Photo courtesy of Lowe.

From audition to casting, Lowe reflects on breaking into the industry while still in school.

By Georgia Ehrlich ’29

On Sunday, September 28th, 2025, Julia Lowe ’27 got the call that would change the trajectory of her college career. It was from her agent, excited to share an audition opportunity. She went before casting agents the next morning, and two hours later, Lowe was notified that she had gotten the job. Soon thereafter, she was flown to Ontario, Canada (conveniently, her hometown), straight to a table read. “It all happened so fast,” Lowe reflected. 

The job Lowe booked was a role in a new Netflix series, The Body, an eight-episode coming-of-age thriller created by Quinn Shephard. The show’s premise follows a dance team at an all-girls Catholic high school, making it vital that those cast had both strong acting and dancing skills. Originally recommended to production by the associate choreographer — with whom she had previously worked — Lowe was the perfect fit for the role. Particularly, Lowe’s ability to pick up choreography quickly for a fast-paced production schedule.

In addition to combining Lowe’s two loves, acting and dancing, the show’s exploration of teenage sexuality, queerness, and girlhood align closely with her identity and personal experience.

“From the costuming to the writing, set design, and soundtrack, everything about The Body was my dream show to be a part of,” Lowe says. Thinking back to her younger self, she adds, “If I had this show when I was going through my queer journey, it would have meant so much to me. I know this show will change lives.”

Lowe began her Kaufman journey in the Fall of 2023, eager to grow as a dancer and human. And although she had worked professional commercial jobs in her teens, Lowe saw herself pursuing a career in the contemporary concert world upon graduating from Kaufman.

During her first two years at USC, however, this goal broadened as she began to engage more consistently with a variety of dance styles, commercial opportunities, and industry professionals. Lowe says that her interests as an artist have fluctuated each year of college, influenced by the many experiences she’s had not only as a dancer but as a human, an academic, and a friend. In a nutshell, Lowe discovered within her first two years at Kaufman that she “can’t place all my value in dance”.

This discovery can be contextualized by the fact that Lowe’s focus in high school was almost entirely dance. Therefore, coming to college was really the first time she had the space to wonder, “Who is Julia in the world?”  This curiosity to learn more about the intricacies of her identity led her to question many beliefs she previously held. Ultimately, getting to know herself more intimately drastically shaped both her self-confidence as a human and a storyteller. As Lowe puts it, “Over the last two years, not only have my goals in dance changed, but so have my goals in life.”

In addition to shaping her personal values, the rich self-knowledge she gleaned has allowed her to deconstruct the boundaries she once placed on the trajectory of her career. Now guided more broadly by her love of live performance and being on set, Lowe feels more open to the kinds of professional opportunities she sees herself pursuing. She attributes this broadening of her artistic goals to the growth she’s experienced as an individual, recognizing the limitless nature of her multifaceted artistry and its ability to thrive in countless professional spaces. Aligning serendipitously with her own personal growth, receiving a role in The Body felt like an affirmative sign from the universe that she is on the right path.

Upon taking a break from Kaufman and a step into the professional world, Lowe discovered just how much she’s learned in the last two years. Specifically, the ability to walk into artistic spaces with integrity and presence is a skill she found to be a grounding asset. These qualities were particularly tested during her time on set, as she was juggling schoolwork within her 17-plus-hour workdays — prioritizing soaking up every moment while filming and trusting that she would complete her assignments on time. This tension between school and work, although overwhelming at times, was a valuable lesson in focusing her attention, a skill necessary for longevity in an artistic career.

Working professionally mid-college career has revitalized Lowe’s perspective on how she plans to approach the remainder of her time at Kaufman. Having made such genuine connections with her cast members — so in awe of the beautiful people she was surrounded by — Lowe realized how important it is to her to nurture community connections moving forward. Particularly investing in the quality of her relationships and protecting the frequency of her energy within community spaces are intentions she has set for herself.

While taking a step away from school to work was incredibly fulfilling, Lowe found herself really missing the consistency and rigor of her Kaufman dance training. So, after wrapping The Body, although sad that the experience was over, she felt ready to return to the studio and fully dive back into her own body. Helping illuminate the specificity of her love for dance, taking a break from the studio only further elucidated Lowe’s undying passion for movement and physical storytelling. 

Working on The Body was a pivotal moment in Lowe’s personal and artistic life, both affirming all the internal work she’s done up until this point and energizing her hopes for the future of her career. Finishing out the remainder of her Junior year on campus, Lowe plans to take all the self-confidence and artistic fulfillment she generated on set and imbue it in her work at Kaufman and beyond.