Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
‘Building a Dancer’ shines a light on challenges for professional dancers in the U.K
Vlog documentary highlights the importance of personal brand in the dance industry.
From crippling lows to joyous highs, and everything in between, ‘Building a Dancer’, traces the journey of one Cypriot dancer to realise her dream of ‘making it’ in the highly competitive dance industry in London.
Funny, intimate, and raw, Director and Choreographer Brendon Hansford builds one professional dancer from the ground up, over a four-week period, as he sets out to demystify this notoriously difficult industry.
It follows professional dancer, Yiota Hadjigeorgiou, born in Cyprus, who came to the U.K to make a living from dancing and facing issues around image, finding work, and facing rejection. The vlog documentary also highlights the discrimination dancers face by choosing dance as a profession – tracing Yiota’s journey back to the prejudice she faced seeking a career in Cyprus.
With interviews from leading experts Matt Steffanina, Britney Cherry, Stuart Bishop, Adam Parson, and Dax O’Callaghan, the vlog offers insights, trends, and tips that business professionals can take on board to build their own brand and become a success in any industry – not just in the dance industry.
Brendon says: “The vlog strips away the glamorous image of dancers and emphasises the blood, sweat, and tears that go into doing just that. Many dancers struggle with low confidence as they often face rejections in auditions, but by following a tried and tested formula, confidence and success will follow. This vlog is not about how to be a good dancer, rather how to become a success in your own right and meet your dreams through building a personal brand.”
“Tracing Yiota’s journey by following industry expert’s well-trodden strategies and overcoming her self-doubt is an important lesson for any business professional wanting to succeed”, adds Brendon.
Yiota says, “It may come as a surprise to many that within a brief time frame, any professional can build a personal brand – regardless of career. That’s the beauty of the vlog – it’s not just a journey that dancers can learn from, any business professional can pick up practical tips on how to build their own personal brand.”
Director and Starring: instagram.com/brendon_hansford
Starring: instagram.com/yiotatheo_dance
Editor and Camera op: instagram.com/jw_cinematographer
‘Building a Dancer’ shines a light on challenges for professional dancers in the U.K
Vlog documentary highlights the importance of personal brand in the dance industry.
From crippling lows to joyous highs, and everything in between, ‘Building a Dancer’, traces the journey of one Cypriot dancer to realise her dream of ‘making it’ in the highly competitive dance industry in London.
Funny, intimate, and raw, Director and Choreographer Brendon Hansford builds one professional dancer from the ground up, over a four-week period, as he sets out to demystify this notoriously difficult industry.
It follows professional dancer, Yiota Hadjigeorgiou, born in Cyprus, who came to the U.K to make a living from dancing and facing issues around image, finding work, and facing rejection. The vlog documentary also highlights the discrimination dancers face by choosing dance as a profession – tracing Yiota’s journey back to the prejudice she faced seeking a career in Cyprus.
With interviews from leading experts Matt Steffanina, Britney Cherry, Stuart Bishop, Adam Parson, and Dax O’Callaghan, the vlog offers insights, trends, and tips that business professionals can take on board to build their own brand and become a success in any industry – not just in the dance industry.
Brendon says: “The vlog strips away the glamorous image of dancers and emphasises the blood, sweat, and tears that go into doing just that. Many dancers struggle with low confidence as they often face rejections in auditions, but by following a tried and tested formula, confidence and success will follow. This vlog is not about how to be a good dancer, rather how to become a success in your own right and meet your dreams through building a personal brand.”
“Tracing Yiota’s journey by following industry expert’s well-trodden strategies and overcoming her self-doubt is an important lesson for any business professional wanting to succeed”, adds Brendon.
Yiota says, “It may come as a surprise to many that within a brief time frame, any professional can build a personal brand – regardless of career. That’s the beauty of the vlog – it’s not just a journey that dancers can learn from, any business professional can pick up practical tips on how to build their own personal brand.”
Director and Starring: instagram.com/brendon_hansford
Starring: instagram.com/yiotatheo_dance
Editor and Camera op: instagram.com/jw_cinematographer
