After moving to Los Angeles in 2001, Tricia Miranda has made her mark in the dance industry. She had a hand in choreographing Missy Elliot’s surprise appearance at the 2015 Super Bowl halftime show, worked with A-list celebrities like Beyoncé, Will I Am, LL Cool J, Snoop Dog, JLo, Usher, Britney Spears, and many more. Among the most influential choreographers in the world is Tricia Miranda, a small-town girl from Yuma, Arizona, the United States. Daughter of a Mexican father and mother, Miranda began dancing at just 4 years old. However, she never imagined her passion for dance and choreography would launch her to international stardom. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month 2017 in the United States, Miranda shared her journey and words of wisdom with HuffPost and the Latinx community. When did you realize dance and choreography was a career you wanted to pursue? I started thinking about a serious dance career at around 16 or 17 because I’d been dancing, competing and choreographing since before I was 10. I definitely had the passion for it. But after watching Paula Abdul and Britney Spears performing on Awards shows in the early 2000s, I knew I had found the career for me. Artists are often times associated with the “starving artist” lifestyle. Did your family ever hesitate in supporting your aspirations? Not at all! My parents and I are from a small town where very few people barely graduate from high school. When I showed interest in pursuing a career like this, my parents were very excited. They are my super fans. You have a unique style in choreographing. Where does your inspiration come from? My style is very mixed but I’m inspired a lot by dancehall and African dances. I was born in the 80s and raised in the 90s, so my choreography is athletic and very big and energetic. It’s definitely demanding. But that’s what makes it exciting and unique for me. I like to describe my choreography as “new school with an old school feel.” What advice could you give young Hispanics aspiring to pursue an artistic career? We are one of the hardest working people I know. My parents always worked endless hours just to make barely enough money to support us as kids. With Latinos, I think we need to make bigger names for ourselves. I don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t achieve something just because they are less fortunate. I’m a Latina choreographer that has become successful despite my background. But I’m just one person. My advice is, don’t limit yourself to one avenue — I only choreographed for artists and television at first. Becoming an influencer wasn’t in my lane so I didn’t want to pursue it. But you shouldn’t hold back like I did, venture out into every single avenue regardless of whether you can do it or not. Put your footprint in as many places as you can. You’ll learn a lot more from trying something new than staying in the same lane. (SD-Agencies) | 