Today we’d like to introduce you to Cailyn Rice.
Cailyn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born into a little hipster family in Portland, OR. My parents had my sister and me young, so they had to work exceptionally hard for us to have a good life. As a child, I had constant exposure to art and creativity, my parent’s friends owned Hand2Mouth Theatre, a local company, we knew musicians, painters, and directors. My Dad created short films and my Mom ran two underground rap radio shows.
I’ve always had a hand in multiple forms of art, I played piano for ten years, I was shooting and developing film in my basement, I knew how to sew, knit, and write music. I had taken some recreational dance classes in middle school but I never took it seriously. I stopped dancing and creating art in any form when I entered high school. I was attending St.Mary’s Academy, an all-girls, Catholic, college preparatory school, and due to the high volume of schoolwork, everything else became irrelevant. It wasn’t until Sophomore year that I met Kemba Shannon and Jennifer Hata-Livingston, I was 16 when they pushed me to start dancing again. I was taking intense curriculum courses during the day, training rigorously at night, and doing homework into the early hours of the morning. Senior year, I left St.Mary’s and transferred to Jefferson High School where I joined their renowned dance program and company.
I moved to Los Angeles just a few months after graduation, and have been living here for the last four years.
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 definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, from depression and anxiety to almost moving home, rejection from programs, agents, and auditions. Being a creative is rarely easy.
As a young person entering the industry, with little knowledge or experience, it was hard. I was on my own for the first time, trying to figure out who I was and then constantly being told who to be, how to market myself and what to do in order to be successful. Learning to take in what others had to say and then do what felt authentic to me is still one of the biggest struggles that I encounter.
Through experimenting and my own trial and error, I’ve learned to not question or judge the things that interest me and make me feel good. That goes for everything I do, from the current hairstyle I have, to what I want to create, and how I decide to train. I strive to be the most confident, self-aware, version of myself in everything that I do and create. It’s a fast-moving industry, jobs come and go. Staying the truest version of myself, and changing when it feels natural, that’s what keeps me optimistic, creative and grounded out here.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a professional dancer and creative.
I’m known for my quirky demeanor, that quickly transforms into a very dark alien vibe when I dance in my natural style. I like movement that has strong character work, I want to feel empowered when I dance, to show the contrast between strength and weakness, control and release, human and ethereal.
I have recently started to pick up the old skills and art forms that I practiced when I was younger. Using my experience in the industry, and knowledge of dance, film, and costume design to dive into creative direction. Creating visions and concepts that come together as a whole.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Training for two years and finally signing with my amazing agency Go 2 Talent, was a big moment for me. I’ll never forget booking my first job, teaching my first class, or choreographing my first piece. These were all huge milestones for me.
But I’m most proud of myself for making it this far. I’m 22 years old and have had so many amazing opportunities and met so many beautiful people. Like we talked about earlier, it hasn’t been easy. I’m just thankful that I get to make cool sh*t with cool people every day.
Contact Info:
- Address: Go 2 Talent Agency
2825 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505 - Website: https://cailynrr0119.wixsite.com/cailyn
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @cailyn_r
Image Credit:
Jordan Sotero, Alex Stoddard, Rob Woodcox, Nick Rasmussen
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
