Amazing Asians in the Arts: Taeko McCarroll

 

Taeko McCarroll is a dancer and musician based in Los Angeles. Taeko is an accomplished dancer, having performed on stage, TV and film, enjoys performing music with her band, and is excited and proud to be the first Asian bullet in the hit musical "Hamilton!"  Keep reading to find out more about what makes Taeko an Amazing Asian in the Arts!

 

 

Name: Taeko McCarroll

 

Heritage: Half Japanese and Half Irish-American

 

Hometown: Sacramento

 

Current City: Los Angeles

 

Current Project: Hamilton – currently on a really long Covid induced “Intermission”

 

What are some of your favorite credits/projects?

 

Dancing for Rihanna during her Video Vanguard Award performance for MTV Video Music Awards.

Playing Michelle in the indie dance film “Breaking Through”

Performing my music with my band around different Los Angeles bars and venues

 

What are some interesting facts about yourself?

 

I grew up going back and forth between Sacramento and Japan. Spent three to four weeks in Japan and would spend two to three months in America until high school. Japanese and English were both my first languages.

 

How did you get your start?

 

I literally moved to LA with no real knowledge of the industry or how to get in, I had my dreams and a loose five year plan. I moved around the block to a dance studio I knew was well known and just started training there. I started getting to know people, building connections, and putting myself out there. I trained hard, dedicated my life to my crafts and the rest was taken care of by the Universe.

 

When did you know you wanted to have a career in the arts?

 

Academia was always hard for me so I knew I was going to pursue a career in either sports or the arts. In 8^th grade I chose to go to a high school that had an arts program and that was the moment I decided I was going to pursue a career in the arts industry.

 

What have you found is the biggest challenge in your career?

 

For me the biggest challenge was being ok with not “selling out” and changing myself, my morals, the kinds of jobs I felt comfortable doing just to “book that/those jobs.” I’m also an introverted extrovert so I had a hard time networking, or “getting in,” as I would call it. That always felt like a challenge for me and gave me a lot of anxiety thinking to myself, “that person is getting ahead because they’re really good at networking or talking themselves up, maybe I should try to be better at smooshing instead of just letting my skills and talent speak for myself.” But this is not necessarily the case! If th you have the skills and the talent and put yourself out there to be seen, the opportunities that are meant for you will come. You may not “make it” as quickly as you’d like, but it will happen when it’s suppose to and it will be grand.

 

What is your greatest accomplishment?

 

Booking Hamilton, not having any debt, and saving up to buy my Condo!

 

What are some goals you hope to achieve?

 

I hope to transition into acting and create more music

 

What do you love most about what you do?

 

I really love performing the most. There is no high in the world like the high of performing

 

To find out more about Taeko, please visit her at:

 

Instagram: @taekomccarroll