Interview: Izzy Pereira On Navigating the Industry as an International Dancer

Izzy Pereira is a professional dancer currently based in New York City, originally from Toronto, Canada. Izzy recently graduated from Pace University with a BFA in commercial dance. Professionally, Izzy has been in a national commercial for Snapchat, was in a short film with NYC’s Wolf and Swan Company and most recently she was the rehearsal director and the assistant to choreographer KingChris for pop artist Tash Blake’s European tour.

Izzy had the opportunity to be in the Broadway Votes PSA directed by Kenny Ortega, danced in the music video ‘SHE’ by the Canadian artist Sayana and was a lead dancer in ‘Whole New World’ a full length contemporary production at the Winchester Theatre in Toronto. Since graduating, Izzy has joined the faculty at Downtown Dance Factory in NYC.

Izzy has also been an assistant to some of New York’s most notable educators and choreographers including Al Balckstone, Eric Delgado, Nijawwon Matthews, Jess Hendricks and Ginger Cox. Izzy also worked closely with Emmy award winning Tyce Diorio to create her senior solo piece. Other work Izzy has done includes being part of Andy Blakenbueler’s skeleton crew for The Nine on Broadway, completed a summer internship with Black McGrath’s online dance mentorship program and is on faculty at Terpsichore Dance. Celebration (an all Canadian dance competition).

Izzy was also selected as an emerging young choreographer and had her work showcased at The Young Choreographer’s Festival in 2024. Izzy has performed multiple times for various live shows including Choreographer’s Carnival LA/NYC , Sybarite, NYCDA’s Destiny Rising, Young Choreographer’s Festival NYC and Solar Fusion showcase in Toronto.

How did your journey with dance and performance begin in Canada?

I started dancing at the age of two and competed in my first dance competition at the age of five. I fell in love with dance from the very start and quite literally haven’t stopped dancing ever since. I attended an extremely high caliber competitive dance studio at eight years old until I graduated from high school. I also attended a specialized arts program in elementary school and went to a performing arts high school where I concentrated in dance. I spent over 20 hours a week in the studio training in all different genres of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, acro, contemporary, hip hop and musical theatre. I attended four to six regional competitions with my competitive studio each year and one national competition event at the end of every year.

While I trained at a Canadian studio, most of the competitions we attended were in the United States, which allowed me to travel a lot from a young age. I competed and performed more than 12 routines at each competition, including 2 solos pieces. Some awards I received include; The One Shot Senior Solo Champion 2020, Terpsichore Dance Celebration Senior Soloist Winner 2020, 7th overall senior soloist at The Dance Awards Nationals 2019, winning Studio of the Year with my dance studio at The Dance Awards in 2018, 2nd overall senior solo at 24 Seven Dance Pittsburgh, named the Face of Fever Dance Championships 2019 and many scholarships wins from Jump, Nuvo, and 24 Seven Dance Convention. On top of my competitive dance performances, I performed multiple times a year with my high school Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts. There is nothing I love more than being on stage and performing, no matter where.

Shortly upon graduating high school, I broke into the professional industry in great ways in Canada. I was a lead dancer in Tyler Hutching’s Whole New World, a full length contemporary production performed at the Winchester Street Theatre in Toronto. My strong technical foundation, uniquely versatile ability, and athleticism are qualities that made me a leading dancer to this production. I was one of twelve dancers cast in this production, and was hand picked to be featured in the duet piece. This was one of my first professional contracts I had received and it felt extra special to perform in Toronto, in the heart of the community that built me up to what I am. I have since been a part of multiple professional projects in Canada that have each further contributed to my expertise and experience as a professional dancer. I continue to be a part of Canadian productions and events and find so much joy in celebrating the talent of my hometown even since moving to NYC. Most recently, I performed in the Solar Fusion showcase at the Isabel Bader theatre in Toronto in August 2024. I was personally selected to be in pieces choreographed by Josh Lamb and Michael Prince at this event.

Were you the only international student in your graduating class at Pace University in New York City?

Yes! I was the only international student in my program's entire graduating class. Prior to attending the school, I knew the commercial dance program at Pace was extremely competitive with a less than 10% acceptance rate. When I started as a freshmen, I was actually the only Canadian in the entire program. I had known of a couple Canadian alumni, but they had graduated well before I began school. Saying this, I continued to make a big impact on the program with my unique talent. My distinct professionalism and ability made me standout, and I was selected to be a dance captain a total of 4 times during my time at the school. Most students only have the opportunity to be a dance captain once and sometimes not at all, yet I was entrusted with this role 4 separate times and across 4 different productions. Dance Captains carry an extremely important role as they become in charge of all dancers when the choreographer is not present and they assist the choreographer throughout the entire process. They become the choreographer’s go to dancer and our expertise is used to ensure that the piece is stage ready and all parts of the dance are well prepared for performance. I have made an incredible relationship with each choreographer I was a dance captain to and I have continued to grow these relationships in the professional world outside of Pace. My versatile and intense training growing up also allowed me to be a part of a piece in every single genre during my time at the school. From tap, to hip hop, to contemporary, to theatre, to jazz, to ballet, my talent was utilized to its fullest capacity. I graduated Summa Cum Laude at the very top of my programs class with a GPA of 3.97/4.00.

How did you begin to navigate the professional world of dance in New York City upon graduation?

Upon graduating from Pace University, I had an extremely open mind set entering the professional world. I set out to take advantage of every single opportunity I was given no matter how small or big scale. While this industry comes with emotionally navigating so many highs and lows, I’ve achieved dream career goals of mine that I am so grateful for. I joined the faculty at Downtown Dance Factory right after graduating from Pace. Working as a dance instructor here, I have been given the opportunity to do a job in a field that I am passionate about. My heavy teaching hours have helped me to navigate creating my own schedule. I personally find it super beneficial to have stable weekly teaching hours I can hold onto, while pursuing freelance work that has a totally fluid and ever changing calendar. Saying that, my job also gives me the flexibility to continue to pursue my performance dreams on my off time. Living in NYC, there are always auditions happening and any audition that I am available for I will attend. I make great use of social media and the internet to find any hidden auditions or performance opportunities. It has become a part of my routine to check daily for upcoming auditions, online submissions and performance events. I have also remained open to any and all parts of this industry. While some dancers prefer to specialize in specific parts of the industry i.e. commercial dance, theatre work, company contracts, I will never limit myself on what I go after. I have the ability to pursue all roots, so I strive for that and have thus had opportunities across all parts of the industry. This mindset is what has opened so many doors for me and has brought me so many valuable connections. I have also been constantly absorbing knowledge from all the people I work with across all different projects. I have had many opportunities to assist choreographers on projects, and it’s here where I have gained so much insight into what goes into the other side of the industry. I have learned what draws choreographers to certain dancers, why certain casting decisions are made, all the moving parts that come together to make a cohesive creative vision and so much more. I have used this insight to navigate how I approach auditioning and seeking out freelance opportunities. Being a genuine human beyond dancing ability, having consistent positive energy, being reliable, adapting to the needs of the project at hand, and keeping a humble attitude are all attributes that I lead forward with.

Have you faced challenges in the industry?

One thousand percent yes. Being in an industry where it is impossible to control the outcome of our efforts, I continuously have to be my own source of motivation to keep going. Choosing to chase my goals and dreams is a choice to make everyday, and at times it proves to be very hard to show up but that's when showing up matters most. It builds resilience, character and supports my strong ethic. Dealing with rejection is a battle that each dancer faces. Learning how to not take each rejection personally and to use it as a source of redirection takes great strength, maturity and self confidence.

What are some professional highlights you’ve experienced since entering the industry?

Being on set to dance for a music video has been a major highlight for me. I was cast to be a dancer in the music video She by Sayana through Canadian choreographer Melissa Mitro. I have always dreamed of being in a music video, so this was an incredible experience. It was a very long shoot day, being on set for over 8 hours yet I enjoyed every second of it. My work ethic and positive energy through the rehearsal process also led to me having a special role in the music video where just 3 of us dancers were featured for a more intimate emotional section. I adored working with the choreographer and dancing on camera. This taught me how to remain consistent in performance weather on hour 1 or hour 7 of a shoot. What I believe has been the greatest highlight of my career thus far has been working as the rehearsal director and dance assistant for pop artist Tash Blake’s international tour in Europe. Working with artists has always been what I dream of most, so hitting this milestone was so incredible and artistically fulfilling. It has also always been one of my biggest dreams to work with artists so this felt so fulfilling to me artistically. I got to work closely with choreographer KingChris and artist Tash Blake in all rehearsals leading up to the tour, even prior to the dancers attending rehearsals. My role here entailed rehearsing with KingChris while he choreographed new dance routines for the tour, demonstrating the choreography to the dancers, facilitating all rehearsals, cleaning/perfecting each dance routine, communication with the entire cast and creative team and more. My expertise and talent were essential to the making of the tour and the rehearsal process with the cast and team was extremely fulfilling.Another big highlight for me was being a dancer in a short film. I was selected to be a dancer in a short film with the award winning NYC contemporary company Wolf and Swan Company. This short film is currently in post production and I am eager to see the final product. We filmed this at an abandoned mansion in upstate New York over the course of 3 shoot days. Being one of twelve dancers in this cast, I worked closely with choreographer Wilma Casal. Wilma’s company has won many awards and has been recognized across multiple film festivals. The entire film is a dance movie, where the cast communicates through movement and artistry. I absolutely loved diving into the contemporary world and dancing on camera in creating a dance movie in NYC. Other highlights of my career include being involved in the Broadway Votes PSA directed by the one and only Kenny Ortega. Very recently I also had the incredible opportunity to assist Al Blackstone at Steps on Broadway for his February Spotlight class. Also, working one on one with Emmy Award Winning Tyce Diorio to create my senior solo piece that I performed live in NYC and in Toronto. Being in a national commercial with Snapchat and also being part of the skeleton crew for the Nine on Broadway with Tony Award winning Andy Blankenbueler.

What are you most excited for upcoming?

I am currently most excited to be performing at Sony Hall this month for Leg Up on Life benefiting the Trevor Project. This event aims to promote inclusivity in the industry, specifically supporting the LGBTQI+ and BIPOC communities. Each artist involved donates their time and all ticket profits go towards donations. It is an incredible community event and I am so excited for the opportunity to perform for such an amazing cause. The other project I am excited for is coming up at the end of the month. A mentor of mine, Nijawwon Matthews, who was also my professor at Pace, asked me to assist him as he sets a new piece for the upcoming Pace show. I absolutely love working with Nijawwon and am excited for the opportunity to be back at Pace and share my expertise and artistry with the current program dancers. The show will hit the Stage in April!

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