00:03the typical dancer is tall skinny long legs long lines it puts a lot of thoughts
00:11in your head like I'm not good enough are this person's gonna get the gig over
00:16me because she's skinnier and I stopped caring about that by the time I was like
00:2621 my name is Elena Lopez I'm five five I have short legs I have tattoos on my body I've
00:34you
00:35know big curly hair when I got more into hip-hop dancing I would see women with just all these
00:41curves and these beautiful shapes and being so confident rather than fighting the body that I
00:48was given I just accepted it and embraced it and worked with it when I dance it's a fusion of
00:58all
00:59types styles that I've learned throughout the years jazz tap hip-hop burlesque vogue if you think of
01:05yourself as a crayon it's like are you the brightest color in that box there's times where I would go
01:13to a typecasting audition you get to the next round based on how you look rather than being chosen
01:19based off of your talent well why are you picking you know the prettiest girl rather than picking the
01:26best dancer it took a big toll it definitely like toughened me up you can be your biggest enemy but
01:33when you trust yourself and you love yourself and believe in yourself you know sky's the limit I think
01:44when I'm on stage I'm just enjoying that moment and connecting with the people in the audience but
01:51even though I'm performing for these people mostly I'm just performing for myself I think dancing is a
01:58form of therapy if I can't say I'm mad at you and I don't want to talk to you instead
02:03of hurting
02:03someone's feelings I could just take those feelings to the dance floor just going out there and owning it
02:09and not caring what anybody thinks that's when people are like oh she's cool like or you know
02:14she's having a good time I want to dance with her too you know work with what God gave you
02:20take that
02:20and put it in your dancing and see what you can do with it and see how you can incorporate
02:25it all that
02:26can be is like the best version of myself
