Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristian Faxola.
Cristian, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story begins in Brazil, high school to be exact. At 16 years old, I was watching a talent show, when I came across a group of B-Boys. Everything about what they were doing caught my attention, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to learn how to dance. Money was tight, so taking class at studios was hard to come by. I luckily achieved a scholarship at a ballet school, where I not only took technical classes, but I also helped clean the studios. During that time, I trained in their only hip hop class that they offered in their program. Within that 45 minute class was where I finally fell in love with dance, specifically hip hop, and I dedicated myself to the art form for five years.
Soon, I was good enough to get hired to perform, teach, and travel the world. One of my biggest accomplishments was co-choreographing for the opening of Biennale de la Dance de Lyon. This event led me to Mourad Merzouki, founder and director of the company Kafig, who hired me to dance on their world tour for eight years. Throughout my journey, I’ve always looked up to Marty Kudelka and his team. While on tour, I witnessed first-hand my passion of dance at its highest level. Watching the 20/20 Experience Show in Chicago was already a dream come true, but I knew in my heart that I had my own dreams to pursue. I moved to Los Angeles in 2014 shortly after.
I am currently a dancer in Los Angeles, signed with the talent agency Bloc LA since 2017. I’ve danced for artists like Jennifer Lopez, Fitz and the Trantrums, Gloria Trevi, and Taemin. I was also involved in other projects such as Trolls World Tour, and Grease VR, which is a featured advertisement in Las Vegas. I am still aspiring to achieve my goals as a choreographer and teacher. My relentless pursuit in mastering my craft one day is what keeps me pushing forward to be the best version of myself every single day.
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?
The road was far from smooth. My biggest obstacles I would say, were when I first started out, my major injury, and being able to support my family from afar in times of crisis. Obtaining a visa just to get into the United States was extremely difficult, and even when I achieved that, I remember only having as little as five dollars in my pocket when I finally was able to move to LA.
When I first moved to LA, it was tough to find a steady living space, I lived with one of my best friends, Danial Son, who was kind enough to offer a part of his home to me until I was able to handle my own living arrangements. It was also tough to make money. I could only make money through the entertainment business, so while I was auditioning to book jobs as a professional dancer, I had to find other sources of income, such as being an audience member for TV game shows.
My first and only injury, became one of my biggest obstacles of all. In 2017, I broke my femur while auditioning for a job. It took me a year and a half to recover physically, only being able to treat myself at home, because I couldn’t afford to go to a hospital. Mentally, it was even tougher because I lost confidence in some of my abilities for a long time. Slowly but surely, however, will win the race, and I am close to, if not, back to where I once was prior to my injury.
In 2018, I got a call from my mom one day before my birthday and she told me the bad news; My dad has tumor in his Brain and need surgery ASAP and I was in the middle of my visa process so I could not leave the USA. The surgery was a success. They removed the tumor, but unfortunately after a few months, complications started again. Without hesitation, I received help one of my Mentors and Friend Tony Bellissimo. With his help, I was able to return home for four, five months, spending time with family and making sure my dad was fine. I feared that I was giving up on my dreams and that I would never return to LA again, but once again, luck was on my side. I returned to LA and was able to resume my life here in the US, with the help of Danial Son and Erick Mijares, another great friend of mine.
C.F | Cristian Faxola – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As a dancer and choreographer I study all the dance styles and also, I had big influence from Brazilian dance and capoeira. I specialize in dance tricks; people definitely recognize me for my dance tricks and my fast agility to do flips and couple movements on the floor with great musicality and choreography. Definitely my energy is always something who set me a part of everyone, people always tell me how much energy I have. I believe that it is my love and passion speaking thru my movements when I perform.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Love, faith and believing. You got love what you do. Have faith and believe in yourself and never give up. If you didn’t get it what you want or if you still no reach your goal. Keep push and enjoy the journey.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cristianfaxola
- Facebook: Facebook.com/cristianfaxola
- Twitter: Twitter.com/cristianfaxola
- Other: youtube.com/cristianfaxola
Image Credit:
Mayra Duarte,Vince Trupsin
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