Tawnya Kuzia - Opportunities Don’t Seem to Be "Given" in the Dance World. They Are Pursued and Earned (Dancer/ Choreographer)

Choreographer, Teacher & Artistic Director

Instagram - @tawnyakuzia

1. Tell us more about your background and journey. 

My dance journey began when I was 2.5 years old. My mom sent me to a local studio, Sheri's Born To Dance, because she said I couldn't stop dancing around the house. Little did we know that local studio would have such a huge impact on my life and would later be the studio I now own today renamed Nor Cal Dance Arts. 

I danced competitively up until the age of 14 when I joined my HS dance company. I loved performing without the anxiety of competing. During this time I would also train independently in my room and explore my own movement and technique. I graduated HS and went to San Jose State University where I was originally a Psychology major. 

At the time I didn’t think my dream of working in the dance world was possible so I decided to put that desire away for a while. However, I couldn’t escape that burning desire to dance and create and in my 3rd year of College I switched majors to Dance. My parents supported me even though they were unsure where this career choice would lead me. 

I hustled for 2 years completing all my courses. After graduation I moved to LA with my fiancé Jason Kuzia (who was working in LA doing film at the time), to assist the Director and faculty at the prestigious Edge Performing Arts Centre in LA. 

I trained with professionally and began auditioning for agents as a professional dancer. A year after my move to LA I got the call from Miss Sheri to own Sheri’s Born To Dance. I was only 22 years old at the time and was not quite sure I was ready to let my dream of being a professional dancer go. 

However something in my heart was telling me I’d rather be teaching and choreographing and I always knew owning a studio was my ultimate goal. My fiancé and I decided to take the leap and in June of 2006 we got married and bought a studio the same week! 

Since then we have grown the studio and built a new larger facility to accommodate our students who travel from all across the Bay Area and beyond. Our dancers have become very successful and have moved onto prestigious dance universities, companies, and professional careers. 

During the early years of owning the studio I missed performing so I joined a dance company in San Francisco. I would commute an hour both ways after my teaching night just so I could dance myself. I later started my own professional dance company RUGGED Dance after being selected as a Capezio ACE (Award for Choreographic Excellence) Awards Finalist in NY in 2009. 

RUGGED performed throughout the Bay Area and Hollywood for 2 years until I became pregnant with my first baby Zara. I stopped RUGGED and decided to focus on family and my young dancers at the studio. It was also about this time that I was asked to start teaching at my first convention KAR Dance Convention. 

I travelled across the country teaching on some weekends to young dancers in huge ballrooms. Super appreciative to have that opportunity to gain experience and credibility. In 2014 I gave birth to my son Rocco while my dancers were in Vegas competing at Nationals. 

When back at the studio I started entering my dancers into choreography competitions and they quickly got notice after winning the Kids Carnival Ball in Hollywood with my piece Carry Me Home. The piece was close to my heart as it was about the recent loss of my Mother In Law Linda Kuzia. And that same summer I was a winner at the Capezio ACE Awards in NY with my piece A Quiet Darkness. 

Shortly after I got the call to audition my dancers and choreography for a new NBC television series, World of Dance, produced by J Lo. We were ecstatic and began preparing. We got the audition and headed to LA to film. The experience was eye opening and humbling but overall incredible! 

I had received such great feedback after the show that my work and dancers were inspiring young girls. We were invited to present our pieces from the show at the LIVE Justice Awards, World of Dance Live, and the WOD Tour. I then began judging for competitions across the country and really started to enjoy seeing and being inspired by talented young artists from everywhere. 

Every season since then I had been asked to audition an act for World of Dance the television show, and I made it back on as a choreographer for season 3 and 4 of the show! Each season got easier as I started to learn the ins and outs and trust myself and the process more. 

I feel blessed to share these incredible opportunities with my dancers and I'm truly grateful to my casting director and Nappytabs for their trust and guidance each season. 

Somewhere in the middle of all that I found time to choreograph for stage shows, award shows, and music/concept videos. The feeling of wanting to create is always in me, and I’m always excited for new opportunities and experiences.

2. When did you first decide you wanted to pursue dance and how did you start?

I’ve always known I wanted to pursue dance as a career. But I made the official decision during my second year of College.

3. Who is your favourite dancer and why? 

I don’t have an all time favourite dancer or choreographer. I enjoy so many artists for their own magic, it’s difficult to pin point just one.

4. Can you throw some light on opportunities one gets as a dancer? 

Opportunities don’t seem to be "given" in the dance world. They are pursued and earned. With so many talented artists out there, you have to be confident and diligent enough to go after those opportunities. Seek them out and be persistent. Know who you are and believe in your voice. Silence the doubts and trust yourself.

5. Is format training required or can one train themselves purely on the basis of talent? 

Formal dance training is not required to become a professional dancer or choreographer, however it surely helps significantly. In reference to choreography I sometimes find that the least amount of training can create the purest voice as a choreographer. 

However, formal training and exposure to other artists can also create a unique sense of movement seeded in roots of experience and expertise. When seeking a career as a professional dancer it helps greatly to have formal training as your ability to pick up choreography, execute technique/skills and overall movement is usually more polished.

6. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring artists? 

Something that’s always coming up with my own students is self doubt. I do my best to remind them that there's room for everyone to be talented and that one persons greatness does not diminish your own. Be friendly and supportive to everyone. The dance world is large but feels small at the same time. Being respectful and kind is always the best choice.

- Interviewed by - Pratika Dahal