Rhinestones and Rants

The Truth About West Coast Elite: How Stephanie Noori Built a Dance Empire

This week, we’re pulling back the curtain on West Coast Elite with founder Stephanie Noori, the woman who turned a vision into a dance empire. 🔥
The truth about fairness, integrity & what it really takes to run the most respected school-dance competition in the country. 💬
Hear how WCE became the gold standard for dancers, coaches & teams nationwide and why it’s more than just trophies, it’s a movement.
 

From Toxic Loyalty to True Freedom: The Eshe Gibbs Story

This week on Rhinestones & Rants, Eshe Gibbs opens up about her powerful journey through the highs and heartbreaks of the dance world.
From being treated “like family” to realizing that loyalty can turn toxic, Eshe shares the red flags she missed, the lessons she learned, and the courage it took to walk away, not just from a studio, but from everything holding her back.
Now, she’s living her dream, teaching with purpose, and proving that peace, confidence, and self-worth will always outshine fear and control.
It’s honest, raw, and deeply inspiring, a story about breaking free, finding your voice, and reclaiming your freedom one eight-count at a time.

Beyond the Stage: The Business of Dance with Menina Fortunato

This week, Alyssa Better sits down with industry powerhouse Menina Fortunato - dancer, choreographer, mentor, and creator of The Business of Dance and The Hollywood Summer Tour.
From branding and demo reels to taxes, agents, and turning passion into a paycheck, Menina is redefining what it means to go beyond the stage.
📋 Inside the episode:
• How to turn training into a career
• What studios don’t teach (but should)
• Why dancers need business skills now more than ever
💎 Episode premiers on October 22nd 8am PT/11amET
#RhinestonesAndRants #BusinessOfDance #DanceCareers #DancePodcast #DanceMoms #DanceEducation #AlyssaBetter #MeninaFortunato

What’s the End Game? The Real Careers for Dance Majors

You’ve trained for years, survived competitions, and lived in rhinestones, but what comes after high school or college?
If you or your dancer is majoring in dance, what’s the end game? In this episode of Rhinestones & Rants, host Alyssa Better and guest Vicky dive deep into the real career paths that start with a dance degree, from Broadway and Beyoncé to choreography, conventions, content creation, and even corporate creative careers.
We’re talking jobs, money, and mindset and breaking the myth that a dance degree is a dead end. 
Because the end game isn’t “What now?” …it’s “Watch me.”

Episode 16: Not Just Pom Poms- The Pressure, Power & Purpose of Dance Team with Andrew Allen

High school dance isn’t just pep rallies and pom poms.
In this episode of Rhinestones & Rants, Alyssa Better sits down with Andrew Allen, National Grand Championship coach of Valencia High School Dance Team, to reveal what it really takes to build a winning program.
From tryouts and team culture to mental health, costs, and life beyond the title, Andrew shares the truths every dancer, parent, and coach needs to hear.

Episode 15: Dance Mom Diaries: Raising National Champions at Valencia High

Behind every national title is a mom who makes it happen. 👑 In this episode of Rhinestones & Rants, Alyssa Better sits down with Lindsay, mom to the powerhouse dancers of Valencia High School.
From navigating high school dance team life to balancing studio, school, and competitions, Lindsay shares what it really takes to raise dancers who shine on the biggest stages. 💃✨ She also opens up about the lessons, sacrifices, and support systems that help her kids thrive, not just as champions, but as people.
 

Episode 14: Inside College Dance Auditions - SDSU’s Joe Alter Spills All

Think you know what it takes to get into a college dance program?
Spoiler: it’s WAY more than just nailing the combo. 👀
In this episode of Rhinestones & Rants, we sit down with Joe Alter of San Diego State University (SDSU), a dance educator, mentor, and admissions insider who has seen it ALL. From essays and interviews to audition photos and solos, Joe is pulling back the curtain on what really goes down behind the table.
✨ What you’ll learn:
• The real difference between a BA and BFA (and why it matters)
• What happens in a college dance audition (beyond the pirouettes 💃)
• Why “dream school” ≠ “best fit”
• The #1 mindset shift every competition dancer needs before college
• How SDSU helps dancers grow into confident college artists
• Insider Qs to ask BEFORE applying
If you’re a dancer, parent, or mentor navigating the leap from studio to stage, this is the must-watch, must-share episode. Joe’s advice is honest, empowering, and could save you years of confusion (and $$$).

Episode 13: Beyond the Brochures - Inside the Top Dance Programs in the U.S.

You asked, we delivered. The conversation continues in Part TWO of our College Dance Series on Rhinestones and Rants 💎 In Part 1, we decoded the basics of a B.A. vs. B.F.A. degree. Now in Part 2, we’re taking it deeper: 👉 How auditions REALLY work beyond the combo (interviews, improv, solos & more). 👉 Red flags in program brochures 🚩 (and what they mean for your dancer’s future). 👉 The truth about triple-threat training vs. single-focus conservatories. 👉 How to prepare early (yes, junior year!) so you’re not scrambling. ✨ Hosted by Alyssa Better with dance mom & researcher ReJana Krause, this is the episode every parent and dancer needs before applications, prescreens, and auditions hit.

Episode 12: B.A. vs. B.F.A. - Decoding the Dance Degree

Welcome to Part ONE of our College Dance Series on Rhinestones and Rants💎
In this episode, host Alyssa Better sits down with dance mom & researcher ReJana Krause to break down what every dancer and parent needs to know before stepping into the college dance world.
👉 What’s the REAL difference between a B.A. and a B.F.A.?
👉 How do training hours, performance opportunities, and career outcomes compare?
👉 Which degree opens doors for YOUR dancer’s future?
We’re pulling back the rhinestone curtain and telling you the truths they don’t put in the brochures. If you’ve got auditions, applications, or just big dance dreams, this is your roadmap.
 
 

Episode 7: What It Takes to Be Elite ✨ Grit, Glam & the Women Who Built a Dance Empire

She didn’t inherit it. She didn’t stumble into it. Toni Ricci built Elite Dance Center with grit, guts, and a whole lot of glitter.In this week’s episode of Rhinestones and Rants, we sit down with the powerhouse behind one of the most iconic studios in the competitive dance world and the woman beside her shaping the next generation of artists: Keli Adams, Elite’s fearless Director of Dance. From Broadway stages to award-winning choreography, Toni and Keli open up about sacrifice, vision, and what it really takes to create a space where dancers become legends. 💥 This is more than a studio. It’s a movement. 💖 This is the Elite story - raw, real, and radiant. 🎬 Watch the LIVE PREMIERE 📅 Wednesday at 8AM PT / 11AM ET 📲 Subscribe to catch every moment as it drops! ✨ New episodes every Wednesday Rhinestones and Rants is now streaming on all major podcast platforms.🔗 Binge Episodes 1–6 while you wait: 🔥 Red flags. 💼 Studio owner drama. 👩‍👧 The pressure of being a studio owner’s daughter. 🎤 Brooklyn Jai unfiltered. 💃 Dance parents who don’t play. 👑 And the woman behind the red wall who started it all.