Name: Rebecca ‘Becks’ Gilhooley
Occupation: Dancer
Rebecca Gilhooley knows what it takes to make it in the world of professional dance – and she has set her feet on the path to success.
The 25-year-old grew up on Capitol Hill and attended Gilmore Elementary and Alpha Secondary, where she graduated in 2007.
She’s a professional contemporary dancer, choreographer and teacher now based in New York City.
Among the highlights of her career so far was a stint on the Netherlands version of So You Think You Can Dance, where she was among the top eight female contestants.
She was also recently selected as one of 12 women to attend the prestigious contemporary program at the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival.
“Despite always having large ambitions to be a professional dancer, I never dreamed that my career would take the shape that it has,” she writes. “I am grateful for the variety of experience and adventure that I have seen, the expertise I have gathered, and I look forward to what’s on the horizon.”
Gilhooley hopes her story will serve to inspire young people to follow their own dreams.
Here's her email chat with Burnaby NOW reporter Julie MacLellan:
It really seems like you’re living the dream right now: working as a dancer in New York City. Did you ever imagine this future when you first started dancing?
No, I certainly did not, I feel tremendously fortunate to have experienced what I have. I’ve had two ankle surgeries (one at 17 and one at 19) which now I understand was fairly normal within our industry, but it was pretty scary back in the day.
What got you into dance in the first place?
It’s sort of a crazy story, my family had just moved to Burnaby from Alberta and my mother was looking for an after school activity for me. We ended up living just down the street from the original location of Danzmode Productions, and I could walk there after school – in a way sometimes it feels like dance found me. I was about 11 and had only dabbled in musical theatre, so I was a total latecomer to the serious competitive dance world (many girls start dancing at two or three). I had no clue what I was doing but yet somehow ignorance was total bliss – I just loved it, and it felt natural to me, like it was always there waiting for me.
How did your early dance experiences in Burnaby influence your future success?
Massively. Rachel Porier (of Danzmode) took me under her wing despite my lack of experience and understanding, the older girls taught me how to do so much, it was a real community -- how to do my hair, sew my ballet shoes. Rachel saw my strengths and weaknesses and was the first to tell me the importance of classical ballet technique. I promptly started half-day; as I was about halfway through Grade 8 at Pacific Dance Arts (Boundary Road and Lougheed), that’s when I started to get serious about dance. Li Yaming (or Mr. Li as we call him) has been an incredible teacher and mentor to me. He provided me with so many opportunities, taught me how to focus and be intelligent when approaching movement.
The Netherlands has played a big part in your dance success – you attended Codarts University of the Arts and were a contestant on the Netherlands/Belgium version of So You Think You Can Dance. How do you think those European experiences have helped to shape you as a dancer?
There is certainly dance culture shock that happened for me when I entered the European dance world. European contemporary dance really favours movement that is very grounded, clean in transitions, a lot of flow and release, whereas in North America we tend to learn how to execute a lot of technical tricks with ease. I believe both have their place in the dance world, the latter certainly helping on SYTYCD. I think being able to draw on both backgrounds has broadened my movement vocabulary, allowing me to make more interesting decisions around my dancing – hopefully making me interesting to watch.
Being on SYTYCD must have been an amazing experience, but I imagine it was also pretty stressful. Tell us a bit about what dancing in that competitive, televised environment was like?
Doing So You Think You Can Dancewas a childhood dream come true; one I didn’t even know I had until it all started happening. During the first live show when the famous SYTYCD theme song came on and the the girls were introduced, I was shaking, I couldn’t believe it was happening! The whole situation is designed to push you to your limits, I learned so much about myself and trusting in my abilities. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so focused in my life. It was amazing, I had so much fun. I do wish I could have shared it with my family, friends and community, however because it happened so far away from home.
Was it tough to return to the “real world” after being part of SYTYCD?
The morning I woke up in my own bed instead of the contestant housing was very strange, and terribly quiet. I missed the other contestants and crew I had grown so close with. It’s incredible how quickly a person can get used to being in a pressure cooker. When it’s gone, it certainly took me some time to adjust.
Another huge opportunity for you was being chosen to be part of the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival. Tell us a bit about it all and how the experience helped you as a dancer.
Attending Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival was a game changer for me. It’s such a unique place being in the middle of the Berkshires, where everyone is brought together by a shared love of dance. It was the first time I was so entrenched with like-minded people who valued the arts unapologetically. Being selected as one of 12 women to attend was absolutely surreal. Having often felt a little like a lone ranger in my career, attending the Pillow made me a part of something bigger than myself, mostly it inspired me to think big and feel validated.
You’re a contemporary dancer, and it seems from the dance reel that you’ve posted on your website that you’re comfortable working in a number of different styles. Is there any particular style of dance that appeals most to you? Can you name a favourite performance (or a few favourites) from all the work you’ve done so far?
I do enjoy a level of variety in my dancing, though my heart will always go out the most to athletic contemporary dance or neo-classical pieces.
Some of my favorite performance moments have been on SYTYCD because of the 4,000-strong studio audience, performing the classic Mark Morris’s Grand Duo at Jacobs Pillow, or the duet created by Vancouver based choreographer Wen Wei Wang for Coastal City Ballet.
What are you up to right now? Where are you working and dancing?
I am currently freelancing, auditioning and teaching. I have been offered a contract for a international tour with a contemporary company but am waiting for details before I can say more. It’s a very exciting time, it is a pretty high stakes game in New York. Everyday demands you to be your best and to be able to juggle multiple things at all times. I try to take a daily class at either Peridance, Steps on Broadway and Gibney Dance to stay in shape. I am also currently collaborating on a dance on film product with some fellow Jacobs Pillow alumni!
You’ve had a lot of success in your career so far. What do you credit for that success? Are there special people (family, teachers, etc.) whom you want to mention?
I simply would never have been afforded my quality of life without the unfailing support of my parents. They have always been my biggest supporters and fans. Li Yaming and all of my teachers at Pacific Dance Arts helped me build the foundation I draw from everyday as a dancer and human being. A career in dance does not come without obstacles and challenges, especially not in today’s climate – but I firmly believe that I am a better, more courageous, happy person because of it. Through dance I have learned so much more than how to be pretty in a coordinated fashion. I am grateful for it everyday.
Do you still consider Burnaby home? What do you miss most about being here?
For me home can be found in the ones you love. Many of my closests friends are back in Burnaby, so I think in many ways it will always feel like home. I miss the beautiful mountains, nature and the awesome sushi.
Is there anything else you think people should know about you?
I discovered the swing dance scene (Lindy hop) when I moved to New York. I’ve always loved the fashion and music of the ’20s and ’30s, so it’s been really cool to learn a style of dance that ties in with that – it’s so fun, relaxed and musical. It’s quickly become a favorite hobby. For an old soul, it’s been like discovering magic is real :)
You can find out more about Rebecca at rebeccagilhooley.wordpress.com.
