Seth Collier burst onto the international dance film scene in 2022 when he won: Inspired Dance Film Festival only 17 years old. His runner-up? None other than Emmy Award-winning choreographer Derek Hough. Now Collier is poised to take the professional performance industry by storm – starting with his move from Australia to LA this July.
Collier spoke with: Dance Spirit: about his path to dance, how he turned a school project into work that won IDFF Best of the Fest, his goals for the future, and more.
Dance Spirit:: Tell us a little about your dance training.
SC: I grew up on a farm and my parents didn’t know anything about dance. I was given rugby for six years, but when I saw my sister studying dance at a nearby school called Just Dance, I immediately said I wanted to join. At 12 I started dancing at a private school called West Moreton Anglican College. There was a good dance program and we competed with other schools. When I was in 10th grade, I traveled one day a week to train at Dynamite Studios [one of Australia’s premier dance studios] on the Gold Coast. After that first year, I joined the school full-time. It’s like a college dance program in the US where you dance all day every day and graduate with a qualification. While there, I focused on commercial and musical theater dance and completed my full-time studies with them in 2022.
DS:: What is the Inspired Dance Film Festival?
SC: That’s it [Australia-based] competition for dance work on film, led by Adam Garcia – former judge on the Australian version of “Dancing with the Stars”. People from all over the world submit their dance films and a handful of films have been selected for the Brisbane showcase. The winner is announced at the showcase.
DS:: Tell us a little bit about your journey to winning the IDFF.
SC: When I was 16, I choreographed, photographed, edited and danced in: river, as part of a school dance assignment. I had no crew or real help filming it. I was happy with it, but I never expected anything to come of it. In 2022, my dance teacher, Kate Wormald, was an ambassador for the Inspired Dance Film Festival and posted about the competition. I submitted river:having no idea I’d be competing with pros like Derek Hough. I had no expectations that I would win. I was surprisingly selected for the showcase and won Best of the Fest. I was completely shocked.
DS:: What other choreography have you done?
I choreographed and danced in films for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, including a children’s film I made when I was 17 called Viv’s Stupid Mango. I auditioned for the role of Brad in the movie and when I got the part they asked me if I could also choreograph and dance on the show. Additionally, I have done many live performances as well as a music video for: Alexa Curtis when I was 18 years old.
DS: What was the turning point in your studies when you realized you could make dance your career?
SC: I’ve always danced without a career in mind – it was just something I loved to do. But during my year of full-time training at Dynamite, I was cast in some solo moments and lead dance roles, and any doubt in my mind about my ability to pursue it as a career disappeared. The moment of consolidation was when I signed with my McDonald/Selznick agency [MSA] Associates, in October 2023.
DS:: What challenges have you faced as a dancer?
SC: I’ve had moments where I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough, but the main challenges to my dance training came from living on a farm in the bush. It took me an hour and a half to get to my dance classes at Dynamite every day. My parents had no idea about the performing arts industry, so I had to navigate it on my own, and it was really hard.
DS:: What are your dreams for the future?
SC: I have many plans and dreams. My current career plan is to move to Los Angeles this July and start working with MSA. I found a job at Gravity Space LA in Hollywood and will be working there as a Dynamite teacher and choreographer. In the long term, I would like to work in the commercial world and be a backup dancer for an artist.