Renae Hughes’ journey started at the age of 12, when she became one of the first students to train with Liverpool performing arts school, Rare Studio.
A Liverpool-born and trained dancer has taken another step closer to stardom by signing to her third major casting agency, despite not having even reached the age of 21.
Her time at Rare Studio- a performing arts school in Liverpool city centre- allowed her to travel as far as America, where she trained at a number of different studios including the world-famous Broadway Dance Centre in New York and Millenium in LA.
At the age of 16, she was spotted by renowned agent Mark Summers, who quickly signed Renae to his agency. After performing on national television as a dancer for X Factor contestants, Renae’s career went from strength to strength as she modelled for names such as Stella McCartney for Adidas and ASOS.
Renae then went on to feature in music videos for a range of artists including The Vamps, a solo performance in the Netski and Beth Ditto video, as well as performing at the MOBO Awards with Lethal Bizzle.
Renae then made the decision to stay and train in Liverpool at LIPA.
At the start of the year Renae was already signed to high profile agencies, Mark Summers and Boss Castings. She has now added international dance agency AMCK to her expanding list of credentials, after Renae impressed their team when they spotted her performing at LIPA. AMCK is her third agency, which is a rare occurence for dancers even ten years her senior.
Renae Hughes, student and dancer, said: “Rare Studio was the catalyst in getting my career off to a flying start – if it wasn’t for Rare I wouldn’t be where I am today. Everywhere else was about money, whereas here it was a gang of kids who had nothing but wanted everything.
“I’m a massive supporter of keeping talent alive and kicking in Liverpool. It’s brilliant to be able to represent my city when I go to castings in London and beyond; I’m always the first to shout from the rooftops about all of the city’s brilliant people that are ready to take on the industry.
“To be signed to three agencies is a huge honour, but I just want to let the up-and-coming generation of dancers know that it is possible if you work for it. I always say to people, just love it. Don’t let anyone else make you love it, do it for yourself and nobody else.”
Lindsay Inglesby, director of Rare Studio, said: “We couldn’t be more proud of Renae. She has been with Rare Studio since the start, and has grown to become not just a brilliant performer, but one of the family.
“Renae is showing all of Liverpool’s aspiring dancers that if you have drive, talent and willingness to succeed then the sky really is the limit. This is why at Rare we encourage any young person who has the talent to audition. For us, it’s not about the money, it’s about giving the cities’ talent the guidance they need to grow into stars.”
The support that Rare Studio gives young people goes far beyond the classroom. Students in difficult circumstances are given pastoral and financial support to help them not just stand on their own two feet, but dance, act and thrive on them.
Last year the team behind Rare Studio opened up Rare School of Fashion, a similar charitable institute that focuses on finding and nurturing the next generation of master designers and stylists.
Watch video interview with Renae here