Alyssa Phillips – Firecracker born to perform

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

This thirteen-year-old firecracker was born to perform. She is fluent in both English and French languages and began dancing at the tender age of five years old.

She is currently a member of Performing Dance Arts (PDA) full-time competitive team. At PDA she trains in multiple genres of dance including: Vaganova Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Tap, Lyrical, Acrobatics, and Musical Theatre.

At such a young age, our Woman Empowered has successfully competed at numerous competitions and conventions winning several awards and scholarships including: the Nuvo Breakout Artist, Jump VIP, 24seven Non-Stop dancer, and The Dance Awards Scholarship.

She has received master class training with some of the industry’s leading choreographers: Travis Wall, Mark Meismer, Will Loftis, Randi and Hefa, Denise Wall, and Amanda Cleghorn, to name a few. She is also an active member of her dance studio, and her gleaming, hypnotic smile is featured in PDA’s dance campaigns and promotional videos.

In addition to dance, she is a skilful acrobat winning a scholarship at Canada’s Leading Virtual Acro Intensive, and she has also become a Matricks Army member.

Outside of dance, our featured Woman Empowered is a straight A student at Elder’s Mills Public School in the French Immersion Program. She actively participates in: school plays, concerts, talent shows, and was also on her school cheerleading team where she performed at the Maple Santa Claus parade. She loves to read, draw, write short stories and monologues, and spend time with her family and friends.

I first met Alyssa Phillips when she participated as a mentee for the Brothers Who Care, “I SEE ME” documentary in 2020. Upon meeting her I was inspired by her drive to compete and work hard to improve her skills, which has resulted in her achieving great results in a short time.

She is outgoing and passionate about dancing. I have taken the time to watch a few of her performances, and she demonstrates assertiveness on the dance floor. She is always smiling and having fun. I recognized her ability as a dancer and her joy of dance is infectious.

Her movement tends to be full of energy and she exudes a power well beyond her age. Even in competition, you can see that she is driven more by the experience and the enjoyment of dance than by winning.

With her busy schedule, I had to wait until the holiday season to interview her, so I reached out to her incredibly supportive mother Sharleen Pink-Phillips, and she arranged some time for me to speak with Alyssa. Her energy was contagious, and her screen lit up the screen…

“I started dancing at the age of five years old,” Alyssa tells me enthusiastically. “I was always in recreational dance. My sister danced, and I didn’t know that I would like it, but I tried ballet once, and I knew right away that I wanted to do it.

After ballet, I wanted to explore more dance styles. I then got enrolled into jazz classes, and it kept going. I resonate with ballet the most, because it is the root of my love for dance.

My favourite dance styles are: jazz, ballet, and contemporary in that order.

I want to be a professional dancer on Broadway. What I love about dance is that it is like speaking another language. You can express how you feel using your body.”

Being a professional dancer requires the innate ability to interpret and communicate stories and feelings through the physical form. What non-dancers may not recognize is that what appears artful and flawless onstage is the result of much more than natural talent. Alyssa relies on: physical stamina and fitness, perseverance, memory retention and other qualities to showcase enjoyable performances for her audiences.

“Competition life; I love it. The process is fun. I am a full-time dancer, so I get to travel, and I am able to explore the world. I have gone to Orlando, Florida to compete, and this provided an opportunity for me to network with other people in the dance world.”

I also noted Alyssa’s ability to take direction from her choreographer, as well as work well with her teammates. She is able to communicate and respond to others’ cues on the dance floor, which results in flawless execution of complex dance moves. She admits that as fun as dancing is, it does have its challenges.

“As a young Black dancer, sometimes I feel a little left out. It is okay to be different though, I don’t mind being the only one. 

The dance world is a very positive place; you have to find something to set you apart. There are a billion kids, so you have to find something that makes me unique. Sometimes it is as simple as the fact that I style my hair differently.”

Along with dancing, Alyssa is also an aspiring actress. We spoke a little about her journey as a thespian.

“I started acting at 11 years old. I have signed with Frank da Costa at da Costa Talents. The agency has been helpful with launching my acting career. I danced in Holly Hobby and am preparing for an untitled Tom Lynch Project.

The acting world is easier than the dance world. When you have a great agent, they can help to get your name out there. With dancing, it is more individual.

My goal for acting is to be the main character in a show. I want to be featured in every episode.”

Kinaesthetic creatives do not achieve seamless results without careful and consistent practice – over and over again. It may take them years before they develop the expertise to perform professionally, but Toronto’s own Alyssa Phillips has had an exceptional start. It is her “can do” attitude that has helped her succeed in her work.

“My advice is don’t ever try to be perfect. There is no perfect. There is always more to do. Keep going; keep striving for more!”