Connor Finnerty was born in March 2003 in Roseville, California and ever since he was a young boy his passion had been to entertain. Just four years ago, Connor began dancing with KAST Academy of the Arts in Sacramento where he won a national title for a Hip Hop duet, and he has competed in solos and groups at Nationals for both Hip Hop and technical.
After moving from Sacramento to Los Angeles in July 2015, Connor danced for the nationally known Rage Entertainment Complex in Granada Hills and is now a member of the prestigious dance companies, ImmaBeast and Millennium Crew & Company.
Connor has worked in music videos and commercials with the likes of Meghan Trainer, Michael Buble, Derek Hough, Taboo from Black Eyes Peas, and Galantis, and last year signed a recording contract with Drew Right Music.
We had an opportunity to chat with Connor. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Connor! Very happy to meet you. You danced for the nationally known Rage Entertainment Complex in Granada Hills, and you’re now a member of the prestigious dance companies, ImmaBeast and Millennium Crew & Company. Tell us about this awesome experience.
When I moved to Los Angeles in July 2015, the Rage asked me to train and compete for their company and it was an incredible experience. I learned so much in the year that I was with the Rage. I decided that I no longer wanted to compete and instead wanted to focus more on training. In July 2016 I auditioned and was selected to be part of the ImmaBEAST and Millennium dance companies. Under the ImmaBEAST leadership of Will “WIlldabeast” Adams, I’m training with the best hip hop dancers in the country and pushing myself to be as good as I can be while I continue to train and work as an actor and singer. I’m definitely busy.
Did you always believe you would dance in the industry?
I’m known as a dancer and that was my path to LA, but my true passion is acting and singing.
When I was living in Sacramento (Roseville to be exact) back in May, 2015, my mom and I drove to LA for an open audition for Bloc Talent Agency, knowing that the odds were stacked against me with so many talented dancers looking to be signed by Bloc, one of the best dance agencies in LA. Two weeks later I was contacted and signed by Bloc. I was one of seven kids selected out of over 300 from that Bloc audition. We moved to LA a month after signing with Bloc and my journey in the entertainment business officially began.
What inspires your dance routines?
I’m just a huge fan of hip hop, especially for dancing. There is nothing better than a great hip hop song with great choreography in a packed class with all your dance friends. I’ve taken classes and have trained with all the top choreographers in LA, so I feel incredibly fortunate. Right now I’m just starting to learn how to put my own choreography together. I don’t have any desire to teach choreography in the future, but who knows; maybe I’ll change my mind one day.
Tell us more about your training. Take us through a typical day.
On a typical weekday, I usually dance from 4 pm – 9 pm, but it’s not unusual to be dancing until 11p or midnight. A lot of late night drives back home, but it’s nice because I only live about 30 minutes from North Hollywood, Hollywood, and Studio City where most of the dance studios are located. Before I head to dance, I usually have homework, I’ll practice my vocals, create Musical.ly’s, audition, rehearse, work (if I’m on a job at the time), talk to friends and that sort of thing. Just a normal 14-year old kid. When I’m at a dance for those 3-6 hours, I’m either training in ballet, lyrical, jazz, or hip hop or I just might be taking all drop-in hip hop classes. Either way, I’m dancing a lot.
What are your interests outside dance?
Many people don’t know this, but I’m huge into anything tech related. I love phones, video cameras, and computers. I love understanding how they work, the technology, it’s all fascinating to me. I’m also a big sports fan. I’m from Sacramento so I root for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, but since I’ve been in LA I feel myself finding some interest in the Lakers. I love the Lakers’ new rookie, Lonzo Ball. Of course, the Lakers are rivals of the Kings. I like the San Francisco Giants in baseball, but my favorite team for any sport is the Denver Broncos. My whole family is diehard Broncos fans. Thanks to my dance friend Sharlize, I was able to attend a Broncos game last December and I got to go on the field before the game and sit in the front row; incredible experience. I also enjoy traveling and hanging out with my family.
What has been your favorite appearance to date?
Shooting the “I believe in you” Michael Bublé video was probably my coolest experience. Working with dancer/actor/director, Derek Hough, was a lot of fun. I played a younger Derek Hough in the video, and the song is really good. Also working with Meghan Trainor in a Skechers commercial was a lot of fun too. She was really nice to everyone on set and a total professional.
What do you like to do between productions?
In addition to my answer in Q6, I enjoy spending time going to the movies, the mall, and hanging out with friends.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
I have a lot of things in the works. I can’t really discuss the specifics, but it involves singing more, some acting roles, and a lot of social media events. Social media has quickly become a huge part of the entertainment business. I usually do a few music videos a year, so I anticipate more videos and will be doing some of my own music videos in the next 6-12 months.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
“Exactly what Justin Timberlake does, which is sing, dance, and act. It’s hard to put one over the other, but I want to be a triple threat and that will be my goal as I continue to pursue this career.
Connect with Connor Finnerty:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConnorFinn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Conno
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conn
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm804
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