Have you ever ever had the urge to whip out a flip sequence in a grocery retailer? Or leap by means of an empty cereal aisle with abandon? 20-year-old Natalie Sterling feels that approach too. A Dealer Joe’s staff member, she’s constructed a social media following based mostly on footage of her dancing at work (after hours, in fact).
Possibly you’ve seen her energetic, high-jumping rendition of Depraved’s “Dancing Via Life” choreography or her impressively clear 32 fouettés completed fully in sneakers. She’s a part of a brand new technology of dancers who, whereas nonetheless attending numerous auditions and honoring the standard route, have determined to make use of social media as a device in making a reputation for themselves.
Dance Spirit caught up with Sterling to speak about her audition life, dream roles, and her favourite TJ’s snacks.
Coaching and Dance Life
Born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, Sterling carried out in childhood theater productions earlier than beginning competitors dance, which she participated in all through her teen years. She’s educated in a large number of types, together with ballet, Latin ballroom, and hip hop. Since August 2024, she’s been pursuing dance full-time in NYC. Sterling spends her mornings auditioning and her afternoons taking class, particularly in theater jazz. She didn’t be taught this model rising up, so she’s thrown herself into it in New York. “It’s been a enjoyable problem,” she says.
Twirling at Dealer Joe’s
So what impressed Sterling to begin dancing at work? “These aisles are so huge, and there’s all the time music enjoying!” she says, including that she posted her first video only for enjoyable. “I used to be like, ‘You’re telling me nobody’s ever completed this?’ Properly, I’m gonna do it, then!”
Right here’s the way it works: Sterling is a more in-depth, and he or she dances as soon as all clients have left the shop. Her co-worker and shut buddy Emily movies all of her movies. “She is aware of all of the angles. She’s obtained all the information and tips. I genuinely wouldn’t have been as profitable if it wasn’t for her.” All of her co-workers are supportive of her movies, and plenty of of them are aspiring artists within the theater and movie worlds themselves. “It’s good as a result of you have got these folks to lean on […], that neighborhood you could relate to in what you’re working in direction of and your precise work.”
On the Dance-fluencer Way of life
“I didn’t count on so many individuals to love it a lot […] It’s been actually cool to see how many individuals may be supportive.” In a remarkably unfavourable period of the web, Sterling has managed to domesticate an viewers who yearns to see her succeed. One scroll of her remark part reveals followers who firmly consider she’ll make it to Broadway—and when she does, they are saying they’ll be within the viewers. For dancers who need to develop on social media, Sterling recommends discovering a distinct segment that displays your life as it’s—type of like dancing at your place of job. “You don’t must make up part of your self to do it. For those who’re doing what you like, that interprets by means of a display […] Individuals received’t be capable to assist loving it too.”
Broadway Goals
Sterling’s dance objectives for the long run are different—she’s simply getting began, so TV, movie, Broadway, and business alternatives are all on the desk. However for her, the best achievement could be to bop on Broadway. “That’s the massive dream, and that’s what I need to do.”
Her Snack Suggestions
We simply needed to ask. What’s Sterling’s favourite meals to eat from Dealer Joe’s? That’s a troublesome query, she says. “After I’m working, I’m actually all the time snacking.” She narrowed it down to 2 objects: the Dinner Rolls and the Maple Leaf Cookies.
