The Dancing Queen: HOPE GOLIDA DANCES HER WAY TO THE TOP

At the age of 15, sophomore Hope Golida has already made strides in the dance industry. Focusing on video production, Golida stars in the Just Dance Disney Party 2016 Video Game released on Oct. 22. She was able to bypass the audition process altogether by receiving a direct booking for this job at the choreographer’s request. Golida is one of only 12 girls and eight boys given a job offer for the video game.
“Just Dance was probably my favorite job that I have done because all the other ones that I have done have not been as big as this, and it is really cool that I get featured on a video game. People from around the world will see me,” Golida said.
In the video game, she is featured in two songs: “Take on the World” from a Disney show, Girl Meets World, and “Be Our Guest” from the Disney movie, Descendants. A unique quality of this game is that a user can see the faces of the dancers on the screen, while in other Just Dance video games, the user can only see the silhouettes of the dancers.
During the filming process, Golida often had to be at the studio to film before sunrise. A teacher is always present on set to help Golida with required school work before and between shots. Workers prepared Golida for filming by applying make-up and by prepping her outfit. Golida performed in front of a green screen, and backgrounds suited for the video game were inserted later. She repeated the shot several times, improving the routine based on feedback after every take.
“There is usually a lot of people there – CEOs, directors and managers of different companies working at the set. It is really cool getting to meet all of them,” Golida said.
Golida has also performed in a music video for My Little Pony Equestrian Girls, a Hasbro commercial, two Mattel commercials as well as a music video called “Run” for Marsha Ambrosius. She has also danced on the sidelines at the Staples Center during halftime for a Los Angeles Sparks basketball game.
Golida finds her gigs through the Go 2 Talent Agency, an organization that helps dancers find auditions for commercials, music videos and more. At the auditions, the dancers dance, take pictures and read scripts.
Golida reached her professional status after years of dedicated practice and hard work. When she was 9 years old, two friends asked her to accompany them to a dance class. After enjoying the class, Golida realized her passions and continued regularly dancing at Elevation Studios, a studio in Long Beach, five days each week. She is experienced in many styles of dancing, including jazz, tap, contemporary, ballet, hip-hop and lyrical. Golida is part of the Choreo Company at school, where she continues to develop more skills in a variety of dancing styles through instruction from Choreo Company teacher Heather Myrick.
“Nothing really makes me happier than being on stage doing what I love and being able to inspire people and make them happy,” Golida