Heather Morris, an actress from FOX’s hit TV show “Glee” and former back-up dancer for Beyoncé , came to Buffalo to headline two “Live! Starring … You!” workshops last month. While in town, Heather also shared her insights on Hollywood and talked about the glamorous and the not-so –glamorous aspects of the entertainment industry.
During a two-day workshop, Heather taught 32 students Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” dance and several “Glee”- inspired dances. With lessons from Heather and voice coach Debbie Bello, the talented young dancers and singers all performed on stage at the Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls, N.Y. at the end of the second day. (To check out the YouTube videos of the performance, click here).
At the second workshop, participants learned about the “6.5 Steps to the Stars,” a bonus section in “Live! Starring … You!” that will also be expanded into a new book. The kids got a chance to make presentations about each of the “steps” and interviewed Heather about her background and the path she took to become a television actress.
Much of what Heather talked about at these workshops plays right in to our book,”7 Secrets to Celebrity Success.”
Work Hard, Take Risks
Heather began touring with Beyoncé in 2007 at age 19, but after a year-and-a-half, she realized she didn’t want to dance for the rest of her life. So, she started taking acting classes. A friend and choreographer she had previously worked with asked her to come to the set of “Glee” and teach the cast the “Single Ladies” dance. He told her to come prepared because she would be auditioning for a role on the show too.
When Beyoncé’s team called Heather to return to the tour, Heather declined. She wrote a note to Beyoncé explaining her decision. She said she wanted to take her career in a different direction.
“Beyoncé was sad to see me leave, but she was very understanding,” Heather said.
So leaving behind a good job (a dream job for aspiring dancers) Heather took her chances with acting. She did the right thing. A few weeks later the creator of “Glee” decided to cast Heather as ‘Brittany,’ a high school cheerleader.
‘Brittany' now plays a much larger role in the show than originally planned. The often confused blonde has such funny, quirky one-liners that the New York Post has labeled Heather’s character “Glee’s secret weapon.”
Heather said she took a chance by refusing the job with Beyoncé, but explained if she wanted to succeed in acting, she needed to give 120 percent.
In order to “make it” in Hollywood, you must completely devote yourself to your goal. Something we’ve heard from several entertainers of all ages is that you must be truly passionate about your work in order to succeed in the entertainment business.
I’ll write more about Heather in next week’s post. For more information, stories and video on Heather’s visit, go to http://www.livestarringyou.com/. Also, check out our Facebook page for more updates at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Live-Starring-You/100414482359.
During a two-day workshop, Heather taught 32 students Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” dance and several “Glee”- inspired dances. With lessons from Heather and voice coach Debbie Bello, the talented young dancers and singers all performed on stage at the Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls, N.Y. at the end of the second day. (To check out the YouTube videos of the performance, click here).
At the second workshop, participants learned about the “6.5 Steps to the Stars,” a bonus section in “Live! Starring … You!” that will also be expanded into a new book. The kids got a chance to make presentations about each of the “steps” and interviewed Heather about her background and the path she took to become a television actress.
Much of what Heather talked about at these workshops plays right in to our book,”7 Secrets to Celebrity Success.”
Work Hard, Take Risks
Heather began touring with Beyoncé in 2007 at age 19, but after a year-and-a-half, she realized she didn’t want to dance for the rest of her life. So, she started taking acting classes. A friend and choreographer she had previously worked with asked her to come to the set of “Glee” and teach the cast the “Single Ladies” dance. He told her to come prepared because she would be auditioning for a role on the show too.
When Beyoncé’s team called Heather to return to the tour, Heather declined. She wrote a note to Beyoncé explaining her decision. She said she wanted to take her career in a different direction.
“Beyoncé was sad to see me leave, but she was very understanding,” Heather said.
So leaving behind a good job (a dream job for aspiring dancers) Heather took her chances with acting. She did the right thing. A few weeks later the creator of “Glee” decided to cast Heather as ‘Brittany,’ a high school cheerleader.
‘Brittany' now plays a much larger role in the show than originally planned. The often confused blonde has such funny, quirky one-liners that the New York Post has labeled Heather’s character “Glee’s secret weapon.”
Heather said she took a chance by refusing the job with Beyoncé, but explained if she wanted to succeed in acting, she needed to give 120 percent.
In order to “make it” in Hollywood, you must completely devote yourself to your goal. Something we’ve heard from several entertainers of all ages is that you must be truly passionate about your work in order to succeed in the entertainment business.
I’ll write more about Heather in next week’s post. For more information, stories and video on Heather’s visit, go to http://www.livestarringyou.com/. Also, check out our Facebook page for more updates at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Live-Starring-You/100414482359.
Great post!
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