YGTG Workshop Sets Out to Empower Young Dancers
March 22, 2017

Mel Mah (left) and Kim Gringas hosted the event at Playground L.A. in West Hollywood.

At the end of last month, YOU GOT THIS, GIRL! (YGTG), a workshop to encourage young dancers to go after their dreams, threw the event YOU GOT THIS, L.A.!, held at L.A.’s newest studio, Playground L.A. YGTG was founded in September 2015 by professional dancers Mel Mah (Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, Kanye West) and Kim Gringas (Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown). Both women made the move from Canada to L.A. in 2011, and after accomplishing their dance goals wanted to give back to the next generation of aspiring professional dancers.

An all-female panel of industry experts, including Tiana Brown, Brittany Perry-Russell, Robin Antin, and Randi Kemper, shared their unique success stories and how they’ve navigated the entertainment industry. The night also included performances by Dana Foglia Dance, the band Bennett and spoken-word by dancer Tajana Bunton-Williams.

“It was really incredible seeing so many people show up at The Playground; we had around 130 attend the event,” said YGTG co-founder Mel Mah. “Each person there was so invested in bringing positive energy into that space, and it was an incredible moment for the L.A. dance community.”

She added: “It was motivating to see so many L.A. people from different industries gather and talk about how we can all make an impact, how to focus on the positive, the wage gap and sexism, how to stay inspired, and how we can empower others.”

For more info about YFTG, visit ygtgofficial.com.

Photos by Ja Tecson; featured image by Wes Klain

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