From Dance Recitals To The Big Screen: Victoria Baldesarra Of The Next Step

The Next Step has taken over! With a phenomenal cast  and a dramatically enticing storyline, it is no surprise that this show would have the largest audience of any series on Family Channel for its premiere episode. All viewers can say that this show rides on the back of its insanely talented cast, including one of the characters, Michelle, who is played by Toronto’s very own Victoria Baldesarra. This 16-year-old is killing it on screen with her sweet persona and fierce dance moves. Her character is just one of the many that all viewers can relate to; being the new dancer at a studio, trying to make friends and fit in. With season three set to release in the fall of 2015, Faze sat down with Victoria Baldesarra backstage at the Big Ticket Summer Concert to chat about the new episodes, her acting career and her future as a triple threat.

The Next Step is filled with a lot of intense drama; what more can viewers expect for the upcoming season 3? Can viewers expect some more drama between Michelle and Eldon?

Unfortunately, the drama isn’t between me and Eldon, but rather [it’s] more personal. It’s something that the fans are going to really react to. I go through a really tough time in my life in season three and I feel like, as fans watch me progress on this show, and become a better actor, because this was my first acting gig, they’re really going to see a side of me that they’ve never seen before. As an actor, I feel like I’ve grown a lot in season three.

When did you realize you wanted to start acting?

I was kind of thrown into it. I auditioned for the show which was a weird story. So when I first auditioned for the show, I actually had no idea what I was auditioning for. I auditioned through a dance base. My dance teacher back at my studio in Bolton sent me on an audition with 20 other girls from my studio. It was held at the National Ballet and there were about a thousand people there. I auditioned and then the next night I got a callback. At that point I thought I was auditioning for some backup dancing gig, I had no idea what it was for. So when I went for the callback, there were only about 12 of us and right away the producers just said, “we are filming a pilot today,” and just declared all of the characters on the spot–I became Michelle. They explained my character to me  and that’s when it hit me that I landed a TV show! Now I have an agent and I have been auditioning for other acting projects as well. It’s definitely a new love.

Now that you are a double threat with your acting and dancing skills, are you interested in singing as well?

I recently started taking singing lessons. I never really saw singing in my future until I got inspired by this new pilot that I just filmed called The Music Room and all the people involved in the pilot are musicians and I was so inspired by them and they were like “you have to take singing lessons, you’ll be a triple threat”.

Who do you draw inspiration from for your acting, singing, and dancing?

For acting, a huge inspiration of mine is Julianne Hough. Dance-wise, she’s actually part of the cast; Jordan Clark is my big inspiration because she’s just so versatile. She plays Gisele and she was on So You Think You Can Dance. I feel so blessed and pleased to be able to work with her every single day. In terms of singing, there are so many artists that I am inspired by, but currently I am secretly crushing on Cody Simpson, he’s such a great singer.

We’re here at the Big Ticket Summer Concert today and you are sharing the stage with Cody himself! How do you feel?

I am super excited; I can’t even believe he’s here today! I saw him a couple [of] times backstage and the cast keeps teasing me about him. I am very honoured to be sharing the stage with such a talented, huge star.

Check out Victoria and the rest of the cast in season 3 of The Next Step, premiering fall 2015 on Family Channel.

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