The BFA dance majors and frequent collaborators showcase their talents in a recent Skechers commercial.

By Jana F. Brown

In one gravity-defying moment, Faith Aguilar ’27 dances effortlessly up a pillar inside a loft apartment. The impressive feat was accomplished with support from her dance partner, Sam Fine ’27, as part of a 30-second spot that the USC Kaufman students filmed for the footwear company Skechers.

The stunt was accomplished by Fine providing the lift that made it appear that Aguilar was actually running up the pole. In rehearsal and in takes, they had to troubleshoot timing to complete the maneuver properly. But it was the duo’s familiarity with one another that created the seamless look that appears in the final version.

“In the trial runs, there’s going to be some moments like, ‘I should have pushed more, or we need to get in sync so we can get this lift up,’” Aguilar says.” “But we’re so used to dancing with each other that it was easy to troubleshoot.”

At Kaufman, where they’re both pursuing BFAs in dance, Aguilar and Fine are frequent creative partners. They’ve shared repertory pieces, train together daily in technique classes, and recently co-directed and choreographed a concept music video, developed from a joint improvisation session and filmed with a friend from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Despite their frequent work together, Fine and Aguilar auditioned separately for the Skechers commercial through a self-taping process. Because the commercial was set to be choreographed by Chris Scott, a prominent director and choreographer known for major musical films (Wicked, In the Heights) with further input from Skechers Creative Director Rex Fish, the Kaufman students saw it as a great opportunity.

“The self-tape submission was literally sent to everyone,” Fine says. “It was big.”

While Fine and Aguilar initially submitted separate tapes with different partners, when they learned they each had received a callback, they created a joint submission choreographed and filmed together in a stolen hour before class one day. They learned they’d been cast on April 24 and had one day of rehearsal, April 27, before filming the spot the next day on location in LA’s Arts District. Also on set was Simrin Player ’21, who served as assistant choreographer for the commercial, along with Emilio Dosal an associate choreographer on Wicked and In the Heights.

“Because Simrin went through the program, she knew what our strengths were coming into the project,” Fine says. “She was like, ‘I know they can do house, I know they can do footwork’  because she went through the same program. It was cool to have another Kaufman alum who knew our strengths without dancing with us before.”

On the day of filming, Fine and Aguilar were given the freedom to be playful with their personalities. Guided by Fish, they did multiple takes to provide different emotional deliveries of short lines. Meanwhile, Scott encouraged them to adopt alter-egos to enhance chemistry. Ultimately, they filmed three short versions of the commercial and were happy with what made the final cut. 

Fine emphasizes how rare it is to have a duet commercial featuring two dancers from the same college program, noting that commercial jobs often hire dancers who have previously worked with the choreographer. But the Skechers team specifically loved the Kaufman duo’s chemistry, although the two arrived at the same place from different dance backgrounds.

Aguilar grew up in California and started competitive dance at five, training in multiple styles. She attended Orange County School of the Arts in the commercial dance conservatory, while touring with Tremaine Dance Conventions & Competitions from age 12 through high school. At Kaufman, she’s deepened her choreography practice and is finding her artistic voice. 

Fine grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and danced casually until age 12, when he was recruited by Miami studio owner Victor Smalley. That prompted a move to Florida for intensive training. Fine transitioned to homeschooling and trained 45 hours a week in ballet and contemporary for the next five years. He graduated at 17 and chose to audition only for USC. “That was the only college I was interested in going to,” he says.

The Skechers commercial is the continuation of professional careers for both Aguilar and Fine. Faith has appeared in commercials for Simon Malls and print ads for Google Pixel and Samsung. She spent the first part of her summer in Paris performing at the Nuit Blanche Festival as part of Kaufman’s yearlong intercontinental artistic exchange with the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Aguilar then spent a couple of weeks in New York in the Dance Education Laboratory as part of the The Arnhold Summer Fellowship Program. Fine signed with his agent at 16. He previously appeared in a Dermot Kennedy Music Video and in campaigns for Gap (with Young Miko) and Walmart. This summer, he’s been training and performing with a headlining artist at Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Both Kaufman dancers say balancing professional work with being full-time students is busy but rewarding. Fine often travels for jobs on weekends and appreciates that Kaufman allows students to choose their priorities. Aguilar uses auditions as learning experiences to grow and reflect on her artistic identity. They view working during school as essential for building networks beyond Kaufman. 

“As long as you stay respectful of your professors and schoolwork, it can be a really great experience to work outside of school,” Aguilar says. “It can be hectic, but it’s super important to build a network inside and outside of school.”