How to Plan Your Trip to Los Angeles Like a Pro
Your Everything Guide to an Amazing Trip to Los Angeles… Including what NOT to do!
Dreaming of a professional dance career? Considering the Los Angeles scene? Then plan a visit!
Spending a couple weeks in Los Angeles is a great way to get a feel for life as a professional commercial dancer. Commercial jobs include television shows, movies, industrials, music videos, and working with music artists.
Where to stay. Most dancers reside and work in a place called “the valley.” The San Fernando Valley includes Studio City, North Hollywood, Burbank, and Sherman Oaks. There are a few studios in the valley as well. North Hollywood tends to be a bit of a dancer hub. And yes, hotels and Air BNB rentals can be expensive depending on the time of the year.
How to get around. (Cue Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle”) First things first – Los Angeles is a large metropolitan area. Things are spread out. You will have to plan for transportation of some sort. Uber and Lyft are great options. Rental cars are relatively affordable from LAX – just know this: TRAFFIC is a real thing! While driving in LA is not as scary as you might think, there are days where 5 miles could take 60 minutes (or more). Be sure to utilize your Maps and Waze apps, giving yourself plenty of time for anything you’re planning!
What NOT to do. Believe it or not, parking can be a major factor of consideration in Los Angeles. For example, studios like Millennium and Movement Lifestyle have teeny tiny parking lots, and you must rely on street parking. Sometimes street parking is free, where most times there are meters. One thing you must NEVER do in Los Angeles – ignore the street signs. READ THEM. ALL OF THEM. Parking tickets are no joke – and I’m willing to bet every LA resident has received a pricey parking ticket at some point. Don’t let this be you!
Where to eat. Los Angeles has endless options of the most delicious food. My mouth is literally watering as I write this. Contrary to popular belief, there is a wide price range as well. Not every place is super expensive. Saddle Ranch on Sunset Blvd. is the fun place you’ve seen in movies (with the mechanical bull – good luck). Griddle Café is home to the largest pancakes you will ever see in your life. If you want to spend a million dollars and see celebs, BOA Steakhouse or Nobu are great choices. The valley is full of tasty and affordable treats – Tocaya Madera, The Village, Aroma Cafe, Lemonade, Granville, Black Market, Laurel Tavern, Pitfire, I could go on forever.
Where to train. LA is the home of world-renown choreographers and teachers. Studios are spread out all over the city. Each studio has it’s own vibe, parking, class fees, and so on. Single class rates can range from $14-$18. Sometimes teachers will do pop-up classes for anywhere from $10 to $25. These pop-up classes are usually announced on the instructor’s social media so be sure to follow your favorite people! Also, make it a point to double check the updated schedule with the studio, as teachers often get last minute subs.
Another idea is to send a Direct Message to any teacher you want to train with. Who knows? They just might do a pop-up class or even a private lesson. Below are some of the popular studios for regular classes:
Millennium – Studio City, CA
Edge Performing Arts – Los Angeles, CA
Debbie Allen Dance Academy – Los Angeles, CA
Movement Lifestyle – North Hollywood, CA
IAF Compound – North Hollywood, CA
TMilly TV Studio – North Hollywood, CA
KreativeMindz Dance Academy – Burbank, CA
Where to have some fun. The options for fun are endless in Los Angeles! Universal Studios. Disneyland. Hollywood Walk of Fame. Runyon Canyon. Beaches include Redondo, Manhattan, Hermosa, Venice, Santa Monica, Malibu. Great shopping options include The Grove, 3rdStreet Promenade, Beverly Center, and The Americana. You can see the entire city on the rooftop of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Beverly Hills. It’s so beautiful! Walk around Rodeo Drive if you wanna feel fancy. You’ll see lots of bus tours. If you want to do one, try the TMZ Bus Tour. It’s actually fun. Downtown LA is getting more and more trendy by the minute, but I suggest going in the daytime if it’s your first visit.
College Planning. There are so many amazing college and university dance programs in Los Angeles. University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, University of California Los Angeles, University of California Santa Barbara, California State University Long Beach, Loyola Marymount, and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy are some of the most popular dance programs in the country. If you’re considering college in Los Angeles, I HIGHLY recommend making a physical visit to any school you might be interested in. Be sure to check out our College Application Toolkit - it includes all the questions you need to ask on college visits.
Bonus Points. Bonus Points if you can properly pronounce all of the street names in Los Angeles! Some of the main streets have the most challenging names. Names like Sepulveda, Cahuenga, Van Nuys, and Los Feliz can throw you for a loop – especially if you’re asking for directions. Good Luck! The “expressway” or “highway” most Americans refer to is known as the “freeway” in Los Angeles. Also get used to putting a “the” before everything. Here’s some practice: “I’m about to jump on the 101” or “Wow the 405 is packed today.” Thank me later!
Have Fun! What a great opportunity to expand your training, and experience one of the greatest cities for dance.
A Planning Calendar and Timeline to keep you on track throughout Junior and Senior Year
Audition Tips - each program has a different set of criteria for auditions - make sure you are prepared!
Campus Visit Questionnaire - factors to consider and questions to ask while on your college visits
Sample Resume
College Terminology - a list of terms that are specific to dance in college!