Feb 20, 2016 4 min read

Not many people choose to follow a dream, but for those who do, it sometimes works out.

Alex Isenberg, 24, is a dancer, actor and overall entertainer, but this isn’t originally what he thought he’d do with his life – until college came around.

Isenberg recently taught a contemporary class at Sandra Kay Mesler Dance Studio, Washington.

“My journey into dance has been unconventional, to say the least,” Isenberg said. “Although I danced all the time while growing up, I never really took it seriously.”

Isenberg started dancing when he was extremely young, practically since he could walk. His mother, Lisa, owns a studio in Freeport, where he grew up. Like his siblings, he took classes there, and had his first performance at age three. Even though he enjoyed dancing, it was thought of more as a hobby than a career – sports always came first.

Isenberg traveled with an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team, so he always had tournaments. On weekends, he’d find time to go to dance competitions.

“I only fell in love with dance whenever I wasn’t dancing,” he said.

When he started college, Isenberg figured out he wanted to entertain and everything came together. Freshmen year, he spent the summer with his mom at a convention in Pittsburgh, just for fun. There, he was approached by a teacher who wanted to know where he was from and what dance company he was with.

“It had never occurred to me that I was talented enough, nor did I consider dance as a potential career choice,” Isenberg said.

All it took was one person to recognize his talent and Isenberg was ready.

He started with tap and jazz, but then added ballet, modern, Irish tap, contemporary, hip hop and ballroom. Out of all the styles he’s learned, his favorites are hip hop, tap and contemporary.

With a variety under his belt, Isenberg has had the opportunity to work with people like Madonna, Channing Tatum, Liza Minnelli, Laverne Cox and Coco Austin. He’s also traveled to Tokyo and Okinawa, Japan, to dance, and traveled across the country teaching at many studios, like Broadway Dance Center.

To top it all off, he’s danced and acted on TV and in a feature film, and was a featured dancer in a music video, “Popee,” by Francesca Maria.

Although he’s accomplished so much, success didn’t come without hard work and overcoming obstacles.

“I was born with a facial deformity: cleft lip and palate,” said Isenberg. “I also had extremely flat feet, which affected my ankles and hips.”

Over the years, Isenberg had to go through multiple surgeries to correct these problems, with his last one at 18. Since then, he’s lived in New York City, Los Angeles, Calif., and has traveled around the world entertaining as an actor and dancer.

“I moved to L.A. because there is a much larger opportunity for commercial (film and TV) dance out there. I miss New York City tremendously, but L.A. is where I have to be to achieve my next set of goals,” he said.

Many people wouldn’t think of the arts as much of a career. Those same people might not think it’s smart to move to a big city for that career, considering only so many people make it.

“Moving to a new city is a big adjustment. Finding like-minded people, getting involved in activities and establishing yourself in your career is like hitting restart,” he said. “But I’m excited for the challenge.”

Throughout his journey, Isenberg has had a lot of support from family and friends.

“The incessant support and love that I receive from them is actually inexplicable,” he said.

He’s also used his inspirations, Dee Caspary and Nick Bass, to keep him going.

When asked what his favorite part of being a dancer and dancing was, he responded, “It’s funny that they are different. Being a dancer, my favorite thing is being an entertainer: making people laugh, smile and cry; evoking some sort of emotion. My favorite part of dancing is the physicality and seeing how far I can push my body. It is the best therapy going. It just makes me feel better.”

For those who have interest in the same goal, Isenberg offers this advice: “Be as complete of a dancer as possible. Train in all the different styles and learn from as many people as possible. Work hard, keep it fun and remember why you started. In addition, don’t just focus on the moves – be a performer. It’s not always the most talented people that book jobs. It has a lot to do with passion and perseverance.”

By Amanda Reilly

Freshman, Washington