A young, vibrant brunette sashays effortlessly through a difficult choreography. Through her dancing, a few things are evident: she’s strong, she’s healthy, and she’s having the time of her life.

The girl is Alyssa Stamp, a 19 year old California-based professional dancer with the cheeky nickname No Pants Stamp (a joke her family came up with since she “only dances in shorts”). She has appeared in music videos, commercials, award shows, and on stage with musical acts, more recently with Lady Gaga at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and at the Superbowl.

Alyssa is second from the right; Click video below to see full performance:

Dancing is very obviously Alyssa’s passion. When she speaks about it, her language comes alive. She started classes when she was five years old and decided that “she wanted to dance professionally when [she] was eight years old.” She grew up in an environment of “discipline, dedication… and family love” which have paved the way for her career. However, she can not dance if “[her] mind and body are not healthy”. To Alyssa, health is paramount.

Alyssa believes that

“to be healthy, you have to have the right mixture of activity, sleep, food/water, and happiness. For example, how much you work out is only going to help you if you’re also eating/drinking right and enough.” 

Alyssa maintains a lifestyle where she is “moving for at least 8 hours a day”. To stay healthy, she abides by 4 rules:

“1. Drink enough water to stay hydrated

2. Allow yourself to rest after long jobs

3. Work out to keep your body strong 

4. Make a daily effort to keep mental health in check” 

Alyssa dancing in a video that went viral, with over 7 million views and 
shared by the likes of Lil' Wayne and more; click to see full video

Alyssa’s schedule is perpetually changing with different routines for each show. She works with many different people constantly, including choreographers like Richard Jackson and triple threats like Lady Gaga, who according to Alyssa is “just as amazing as in her interviews.” Over the years, Alyssa has learned that with this crazy, dynamic job, she must “keep her only body in top shape if [she] wants to continue on [her] career path.”

So far, Alyssa has achieved dreams like “traveling to Paris and meeting renounced models and artists while performing for iconic television events” and sporting events like the Superbowl.

Alyssa at the Superbowl

Alyssa talks about how even though physical health is very important (eating and exercising right), mental health is sometimes even more vital because “stress and sadness do a lot to the functionality of your body.”

“Happiness triumphs anything else. If you aren’t happy, you won’t be able to live a healthy life style. Do what you love and from there, balance is key. Eat right for your body and drink water. Get your body moving and get a good sleep schedule. Work on it everyday and I promise you’ll see an improvement in how you feel” 

Perhaps this is why when you watch Alyssa dance, you feel joy exude from her every movement. She loves life. She loves her body. She loves being healthy. She loves dance. Her dreams are far from over. They have just begun.

 

 

For more happiness, check out Alyssa’s social media @alyssastamp:

 

 

 

 

** All information received from Alyssa directly via interview; info either paraphrased or directly quoted

~Interview Questions conducted by Jenny Xu
~Written by Ruby Liu