Meet Marissa Neola

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Neola.

Marissa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started dancing at the age of five. From then, I knew I wanted to pursue a professional career in dance and I haven’t stopped since. I moved to Georgia at the age of ten and started on Carla’s Dance Factory’s competition team. Instantly loving the studio, I continued to train with them until I graduated.

In just my senior year, I was awarded 1st at Groove Dance Competition, Miss Fusion Atlanta, Miss League of Champions, Miss Revolution Atlanta, and hold National Champion for Groove Dance Competition. I started teaching as an assistant under Erica Keating at the age of 11. At the age of 14, I began training under Cherrise Wakeham. I soon became apart of the assistant program “Project Future Dancer” for Cherrise Wakeham’s Contemporary Dance Company “Project 7” and performed in their final show “There Will be Time” in 2017. Alongside Project 7, I was apart of Rachel Truitt’s Dance Company “Gotta Dance Contemporary” as an Understudy Company Member.

I performed in two shows for GDC; Kairos and Courageous Human Interactions. I started performing commercially at the age of 15. Since then, I have had the wonderful opportunities to perform at venues such as the Mercedez Benz Stadium, Downtown Disney, Coca Cola Roxy Theatre, The Battery, Passion City Church, and Phillips Arena. I have made appearances on TV shows such as Insatiable, Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, American Soul, Legacies, and Dance Moms. In the summer of 2019, I worked on Christmas On The Square, a movie directed and produced by Debbie Allen and Dolly Parton. I has done multiple music videos such as “Get Free” with Journey Bee and “ Change” with Great Good Fine Ok.

At the age of 16, I joined a dance crew called “ The Fleet” directed under Melia Barnes and Sammy Nelms. In the summer of 2017, I also had the amazing opportunity to attend AMDA College and Conservatory’s two week High School Program in LA where I was able to work with multiple names in the LA industry. At the age of 17, I signed with 411 South Talent Agency to continue pursuing a career in professional dance. I was also a member of Anthony Burrell Center for Dance as an AB Project member training directly under Anthony Burrell. Currently, I am a teacher at Carla’s Dance Factory where I get to choreograph and train the most amazing students. Everyday brings new opportunity; I’m so excited to see what else the future holds!

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?
Being a professional dancer, there are constant struggles along the way. I feel like every dancer has experienced that little bump in the road where you have to choose rehearsal over a birthday party, or a performance over getting to hang out with your friends. I know I missed out on a whole bunch of social events due to dance. However, those are just minor situations; normal dancer things. For me, my bigger bumps in the road are internal such as confidence and body image. I myself, like most dancers, struggled with body image issues. There is always that dancer next to you in an audition who has better abs, skinnier legs, a bigger butt, or a prettier face. As humans, we always want what we can’t have, so staying strong and believing you are made a certain way for a reason can be harder at times.

Now that I’m older and more open-minded, I’m very thankful to have the body I have. It supports me, moves me, sets me apart in many situations, and it was specially made just for me. Confidence truly does play a huge role in your career. Especially as an entertainer. I know that when I feel less confident, I don’t perform as well as I could in any setting. It’s an internal struggle everyone deals with, and it is harder to maintain. Confidence truly is 50% of the job. An external struggle I dealt with was when I tore a ligament in my left ankle. There are three ligaments that connect your foot to your ankle. I tore the main one that helps a dancer go on releve. Releve means to lift, and I physically could not lift myself. I decided not to listen to my body and keep dancing through my last competition season.

Eventually, I ended up in a boot for 6-8 weeks and couldn’t dance. It was probably one of the most aggravating times I’ve ever had to go through. I had to sit during rehearsal and watch, I couldn’t train at all, and I couldn’t go audition. I also went to Europe for 12 days and had to walk around all of it with a giant boot on; the pictures are hilarious by the way. It is something I still struggle with today because I didn’t want to get the surgery. If I had gotten the surgery, I probably wouldn’t be dancing anymore. I am now much more aware of my body and I listen to it, so I know how to pace myself. Always listen to your body kids.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
So as a professional dancer, I spend 99% of my time dancing, duh. I train mostly every night, and on my off nights I work; teach and choreograph. I am known for my red hair and my super flexible back. People literally ask me all the time 1) if my hair is natural 2) if I’m missing vertebrae. I’m here to set the record straight that yes my hair is natural, and no I’m not missing any vertebrae; my spine is normal. Some things I’m proud of include getting to do a movie with Debbie Allen and getting to do Super Bowl 53. However, what I am most proud of is that life has given me a path that allows me to create everyday. I couldn’t imagine being in school right now honestly. If I had decided to go to college, I know my life would be completely different.

I think what sets me apart from most dancers is my versatility. I am very capable in styles from pointe to afro-beats. I am so thankful my mom allowed me to do everything as a kid because I am able to walk into any audition and confidently perform. My main goal throughout this process is to inspire others. I think that’s why I love teaching. Watching my students grow in strength, confidence, and passion is the most satisfying thing for me. I truly value the time I get to spend giving others the skills and knowledge to be the best they can be. Think about it, if your students aren’t inspired or motivated to be in your class, then are you really doing your job as a teacher? Seeing others be inspired by me and my words, inspires me to go out and keep learning so I can pass the information back on to them.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
This childhood memory has stuck with me for six years now. I remember I was in a solo rehearsal and I had had the longest, and I guess a really tough day because I was already super emotional walking into this rehearsal. I was running through my solo and I was just not on my game at all. I was getting so frustrated and my confidence was lowering. I remember feeling like I wasn’t good enough and that all my hard work was for nothing. I was always super hard on myself and quite the perfectionist as a kid, if you can’t tell. I took dance so seriously. I took myself so seriously. I took my career/future so super seriously.

In that moment, I was extremely frustrated and 100% over it. My teacher at the time, Erica Keating, stopped the music and sat me down. Erica is the longest mentor I’ve ever had. She was the first person I auditioned for when I moved to Georgia. She knows I’m very hard on myself. Let’s just say, we are very thankful for Mrs. Erica. When she sat me down she told me that it was okay to cry if I needed to. She told me that it was totally normal, that dance was supposed to be a vulnerable art, and that it was supposed to be used to express emotion, not be a robot. Trust me, I had a good cry in that rehearsal. Then I got back up and danced. Imagine a 12 years old crying while doing a sassy jazz piece. Whenever I feel stressed for an audition, or really any situation, I think back and remember to release. I’ve always been a performer and maybe a little bit dramatic, but being able to trust myself and my abilities took some time and guidance. But just a heads up, everything feels better when you release and just breathe through it.