So You Think You Can Dance Season 1

So We Know They Can Dance....But Where Are They Now? Hear from Season 1’s Top Dancers, as we begin Season 2...
By Kristy Johnson Does SYTYCD really open up a world of dance opportunity for its esteemed Top 20 Dancers? Where are they now, and how did SYTYCD change their lives? Kristy Johnson speaks with 14 of the Top 20 from Season 1. For success after the camera’s are switched off, Judge Jason Coleman states that it is imperative for dancers to have a “want for it” in terms of securing that elusive contract, and to therefore “make the most” of the experiences shared through So You Think You Can Dance. Did these Top 14 do that? How have their lives changed since the competition? What dance opportunities have opened up for them? Jack: My life has changed dramatically since the show, the obvious change is the recognition I've been given and being noticed wherever I go. On a personal level I feel a lot more confident in my ability as a dancer, and I know now what I am capable of doing when a task is set for me! The great opportunity that has come my way is the chance to live in New York. One of the top dance agencies in New York wants to take me on board and represent me over in the States, which took me by surprise. So I am moving to New York in March this year to try and tackle Broadway. Having done So You Think You Can Dance has also given me the chance to apply for a working visa in the States, which I wouldn’t have been able to get if I hadn't won the show, so I am over the moon. Kate: The work I have done the last year is the same as I’ve always done, except now people know who is dancing in front of them. It's nice to be recognised for my dancing and appreciated. The pay has certainly gone up which is nice and my dressing room is generally better too. It has been a really positive reaction from people since the show ended, so I am really happy. I have worked a lot since the show. I think I have been around Australia at least five times as well as New Zealand. Our tour with the top ten was fantastic as we played to stadiums all over the country. I have been doing fantastic corporate gigs as well as teaching workshops. I also assisted Kelley Abbey on the Australian Idol finale & Reg Grundy’s birthday party. I have performed on Rove with Boy Zone, opened the World Latin Ballroom Championships for Jason Gilkison and danced at the Lord Mayor’s New Year's Eve special at the Opera House. Rhys: Well I think the most obvious thing for me is that I get recognised a lot more these days. I always acted like I was famous, but now I have an excuse! Of course a lot more opportunity has come my way too. I haven't done a lot of dancing since the show specifically, besides a bit of teaching here and there, but I’ve stayed creative by writing and recording music. I’ve always considered myself an entertainer and I can think of no better way to express all of my talents. ‘Hot Summer’ is available now on iTunes. Vanessa: It was during the top one hundred week that I realised how much I really love dancing. I had tried to give it up for three years to focus on becoming a Spiritual Minister, however I kept finding myself drawn back to it. So You Think You Can Dance reignited my passion for dancing and since then I have been doing a variety of shows and performing at different venues. Since the competition, I feel I’ve developed more confidence and matured as a person through the learning and opportunities that I’ve been presented with. For the first half of this year I will be one of the teachers at the Australian Dance Festival teaching Contemporary classes and a performance routine. (www.AustralianDanceFestival.com.au). Henry: Life has definitely changed, that’s for sure! As I’m answering this question I find myself in San Francisco of all places, doing what I love to audiences of thousands. An awesome experience for me was the tour that followed So You Think You Can Dance. The feeling you get when you’re able to travel across Australia and have as many as six thousand people watch and scream for you in a packed arena while you’re performing on stage is second to none. Post So You Think You Can Dance, I was lucky enough to be selected for Dancing with the Stars where I had the opportunity to teach Toni Pearen, a huge celebrity in my books. I got to choreograph my own routines and perform week after week for millions of people!
	Jack works with Mia Michael's in the US!

	Jack............................................... Kate

	Rhys.............................................Vanessa

	Rhiannon.........................................Anthony

	JD..................................................Laura
	Marko.................. .................. .Camilla

After Dancing with the Stars I was then chosen to perform on a TV show called Superstars of Dance set in Hollywood that involved eight countries and was produced by Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller. This was an incredible honour and a ridiculously great thing to be a part of. Thanks to Jason Gilkison, we rocked the stage, representing Australia with African Samba, Cha Cha and Lindy/Jive to an estimated audience of over ten million. And now I’m dancing down the west coast of the United States of America and Canada.

Graeme: My life has changed in many positive ways. I have been given opportunities to dance for a living, to be around industry icons, and also to do what I love. Since the show finished, I have been on tour with The Mikado Musical. I am very lucky to have been blessed with the lead role of ‘Nanki Poo’, and it has been the best time of my life. We have been to Brisbane and just finished in Adelaide. It's been a great time exploring my first love of singing. People that come to the show are shocked to see that I sing and act in the show more than I dance. It's been a great time in my life to let the world know who I am.

Rhiannon: Since So You Think You Can Dance my life has changed in so many positive ways. I now get to teach all over Australia and perform a lot more than I would have if I were not on the show. People now recognise me in the streets and appreciate the work I did on the show. Career doors have opened tremendously and people now know exactly what I can do.

There have been many dance opportunities since the show. I have done various gigs such as Bindi Irwin’s 10th Birthday, performed at the Logies, taught all over in Australia, judged various competitions such as the Australian Dance Championships, Dancekool, Rumble and I recently returned from judging Showcase in Queensland. I also performed in the finale of Australian Idol, and at the Lord Mayor’s New Year's Eve special.

Laura: My life has changed quite a bit since So You Think You Can Dance, not only as a dancer but as a person too. Being recognised on the street was something that threw me a bit at first, but it has been amazing knowing that the show made an impact on so many people.

After So You Think You Can Dance finished I continued to live in Adelaide and was teaching and choreographing for many dance schools and my old high school. I was approached by Jason Coleman to become part of his team at Ministry of Dance in Melbourne, and have now been living in Melbourne since July 2008 (www.ministryofdance.info). I have also been dancing for a lot of corporate gigs around Melbourne, and also danced at the Lord Mayor's New Year's Eve special at Sydney Opera House along with Camilla, Anthony, Kate, Graeme and Rhiannon.

Khaly: Since the competition my life has actually changed in a dramatic way. I’m still getting used to the fact that people want photos with me and ask for my autograph. I have become a lot busier work-wise and very grateful for it as well. Being able to do what you love professionally is something people dream of day after day.

I have been involved in a variety of workshops at different schools, as well as castings for movies, shows and commercials, as I have always dreamed to one day become a successful actor. I am also involved in a new performing arts organisation called A-Live Entertainment (www.myspace.com/a_live_entertainment). This organisation releases a variety of projects. I am an integral part of it, including the first open Break class designed to accommodate both the professional Break Dancer and the professional dancer looking to learn Break Dancing.

Hilton: My life has changed in so many ways, with the biggest being my profile in general. People recognise me on the street and everywhere I go. People are tracking me down, left, right and centre, to either perform at their party or event. I am also constantly getting called for choreographing or organising entertainment for a corporate client.
I have also managed to utilise some of my exposure on So You Think You Can Dance by starting my own company alongside BJ Rorke, Sean Robinson and Stephen Tannos called A-Live Entertainment (www.myspace.com/a_live_entertainment), which is involving itself in anything artistic or creative, generally related to performance art. We are taking recording artists to assist in their artistic direction, where we just finished filming a shoot with Panjo 5. We are also releasing a new open class program for professionals titled ‘So You Can Dance’ as well as a variety of other projects. Dance was always my life, but now it’s an amazing life.

Camilla: Life has not really changed for me and as odd as it may sound, I am quite pleased about that! I definitely get recognised now, but everything else about me is the same.
Since the competition I have been involved with various So You Think You Can Dance performances, mainly for corporate events, and it has been a blast dancing alongside some of the other contestants again! Aside from that I have been busy teaching, choreographing, auditioning, and of course enjoying the Sydney lifestyle.

Anthony: I guess the biggest thing was being recognised. For me, expanding my business interstate has been a huge change and I would not have done it without being on the show.

Straight after the show I had reconstructive surgery on my shoulder which put me out of action for a couple of months, then I went straight in to the So You Think You Can Dance tour which was a total blast! Since then I have been doing great corporate events, charity work, workshops and setting up my brand new dance school in Sydney.

I designed and built my dream studio with sprung timber floors and the Olympic quality artistic gymnastic floor. It has a really nice energy with awesome teachers and great classes: Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet, Ballroom, Acrobatics, Cheerleading, Hip Hop, Break Dancing and Yoga. It has it all! I also have launched Ikin Dance Full-Time which is a one year full-time dance course giving students up to twenty dance classes a week and a Certificate Three and Four in Fitness, which qualifies them to be Personal Trainers. It all opened on January 24th. www.ikindance.com

JD: Life has been quite different since the show. I didn't know how much of an impact I made on the Australian public until I got out into the real world. People continually share with me how much they were moved by my story and my time on the show. I've been dancing for ten years now and it’s great to be acknowledged for your art form that you’re so passionate about. Being a celebrity, dancer and an ambassador for dance is quite a shift from my life before the show, but it hasn't changed who I am and never will.

I'm continually asked to speak in schools and teach workshops around the country, and I'm now focusing on hosting and presenting television shows. I've been asked to choreograph for the next season and for Australian music. I'm now focusing on my hosting and presenting roles and expressing the spontaneous side of JD. I have a few television concepts that I've created and pitching to production companies and developing an online Internet channel called 'So Fresh TV' which hosts and covers major events in Australia. To view episodes on You Tube visit www.youtube.com/sofreshtvoz or www.gojdgo.biz

Marko: Marko Panzic describes being recognised by the general public as the most significant change. Marko had a successful career well before the series commenced and is very grateful for the support and encouragement of the Australian dance community.

Marko regularly teaches workshops and classes at a vast number of institutions within Australia including Brent Street and Urban Dance Centre in Sydney. Marko is a passionate supporter of festivals and dance intensives, and has taught and choreographed at many, the most recent being Utopian Dream Festival in Coffs Harbour. Marko will be a guest choreographer for Australian Dance Festival in June. Marko is currently in New York, developing his love of dance.

What advice do last year’s finalists give to this year’s Top 20 contestants?

Jack: Really listen to your choreographers, and try to adapt to each style the best you can. Don't forget to be yourself and of course enjoy the experience. Also something that I used to do, was remind myself constantly why I am doing the show - because I love to dance. Don't let that drive and passion die out throughout the show; you will find you really have to push yourself each week.

Rhys: Get as wide a variety of classes in as possible. You have no idea how helpful it is if you have a little Latin technique up your sleeve. Also do your research... choreographers, new styles and music videos. Most importantly be yourself and not what you think the audience wants to see.

JD: Communicate with your partner and know that it’s all a game. Be true to yourself and be fully self-expressed. Don't be afraid of being vulnerable.

Henry: Be passionate and determined. Don’t be afraid of anything, whether it’s something someone says or it’s your own fear. Don’t let it faze you because if you’re truly worthy you’ll make it no matter what.

Kate: My advice for the new contestants would be…work hard, be yourself and don’t read the forums!

Khaly: I think the best advice is to be yourself and have as much fun as you can. You live life once and a chance like this comes once so do your best and not stress. Have fun and remember it’s on like 'Donkey Kong'.

Camilla: Be true to yourself! Who you are as both a dancer and an individual is what makes you different from everyone else, so trust that and let it shine through!

Graeme: My advice to the new contestants would be to NEVER EVER compare yourself to one another. You are different and have something special about you. Be mentally and emotionally strong. If there is nothing but positive energy entering the mind, body and soul, then physically the stress won’t affect you. Reassuring yourself that you are there for a reason, and that people believe in you is definitely something they need to tell themselves everyday.

Rhiannon: The advice I would give to the new contestants is to really stay true to who they are. I know it’s a competition but I found that Australia loved the people who were just themselves on TV. Be open-minded to new choreographers and new styles, and always be there for your partner.

Laura: Enjoy every moment of your journey and be prepared for the unprepared!

Hilton: Keep it chilled, remember you’re doing what you love and you’re obviously good at it, so ride the train as long and as hard as you can. You are going to love it!

Vanessa: Just be yourself and remember why you dance!

So You Think You Can Dance Australia premiered on Network Ten on Sunday night! Enjoy Season 2 Australia!

Photo Credits: Kate: Mark Morfew, Rhys: Thom Kerr, Vanessa: Terry Cullinane, Rhiannon: Chris Demajo, Marko: Scott Lowe,
JD: Hege Haraldsen, Laura: Jon Lee, Camilla: FlamingText.com