By: Alexandria McLean | @itbalexandria
Starring as James in the hit series The Next Step, it is obvious that Trevor Tordjman can dance and act. But, did you also know he is the founder of a company! Trevor, a real triple threat, is the director of Raw Motion Dance Co. Raw Motion Dance provides students dance conventions and in-studio workshops lead by Canadian chorographers and teachers. Amongst these teachers are some of the cast members of The Next Step.
Registration is currently open for workshops in the new year! On January 11th in Toronto, and on January 15th in Kitchener, youth can sign up for a day of dance lead by Trevor Tordjman (James), Brittany Raymond (Riley), and other The Next Step cast members!
The Magazine got the chance to talk with Trevor about Raw Motion Dance, the upcoming conventions, and when he first knew he wanted to have a career in dance.
The Magazine: You are one of the founders for Raw Motion Dance. How did you come up with the idea to start this company?
Trevor: Well, to tell you the truth, I would get hired a lot to go teach dance at studios, for dance studios, and do some choreography. I just thought why not while I am doing this, why don’t I try and build a name to this so I can also grow a business. Also, some of my other family members run a business. My mom runs a business and my older brother runs a business. It was kind of always something that interested me, so I kind of just always indulged myself into it and then it just started to evolve from there.
The Magazine: How would you describe your company Raw Motion Dance?
Trevor: So, Raw Motion Dance, we basically go and get a big convention centre and kids can sign up online, or we can help them with the process through our email. Basically, they sign up and come for a full day of dance. So they take classes from all of our faculty members. Our faculty members are our choreographers and a lot of them star in the series The Next Step. We have JORDAN CLARK who won So You Think You Can Dance. We also have EVERETT SMITH who also was on So You Think You Can Dance. They sign up and they take classes in all different genres. We offer classes in hip hop, contemporary, jazz, and then we have a little special segment where they can choose which kind of style they want to take and that includes tap, broadway and jazz funk. Also within the day, there is a little meet and greet so all the kids that signed up can meet all of the teachers and get their picture taken, and get an autograph. At the end, we have a little award ceremony for the kids that stood out. Everybody is welcome. You know, anybody from ages five, six, all the way up to eighteen.
The Magazine: You started dancing at the age of four at your mom’s studio, but when was the moment that you knew dance was what you wanted to do?
Trevor: To tell you the truth, I got very inspired by my cousin who was a hip-hop teacher at the time. So, it wasn’t until about twelve when I started to learn all these crazy cool breakdancing moves and I started to pick up the choreography, that hey this is something that I really love to do. So it wasn’t until about twelve or thirteen that I realized how much I love dance and then from that point on I just started working as hard as I possibly could.
The Magazine: As you mentioned earlier, a lot of the faculty members are from the show The Next Step. What is it like working with them off of set?
Trevor: To tell you the truth, we are all such good friends so they are already such cool people. But also, it is unbelievable how amazing their choreography is. Not only are they great dancers, but they are great choreographers. So, part of my motive beginning this convention is I really wanted to showcase that. We all do a lot of choreography and I really want people to see that. Working with them more outside of set and more into the dance industry and convention world is amazing. I love it.
The Magazine: You have two dance conventions coming up in January, one in Toronto and one in Kitchener, what can people signing up for that expect?
Trevor: They can accept a wonderful, super fun day full of dance. They can also expect to meet all of our faculty members who once again star in The Next Step, and star in So You Think You Can Dance in the past season. It will just be so much fun. A day to remember for sure.
The Magazine: What is your advice to those who may feel that aren’t the best dancer, but still would love to attend?
Trevor: Well my advice for them is even if they still want to come out, we have different levels of dance within the convention. So they sign up for a level that they feel comfortable in. To tell you the truth, it is a bunch of kids at all different levels, and it is just mainly to have fun and to push your comfort zone a little bit. If it is challenging, in my eyes, that is a great thing. As long as you are having fun, and constantly improving because it’s challenging, I don’t think it is a bad idea at all to sign up.
The Magazine: The cool thing about this convention is that you get to meet your fans one on one. What is it like when you get to meet your fans that way?
Trevor: I love to meet all my fans! They always have such great things to say, and I love the fact that they are finally getting to meet us and kind of fulfill their dreams. It is so unbelievable to them, and to us it is so great to have them support us with everything we do. I love to just talk to them and see where their head is at.
The Magazine: You yourself will be teaching some dance at the convention. Is there any songs you currently love to dance to?
Trevor: To tell you the truth, that new Bruno Mars song. I love that song. Don’t believe me just watch! Yeah, that one!
Thanks Trevor!
To find out more information about the upcoming conventions and how you can sign up make sure to check out Raw Motion Dance’s website! http://rawmotiondance.com/
ALEXANDRIA MCLEAN 