Honestly, if you grew up watching a certain kind of reality-style drama, you know that the actors from The Next Step weren't just actors. They were athletes. They were kids who spent ten hours a day in a studio in Toronto, sweating through contemporary routines and trying to make "A-Troupe" feel like the most important thing in the world. It’s been over a decade since the show first aired on Family Channel and CBBC, and the landscape of teen TV has changed a lot. But what’s even more interesting is how that specific cast—mostly professional dancers who had never seen a script before—transitioned into the "real" world of Hollywood and professional choreography.
Most of them didn't just disappear.
They’re everywhere. You’ve probably seen them in massive music videos, on world tours with pop stars, or leading their own Netflix series, and you didn't even realize you were looking at a former member of The Next Step. It’s kinda wild when you think about it. The show was a springboard that launched careers in a way very few Canadian teen shows ever do.
The Breakout Success of Briar Nolet and the Reality of Hollywood
Briar Nolet, who played Richelle, is probably the most cited example of success among the actors from The Next Step. But it wasn't just about the show. Her trajectory changed entirely when she appeared on World of Dance. Jennifer Lopez was literally obsessed with her. Watching Briar perform a contemporary piece while managing a diagnosis of epilepsy—which she famously discussed on the show—gave her a level of vulnerability that resonated way beyond the dance community.
She didn't just stay a "dance kid." She moved into high-fashion partnerships and continued acting.
Then you have someone like Alexandra Beaton (Emily). Emily was the character everyone loved to hate for the first few seasons. She was the "queen bee" who actually had a lot of depth. Beaton took that momentum and pivoted hard into traditional acting. Unlike some of her co-stars who stayed in the dance world, she’s been popping up in movies like The Cheerleader Escort and various indie projects. It’s a tough transition. Going from a show where your feet do most of the talking to a room where you have to deliver a five-page monologue is no joke.
Jordan Clark and the So You Think You Can Dance Pipeline
People forget that Jordan Clark (Giselle) was a winner of So You Think You Can Dance Canada before she even stepped foot in the studio for the show. That’s the thing about the actors from The Next Step—they weren't amateurs. The producers, like Frank van Keeken, specifically went after the best dancers in the country.
Jordan has stayed incredibly active in the industry. She’s choreographed, she’s taught, and she’s stayed connected to the brand through various spin-offs and specials. It’s a common theme. Many of these performers realized that the longevity isn't always in front of the camera. It’s in the wings. It’s in the credits.
Why the "Mockumentary" Style Worked
The show used a very specific format. They had these talking-head interviews where characters would explain their feelings. It felt like The Office but for twelve-year-olds who liked glitter and pirouettes. Because of this, the actors from The Next Step had to learn a very specific type of improvisational acting. They weren't always given word-for-word scripts for those segments. They were given a prompt: "Talk about how you feel about James and Riley."
This created a sense of authenticity that fans felt was real. It’s why people still ship "Jiley" (James and Riley) to this day. Speaking of which, Trevor Tordjman and Brittany Raymond took that chemistry and turned it into legitimate careers.
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Trevor Tordjman: From James to Disney Channel Royalty
If you haven't been paying attention to Disney Channel lately, you might have missed that Trevor Tordjman basically became one of their leading men. He played Bucky in the Zombies franchise. That’s huge. He’s also been hosting and appearing in various Disney specials. He has this natural charisma that was obvious from his first hip-hop solo in season one.
Brittany Raymond (Riley) went a slightly different route. She stayed in Canada for a while, winning a Canadian Screen Award for her work on the show. People really underestimate the talent required to make a teen soap opera feel grounded. She later appeared in Dare Me, the Netflix/USA Network series about a dark, twisted cheerleading squad. It was a complete 180 from the sunshine-and-rainbows vibe of The Next Step, and she killed it.
The Struggle of Staying Relevant in a Digital Age
Let's be real for a second. Not everyone becomes a Disney star. For many actors from The Next Step, the post-show life involves a lot of "the hustle."
- Isaac Lupien (Eldon): He’s heavily involved in the dance competition circuit. He’s a judge, a choreographer, and a mentor.
- Victoria Baldesarra (Michelle): She moved to Los Angeles and has maintained a massive social media presence. She’s the blueprint for how to turn a TV role into a long-term personal brand.
- Lamar Johnson (West): This is a name you need to know. Lamar is arguably the most successful "pure" actor from the bunch. He was in The Hate U Give, Your Honor, and even had a pivotal role in HBO’s The Last of Us.
Lamar Johnson’s performance in The Last of Us was heartbreaking. If you watched him as West—the goofy, hip-hop-loving comic relief—you would never have guessed he had that kind of dramatic range. It proves that the "dance show" label was often a mask for some seriously high-level acting talent.
The International Impact and Tour Life
The Next Step was a monster in the UK and Australia. The cast did these massive arena tours. Imagine being nineteen years old and selling out Wembley Arena because you can do a backflip.
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That experience bonded them. Even now, if you look at their Instagram stories, you see them hanging out at each other's weddings. Victoria Baldesarra and Briar Nolet are still incredibly close. There’s a shared trauma and joy in being part of a niche phenomenon that most adults didn't even know existed while it was happening.
Surprising Career Pivots
Not everyone stayed in the arts. Some went back to school. Some opened their own studios.
Brennan Clost (Shane) is another one who stayed in the spotlight. He starred in Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix. That show was basically a R-rated version of The Next Step, filled with ballet, drama, and mystery. Brennan is a Juilliard graduate. He’s a "real" dancer in the most prestigious sense of the word. Seeing him transition from a Family Channel show to a gritty Netflix drama was a trip for long-time fans.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Show
A lot of critics dismissed the show as "cheap" or "amateur." They saw the improvised dialogue and the low-budget sets of the early seasons and didn't give it credit. But the actors from The Next Step were doing something incredibly difficult. They were performing their own stunts (the dancing) while maintaining a character for years.
There were no stunt doubles for a quintuple turn. There was no one to fill in for a layout or a side-sumi.
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The physical toll was immense. Many of the cast members have spoken about the injuries they sustained—torn ACLs, stress fractures, and chronic back pain. They weren't just actors; they were elite athletes being filmed in a high-pressure environment.
The Legacy of the A-Troupe
What’s the legacy here? It’s the idea that you don't have to follow the traditional Hollywood path. You can start in a Canadian "mockumentary" about dance and end up on an HBO flagship series or a Disney movie.
The actors from The Next Step showed that dance is a legitimate gateway to the broader entertainment industry. They broke the mold of the "child actor" who burns out. Instead, they used their discipline—the same discipline that got them through eight-hour dance rehearsals—to navigate the audition rooms of LA and Toronto.
How to Follow Their Current Projects
If you’re trying to keep up with them today, don't look at the IMDb pages alone. Look at the choreography credits.
- Check Instagram and TikTok: Most of the cast members, like Myles Erlick (Noah), are constantly posting new choreography and music. Myles was actually in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Let that sink in.
- Look at Casting Credits: Many of them are appearing in "Workforce" roles in big-budget musicals. They are the background dancers who make the stars look good.
- The Next Step Season 9: Believe it or not, the show has continued with new generations. While the original cast has moved on, the brand is still alive, and some of the "OGs" occasionally return as judges or mentors.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Performers
Watching the trajectory of the actors from The Next Step offers a few lessons if you’re trying to get into the industry:
- Diversify your skills immediately. Don't just be a "dancer" or an "actor." Learn both. The ones who succeeded most from this cast were the ones who could bridge the gap between physical performance and emotional storytelling.
- Use social media as a portfolio. These actors didn't wait for a publicist. They built their following while the show was airing and converted those fans into a career.
- Understand the "Canadian Loophole." Many successful actors start in Canadian productions like Degrassi or The Next Step because the barrier to entry is slightly different, and it allows you to build a reel before moving to the US market.
- Stay disciplined. Every single cast member who made it big credits their dance background for their work ethic. Showing up on time and knowing your "blocking" is half the battle in Hollywood.
The story of the actors from The Next Step isn't just about a kids' show. It’s about a group of highly specialized athletes who took a weird, experimental TV format and turned it into a lifelong career. Whether it's Lamar Johnson winning over critics in The Last of Us or Briar Nolet inspiring young dancers worldwide, their impact is much bigger than a studio in Toronto.