Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Carlson.
Hi Robin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m going to tell my age about now. As a child I watched Jack LaLanne on tv and loved exercising with him. I watched American Bandstand & Soul Train & learned to dance by watching the dancers, as well as learning the music. That’s what I wanted to do when I grew up. Here I am at 73 still making a living as a professional dancer (46 years) and a professional exercise instructor (43 years). I don’t even know how that is possible!
Here’s my journey. I credit God for opening the doors & I credit myself for having the courage to walk through them even if I was terrified!
I was working at a bank & one of the tellers invited me to a dance class. (Adults take Dance Class???) I went & saw some amazing dancers. I asked who they were, & I was told they were the Glen Hunsucker Dance Company & I should audition. I did & made it. This was the 70’s so I was performing in Discos & at corporate events & I learned so much. After 4 or 5 years of this my knees were giving me trouble. Low Impact aerobics was just getting started & I decided to take a class. The owner of the studio just happened to be the instructor for that class. She came up to me after class & asked if I’d like to teach there? (WHAT? You don’t even know me!) She asked me again & said she’d train me. I started right away. Long story short – I ended up with a fabulous mentor in Laurie Cingle & ended up teaching at the Houstonian & becoming one of their Fitness Directors for Bayou Park Club. Oh and I’m still dancing! One of the Instructors said I should audition for a Hip Hop company, which I did & became a Lead Dancer. After several years, some of the dancers were frustrated & left the company. They called me & begged me to start a company. Again…terrified but stepped through the door. Here I am 27 years later with Dance Force Productions. We have been successful through all these years, through recessions & pandemics. My company has gone from 20+ people to mainly 2, my partner Jerry Foote & myself. We outsource other dancers as needed. Jerry started with the company in 2002 & has never left. We formed a bond that is so strong that we are called the Dynamic Duo! We can DJ, MC, perform any style of dance (Hip Hop, Lindy Hop, 50’s, Latin, Disco, C&W, Tap, Musical Theater, etc), Team building, Interactive dance, Line dance instruction, Demo dancing. We do it all! I have never stopped teaching exercise classes as well. I’ve been at The Briar Club for the past 17 years & we even did class online through the COVID shutdown. Jerry & I have also become well known in the Worldwide Lindy Hop Community & Houston Swing Dance Society for our instruction & performances. We are so blessed. I don’t see me stopping any time soon. I’ll “retire” when they quit hiring me!
This is honestly the “short version” but I would have to write a novel to put it all in there! People can always read our bio on our Facebook page Dance Force Productions to see all the famous people we have performed with. Sometimes I have to pinch myself. Do what you love & you will never have to take a vacation from work!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenge in the beginning was working a full time Fitness job & starting a dance company. It took 5 years to get to a place where I could quit my FT fitness position & just teach several classes a week. The other challenge was finding dancers who could be committed to rehearsals & contracted events. As time went on, my very good dancers went to LA and NY to find more high profile work on tv shows, Broadway, or with famous artists. Replacing them got harder over the years which is why I decided to market Jerry & myself as a Duo & that has worked out very well. We’re both dependable, hard working, & work well together. Something that should have been a problem but wasn’t was times of recession. Because we are not a Non-Profit we did not depend on funding & grants. We are hired & make money because we are very good & professional at what we do & people want to hire us. During the Pandemic we found ways of doing business by Online classes & workshops, drive by DJing & dancing for groups, group private lessons for people who had proof of vaccination & wore masks. We made it work! Those were the main challenges we have had.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I chose this Category because I have learned a lot about people & artistic endeavors over my lifetime. There is a reason the term “Starving Artist” exists. I’ve seen very talented people want to “do their thing” & get paid for it. That does not usually work out well for them. If you want to be a Professional dancer & make a living, you want to give people what they want to pay for (as long as it fits within your value system). This attitude has been a huge plus for us because it challenged us to learn all styles of dance to different genres of music. We’re also never bored because we have so many diverse gigs. We also dress in a way we think that particular audience would like. We change music and choreography to work for a specific audience. We stay in excellent shape & people have no idea how old I am. People want to pay for people who look healthy, joyful, full of energy & love. If you want to be a professional dancer because you need the applause, you will not last long. When we are teaching, performing, interacting we are coming with an attitude of how can we make YOUR day better? How can we help YOU get better at what you want to learn. How can we make this party an incredible experience for you! We’ve been told that is what sets us apart.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
YES! Shout out to Glen Hunsucker, my first Dance Company Director & Teacher. I learned a lot about dance, performing, & that you can get hired to dance for events. Shout out to Laurie Cingle, my Fitness Mentor who expected excellence from us & guided us in how to do that. I got my Masters in Human Health & Performance & top certifications because of her encouragement to do so. Shout Out to Jerry Foote, one of my dancers for 24 years, my dance partner for 20 years & my Life Partner (and Best Husband I’ve Never Had) for 16 years. His support, loyalty, hard work, talent, faith in God, I could go on….is what has made this journey such an incredible & successful one. I am BLESSED!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danceforceproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057048836936
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-carlson-9157628/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@danceforcepro
Image Credits
Most pics were taken by Jerry Foote
