“There’s probably a thousand better dancers than me. But none that wanted it as badly as I did.”

 

Twenty-three year old professional Hip Hop dancer Andrea Walker is a force to be reckoned with. He is not a stage school graduate, but he’s the real deal: self-taught, and bucking the trend. I go to meet him in Covent Garden, to find out what’s next on his agenda…

 

Despite my harried entrance, Andrea stops the beats in his headphones to greet me with his trademark easy smile and a genuine hug. I can tell his mind is somewhere else. He has a deep focus in his eyes. He tells me openly what is occupying his thoughts. Professional matters as usual:

 

“I might be moving to New York!” he says.

 

I notice how smoothly he flows through the bustle of bodies in heaving Covent Garden, as if London’s streets are all part of his private choreography.

 

When most young dancers are still battling auditions for the occasional job, working part time on cruise ships or in bars for minimum wage, Andrea has found a way to earn a decent living from dancing. Not content with running his own teaching and choreography business, he now has his sights set on New York City’s prestigious Broadway Dance Centre.

 

“Do they just do coke?” he asks, scouring Wild Food Café’s ultra-healthy menu. Evidently not: so he settles for a black coffee, with sugar. No skinny lattes or rabbit food for this dancer. He wants a burger. With chips.

 

“You’ve travelled so far from home already, and now you’re going to New York?” I ask. Andrea is originally from Rome.“I feel more at home in London than I did in Rome” he says between bites. “I’m even more comfortable speaking English than Italian. I always felt like an outsider.”This statement surprises me; he makes everything look so comfortable. Not a hint of alienation in his persona.

 

“Italians moan too much about food and the weather” he remarks. I laugh. He is definitely enjoying his burger.

 

“So why leave London for New York then?”

 

AW - “The Broadway Dance Centre is New York’s most famous dance training centre. I want to be a better dancer. And I’ve always wanted to live in New York.” The study will be intense, Andrea tells me. Five hours a day, hardly any time off, all different kinds of dance.

 

“Your father is in Rome, your mother is in Switzerland and your twin brother is in Amsterdam. You haven’t got much support around you and your career brings with it a lot of pressure. How do you cope with it all?”

 

AW - “That’s something I’m still learning to do. I guess that’s why I put so much pressure on my relationships.”

 

“It must have been hard competing with dancers who have trained at university for years too. How have you succeeded?”

 

AW - “Determination!” (his face lights up with a grin) “Determination counts so much more than talent. It is a big risk, pursuing the thing you love, especially with no professional training. I kind of did it and didn’t expect to get anything from it…“I think the difference between me and a trained dancer is that they come out of university with the expectation that they’ll get the work. I never expected to get the work. But I put one hundred and ten percent in anyway. I was hungry for it. And [with] every job I got, I was so grateful. ”Andrea remarks on how great the coffee is, and his positive mental attitude shows in the way he finds every positive aspect of the Wild Food Café I’ve chosen to meet him for lunch. I suspect his positivity has as much to do with his success, as his determination. That, and his humility:

 

AW - “I haven’t studied dance in uni: there’s probably a thousand better dancers than me... (I’ve seen Andrea dance, and that’s definitely not true!)“…But none that wanted it as badly as I did. I got my adrenalin simply from applying for jobs.”

 

“You began a career in film, before you became a dancer, right?”

 

AW - “Actually, film was my ‘plan B’. I always wanted to be a dancer, but didn’t have the guts. I remember once, I phoned my father in tears and asked him ‘why am I doing this?’ I hated film. I was good at it, but I hated it.“You have to have the passion to pursue anything in the arts. With film, I didn’t have that. I was lying to myself.”

 

“It must have been frightening taking a risk, and then having to go to all of those auditions and face rejections.”

 

AW - “Yeah. I don’t like auditions. You’re so vulnerable. The worry starts from the moment you apply. And then on the way there, and after. Most of my friends are unhappy because they have to work for minimum wage. The auditions mean so much to them because they want a way out of that [lifestyle]. I found a way to dance all the time, through my business. It makes me physically fitter as well.”

 

“Are you still auditioning even though you’ve got so much work now?”

 

AW - “Occasionally. Nowadays I keep a good network of people, and they ask me to do work for them.”

 

“You feel building a good network is crucial to success then?”

 

AW - “Yeah. Build up a really good social network. Aim to do a really good job the once, and people will call you back for work. I spend a lot of time networking.” Networking is my worst nightmare. Even the thought of it makes me tired, but what Andrea says is true: it is vital for success.

 

“You must have a lot of energy and self-discipline to fit in all that networking as well as work!” I say.Andrea laughs.

 

AW - “Yes and no! If I’ve got ten hours of work in a day, I’ll use the eleventh hour to do more work. But if I have a day free of deadlines I’ll do nothing. I work best under pressure.”

 

“And you still find time to do charity work!”Andrea is the youngest mentor for young gay men at the Metro Centre, Greenwich, which offers sexual health and wellbeing support and counselling.

 

AW - “I had counselling myself. I know how well it works. It helped me.“Although I work hard, my work is divided into concentrated segments of time. I might earn £70 for an hour’s work on a Friday. So I have time to give something back.”

 

“Why do you feel it is important to do this?”

 

AW - “I learn from my mentees. I’ve learnt everything there is to know about the London drug scene, for example! And it’s good to get a fresh perspective on life.”Time has passed so quickly. Two hours have flown by, and Andrea’s in-built professional clock starts ticking as his focus returns gently to his New York dream:“I have to get this application in today, for the Broadway Centre”, he says.I receive another genuine hug, and easy smile, and watch him flow effortlessly through the hustle and bustle of London’s streets.Andrea Walker would be at home anywhere, I think. Always bucking the trend.Check out Andrea’s dance videos and classes at: www.andrea-walker.com. If you would like support from the Metro Centre, go to: www.metrocentreonline.org