shows! My visa is for modeling and dancing which was very lucky that I could pursue both passions in the US.

But the type of visa I have only allowed me to work in those fields so I can’t get a regular job which makes it hard to pay rent when you can only count on a modeling or dance job to come along. I’ve been here for a year and a half now and I’m still going! I’ve done more modeling then I could have imagined including LA Fashion Week 4x, NY Fashion Week twice, and am heading to Miami in July for Swim Week! It’s definitely something I want to keep pursuing. As for dance, I got lucky enough to end up working for my idol Robin Antin who created the Pussycat Dolls. I have dreamt of being a PCD since I was 12, learnt every dance from their music videos, watched every episode of the shows and been to their concert. I first met Robin when I took the class at her (at the time) brand new studio Playground LA.

She was just watching the class and I ended up telling her I liked her jacket because I had to find a way to talk to her! She said thank you, we introduced ourselves and she was super nice… we laugh about it now! I ended up interning at the studio and then became her assistant, then became an employee at Playground and worked alongside her very closely for a year and a half. We became very close and have had many fun adventures together traveling for dance jobs to Toronto, and Vegas creating dance shows and teaching workshops. Eventually, it became too much work to balance while trying to book other dance and modeling jobs so I don’t work at the studio anymore or for her personally but we remain close!

Now I am auditioning for dance, going to modeling castings and seeing what my future holds! I’ve definitely accomplished more then I thought but still have many more things I want to achieve! The goals keep getting bigger!

Great, 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 has been the farthest from a smooth road. Like I mentioned, I wasn’t that strong of a dancer when I was young, I wasn’t flexible, it didn’t come easy like the other students, I had some terrible dance teachers that made me want to quit but I kept going. The work visa for the US was another expensive and difficult struggle but I’m so grateful to have it now, although next year I will have to go through the same process all over again, I am trying for a green card which is more expensive and harder to attain. But I have hope!

A big downfall for me in dance has been my height. There are rarely auditions for my height as I am 5’10. Most artists are on the shorter side so they call for short dancers. Almost every time I walk into a class or audition I am the tallest girl in the room! It makes me uncomfortable sometimes but I try to own it!

I’ve crossed a lot of un-genuine people in this career path, had more people then I can count, let me down, had injuries get in the way, and expenses keep me from doing certain things I want to achieve, been told no in countless auditions but it really does make you stronger and want it even more than people who are handed everything so easily. So I guess it’s a blessing in disguise!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
In my dance career, I definitely feel I excel in hip-hop and heels style of dance more than the technical side but I do still love contemporary dance and try to take a class in it when I can in case I ever need it for an audition!

I’m most proud of my ability to dance in heels with confidence. I think having extensive training in heels, and learning the PROPER way to dance in heels since I was 15, (walking back and forth across the dance floor more times then I can count, til my feet lost feeling) gives me a head up when auditions and classes call for heels as I feel comfortable in them and strong in that style.

There are so many amazing dancers that don’t train in heels and then worry when an audition calls for them. Sometimes I’ll even take a hip-hop class or a hip-hop audition in heels just to challenge myself because you can always be better and I use it as a tool to stand out!

When it comes to modeling, I feel like my strong suit is my runway walk. I’m usually not the skinniest girl in the room because I have muscle from dancing my whole life but I book shows sometimes over other girls just because the designer wants a strong walk. But I’m always working on it and trying to improve so I can keep booking those runway jobs as I enjoy runway more than being in front of the camera.

I think in general, what sets me apart from others is how badly I want to succeed. There are better dancers and better models than me but they don’t want it as bad sometimes and it shows! If I want something I make it happen, I figure out the money I need or how to get myself somewhere I need to be, whatever it takes. I think people can see my genuine passion for what I do. 🙂

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Does 12 count as childhood?? Hah, My favorite memories were when I would watch all the Pussycat Doll videos and teach myself all the moves in my basement and always make my friends do it with me even if they had no desire to! If you were at my house, we were watching Search for the Next Doll and learning dances haha!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ca.maximcovergirl.com/2018/alisha-tallarico
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @alishatallarico

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