Welcome to Behind the Influence, a production of I Heart Radio and TDC Media. I guess like I went through like a certain life experience, and I felt like the only person that would understand that certain life experience was Casey. I don't think anyone really truly understand. Most of our resumes are on YouTube or on Instagram, showing people what you're able to do with your body. It's kind of like you're using dancing to show people what you're able to do with your heart and with your soul and
with your mind. And it's like and what you can explain without having to say a word. Casey Rises Shanlu pro dancers. In real life, theffs are in the house, in the house. Not only are you in the house, you're you're in the house and coordinated in the house. You guys want to tell the people who can't see us right now, what's going on with the ensemble. Well,
we always for some reason like color coordinate. It's scary. Yeah, the guys, this is not just a color a white chop and a jean jacket, and it's almost like the same texture gene jacket. I mean literally, there would be times where like we would either like see each other in class or walk down on the lobby, and I would wear colors that I would never wear at all, and I'd be like, you know, I'm gonna throw in some yellow. And then I walked down and then she
walks down. I'm like, so you're wearing yellow. I'm wearing yellow. When do you wear yellow different? Today? That is so funny. So you guys are you guys obviously have a long history of working together and being friends. Let's take it back to where it all began for people who don't know the backstory of Casey and Sean. Who wants to take this tale or one of you can start at the other convenish it. You're so insanc I feel like it could work. I can start it. So we started
competing like seven to eight years ago. I had a separate studio and she had a separate studio, and we kind of competed with each other. But then it was always like just like, hey, hey, you're good, you too, And then and then after that we started when I started moving into the classes in l A and everything like that, I also saw her in classes there too, and so we always kept bumping into each other. But like when we first met each other, it was far
from like being like even friends at all. We were always just like, like I admired her, admired her as a dancer when I first saw her on stage and everything like that. But I was never like, I want to grab some lunch. I was just gonna say, for people who are not aware of how young both of you are, sixteen and seventeen, yeah, when you met, you had to have been at the ripe age of eight
and nine. It was more like our parents were doing the talking, so you're not really necessarily being like, want to go to soho house talking to each other, and then we just hear your parents like, Hi, this is my son, this is my daughter. Yeah, I mean, but all in all, it was really just like we kept seeing each other a lot in like competitions and then in classes and all that stuff. So it was really just kind of this like sign where I was like,
maybe we should just be friends. See where that goes. Had you seen the video of Casey when she did is it work that Katie didn't carry? Katie Perry tweet that, okay when I saw that video today because I was watching it this morning and just to you know, go through all the research. Yeah, well that's what I do every morning. I like that I have my coffee that I do. You but oh my goodness, so talented. How old are you in that video? I was ten years old.
I mean like when she does those like hit thrust, like, oh my god, those are like powerful, they were power power, And then Katie Perry sees it. How was it as a ten year old? Honestly, I didn't really quite know what was going on at the time because I was so young. I just remember like one of my fans like commented on one of my random selfies on Instagram.
I was like, hey, Katy Perry just retweeted as your solo and I was like what, And we all thought it was like something like it was a fake account. So we went and did like the research and we're like,
oh no, it's like the actual Katy Perry. But at the time I was just kind of like cool, I don't I don't know what this means, Like I don't even know what you do with this, yeah exactly, And my parents were like, oh my gosh, like this is for real, and it just blew up and it was one of the very first dance videos to actually sort of go viral. So that was like really really cool, and I got so many opportunities after that. That's just
been insane and it's just crazy. Well you are too, I mean a lot of your stuff went viral as well. That's obviously probably your first memory of something really going viral and people you kind of became a household name at that point. Yeah, and then what was it for you, Sean, when you realize that this was something because obviously dance is something that people take very seriously. Some unfortunately, do
not have the careers that you guys have had. And you're you're so young, you saw the world in front of you. You had a moment in your career, your career as a ten year old perhaps where you realized this is something I could really make into a longtime career. Yeah, I mean, was there a moment for you, like a a video got a lot of attention, or somebody asked you to choreograph something where you were like, they're taking
me seriously, this is something I could really do well. Actually, when I think when I was ten, it was generally a competition and I was like I asked my studio owner. I was like, hey, can I just choreograph my own solo and like try it in the studio and it was like no, I don't do that, and like there's no point and I was like, no, I really want to try, and she was very doubtful about it, and I was like, Okay, if I really prepare and if I go into the next one by myself, will you
let me? And I was like I'll even like even compete away from your studio. I'll go independently, and she just like okay, fine. So then you know, I spent a lot of time, you know, choreographing like my own solo, and do you remember what song it was to um? It was so long ago. It was so long ago, and it was so brief. It was just like it was just a moment for me that kind of like stuff like this light where I was like I realized that, you know, as I cho ground, was like, oh, no,
one knows me more than myself. So so I really tried to push it out there. And then at that point, I beat all my other solos and I beat all like my other like routines that I did in the competition with that solo, and I was like, oh my god, this is like something I want to do and this is something that I want to share. And so then I started like teaching in any possible way I could, either in charities or in fundraisers or in just my
sister's high school. And from that point on, it was kind of just like, I want to keep doing this forever and beat that studio owner success story. So, you guys were so young at this point, and obviously big things are happening for both of you, you know of each other. How was it because you're obviously were you still in school at that point, yes, So how are you balancing because obviously you're in a different tier of
talent of dance. How are you balancing practicing and taking dance seriously and maybe going pro and also taking school seriously as well. Well. At the moment, we're both graduated from school. But at the time it was tough, like separating dance and school and also, yeah, finding that balance, but we always like managed to do it. And obviously school does come first, but dances also our passion and our loves. So it was just really finding that balance
between studying but then also doing what we loved. And it's also just kind of the idea of knowing that, like school is a priority, so because dance is our passion, we kind of have to make sure that we get the school thing done first, and then you go into
like moving with dancing. Because I feel like every time you decide to push school away when you have to do it and you start to kind of go into, you know, your passion, you're always distracted by knowing that you still have to do school, and like at a certain point, you know, so it pulls away from that,
you know, you giving that whenever you are dancing. So for us, either for us when we were on set or when we were rehearsing or this, this, and that, it was always just making sure that we at least finished school. We at least had to finish what we had to finish for school, and then we can move on to you know, and in your mind was what
you had to finish was high school. Yeah. So I always wondered this about child stars and your actors who are land big TV roles at a very young age, how you can really commit to two things equally, because I feel like you're taking from one to focus on the other, knowing that you had to finish school and just get it done, and you both knew that you
had this promising career in dance. Were you taking school less seriously just because you had this career that you felt you could fall back on or was it the other way around where school was taken really seriously because you never knew where dance would take you. Oh, I
felt like a new where dance would take me. I feel like I feel like in our case, I feel like we we kind of looked at dancing as like our guiding hand kind of thing, because I mean, obviously we took school very seriously, and at least for me and my parents are very strict about making sure that, like, you know, you had to finish this year to firms that otherwise you don't get to do this and that kind of thing. So it was kind of like school was my motivation. Would dance get taken away from you?
You think if you started slipping in school for sure? For sure? For sure? Yeah, I mean, I mean it makes sense. You know. I love that your parents both did that for you guys, but you'd be surprised in the industry how many parents would say, you know what, don't worry about it, you just gotta you know this series regular on this show. We'll focus on school later.
I mean, when you think about it, like at the moment, we were obviously like, fine, well, every high school kid, you're not You're not a bad person for not wanting to go to class by the way, nobody likes. I mean, there would be like tough moments at certain times because it was like we had to sacrifice this for school
or sacrifice that for school. You know, once you kind of like look back at it, you're kind of just like really grateful for the fact that, like our parents, we're super strict with what our priorities had to be at and just knowing that, like I said, I feel like dancing was really our guiding hand into what we
wanted to do in the future. Is settled that in our heart, and that's why we were able to commit so fully into school and then going back into dance, just because we kind of trusted that dance would continuously take us to where we needed to be at while we're still doing school. So and then as far as post high school, a lot of dancers, I guess would try to apply to school like Juilliard or some kind of dance institution. You guys were already making moves in
the real world. So did you ever have a conversation with parents, or with yourselves or amongst yourselves and try to decide, Okay, do we go into the real world now or do we continue to maybe foster this through school in another way that was focused on dance. I think for dancing, I just knew I love to do it. So since we kind of already dove our feet into like the real life world in the industry and everything, I think that's just where our paths are taking us.
And at the moment, I don't think like we want to study dance like at school, because dance is more than just studying it. It's also a feeling and it's something that makes you feel good. It makes you who
you are. Yeah, a lot of people say that your real life experience always trumps right, And I'm sure you guys are learning so much more actually doing the routines and trying things out versus getting it from a textbook or Yeah, I just feel like the way that we approach dance isn't necessarily I guess you could say, supported from like she said, textbooks and from you know, certain limitations.
I feel like for us, we kind of look at it in a way where we're driven from, like she said, of feeling, rather than it being a certain technique or a certain you know, rule that you get from school. You know. So yeah, a lot of schools are formulaic.
Whereas you guys, I feel like just from all the videos I saw of you guys dancing together, it's very it's almost created between the two of you, or you'll create something or you'll from a thing exactly, and you're not necessarily in a box of a certain kind of dance. You're kind of creating your own lane. Is that? Would you agree that you're creating your own lane? So what is the lane that you've created? If you were to describe to somebody your styles of dance, I would kind
of say it's a fusion. There really is no specific word to describe what we do or even anybody in the dance industry nowadays. It's all just based off of who people are, and they kind of create their own style based on what feels good to them, which is like really cool. So not everyone's doing the same thing, and you're constantly learning new things from different people and
stepping outside of your comfort zone. Yeah, it's it's really just about that certain lane that you're talking about that represents who you are, not as a dancer, but as like just a regular human being, because I feel like it really shows as to what you do every day outside of dance, and you kind of infuse that when you're dancing, and so not not saying like oh, I'm a hip hop dancer or I'm a contemporary dancer, I'm a lyrical dancer. It's like whenever they're dancing, they're not
limiting limiting their selves to that certain style. They're limiting themselves to how they feel and that day even just like on that certain time or that certain moments. So I feel like nowadays dance is really driven by just who we are as people and who we surround ourselves with and how we prepare ourselves just to the world. Someone used around yourself with this Casey and Casey surrounds herself with you and you guys were and are basically very exactly when did you guys decide it was a
good move to start collaborating. It was a feeling, Yeah, it really was. It wasn't something that like we were always talking about like texting, like oh, we gotta collapse, we gotta do this together, like and then like it never happened that kind of situation. But I guess like I went through like a certain life experience, and I felt like the only person that would understand that certain life experience was Casey, And I felt like she was the only person that kind of stood out from whatever.
I was always taking class with her. Whenever I saw her dance, it was like this level of commitment that wasn't necessarily always around in the world, you know. So I kind of took that really seriously and I was like, Casey, do you want to do this video? It wasn't even a video. I just told her, like what it was about was just like, Casey, there's a certain thing that I want to tell people about and this this isn't that. And I was like, I would love for you to
be a part of it. Was that the first do you do you want to tell us what that was? Yeah? It was this video called wrong Words, and actually the title of it's called life Experience Wrong Words. And I feel like that's basically like what we strive for when we're dancing. It's just especially for when I'm creating something or when we're creating something it's built off of a life experience, because that's one of the most genuine feelings and the most genuine ways of portraying something comes out.
And so, you know, after it came out, a lot of the responses like it was more than I could ever imagine, and it was it was just that the idea of what we do as dancers could be so much more than just showing people what you're able to do with your body. It's kind of like you're using dancing to show people what you're able to do with your heart and with your soul and with your mind. And it's like what you can explain without having to
say a word exactly. And I think that kind of that kind of way of showing people that sticks in people's heads because it's like you can tell people one thing, but then when you're putting your full commitment into telling people something that you don't even have to say, it like creates this longevity in their head where it like always sticks in their head and it's like, oh my god, I always remember this, This isn't that, and it's all
from this certain video. And I guess that that was really the first time that I felt like I really used dance to fully impact someone's life rather than just trying to impress someone, you know. And I think that from just the whole process of doing it with Casey and and creating it, it wasn't like it was far from being stressful. It was just literally like us clicking back and forth being like this, this, this, this, this, this,
even no one knows what this means exactly. I was like this, well, yeah, like as we're like going back and forth with like the whole idea of the video, it was always just going back and forth with the right ideas, and it always stuck to the same concept of what we were trying to say rather than pulling away.
And I don't know, I guess my favorite part about that whole first experience of creating that video with her it was just the process of it and then seeing people truly become affected by it and become fully aware of what we were trying to say for their lives. I think that was just like the greatest feeling possible. And we both we both talked about it. We were like, you know, when this video comes out, it's not necessarily about how big it does or how many views it gets.
It was like, as long as we're able to at least impact someone from them just watching the video, that for us is like the biggest thing we could possibly achieve. What was the message of the video? I mean the message of it was just basically, the wrong words may not hurt yourself, but or no, may not hurt other I don't know. It's your video, other people, but yourself in the end as well. It's just being careful about what you say because it could really do damage to
other people but yourself mainly in the end. That's so evolved for you to be thinking like that because and there's no problem with this, but there's so many I see a lot of dance videos we were actually scouring. As I told you guys before we went, we started recording so many dancers on the internet, so many dancers on YouTube, Instagram. Rarely are feelings evoked. I mean sometimes you're like, oh wow, they look hot and like that
was a sick dance move. But it sounds like you guys really honed in on something that moved you because you were moving others and you were I don't know, you were evoking feelings and others that you didn't even people you didn't even know. Yeah, I mean, I think like you're saying, when you see when you come across all these videos, they're all great because everyone's doing it based off of, you know, what they love to do.
And it's so cool being able to see seven just so many different kinds of people dancing into so many different kinds of songs, and you know, you get so high because you're just like, oh my god, they're all dancing, you know, like this is all coming from dance, and you can all see that like same kind of love
that they all have for it. But at a certain point too, there's always that like little spark that we feel like we should be putting out that kind of reminds people like dances so much more, you know, and it can go beyond just the certain moves that we're doing, or it can go beyond the certain classes that we take, or you know, what we're capable to do with their body. You know, what makes us stand out from others is not necessarily what we can do with our body, but
what we can say from our hearts, you know. So I think that that's something that we really wanted to take advantage of when it comes to not just dancing, but just in anything you know. So, so how long ago was this that first clab? Would you say that was okay? So it's been about two years since then. Since then, you guys have launched your YouTube channel that you are on together, and you also were on World of Dance Together. Walk me through one why you decided
to do that show. I love that show. First of all, nothing makes me happier than watching people dance. But then also you made j Lo cry, which not a lot of people can say that. So to your point of bringing people's feelings forward, tell me about your experience on World of Dance. Well, how it all came about was we were actually asked to go on the show as individuals, as soloists, and neither of us really wanted to do that.
But Sean then approached me one day, he facetimely awkward FaceTime call, like, so do you want to be again? That's exactly what you guys didn't see me. I was you're you're sitting next to me, yeah, and so he faced on me. He based it was like, so you want to do a World to Dance together? And then two hours went by of us not saying anything. But at this point, had they approached each of you individually? Yeah,
was it for the same season? Okay, so they approached both of you, you both kind of didn't didn't give an answer or did you just say no? I said no because I did the first season, and after going through the first season, I was like, no way am I going back, Like, there's no way you can't make me Why there was a certain, like I guess level confidence that I was going through at that time where I was just like, there's no way I could pull
it off, Like especially by myself. I was like, there's with a certain level of pressure that there isn't like competition, It's more than just you being a great d answer, you know. So I was like, it's just like I was like, no alone. So you said no, you did you say anything? I mean mine was just a shorter like no, thank you. Both of you say no, But then it sits with you for a second and you decide, Okay, maybe I'll do it if Casey does it with me. Yeah,
I was on. I was gonna plane. Then after that, when I got back, I like called her and she's like, she said, it was a really awkward FaceTime call. And after I asked her the question, um, I just ended up staring at her ceiling about a very indecisive person with anything everything. So were you just thinking on FaceTime
but not speaking? I couldn't tell because I was staring at the ceiling, like I said, I think't so she went downstairs to get some food or if she went out or if you know, to move into a phone call, yeah, you know you stuck around, I would have hung up. I have such a hello, you're not there by I was literally staring at my phone, like just like hello. But then I knew it was like such like a big question. So I was like, I'm not going to
like rush for anything. But did you ask this question already knowing that the show would have done it with the two of you together? Or were you just thinking maybe they'll take us in together? No, I asked her, knowing that they would take both of us in, But it was just more of the matter of like, are we both wanting to do it? You know, because it's like it's one thing for one of us to do
and then we both come in. But you know that's not going to work because it's going to affect the whole journey and process of us being doing the competition. For me, it was like if she wasn't going to do it, I mean, there's no point in doing it at all because I mean, I'm not going to push her into doing something that she doesn't want to do, right,
But you guys decided to go for it. But what made you decide it was the move I think, like I said, it was like a two hour face to call and it was just like a simple all right,
let's do it. Literally, what were your parents thinking at that time, because I'm sure they tried and my parents were like go for it, like do it echoes of like her mom just being like, yeah, go for it, just like as like I wasn't seeing anything on the FaceTime call and then and then I told my dad and I was like, oh my god, yeah, you should definitely do it. I was just like, all right, you
guys want to go on. It sounds like you guys have really supportive parents, and I really think that that makes or breaks people's careers, especially as young as you guys were when you started out. I'm sure there were days when as young dancers had hard days you might have wanted to quit and maybe mom said, stick it out, let's go to one more class or whatever it is. Yeah, it's really interesting because for me, like me and my mom,
like we're still learning too. It's just like there's not a certain thing where you know, she would know one thing that I would know a certain thing. It's always just like we're both learning it together and we're kind of like teaching each other. And that's a certain way because I would say I'm still like new to what's going on right now, Like I'm not fully aware of like, oh, this person lived in the cave for six years, so that's why he dances like this or anything. You know.
I don't know those kind of like stuff. So for me, it's like being with like Casey and then you know, and then going through all these places with my mom and all the stuff. It's just like it's just learning as we're going. Um. And I think that's that's the best part about having such great people around you in great parents, because you know, you guys are both just learning together rather than always trying to like one up
the person. Did you have any dance in your family or were you kind of like the pioneer before I started dancing, My whole family actually did taekwondo whenever, Like I would go to the competitions, I would kind of just go in like the sparring ring and let the other kids kick me because I didn't want to fight um. And so I was kind of like the lone ranger because my brother and my sister like, I just want to dance. Yeah, I start kicking you. I didn't even
know anything else. I was just like, I don't like this. So then just one day as a fluke, my mom just put me in a dance class and you just went viral at the right page of ten. But it was just like not even knowing anything, but it was just love it first step, I guess you could say, and I just I just something clicked in me and I was like, this is what I was meant to do. Amazing.
It really had a spotlight on her when she was taking her first class and they had a camera and she was like, this is what I was meant and her first class she did work and it went viral. It was her first just nailed it right up the gate. Okay, so at this point, you guys both say, yes, you are on World of Dance. This was your first time on the World of Dance, Right, You've already done it. How how was it going in a second time around
with Casey? Was the whole vibe different for you? Yeah, I mean the one was because I was in such a large group in the first season, so going in with just another person by my side, I was like hesitant. I was like, I don't I was obviously going to tell her like, oh, this is how it works, and this is how it works. But then going in, like going on set with her, I was like, I don't even know what's going on in the second season, Like
I don't, I have no idea. So, like I said, we were both like like learning what was going on with the season at the same time. I just walked in taking season one out of my head. And then obviously during interview questions they were like if a producer's dream,
it's like the Last Sea. But it was definitely a different feeling that I got walking on set with Casey, because, like I said, obviously I was in a larger group in the first season, but it was more it was less about feeling like nervous and it was more like like I felt like it was more pressuring, which I don't know if that's there's much of a difference, but it was just because now like all their eyes are on like just us, rather than being like shadowed by
other dancers. And so it was just this like rush of okay, if we screw up or if we don't do good, like you know, there's no there is there a fear when going into a show like this. We were having Maddie Poppion on Friday, she won American Idol. She I always wonder if you're wildly talented, but everyone has a bad day, right what if your bad day is on national television and it's the one time people see you, it is not not the biggest fear for sure.
We were always so nervous, especially for our first round because obviously our first round dance, we had the blindfolds when we were dancing, but we didn't actually practice with the blindfolds until three days before we went on stage. And the blindfolds that we used, we couldn't really see out of them, like we saw like shadowy figures. But with the lights beaming down on you and everything, and that that stage as well had the light, you can't see anything. So the day of when we were doing
tech rehearsal. There's this one move where my arm like smacks and he's supposed to duck, and like I hit him, and just like everything was going wrong. We're like, oh no,
this is like our worst fear coming true. And we were blind that day and it was just like our last rehearsal before we actually did the real thing, like our last person and it was like we were able to do on stage, and then there was a certain lift in the end, and then they kept dropping her, and you know, we just kept adding and adding until the day of. We changed the whole dance the day before.
Could you have removed the blind I mean it was possible that we could have removed the blindfold, but the only problem was just that like the story that we were trying to give out wouldn't have you needed the blindfold story. And also Jlo cried, yeah, I mean you nailed it. It was just that risk where we were like, we don't want to regret anything. You know, well, it's bigger impact, right if you're doing a crazy routine. Basically blind people are going to be like they know what
they're doing. Yeah, I mean, like I said, we honestly just walked into that competition competition, not wanting to regret anything at all, even if it took a risk, even if it was you know, no one liked it, and at least we went forward knowing that we gave it at all. And I think that that was kind of
just like our entire mindset throughout the entire competition. Did you guys notice after the show, more followers, more fans, because obviously in the dance community, people probably knew who you were, but you're not necessarily in the dance community. If you're watching the show, everyone watches World of Dance. It's a fun show to watch. Did you guys notice
new fandom. Yeah, our fan base definitely grew since then, and I think because our main goal when we went on that show was honestly to not lose sight of who we were. And every round we didn't care if we had the coolest moves or like the biggest wow moments. We just we just wanted to portray our messages and portray stories that people could really connect with. Because after the show, after our dances aired, people reached out to us.
I mean, like you guys like really touched our hearts and thank you for this because this message is very important, and that was just our main goal because we didn't want to just reach out reach out to dancers. We wanted to reach out to the world and too, people who may not even know about dance, but something in us clicked in them and they're like wow, like this
like really touched us. So that was just our mangle, and I think that's why our fan base grew so much, because we stay true to who we are, and I think that was like the greatest feeling ever, you know, because like she said, we didn't walk in hoping that we were going to get a larger fan base or like you know, like, oh, this is great for exposure. Like for us, we we didn't need that. That's not
what we were seeking for. It wasn't something that was going to give us longevity and what we wanted to do. It was just that it was just the mindset that we had to put in ourselves making sure that the world got to see us for who we were. And as long as that's been portrayed and we could leave the competition knowing that it's going to leave a stain to the world forever, then that's all we could have
possibly wanted. You guys are so evolved for thinking that way because I think a lot of people and there's nothing wrong with this, but they may have picked the trendiest song and done the trendier moves that aren't necessarily on brand with who they are or authentic to themselves, not using mainstream So did you have to kind of pitch producers and say this is what we want to do? It was yeah, Like every round was very tough because we wanted to use songs that weren't the top forties.
But it's also very hard because in the TV world, songs have to get cleared as well, so some of the songs that we wanted to use couldn't get cleared by the artist or the label our songs. Even for the second round, we had three different songs, three different dances, and we're changing it up up until like the week before because we didn't know which song was going to be cleared, and then they told us one song got cleared, but then they're like, oh wait, no it's not cleared,
you can't use it. And it was just ya my stress, And that competition was funding songs, just music, Like I had to contact the artist at one time. For the second round just to get it like fully cleared, just so I can rush things up a little bit. It was like, we need to know what dance we're doing for the show, and it's tomorrow. Wow, that's but But honestly,
I think it paid off. All the struggle paid off because now the show is not forever, right, but your careers are forever and you basically you set the tone and people know what to expect out of the two of you, and you're not going to have random people contacting you for jobs that don't make sense for your brand, but you get contacted for other jobs. Like I don't know Megan Trainer perhaps might have called. Did she call
after seeing the show? Or well, actually, when I was a bit younger, I had been in one of her first music videos, all about that bass, so I had met her and she has been a fan of Sean for as long as she can remember. And um and one of like her choreographer's Charm, knew us and had worked with us before. And Megan and Charm got together and we're like, we watched Sean and Casey to do a dance to like my new song, and so Charm I've reached out to us and it was such a
cool experience because we didn't expect it at all. Um and it's so cool to have artists like that support dance and support what we do, and we're so grateful
to have had that opportunity. And it also allowed us to grow as partners as well, because it really helped us learn how to do more partner work, because even before World World of Dance, we never really did partner stuff, like we danced next to each other, but we never did lifts, we never did any partner work with one another, So it really helped us launch into that next phase. And also doing the Megan Trainer music video obviously helped us with that while still keeping the fact that we
wanted to portray messages. Well, let's first of all, let's tell people what this music video is so they when they're listening to this, they can watch it and also know that Sean, you choreographed the entire dance. Don't be shy. Tell the people why are you so shy? Your star.
I'm just going to continue to say the idea of like being able to not only dance for an artist, but dance for an artist like her, like Megan Trainer, but like like Casey was saying that supports dancers and it is so humble and I don't know it it gives you that really like like it motivates you to want to do your best, you know, because it's kind of just like you want to give them everything that you possibly could have and you possibly know, just because
you feel like they deserve what we're able to do. Plus more charm. She she directs and choregrats a lot of meg and stuff. When she approached us, she looked at it as a collaboration because she was just like, you know, I could do this, and then you guys could do that, and this isn't that like. And I think she was aware of like our process of whenever
we do create pieces. And so when she was showing me all the like parts of the music that she wanted us to do, I was literally just at her house and we literally just started like messing around with like certain concepts and ideas and one of them was on the couch and then the other ones that were on the the garage and I don't know. Hearing the song, it was it had such like a warm feeling to it.
So we wanted that to drive us into what we were going to do in the video, and then when we got into that, we literally just started playing around with it and then and we were like making it up as we were going either on the stairs or on a table, and the moment we finally figured it out, we literally just shot it right out there like once, like we were just like, okay, we'll do this. Then you move here and you move that, great, let shoot it right now. We were just like yeah, cool, cool, yeah,
oh there's the camera. Um. But there were certain parts that we we kind of prepared before the shoot. As most people may know, like I like to overthink certain things, um, and so for me, it was kind of just that idea when we were creating, I was just like, okay, is this the right feeling or does this feel right for you? Do this just feel right at all? Does this fit the music? And you know, just the idea of like choreographing something from begging trainer and I was
just like, I don't know. I was like yeah, I was like I don't know what represents us the most and this isn't that. And then her Casey being Casey, she was just like super super cheesy, was super helpful. She was just like just do what we always do,
and that's what you guys did and it worked out. Yeah, And honestly, like being able to do like a music video, it was a definitely it was definitely a much different experience from just doing like a concept video or a dance video that most of us usually do, which really gave us an insight of like the infinite possibilities that you can take a dance video with, because it didn't
feel like a dance video. It felt like we were watching a story that was based off of what the song was about, a story, which was like a really great, great feeling because I was just like, I didn't expect it to come out like that, and I've never seen us kind of do something like that, which kind of drove us into really stepping into more of that kind of region whenever we started creating more after that music video.
Just that whole experience being able to work with Charm she's the best um and the idea of all of it. It was just really great. And you guys definitely are pioneers in the sense that rarely are dancers in the forefront of these music videos oftentimes. Obviously you've been in music videos I'm sure you have some, but yeah, well we don't. We don't talk about that point being oftentimes dancers are in the background and they're not really the
focal point very rarely. I mean Maddie Ziegler with Sia. Obviously, Sia put Maddie on the map for sure, and I love that, and she kind of has the same vibe of the storytelling, or at least Sia did, and that Maddie did the move. I think it's it's really awesome that you guys are in a small group of dancers that actually were put at the forefront, and not only put at the forefront, but trusted by the star, by this pop icon to say, you guys, take the lead.
I trust you. I like what you're doing. That had to be a moment where one pinch me moment, and also just that validation, shin and reassurance that you needed, not that you needed per se, but we're humans. We all need somebody to say you're doing the right thing. Was that, in a sense validation that you guys were doing the right thing? Yeah, it was definitely validation for us that what we're doing is what we're meant to do.
So when we got the opportunity to do that and be trusted by an artist like Megan, it really put in perspective for us that wow, like dance is so impactful and patful, clearly, but to be able to do that and also it helps us grow as artists ourselves,
it was just the most validating feeling. Yeah, it's it's really just motivating for us, Like it motivates us to want to do more because for us, it's like that that kind of feeling that you you get from working for beautiful artists like Megan and and working with great people, it makes you never want to stop. It makes you want to just keep going and just being like, okay, what else you can do exactly, like what's gonna what
else can we do for the world? What else can we do that that will keep our names and people's conversations, that has to do with, you know, impacting their lives. It's it's it's just a whole different world that you step into whenever you get that sense of validation from just making sure that you are doing the right thing.
And you know, like you said, we are humans, so we do seek validation at certain moments, but whenever we're creating or whenever I'm whenever I'm just with her doing something, you don't necessarily like I never feel the need for like me making sure I'm doing the right thing or making sure that I'm validated for doing this. It's just like because when you're working with such great people, when you surround yourselves with such like a great support system,
that's all you ever really need. I feel like, because I guess the point in validation comment is more of there's a friends between something being on hobby and it's okay, and you can do your thing and do whatever you want, and then there's a career that can actually be your way of living and your your life's path, and the validation is needed to be because at some point you have to pay bills and at some point you know, luckily right now you guys probably don't have to, but
at some point in life, yeah, I have to talk about Yeah, your mom told me before you guys started that you're kicked out. No, but you know, at some point, this this love that you guys have for dance has to have its return on investment at some level, and it seems like both of you guys are absolutely on the path for that. Where do you guys see the next couple of years, where would you like this career to go if you could rub a magic genie bottles
that what they call a bottle. Okay, so you have a genie lamp, you have a magic wand whatever sorcery you want to use. Where do you see that the career is going? And maybe you have the same vision, maybe you have completely separate visions. You want to take
this one shot or Casey. I think throughout the past things that we've done together, we kind of realized that it was far beyond dancing obviously, like we explained, and in order to achieve that, it requires a lot of like acting, and it requires a lot of like soul
and requires a lot of like heart into it. And so I definitely hope for the next couple of years to kind of just seek into creating certain projects in certain films that will have a wider reach of an audience the world, that that's much more than just dance, that that actually may involve dialogue, that may involve lines that you will need to say and hopefully it happens in theaters and that kind of idea. I don't know. I just find that people start to from member your voice.
Whenever you put yourself out on such a huge platform like like movies and in films, that's definitely like a goal that I kind of well, it seems like you're working towards that goal right now. Do you want to tell everybody about your film journey? At the moment the perfect segue, I feel like we just set that up
so beautifully transitions. Yeah. For the past I guess three years now, I've been working on a certain film, a short film, and it revolves around that first experience that I explained earlier about wrong words with me and Casey. So yeah, this whole short film are certain aspects of lessons that I've kind of learned throughout life. Is Casey in the film, she's filming it. It revolves about me and Casey, so yeah, she's the majority of the film. And yeah, it's insane. Oh my gosh, I can't wait.
When does it? When can we see this? It's undecided yet, just because it's still in the works and I'm not necessarily focused on the release date or how it's going to come out, or you know, where it's going to come out, just because I'm more just focused on making sure that it's worth people's time, because I asked, because I did um put out a go fund me um to just get people involved, to kind of motivate myself
to really go for it. UM. I really want to make sure that's worth their money and their time and
their support. But yeah, this whole film, it's then almost more than three years now, and it's really just certain things that I wanted to highlight that represent the definition of what life, what I think life is, and I just wanted to do this film with some of the most important people in my life and just people that have really impacted the world in their own craft, you know, because there's certain times where you can work with really
great dancer and you can work with really incredible movers, but you're not going to remember that at a certain point, you know. But when you do start to work with not only great dance but really great people, it sticks with you forever. And I think that that's kind of something that that I really wanted to focus on. And I don't know it's the trailer will come out your time. I mean, between Winning Chopped, I had to say that starting a YouTube channel, choreographing music videos, it's fine that
you're taking a little bit of time with this. There's people that their main focus is a short film for ten years and still nothings out. So you're okay, So is it safe to say that you'd like to move into the film world per um in the future. The point of that short film was creating a certain infusion of of acting and dancing. Great. It's basically an unspoken narrative,
you know, so very cool. So like I said, it revolves around me in Casey because she holds, like I said, that level of determination and commitment, and also she can act, so it's like great, you know. So for me, it's like being able to really influence and push that sense of like, okay, if you really take the idea of actual acting with dancing, then when you think about it,
you're really storytelling. Like I feel like sometimes the definition of people's storytelling and they're dancing gets confused because step it up or step up. It's like we're not talking step up here. This is and it's it's not like a driven film where it's like one person is going through a certain path. It's just certain scenes in this film. It holds different messages, very calm, and I think that's that's the biggest goal with that, and I don't know,
who knows. Maybe if it does well. When it does it does well, you know, it can step up into a different series and maybe we could shoot it around the world or something like that. You know. Like it's just like that certain mister where I feel like pushing it to different boundaries and going into different even countries or different continents. It's like like being able to just have the idea of with with Dance and obviously being
able to do with Casey. It's like it's just like something that you want to go for no matter the cost or the matter of the risk, you know, because it's like if you're not going to do it now, then when you're going to do it, you know. And what about you, Casey. Obviously you're the star of this Oscar winning film, so after you've taken your oscars home some more, you're an actress. Well not an actress now. I want to become one um sound acting and in
a short film. For me, like obviously dancing requires a certain level of acting, and I think that's where I kind of grew the love of acting from. And to me, it's not so much acting because I feel like it just truly comes from a raw place. And I never like when I dance or when I portray messages. I never wanted to be portrayed as I'm portraying someone else. I wanted to be that I'm portraying myself or someone else through who I am as well, so it comes
out as real as possible. But when I do get older, obviously like I want to get more into the acting world, and I think it's just really cool how you could dive into different characters and really create something out of the ordinary that you can't really do in reality, go past the imagination. Well, I mean, it's funny because you say you're you would like to become an actor, but
really you are one. You said when you dance, you're taking on these different characters in essence and these different these feelings that made you know you're portraying something and you're you're showing the world and you're entertaining. So I
think you're on the right path. And I also feel so obviously the show A Full Circle is about influence, and you guys have both individually and together created a platform where I truly feel that if you decided to try something whether it's acting or filmmaking or directing or whatever it is, you already have this platform, You have this experience to take you wherever you want to go. Do you guys feel like you're your visibility social media wise?
And just the shows that you've done and the big winds like the music videos have helped you, helped open doors to things that you may not know that you want to do, but maybe you do it anyway. And yeah, for sure, Yeah, I mean you basically said it. Yeah, there's there's definitely power in social media. I'm sure you guys both know that already. I'm sure you can book jobs over other people because of the millions of followers
you both have between yourselves. I think the biggest like thing about social media, and I usually say this, is that it's like, it's obviously one of the greatest things ever, but it's also one of the most dangerous things ever, you know, because what you put out is how Yeah, what you put out is forever, and it's what people hold against you and what people use for certain gigs
and everything like that. But I think the biggest thing is when you do get a certain job based off of who you are on social media is that you almost have to prove to your like, at least, you almost have to prove to yourself that when you're doing a certain gig, it's not coming from it's not only coming from who you are on social media, but it's coming from what you're actually capable of, because it's hard to it's hard to like, book a job just from
how many followers you have, and then when it's when that certain project comes out, you don't look so great at it, you know what I mean, because because they're not depending on your actual your actual capabilities, they're not actually they care more about the numbers. Yeah, and that's I think that that's something that's do you see that happen a lot with other people? I would say, I
would say it happens. I'm not fully aware of it, but I just want I think that for us, it's like it's just making sure that if we do book a certain thing, we want to make sure it comes out in the most genuine, genuine way possible. Yea, the
most authentic way possible. Because it's great to book a job, but if you don't, you know, if you don't feel like you fully deserve it, it's going to show, you know, And I think that making sure that we're able to you know, either if it is a dancing job or if it is an acting job, it's making sure that you know, we're not We don't look like we're trying to push into being someone else. It's like you are. It's come from who you are at a certain level
of imagination, you know. So I don't know, it's just that it's just that level of pressure where you want to make sure that you feel like you do deserve it based off of your capabilities rather than your you know, numbers. Yeah, I feel like social media has definitely impacted our career so much because honestly, without it, I don't think anyone would really truly understand the dance industry, like all in all, because, um, most of our resumes are on YouTube or on Instagram.
And I think that's one of the more positive sides of it, is that we get to share with so many people what we love to do, and if they love it as well, that's like a bigger plus. But for us, whenever post something, it's because we truly love and we truly think it represents who we are, and that's why we use social media the way that we do. UM. We don't use it to get clout, as as people say, I hate that. Hey if I could never hear get clout ever, I'd be okay. But like, we use it
to just show who we are. And social media has grown so much and I feel like so many people are more aware of dance now than they were years ago. And that's one of the coolest parts because dance has become incredibly huge around the world and it's a form of communication in a way, people communicate through dance through their bodies, and that's really really cool. Brings people closer
from all over the world. We've had a few really big dancers um in for interviews and in closing, I will say, because we're talking about social media, they also said that Instagram was basically their resume. And because it's Instagram and because this person had a lot of followers in the blue check, other artists are able to easily find them and slide into the d M and be like, Hey, do you want to work on this music video? Or oh,
do you want to come on tour with me? If you guys could pick one person to slide into the d M and ask you to collaborate. Who would it be like? Who would make you drop the phone maybe possibly crack it and make you use your Apple Care app? Use the Apple Care because you cracked the phone. You're so excited take some time. That's like you're like, can I have a two hour FaceTime? Please? Um, I don't know.
It could be an artist, It could be It could be literally anyone Sean Lou's going to see your name. You guys don't have an artist that it like? Um little way and slides into the DM and obviously or like you know, like Beyonce would be fantastic great. Oh yeah, and I think I feel like Beyonce would be a good one for sure. Yeah yeah, definitely anyone else. Um, we gotta put it out there. I mean, if we don't put it out Beyonce is obviously listening. Okay, Bay,
did you hear this? Just give a call or slide to the DM. Give both of us a call. Um. I would also say probably uh not to um Day. What's his name? Um? You must love him? Because no, I've seen a lot of his work and it is kind of just like shadowing his life as an actor. UM, names and things he's been will help you. He did Robot and then he did oh he did? He mean Rhapsody? Oh, Ronnie Malick, there you go love him. So maybe he does like a limited series on Amazon Prime and he's like,
it's spoken word, no, no word, it's just dance. These guys hire me. Just stick with me. We'll go straight to the top. Were all three of us together, Let's go. Okay, that's a good one. Do you have any casey? I don't know. It's so tough. I could give you Beyonce too. Yeah, I mean, obviously, I don't know. It's such a tough question because like I don't know if I wanted to be like an artist or like an actor or just like an influencer in general. But yeah, I don't know.
Are there any dancers you guys would have liked to collaborate with it? You haven't yet? Yeah, um, there's a certain uh like I don't. I don't think I've ever really thought about that because I feel like, will you guys collab together all the time and it works perfectly? Yeah? For me, it's like, I think, the reason why I don't really think about it so much just because whenever the time comes where you know, we do end up collaborating with someone, where we end up dancing with someone,
I feel like it happens for a reason. And I feel like every time I try to push myself into like like trying to meet with the person, will collaborate with the person, it doesn't necessarily end up with such a great collaboration or you know, just because it doesn't come off of it doesn't come it doesn't come from a hungry feeling. It just comes from like a feeling that you feel like you have to do it, so
you're not seeking out collapse per se. I think that I just think that like, if it happens, it happens for a reason, and and we kind of just let that take us into who whoever we're dancing with, whoever we're collaborating with. Great. Okay, So in closing, because I could talk to both of you forever, but we can't. Unfortunately, just face time you later. Um, what advice would you guys give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps
a young dancer? Maybe a lesson you learned along the way that you wish you had known, or something that you just have done the whole way through, like staying authentic to to yourselves, which has obviously worked very much in your favor. Any advice you guys want to give your fans or just a hopeful dancer, Yeah, honestly the
main thing. I know everyone says it, but it's just too continue to stay true to who you are, because the moment you try to be someone else, no one's gonna want to listen to what you have to say.
Everyone is put on this earth for a reason, and everyone has their different reason and different paths, and I think it's really important to uh, just be who you are and not care what anybody else thinks, because as long as you're happy and you're doing what you you love to do, that's that's all that really truly matters. Whatever you're doing anything, either if it is sports, if it's dancing, if it's singing, if it's acting, if you
don't truly love it, then it's never gonna last. I feel like I feel like you have to continue with a certain passion in a certain love that comes from yourself. You can't expect it from anyone else, So you have to truly love something in order to continue it and pursue it. Because I feel like I live by this where you know, where there is love, there is life. So, um,
I just feel like thinking about that. When it comes to dancing, when it comes to just being with people, that's where you truly discover success, you know, because otherwise you can you can push yourself into feeling a certain way of being a certain person for a certain time, but it's never gonna last. Like you can keep telling yourself that, but it's never gonna last. And I remember, I just saw this a few days ago, and it's
stuck by me so much. Um. This was Steve Jobs, but he said that if you want to go fast, go alone, and if you want to go far, go together. So for me, it's like that really stuck with me because I find the best experiences with with people, you know. I mean, that's why I'm amos around her. So it's really just the idea of making sure that you you do what you love, you do it with great people. And like she said, see who you are. That was really good advice from both of you. All Right, we'll
have a good rest of the day. We hope you guys enjoyed this interview. Make sure to check out Casey and Shawn's YouTube channel together. I'm sure They'll be on fifty other music videos, shows and films at your local theater, so just you know, anywhere you want to look, they'll be there, all right, by guys, all right behind the Influences a production of I Heart Radio and TDC Media