Biography
Juanita Tapia was born and raised in West Covina, California. She was the middle daughter and stood out from her sisters as being especially talented and outgoing. Her mother, hoping to channel Juanita’s boundless energy, enrolled her in dance classes that lead to community performances and winning competitions. From a young age Juanita enjoyed giving back to the community, volunteering, performing at hospitals and nursing homes. Juanita pursued her dance lessons and competitions throughout her formative years and applied her performance skills to being a head cheerleader in high school and college.
Juanita always enjoyed bringing joy and excitement to others through her dance troupe and cheerleading performances. She was fortunate to enjoy the support of her family, attending all of her events, waking up at 4am for her Rose Bowl debut and driving her wherever she needed to go. She was always encouraged to pursue a career in entertainment but after a few years of college she decided to marry and start a family. Juanita lived in Hawaii for several years where she learned Hawaiian dance in her spare time and performed with her Hawaiian dance troupe. She always performed in one way or another because she loved it so.
Juanita returned to California in the 90s and was asked to coach the drill team at her son’s elementary school in Beverly Hills, California. She was so successful at organizing and coaching the older girls, the school asked her to organize a drill team of the younger girls as well. Juanita was thrilled to be encouraging young girls to pursue their dreams of performing and her drill teams were asked to perform at many community events, senior homes and hospitals in the area. Juanita realized that she still had the desire to perform and started auditioning around the LA area in the late 90s. She landed rolls in television and film. Shows like Dharma & Greg, Medium, Beverly Hills 90210, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Little Assassins and Elizabeth Taylor, to name a few.
Juanita continued to serve the community whenever time would allow and found that she really enjoyed working with Senior Citizens. Their love and appreciation inspired her to pursue a career as an Activities Director in the senior living field. She has worked with seniors at several assisted living facilities in the LA area. She has been able to call on her performance skills and has created many events that involve cultural activities, dance, performance, live music and exercise. Her dedication to quality of life and an active lifestyle for the seniors she worked with has provided her with a wonderful career helping others. She has developed a series of chair exercises specifically for seniors that she has been asked to teach throughout the LA area. In the mid-2000s, she even managed to find time to audition for, and be selected for the LA Sparks “Ole Skool Crew,” performing at games in the Staples Center.
Juanita never lost her inspiration to perform and bring joy to others. She has spent her life making sure the people she loves are taken care of and now she is ready to follow her heart and pursue a career in acting. She’s inspired by Viola Davis for her ability to bring such a diverse range of characters to TV and film. Juanita, being a Latina is interested in showing the world that she can bring her life experience to her work, transcending race and stereotypes. When it comes down to it, she believes it’s her heart and love of life that will shine through. She’s magnetic, energetic and a joy to be around.
Juanita is ready to dedicate herself to pursuing a career in the entertainment field. She’s been preparing for this her whole life! Right now Juanita is content to do background work, commercials, small speaking parts and roles that reflect her real life, community service and bringing joy to others. Juanita is realistic and is aware that this will be a slow process with great rewards along the way. She is willing to do the work necessary to pursue auditions, perform and deliver her best in every opportunity that comes her way. When asked why she’s pursuing a career in acting now, Juanita smiles and says “If not NOW, when?” It’s now or never time and she’s ready!