IN|FORM | Joel Gallarde
Contributed by Joel Gallarde, Triple8 Funk Dance Company
What first got you into dance / What is your first memory of dance?
In my first year of uni, it was a good idea to join a university club to meet new friends so my roommate and I, with no dance experience, decided to audition for the uni dance club. We just wanted to be in a cool group and the dance club looked like there were a lot of cool people in it. My roommate didn’t make it through but for some reason I got in the reserve team. So I started there and progressed. The rest was history. We just wanted to be cool. That was the only reason.
What’s your current role?
I do so many things in dance and outside. My most well-known role is being a dance event organiser and dance mentor. I’ve been a dance leader / organiser for about 20 years now. When I speak to non-dance people I usually explain that I’m a hip hop dance choreographer who organises dance events. They usually get excited and ask me if it’s like those dance battles they see on YouTube. I say yes!
What is the most rewarding or fun part of your job and why?
The most rewarding part is when people that meet at my projects / events become life-long friends. It makes what I do the reason for people forming friendships. Equally rewarding is when dancers in my projects grow up to become dance leaders and influencers themselves. The most fun part is getting to know people and hanging out.
What are the things you’d wish you known when you took on your leadership role?
There are so many things I wish I’ve known. I discovered personal development and entrepreneurship training in 2012 and I’ve since been obsessed with learning various things like health, marketing, investments, psychology, and many more. I’ve become a learning machine. So I wish I had known about personal development way earlier. It would have saved me so much time, money, and energy in creating the things I have created and in how to be an effective leader.
What advice would you give someone just starting their career in dance / or starting a role similar to yours?
My advice is to spend at least 50% of their time for at least 5 years learning other skills that is NOT dance. Get involved or learn other skills that may compliment their career and build a holistic lifestyle instead. Just learning dance alone will limit you massively without you knowing it! Also, get mentors. They will change your life.
If money were no object, what project would you most like to take on?
I would love to create huge hip hop dance theatre shows aimed at the general public.
If you could change one thing in the world of Australian dance, what would it be?
I wish Australian dancers could get better education holistically as this would boost their career and boost the whole dance community
How’s your work-life balance?
This used to all just blend in into one. But after 2020, I realised that there are more important things than just working even if it’s your passion. So now, I’m much balanced. I stopped having work bookings after 6pm and I allocate more time to my health, friendships and just enjoying life.
What are your plans for the future (either in dance, or in the rest of your life)?
My life mission is to empower people to be happy and healthy. Dance is just one of my platforms to achieve this. I’ve also started my social media agency business as another platform to serve people. My deeper passion now lies on developing programs, events, platforms for people to become happier and healthier. I also work on myself a lot – in health, business, relationships, and aligning with life-purpose - so I can lead by example and inspire dancers and people around me that way.