Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexandra Watkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alexandra, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

When I look back at the most amazing times in my life, it all began with the ability to take a risk. Taking a risk on myself, the opportunity…..walking in completely blind with nothing but faith in my heart. It’s all a part of achieving that big goal. That dream that seems so unattainable. It all starts with the choice to take a risk.

For me that meant letting go of every bit of comfort and security I had built to take a step toward my dream of dancing. It was terrifying and exciting all at once. Whatever it is your chasing in life (whether in your career of personal life) I believe the true reward will not come without a true “risk”.

Alexandra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Alexandra Watkins. Proudly Australian born Indonesian/Kiwi living in LA!

I’ve been a dancer since the age of 11 and began living my dream career in 2015. It’s been far from a breeze, but the joy of being on stage will forever trump the B.S. of the industry…even on the days I feel like it trumps me.

My first ever job as a professional dancer was on a tour called “Unbreakable” with Janet Jackson…..ABSOLUTELY INSANE! As you can imagine, I was absolutely over the moon. But at the time of booking the job I was blissfully unaware of the insane pressure I would put myself through. I often felt anxious and constantly compared myself to others. I allowed my thoughts to hold me back. And I did so for many years….Heck I still do it every now and then. But thankfully in my early years I was always blessed with an environment that allowed me to work through these struggles and grow.

Working with Janet was truly the greatest blessing in many ways. I’m yet to find another camp that brings me that amount of joy.

Since then I’ve worked with countless other celebrities ( Pharrell, Blackpink, Rihanna, Cardi B, Gwen Stefani, Diddy & Katy Perry to name a few) and bucket list events (Grammys, AMA’s, NYFW, Coachella, Super Bowl and many more). To me, the most liberating feeling is being on stage in front of a live audience. There’s really nothing quite like it.

In the past few years I’ve also endeavoured into building my own platform in social media. This has allowed me to tap into many other parts of my creativity and interests. I’ve learned so many skills as a professional dancer and have so much to share. Social media has been an amazing creative outlet for me. I hope to be able to build it more and share more of my experiences through my platform. My hope is to be able to collaborate more with brands that align with my journey as a dancer and beyond.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Although the opportunity has become more rare; one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artists is returning home to share my journey.

I grew up in a relatively small town in Australia, Canberra. Physically being so far away from the rest of the world (major entertainment hubs ie hollywood) can often be misinterpreted as our dreams being unattainable. I am so honored every time I have the opportunity to come home and share my journey. It’s really important for me to share my experiences every chance I get; the good and even more so the bad.

Dance is one of those deceptive occupations. often perceived as a glorified hobby. The hardships are easily overlooked, as is the attainability. Now as an experienced dancer, I think it’s important for my stories to be shared. For kids to know that they can achieve their dreams no matter where they’re from. If my story can encourage just one other person to chase their dreams I’ll be happy.

Seeing other people’s hard work come to fruition is one of my greatest joys in life. I love seeing people win!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Funny enough, the pivot I took in life was a vital step in building my career as a dancer!

Although dance was the ultimate goal, I did in fact give up on it for a hot second.

I moved from Canberra to Sydney at the age of 20 with hopes of starting a career as a dancer. It became aggressively apparent that I wasn’t prepared to truly dive into this industry very early into my move. One thing to know about the dance is that your success is heavily reliant on who you know. It’s also a complete lifestyle change, one in which you must invest alot of time and finances into. Not being financially prepared for this move was one of the biggest reality checks I’ve ever gotten.

I left for Sydney with a hope and a dream, but had never lived out of home before, which meant I had very little wisdom when it came to financial responsibilities. I persevered with a low income hospitality job for about a year, but I eventually just wanted more for myself.

This was my first “pivot” in my pursuit of becoming a dancer. I needed time to build up my financial security before I could go any further. I applied for a job at a major retail company that was opening a flagship store in the heart of Sydney. In ways it felt as though I was giving up, which in turn had me feeling defeated. But in other ways it opened up many doors and gave me the financial stability I truly needed.

I worked close to 3 years with this company, working my way up through the ranks from sales assistant to visual merchandiser. I loved every second of it and wouldn’t trade my experience there for any other.

Eventually my time in dance did come back around, but I know that that time in my life was something I had to experience. I carry many of the skills and relationships I gained there into my life today. It was a really beautiful “pivot” in the grand scheme of things.

Sometimes the dream has to take the backseat, but that’s not the same as giving up.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: _alexandrawatkins
• Other: Tik Tok: _alexandrawatkins

Image Credits
Billboard Cover: Miller Mobley