Who is Rudy Garcia from Dance 100? Choreographer received black belt in Karate at age 14

Dance 100, Netflix’s upcoming dance competition, will put already-established dancers to the ultimate test. They will be required to perform on the show to showcase their talent, but they will also need to choreograph numbers for large groups to display their abilities.

One of the contestants set to appear on the Netflix show is Rudy Garcia, who received a black belt in Karate at the tender age of 14. He joined Karate at the age of eight and enjoyed it because it brought structure and discipline to his life.

Tune in on Friday, March 17, at 3:01 am ET to watch the season premiere of Dance 100 on Netflix.

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Dance 100 contestant Rudy Garcia only wanted to dance

One of the eight dancers set to compete in the upcoming Netflix dance competition is Rudy Garcia, an American dancer and choreographer who was born in Miami, Florida.

While he has always been interested in the arts and everything creative, in an interview with Voyage MIA, he stated that he could never have imagined being in the creative field when he grew up.

In the interview, he added that his father had him join Karate at eight, and by 14, he was already a black belt. He continued by saying that the structure and discipline it brought into his life prepared him for dance.

As for when he started dancing, he said:

"It was now 2009 and my aunt, Susie Garcia, had just opened her own dance studio. I was ready to take the leap and try a dance class. The minute I stepped foot into the studio, I knew dance was going to be part of my life forever."

The Dance 100 contestant said that it felt right and "like second nature" to him, and he worked hard because he knew he wanted to be the best. Rudy is an alum of the New World School of the Arts, but he didn’t get accepted the first time he showed up for the conservatory audition.

He only wanted to dance, but when he graduated from high school, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. After some consideration, he decided to apply to New World. However, during his conservatory audition, he failed to impress the instructor as he showed up in sweatpants and was unaware that he needed tights for the audition.

However, the Dance 100 cast member went back three months later and got accepted. He graduated from the establishment in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art.

Speaking about his time in college, he said:

"Those four years were the hardest of my life because I was in college, teaching and training in my aunt’s dance studio, while also being a professional dancer. I was able to work with some of the biggest Latin artists in the world during that time like Maluma, J Blavin, Daddy Yankee, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, and more."

The Dance 100 contestant has been a dancer for 13 years and has trained in many styles; however, he specializes in and teaches Jazz, Funk, and Contemporary.

Tune in on Friday, March 17, to watch Rudy compete in the Netflix dance series.