Dharma Brown On Figure Skating Experience, Modeling, And Her Runway Debut

Truly a triple-threat!

Model, dancer, and actress Dharma Brown is no stranger to the spotlight. In fact, she’s currently able to fight for a national dance title!

We had the amazing honor of talking with Dharma about her favorite style of dance, balancing school and work, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in entertainment?

D: “When I first realized that I wanted to pursue a career in entertainment, I was about 4 years old. I really wanted to dance because I really loved it.  I remember I would always try to point my feet. The very first studio I danced at was Rage Entertainment Complex in Granada Hills, California.  My first dance teacher was Ms. Veda and she used to say that some people have a “magic foot” and they can lift it off the ground and point it really well.  I remember when I first heard Ms. Veda say that, it really made me want to have that “magic foot” so I kept practicing lifting and pointing it. All I know is that dance makes me happy along with figure skating, acting and singing.  It’s just sprinkles on the cupcake.”

You are an incredible dancer! What is your favorite style of dance? 

D: “My favorite dance style is jazz and street jazz.  The reasons I like those styles of dance is because I enjoy the music for those types of dances.  Jazz and street jazz have the best grooves in my opinion.  The beats for the music are fun and feel smooth when I dance to them.  Theres also lots of different tricks and technique involved such as leg kicks, jumps and flips, as well as some ballet techniques and a little contemporary.  Mixing tricks, technique, and tumbling like that makes for a perfect dance, in my opinion.” 

Recently, you did your first ever runway walk! What was that experience like? 

D: “Oh my goodness I didn’t think I would be tumbling on a runway!  I’ve seen a few modeling runways online and the models didn’t do front walkovers and back handsprings like I did on my first runway walk!  But it was still fun!  I saw some old friends and made some new friends as well.  I also thought the stage was really cool since it was outdoors and it was decorated really well.  I loved being around all the people.  Walking the runway made me feel really calm, cool, confident and fresh.  A few days after my first runway experience, I booked my first modeling job for an established athletic brand.  I’m hopeful that I can bring my experience of runway modeling to print modeling and feel all the same things I did on the runway.”

You also are incredible at figure skating! How different is it to dance on a studio floor versus dancing on ice? 

D: “Well, dancing on ice is obviously more dangerous than dancing on a studio floor.  But overall if you really think about it they’re both kinda the same because dancing on a studio floor and dancing on ice are both still dancing!  Some of the moves are the same but just have different names.  For example, an “arabesque” in ballet is called a “spiral” in figure skating.  You’re basically doing the same moves with different names except you’re doing it either on a dance floor or on the ice.”

What advice would you give to young girls balancing dancing and school

D: “My first piece of advice about balancing dancing and school would be to get as much sleep as you can.  If you have to do both dance and school you have to get up early a lot and get home late a lot.  So sleep or rest whenever you can.  Also, always know the time so you can prioritize what you have to do.  My mom always says “time doesn’t keep up with us, we have to keep up with it.”  She also says “work first, play second.”  So I try to do the most important things with my time first (even if I don’t feel like it) then I rest and relax.”

Where can we follow your amazing journey? 

D: “You can follow my journey on my Instagram @StarDharma.”

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene. When not helping her team and working on the monthly issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral Tasty recipe.