We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vanity Zo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vanity below.

Vanity, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was introduced to the arts and industry through my parents and their colleagues. They came from the Broadway and music world . My mom being a dancer/choreographer and father a recording artist /actor/songwriter I never knew a world without art. I began ballet & tap combo classes at the age of 1 1/2 & by the time I was 10 my mother started sending me away to dance sleep away camps for the summer out of state. Since the arts have always consumed my life and my parents also did it for a living it was never ever a question for me. It’s always felt right , never forced. I booked my first acting role in the musical “Porky and Bess” at 6 and my first worldwide commercial at 13 as choreographer and dancer for Nickelodeon’s “The Big Help”. I guess you could say I caught the bug and haven’t looked back since.

Vanity, 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?

As I mentioned prior I was born into the arts , it’s been apart of my spirit since before I came to this earth. My parents set the bar and I continued the legacy. Now that music and acting are my top priorities I no longer put all of my time into dance like I did in the past. After a 23 year career as a professional dancer , I retired in 2019 performing beside Lizzo as a principal dancer for the VMAS. During those 23 years not only have I worked with ICONS but my proudest moments as a teacher was training hundreds of kids since I was a teen who are now working in the industry on Broadway , in companies, teachers etc. My extensive career not only gave me opportunities but also connected me to so many people like myself living for purpose. So grateful that I could pass that gift down to my students just as my mentors did for me!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I was 19 I became a 2006-2007 Knicks city dancer. All though the job was a dream for some it wasn’t mine and it showed. I was verbally abused and ostracized for being different and authentically ME. My coaches and I didn’t align ultimately resulting in me slacking with time management and drive ending with us parting ways mid season. After getting fired from the Knicks I was pushed into reality working retail at Quiksilver in soho for 3 months before any big dance jobs presented itself. I was ready to give up but still held on because I knew my story wasn’t over. By month 4 I had been booked to dance back up for the late Huey on 106 n park , Spring Bling & the Apollo theatre followed by opening for RnB legend Joe backing up Ryan Leslie. My blessings didn’t stop there , within 6 months of being fired from the Knicks I booked my first movie as a lead dancer/ supporting actor in the 2008 blockbuster “Step up 2”. So happy that I never ever stopped believing in my dreams just because something didn’t work out the way I planned. Since that incident I’ve gone to work with soooo many amazing artists traveling the world doing what I LOVE. Now I see that lesson as one of my biggest blessings. It taught me the true meaning of being resilient and keeping the faith!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/vanityzo
• Instagram: Instagram/vanityzo
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/NI8S8fIO3_k

Image Credits
Alex Palombo