Aisha Francis

"WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN ME?"

"THANK YOU"

THANKS YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY PAGE AND THANK YOU FOR SHOWING YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT. PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR TAKING SO LONG TO REPLY TO ALL OF YOUR MESSAGES, BUT I GET LOTS OF MESSAGES DAILY, REGUARDING: HOW TO BECOME A DANCER, HOW TO GET AN AGENT, HOW TO TELL IF YOUR AGENT IS A GOOD AGENT, WHERE TO TAKE CLASSES, HOW MUCH MONEY A DANCER CAN MAKE, AND SO ON. PLEASE CHECK OUT MY BLOGS AT WWW.ANSWERS4DANCERS.COM FOR ALL OF THE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.

*HOW I GOT STARTED*

HI EVERYONE, MY NAME IS AISHA FRANCIS AND I HAVE BEEN PERFORMING SINCE I WAS 3 YEARS OLD. MY MOTHER, VICKI WAS MY VERY FIRST DANCE TEACHER AND I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I OWE EVERYTHING TO HER AND TO GOD. MY MOTHER MADE SURE THAT I HAD LESSONS 6HRS A NIGHT 7 DAYS A WEEK, CONSISTING OF MODERN, BALLET, JAZZ, HIP HOP,TAP, AND GYMANSTICS. I PERFORMED WITH BRE DANCE COMPANY OF RIVERSIDE CALIFORNIA, UNDER CLIFFORD BRELAND AND DENISE JI-ANTE FROM THE AGE OF 11 THRU 21. WITH THE HELP OF BRE DANCE COMPANY I WON MANY DANCE COMPETITIONS NATION WIDE, SCHOLARSHIPS FROM THE NATIONAL NAACP DANCE COMPETITIONS AND THE DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILLION SPOTLIGHT AWARDS. DANCE WAS MY ENTIRE LIFE SO I NEVER HAD TIME TO MAKE FRIENDS OUTSIDE OF THE DANCE COMPANY, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE OK BECAUSE I AM STILL IN CONTACT WITH THEM TODAY.

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL I DECIDED THAT I WANTED MORE. I WANTED TO TOUR THE WORLD. MY BIGGEST DREAM WAS TO BE AWORLD RENOUN PERFORMER. I WANTED TO DANCE, ACT AND SING ON EVERY STAGE IN THE WORLD. I WANTED TO KNOW THAT WHAT I DID MATTERED AND THAT I COULD TOUCH AND INSPIRE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.

MY MOTHER TOLD ME THAT A GREAT START WOULD BE DANCING AS A LOS ANGELES LAKER CHEERLEADER. WITH NO HESITATION I GOT UP ONE MORNING AND DROVE TO LOS ANGELES. I AUDITIONED AND INTERVIEWED, AND INTERVIEWED AND AUDITIONED FOR A WHOLE WEEK. I WAS PICKED TO BE ONE OF 20 LAKER CHEERLEADERS OUT OF ABOUT 1,000 PEOPLE THAT AUDITIOINED. I CHEERED DURING THE SECOND AND THIRD CHAMPIONSHIPS AND I WAS AWARDED TWO L.A LAKER CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS

NEXT, I WENT OUT AND GOT HEADSHOTS

AND AN AGENT TO SEND ME OUT ON AUDITION CALLS WHERE I STARTED TO WORK MORE. I BOOKED THE COUNTRY BEARS MOVIE ON MY SECOND DAY WITH THE AGENCY AND I WAS SO EXCITED BECAUSE I GOT TO WORK WITH MARGUERITTE DERRICKS. WITH EVERY JOB THAT I GOT I JUST WANTED TO KEEP DOING MORE. I TOURED WITH BET'S COMIC VIEW CALI CALIENTE AND STARTED TOURING WITH INTERNATIONAL RECORDING STAR SHAGGY. FROM THERE, I BOOKED A FEW MORE MOVIE GIGS AND WORLD TOURS WITH BEYONCE AND ONTO DESTINY'S CHILD AS THE DANCE CAPTAIN AND ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT I LUCKED OUT. I FEEL BLESSED EVERYDAY TO HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE UNDER MY BELT?

THROUGHOUT MY YEARS OF BEING IN THE INDUSTRY I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH ARTISTS LIKE PRINCE, BEYONCE KNOWLES, KELLY ROWLAND, DESTINY'S CHILD, USHER, JON SECADA, ASHLEY TISDALE, BETTE MIDLER, NELLY FURTADO,CHRIS BROWN, SHAGGY, STEVIE WONDER, LIL' RICHARD, EN VOGUE, TARKAN, TIMBERLAND, JAY Z, SEAN PAUL, GLADYS KNIGHT, SNOOP DOGG, CIARA, CHAMILIONAIRE, JEWEL, CHRISTINA MILAN, RIHANNA, SALT N' PEPA, AMERIE, VAL KILMER, ALFONSO RIBEIRO, AND MANY MORE.

*WHAT I HAVE LEARNED AS A DANCER*

IN WORKING WITH ARTISTS I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH MORE THEN WHAT THEY TEACH YOU TO PREPARE FOR IN SCHOOL. I LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE.

* I'VE LEARNED THAT ALL ARTISTS ARE PEOPLE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE

* YOU SHOULDN'T IDOLIZED ANYONE

* THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

* IF YOUR HEART IS NOT INTO YOUR WORK, YOU SHOULDN'T DO IT

* FRIENDS WILL COME AND GO

* PEOPLE WANT YOU TO WORK FOR FREE

* PEOPLE DO NOT ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOUR WORK

* PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE TO BIG TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE WRONG THEY'VE DONE

* PEOPLE BLESSED DON'T ALWAYS REALIZE IT

* IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP BUSINESS STRICTLY BUSINESS

* YOU CAN'T TRUST ANYONE

* ALWAYS KEEP GOOD HEARTED PEOPLE AROUND

* PROMISES ARE OFTEN BROKEN

* NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN

* JEALOUSIES COME FROM ANYONE

* BELIEVE HALF OF WHAT YOU SEE AND NOTHING THAT YOU HEAR

HOWEVER......

* KNOW THAT TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT

* KARMA IS A B****

* YOU MUST ENJOY LIFE

* ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

* BE GOOD TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS

* USE YOUR SMILE AND LAUGHTER TO BRIGHTEN THE DAYS OF OTHERS

* LOVE YOURSELF

* DEFINE, RESPECT AND LOVE THE BEAUTY IN EVERYONE

* NEVER TAKE LIFE FOR GRANTED

* ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGE THE BEAUTY IN DANCE

* MOST IMPORTANTLY, GOING THROUGH ALL THE BS IS WORTH IT TO LIVE THE LIFE OF DANCER

MY POINT IS THAT NO MATTER WHAT JOB YOU HAVE, WE WILL ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS AT THE END OF THE DAY. THIS MESSAGE WAS NOT TO DISCOURAGE YOU IN ANYWAY, BUT TO DRIVE YOU TO BE THE BEST AND TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. LIFE CAN BE TOUGH, BUT WITH EACH DAY WE CAN STRIVE TO MAKE IT BETTER.

DANCE TAKES TRAINING, DRIVE, PRESISTANCE AND A LOVE TO PERFORM.

IT WAS NEVER EASY, BUT WHAT IS?

YOU HAVE TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF ,NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE TELLS YOU. EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING SPECIAL WITHIN THEMSELVES. YOU MUST NEVER LOSE WHO YOU ARE, NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM AND NEVER TRY TO STOP ANYONE ELSES BLESSINGS BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN INSECURITIES AND JEALOUSIES.

FOR AGENT INFORMATION: CHECK OUT MY BLOGS

STAY AWAY FROM AGENTS THAT ASK FOR MONEY UP FRONT.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU. MAY YOUR BLESSING NEVER STOP. MAY YOU CONTINUE TO GROW INTO THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE. MAY YOU BLESS SOMEONE ELSE EVERYTIME YOU ARE BLESSED