Howland grad makes TV debut on VH1's 'Hit the Floor'
Alaina Hoolihan, a 2012 graduate of Howland High School, will make her TV debut in VH1’s “Hit The Floor,” a scripted reality show about the dancers for a professional basketball franchise.
By EMMALEE C. TORISK
Howland
When Alaina Hoolihan found out she’d snagged a recurring role on VH1’s new scripted drama “Hit The Floor,” she couldn’t believe it.
“It’s huge for a dancer to be on a TV show as a character consecutively,” said Alaina, a 2012 graduate of Howland High School and daughter of Maribeth and Jeff Hoolihan. “It’s unheard of.”
But so is getting a part after just one television audition, especially when stacked up against hundreds of talented competitors, said Maribeth.
“They’re all in the same boat, going to these same auditions. It’s like a cattle call. You get a lot of rejections,” Maribeth said. “She was really blessed and fortunate to book a TV show on her first try.”
Alaina, who turned 19 in February and lives in Los Angeles, plays “Billie,” one of the principal dancers on “Hit The Floor.” The show delves into the drama-filled lives of the Devil Girls, the dancers for a fictional Los Angeles pro basketball team.
Playing a dancer on “Hit The Floor” isn’t a stretch for Alaina, who has been dancing since the age of 3. It’s all that Alaina has ever done or has ever wanted to do, but she didn’t think she’d get the opportunity to live out her dreams so soon.
Last spring, as a high school senior, Alaina visited her sister, Ashley Hoolihan, in LA. While there, she auditioned for McDonald/Selznick Associates, a talent agency that primarily represents dancers and choreographers.
The competition was fierce. Alaina auditioned alongside more than 500 other dancers, but found out two weeks later that the agency wanted to represent her — even though she still had several weeks of high school remaining.
“[The agency] didn’t know she was still in high school,” Maribeth said. “I told her, ‘You still have to graduate from high school, but do what you gotta do.’”
Alaina originally had planned to study dance in New York City after high school, but said deciding to move to LA wasn’t difficult once a new opportunity arose.
“Honestly, my goal was to move to LA and have an agent,” she said. “For me to do that right away was huge.”
In October, Alaina auditioned for “Hit The Floor” at her agency’s insistence, then found out she made the cut while at home in Howland over Thanksgiving break. Filming for the 10-episode first season began shortly afterward, in January, and it wrapped in April.
Although she didn’t have a break for close to three months, Alaina said she enjoyed being busy.
“It’s a weird feeling that I get to do what I love, and that I get paid to do that,” Alaina said. “I’m really lucky.”
Linda James, who owns the James Dance and Performing Arts Center in Howland and trained both Alaina and her sister, said it’s true that Alaina has been fortunate, but that she’s been successful mostly because of her talent and strong work ethic.
“When you have that combination, there’s a potential for great success,” James said. “I think the sky’s the limit. She has the potential to do anything she wants to. She was a joy to teach, and is a lovely young woman.”
The pilot of “Hit The Floor,” which was filmed while Alaina was in high school, aired Monday, but Alaina will make her TV acting debut next week, in the second episode.
“Hit The Floor” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on VH1.