Camren Bicondova

October 6, 2012


Camren Bicondova (by Michael Higgins)

Whether she’s in class at L.A.’s Millennium Dance Complex, demonstrating at The PULSE On Tour or competing on “America’s Best Dance Crew,” it’s easy to pick Camren Bicondova out of a crowd of dancers. She’s probably the smallest, with the cutest pixie cut—and she probably has the most swagger. At just 13 years old, Camren has the cool-kid thing locked down. She’s effortlessly stylish, and she’s got the dance skills to match.

Though she makes it look easy, Camren has put in the work to master her hip-hop moves. She began dancing at age 6 after enduring years of seizures. Her mom put her in dance classes hoping they would help—and they did. Camren hasn’t had a seizure since she took her first class. She enrolled in ballet and hip hop at a studio in her hometown of San Diego, CA, and began competing and attending conventions. But a few years later, her family moved to Hawaii when her dad, a Navy SEAL, was transferred there.

It was in Hawaii, dancing with the studio 24-VII Danceforce, that Camren truly learned to love dancing. “24-VII isn’t competitive,” she says. “We just danced our hearts out. That’s the way it is there: You dance and let yourself feel good. That’s when I got more serious about hip hop and jazz funk. I was like, ‘This is nice. I can just be me.’ ”

Eventually, Camren made her way back to the convention scene, dancing at a PULSE event in L.A. It was there that a Clear Talent Group agent spotted and signed her. Camren’s first professional job was a role on Disney’s “Shake It Up.” “I got to see how an actual job works,” Camren says.

After “Shake It Up,” Camren’s professional life took off. She booked a role in the film Battlefield America and formed the 8 Flavahz crew— which took second place on “ABDC” Season 7—with a group of L.A.- and Hawaii-based dancers. But Camren’s career highlight was becoming a PULSE Elite Protégé for the 2011–12 season, which allowed her to travel with the convention, assisting its big-name faculty. “I never thought of myself as a technical dancer,” Camren says. “The teachers pushed me and told me I can be technical.”

Now, her family has been transferred back to California, where Camren will make L.A. her home base. She takes classes every day and recently performed in this year’s Macy’s Glamorama show. And Camren has big future plans: “I want to be a dancer, of course,” she says. “And an actress. And a model. And a choreographer.”

FAST FACTS

Most-played on her iPod:
“No Diggity” by Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre and “Changes” by 2Pac featuring Talent

Must-see TV shows:
“So You Think You Can Dance,” “America’s Next Top Model” and “Phineas and Ferb”

Favorite actress:
Jessica Alba. “My favorite movie is Honey.”

Who would play her in a movie:
“The boy who played Porky in The Little Rascals!” [Zachary Mabry]

If she could be a superhero, her power
would be: Reading people’s minds.

Her live-by mantra:
“Eat, sleep, dance, repeat.”