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Chapter 1: What myths surround a career in dance?
There's this myth that dance is somehow the short-lived career. It's only going to last you a few years and then you're done and the industry spits you out.
But I hope that I'm living proof that you can have a family, you can be married, you can have three kids, you can build a seven-figure business, you can still be in the industry that you love, for me, which is dance, make a good living doing it and feeling fulfilled and traveling the world.
Menina Fortunato is a dynamic, accomplished, and globally recognized entrepreneur, former professional dancer, and mentor best known for building a global platform, empowering dancers to turn their passion into thriving careers. Because at the end of the day, there's no other you on the planet. And I would tell my younger self that you are unique, you are special, there is no other you out there.
Just really lean into that superpower, and that's when you really will find where you belong. I find that talent, yes, is important, but it's only a part of the equation. There's other aspects that they need in order to be successful.
My name's Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast, and I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill, take the red pill, join me in Wonderland and change your life. Welcome back to another episode of the Living Your Legacy podcast, the Red Life edition.
Moments away from filming another Legacy Makers episode, and this one's special to my heart because every time a dancer or a dance instructor is in our presence, I always freak out and fanboy out. Menina, how are you today?
I'm great. I'm excited to be here. The set is wild. I love the theme and Rudy's mind. I guess this is an extension of him. And yeah, we got comic strips and all kinds of shoes.
I like how two visual artists are all like, oh, I'm just like eye candy.
Like I'm like, where do I look? What am I supposed to focus on?
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Chapter 2: How did Menina Fortunato transition from dancer to entrepreneur?
So Menina Fortunado.
Yes. Well, my full name, if you really want to go there, is Menina Damul Fortunato. So it's, well, Menina means little girl in Portuguese. Damul means of love in French. Fortunato means lucky or fortunate in Italian.
There you go. And the podcast scene.
And scene.
So platform owner. And when you think of platforms, a lot of people don't think about dance platforms. They probably think of like, you know, just dance. They think of music videos. But you've obviously taken it to a whole new level where it should be. Talk about that journey.
So I started off as a dancer. My father was my first dance teacher. Wow. So he owned two dance studios. So I grew up in a dance studio. Well, backtrack. My mother was a choreographer at Club Med. That's where she met my father. She needed a dance partner. He was not a dancer. She thought he was cute. And he accepted the offer.
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Chapter 3: What mindset is required for success in the dance industry?
She taught him how to dance. So I guess you could say I was born into a dance family. What a love story. Wow. So grew up in my dad's dance studio, did the whole competition dance thing growing up. My mother, as a dance mom, decided that she wanted to start a dance competition when I was 13.
Wow.
So I had a very early education when it comes to the dance business. Right on. And while I was helping my dad with his studio, helping my mom with her competition, I was competing in dance.
Chapter 4: How has social media changed opportunities for dancers?
I was teaching when I was 12. My father's dance studio. And then my first professional gig was when I was 16. Fast forward, I moved to LA. I'm from Vancouver. I moved to LA when I was 20, a long time ago.
Oh, don't do that. That was like last Thursday.
Yeah, totally, right?
We compressed time here.
And I moved out to LA to pursue the dream with my car, my clothes, moved into an apartment in North Hollywood that I'd never seen until the day that I moved in with a roommate that I'd never met until the day I moved in. I had an agent already. I had a work visa because I'm Canadian, very similar to Rudy's story. I had to get the whole O-1 visa thing, if anybody understands that. Yeah.
There's some Rudy lore. I love it.
And within the first month, I was working with Paula Abdul, who was my teen idol. She was my first concert as a kid. So that was an amazing start.
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Chapter 5: What does it mean to package and market your skills as a dancer?
A month later, I did the Pepsi commercials with Britney Spears for the Super Bowl. That was...
well we did in 2001 and then 2002 it aired on super bowl that was my first commercial ever great first commercial um and then i had a good 10-year run as a professional dancer so i've worked with britney spears beyonce earth woman fire paul abdul carmen electra zz top luke bryan carrie underwood mc hammer William Hung, if anybody remembers him.
Of course. He's still huge. He is banking. He's still huge.
And then I did some TV and film. I did, I guess, started on Star Trek Enterprise. I played Mraz, a green alien.
Oh, not a Klingon? You definitely look. That's a compliment, by the way. You look like a Klingon.
That's a compliment. I was a green alien. And that was a whole episode of my journey as well, because that show led to Trading Cards. comic strips, video games, sci-fi appearances. So now I'm part of the long live and prosper Trek family.
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Chapter 6: How can dancers reinvent themselves during industry shifts?
You're all about science and going and exploring. I'm all about magic and wizards. I'm all about Jedis. Trekkies and Star Wars fans don't get along by nature.
Really? Are they rivals?
Absolutely. All these noises that I'm making are all negatives. This is me praising Star Trek, even though there's a place for Star Trek. But you're among Star Wars fans here, Klingon.
I was never a Trek fan, but I became a part of the Trek family. And they are the most loyal fans that you could ever ask for. I still get fan mail to this day. And that was 20 years ago. And all I did was guest star in one episode. But it was a very iconic episode. Anyways, I had a great.
And we would show you the B-roll, but we can't because of licensing reasons. Right.
Look it up.
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Chapter 7: What life lessons does Menina share for aspiring dancers?
I'm green alien, Minion of Fortunato. You'll see all kinds of green.
Nice. Dot, dot, dot.
I worked on Mad TV for six seasons as a dancer as well. What? So that was fun.
You out J-Lo'd J-Lo? Wasn't JLo on, no, she was in In Living Color.
No, she was in In Living Color.
Ah, so you were rivals with JLo.
But, I don't know about rivals, but she, yeah, I guess, I mean, In Living Color was the comedy show of that era. Agreed, yes. And Mad TV and SNL were kind of rival shows.
Yeah, the SNL was the, we're in New York, and then Mad TV and then In Living Color were more like grimy, like real, F you, this, and like Doug's dancing was dope. And then SNL was more like, New York, which is great, but not as cool and grimy.
Well, for the time. That TV was fun. The actors are hilarious.
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Chapter 8: How can one build a sustainable career in the creative arts?
And we did all kinds of spoofs. I did a spoof for Britney Spears, Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Bobby Brown, Snoop Dogg. You know, so I got to.
I love how you name all these artists. And me as an 80s, 90s kid, I'm like, I can see eras, what it felt, music, poetry. Don't you feel like that's sort of missing today? Like everyone's an influencer.
Well, the game has changed.
The game has absolutely changed.
Now anybody with a phone can become an influencer slash celebrity and get brand deals and get recognition worldwide and make a ton of money.
So everyone now is Lady Gaga. Everyone is all this. So within that noise, dude, how does a dancer stay unique?
Well, the landscape of dancers has changed because I didn't grow up with social media. So when I had this fan base, they actually had to find my website.
Buy your DVD.
And they couldn't see me until I actually went to an event. So there wasn't the ability to connect with your audience.
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