Tash gives us a behind the scenes look at her most recent performance on James Corden's Late Late Show as well as life on tour with Paula Abdul. Hear how she made the decision to step away from a very successful career in Australia to pursue her dream of living and dancing in the United States, and then how a serious injury threatened to bring her career to an early end. Along the way enjoy Tash's infectious enthusiasm for life and her unwavering spirit of generosity.
In this episode we discuss:
- Performing with Paula Abdul on the Late Late Show with James Corden
- The process of rehearsing for the Straight Up Tour, including how they rehearsed with the LED screen technology
- The audition process leading to Tash booking the Paula Abdul tour
- “Paula is an artist, a dancer and a choreographer all in one. We’ll literally be doing a count of eight and her eye will flick to you if you make a mistake. She’s got shark eyes”
- What it’s like to be on tour - the fun of hanging out on the tour bus and the challenge of enduring the long overnight drives between cities
- How to cope with your sleep being constantly disrupted by the travel schedule
- How and why Tash made the decision to leave her successful career as a performer in Australia to move to Los Angeles
- “I had always wanted to move to America...You watch the American Music Awards and all that stuff and you go Oh God, I’d love to dance for artists like that.”
- How getting to the final round at an audition to perform with Lady Gaga at the Grammy’s helped Tash see that she was on the right track
- “It’s tough to be so far away from home and to be really hustling more than you’ve ever hustled in your whole life for something that you want.”
- “You might be on top today but in a week, when that’s done, you’re starting from scratch.”
- Why some people give up before they can realise their dreams
- How the limitations of Tash’s O1 visa (which mean she can only be employed as a dancer) may have helped her hustle in LA
- What does Tash’s day to day/week to week hustle involve?
- The difference Tash notices between colleagues and friends in LA and Australia and the importance and value of having a group of loving, supportive friends
- “You definitely need a circle that’s there to love you, no matter what’s going on.”
- The injury that threatened to end Tash’s career as a dancer
- “I guess dancing’s always been the one main thing in my life. So if I’m not Tash Marconi, working and being this dancer that people watch...then who the heck am I and what am I going to do with my life?”
- How a last-minute audition gave Tash the push she needed to resume her career
- The value of sharing what you’ve learned with other people
- “The whole time i was going through that injury i kept thinking I need to share what I’m experiencing, and I need to push maybe more than I would have pushed myself. So that one day if someone else has the same injury they can see that it’s been done before and they will get back there. Maybe I’m someone to help them do it.”
- Why Tash writes her blog and who she’s writing it for
- “I think vulnerability is the most powerful thing you can have and it has the ability to change people’s lives and the world that you’re in.”
- How to cultivate and maintain a positive mindset, including her affirmation routine
- Blog post: Could I Borrow Your Map?
- “I have to accept where I am now, where I want to be, and love that place in-between. I plan to love the discovery, the unknown, and really trust that every step I take is going to lead me on the path that was drawn just for me.”
Find Tash online: instagram | blog
