Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Boetto.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Winter Park, FL. I started dance at about four years old, at Showtime Studios. I then went dancing at competition-based studios Starz Studios and DDK Danceworks. Graduated from Valencia Community College as a Dance Major in 2009. My first dance company was called NAO Dance Collective, and we were an improvisational-based company meaning everything was improv. This is where my love for freestyle began. Started performing with a burlesque troupe here in Orlando, The Ladies of the Peek-a-boo Lounge. Which is actually the longest-running burlesque show in Orlando still to this day!
Became a member of VarieTEASE, which is a local dance/performance group. Started dancing for the Orlando Predators Arena football league in 2010. Booked my first big girl performing a job with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines shortly after. Experienced cruise ship life for two years, where I met my now-husband from Scotland and decided it was time to get back to dancing on land. I auditioned to work at Universal Studios and got a job dancing in the Macy’s Parade in 2012. I then went to dance in the Beetlejuice Monster Mashup show they had in the park as well as performing in and being the dance captain for the iconic “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure,” which was a part of Halloween Horror Nights (2014-2017). I am now a full-time team member with Universal, performing in the SuperStar Parade. Went back out for the Orlando Predators dance team in 2014, where I was dance captain for three more seasons.
The Venue Orlando then opened up in 2012, and that was where I spent the next seven years performing shows on shows on shows. It was a performance venue you could book out for shows/parties/weddings/etc. The Venue sadly closed its doors in the fall of 2019. Performed in Orlando Fringe multiple years with VarieTEASE. I currently am a performer with Insomniac Events and have performed in Las Vegas, Mexico City, Orlando, Korea and the UK. Once Covid hit in 2020, all of my performing jobs took a long pause. Including losing my job at Seaworld Orlando in the Sesame Street Party Parade. Things started opening up and I am now a part of the Entertainment team at a new restaurant in downtown Orlando called HÄOS on Church. We have various acts perform every weekend, including a jam-packed brunch called Tiara the Brunch every Sunday. Loads of gigs and performances along the way, I am still based in Orlando, taking classes on my downtime and still practicing my craft, excited to see what I do next!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, because no road will ever be smooth! That’s a hard fact I knew from the start. I have faced very many obstacles and challenges along the way, but I have a huge support system behind me, and for that, I am grateful for the struggles that have got me to where I am today! Being a full-time entertainer is tough. You get told NO and dreams get crushed, but it’s how you keep going that matters most, how you pick yourself up because sometimes there is no one there to help you. I work hard for the life I want and dream of. I am my own employer half the time.
A big struggle for me has always been choosing work overplay. I love what I do so it made “going to work” a little easier, sometimes three different jobs a day if I could. Once Covid hit, that kind of changed my perspective on a lot of things. I now know when to say yes and no to gigs or work. I no longer work myself thin. I would go from job to job, with barely any time to myself, let alone finding time for friends and family. It only took a global pandemic for me to realize the importance of not working and taking time off. Not only physically but mentally and emotionally. I now make sure my schedule is not filled to the rim, and I make sure I have time for ME while still pursuing my dreams.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Some of my specialties include various styles of dance such as jazz, hiphop, heels, and contemporary. Improv is one of my top favs! Essentially freestyling. Been doing burlesque for over ten years as well. You can rehearse taking our clothes off, but it doesn’t always go as planned. I think I am most known for being an Orlando artist who was born and raised here. We don’t have very many of us left, and I think that has helped me with my footing in this city. I know a lot of people and have a lot of connections here!
I will share auditions or upcoming opportunities with my peers, and I think that shows my willingness to help others in the same industry as me. I want to succeed but also love seeing others succeed! Not everything is made for one particular person. I am most proud of being a leader in the community as well as those with who I work closely with. I am not afraid to give my opinion or voice my thoughts. What sets me apart from others, I would say, is my morals. I have a strong following that believes in me as a person and an artist. I can be somewhat of a cheerleader to anyone else in the room. I love hyping people up and having fun! I feed off of energies and consider myself to be a “Vibe Influencer.” I want to influence the vibe in a room and in a positive way!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love best about Orlando as a city is the window of opportunity that we have here. There is something for everyone! We are diverse in culture and arts. We strive to be a place people come to be entertained and taken care of. It’s full of history and inspiring artsy people. I love being able to meet someone new, and they are somehow connected to someone I already know or have worked with along the way. It really is a small world, after all!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: megbofosho
- Twitter: megbofosho
- Youtube: megbofosho12
Image Credits
Ronniep0p Photography SwampWitch Photog Wayne Sysock
