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Dance JourneyAuthor: TracyinLA
Welcome to my new podcast: Dance Journey! In this series, I want to share my dance story and hear about yours! Language: en Genres: Arts, Performing Arts Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Matthew Bej's Dance Journey
Episode 5
Wednesday, 4 March, 2026
You probably know him from his funny videos in ballet class, but now we're gonna get to know the real Matthew Bejarano, or "Matica," as his amazing and hilarious teacher refers to him. Matthew started out training in Taekwondo as a child, but it was next to his sisters' dance studio, where he often watched them do ballet before their parents came to pick them up. He did this for years before he realized that he wanted to do ballet himself and was more interested in practicing turns at home than martial arts. It was hard at first to make the switch because he often felt like an outsider being a guy in ballet class, especially in Texas. But once he got past that mental block, he was training and stretching everyday, doing summer intensives, and eventually got his first dance job at 17. That's when he realized he wanted to dance professionally for the rest of his life. After a small stint at college where he got burned out pursuing double majors, he left to focus on work and saving money to move to LA. However, his first year in LA was not what he expected. He couldn't believe how hard it was to even get an "easy job." And debt, injury, and a toxic relationship had him losing hope. Catch the full episode to learn how Matthew's life turned around with jobs, dance opportunities, social media following, and a new desire for college and learning. Follow our dance journeys on Instagram: @MatthewBej@DanceJourneyPodcast@TracyinLA
