The PULSE on Tour is a powerful weekend dance event featuring the most renowned instructors and choreographers of our day. The PULSE strives always to stay on the beat of what’s hot in the dance industry today, and to bring you the opportunity to learn from the most sought-after artists in the field. The PULSE on Tour features celebrity choreographers who encourage, inspire and educate hundreds of talented dancers. Dancers enjoy classes, seminars, performance opportunities, scholarships and photos with the PULSE exclusive faculty. Dancers range from 11-24 years of age.

Touring 11 cities plus 3 huge summer events with the industry’s best, The Pulse features: BRIAN FRIEDMAN - X Factor, America’s Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars; MIA MICHAELS – Emmy Award Winner, So You Think You Can Dance, Grace, Rock of Ages (the movie); WADE ROBSON – Emmy Award Winner, So You Think You Can Dance, The Wade Robson Project, Dancing with the Stars;  TYCE DIORIO – So You Think You Can Dance, Katie Holmes; CRIS JUDD – J Lo, Your Momma Don’t Dance, America’s Got Talent; DAVE SCOTT – So You Think You Can Dance, You Got Served, Step Up 3D; GIL DULDULAO – All About Aubrey, Making The Band, Janet Jackson; LAURIEANN GIBSON – Lady Gaga, The Dance Scene, Making The Band, So You Think You Can Dance; DESMOND RICHARDSON – So You Think You Can Dance, Complexions, Chicago (the movie); BROOKE LIPTON – Glee!, Britney Spears; ROBERT HOFFMAN – Grace, You Got Served; CARMIT BACHAR - Pussycat Dolls, Grammy Award Winner, World Music Award Winner, MTV VMA W inner, AMA Winner.

The PULSE International Productions, LLC is committed to providing only the best in hip hop, jazz and contemporary dance training from the most exclusive choreographers in the dance industry.

The PULSE Summer events
Each summer workshop offers full days of classes with The PULSE faculty members. The extended weekend event also features a Performance Showcase and Solo Scholarship Program open to all participants that wish to be part of these all-student shows. Dancers enjoy a Q&A with the faculty, scholarship opportunities, a photo session with The PULSE faculty and options including colored headshots from a professional photographer onsite.

The 11th Annual Teacher Workshop, presented by The PULSE and Broadway Dance Center, is an extraordinary educational training event, open to dance educators from around the world. It’s teachers teaching their tricks of the trade. This workshop is designed specifically for Studio Owners, Teachers and Assistants ages 18 and older.

Las Vegas, NV
July 15-17, 2011 - Las Vegas Hilton

New York City, NY
July 28-31, 2011 - Grand Hyatt New York

Teacher Workshop, NYC
July 29-31, 2011

Check The PULSE Website www.ThePulseOnTour.com for details on the events or call the registration department at 1.877.PULSE.01. Register online! Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Three different levels, for dancers age 11 and older.

The PULSE will be in a city near you during the 2011 – 2012 tour!

Dallas, TX: November 5-6, 2011
New Orleans, LA: November 12-13, 2011
Las Vegas, NV: November 19-20, 2011
Chicago, IL: December 3-4, 2011
Orlando, FL: December 10-11, 2011
St Louis, MO: January 7-8, 2012
Atlantic City, NJ: January 14-15, 2012
Santa Clara, CA: February 4-5, 2012
Toronto, CAN: February 11-12, 2012
Boston, MA: February 18-19, 2012
Atlanta, GA: March 24-25, 2012

Registration opens Aug 3, 2011.

By Deborah Searle

Working with Janet Jackson for fourteen years, Gil Duldulao has received widespread acclaim as both a choreographer and a performer.  He has danced for countless music videos for Jackson, as well as Christina Aguilera, Tina Turner, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez, and enjoyed performing and creating for many world tours.

Amongst his busy schedule, Gil takes time to teach at The Pulse, a powerful weekend dance event that tours the US, featuring renowned instructors and choreographers. On a break from teaching, Gil enjoyed a chat with Dance Informa’s Deborah Searle

What is your dance background and training?
My uncle brought me to a dance class. I actually started with hip hop and then I felt that it was time for me to train somewhere else. I went to two or three other studios that just did ballet and jazz. I fell in love with that, but hip hop is always my first love. Then I went to Edge scholarship (Edge Performing Arts Center, LA) for a year. The training there was 40 classes a week, 10 hours a day, with two ballet classes a day, everyday. So I consider myself trained in all styles.

What was your big break?
My big break was my first job. Prince had a huge video and there were fifty dancers. That was my first time working with Jamie King and Tina Landon. That’s when I got my name out there. Then I auditioned for Janet when I was seventeen and I got the tour, just off my scholarship. That was a great moment. I couldn’t believe it!

Tell us about working for Janet Jackson?
She’s just a normal, hardworking human being and all the dancers and everyone around her like to work hard because of that. She doesn’t like to sit down, she’s full-on, eight hours a day and always trying to perfect it. That goes with being a Janet Jackson dancer. We’re all pretty much trained to try and go overboard with perfection, but she creates a great environment, so we‘re happy people.

Gil has fun with fellow Pulse faculty - Dave Scott, Cris Judd and Mia Michaels. Photo courtesy of The Pulse On Tour

Is she really hands on with the choreography?
Back in the day she wasn’t, but she’s always looking at the dancers and correcting them herself. She’s really good with that.  There used to be so much freedom and then, a couple of albums ago she worked with producer Jermaine (Dupri) to create a more urban feel. It became more stylized in a way and we had to make our own of what’s current with the urban world. But now she’s going back to her roots, so there’s more freedom for me and it’s nice because I feel like that’s where she belongs. It’s sort of like full circle and I’m so happy to get back to what we were before.

So you have been dancing with her for fourteen years?
Yes, fourteen years and I’ve been choreographing for about nine.

What would be your favourite tour?
I would have to say Rock With You, because it was all me. The next one’s going to be all me too. I like the creating, directing part, with everything hands on. I like being in charge and I liked being hands on with lighting, the musical director, the stage, the costumes, and the hair and makeup. That’s what I live to do. As much as it was crazy, I loved every minute of it.

Do you enjoy touring and being on stage, or do you prefer doing music videos?
I’m a performer at heart, so everything on stage makes my heart go, and I just love the rush. I love performing and being on stage.

When auditioning dancers what do you look for?
Obviously performers and a unique look that is interesting. I look for a versatile dancer because with a catalogue like Janet’s, people come to see a concert and they want to see original choreography. I like the versatile dancers that go and take class and train in so many different styles and can do everything instead of one thing. Versatility is great.

Do you run many open auditions or is it usually through agents?
I used to have open auditions, but the last one was so hectic. There were 3000 people from all over the world there. It became such a mess and I didn’t expect it. I care about the dancers too, and there were big lines and it was cold outside.

But now with all the years, we kind of know which dancers we love because we keep them around. Sometimes there’s an itch for us to look for something new, so we talk with other choreographers. We always talk. It’s just a small world in that sense. But I do like to have open calls here and there, to see what’s out there.

What advice would you give to dancers who want to make it in commercial dance?
Dancers, take your craft seriously! Even if you think you’re that good and you feel like you can just show up and not warm up, you’re never that good. Come on! There’s always something to learn and we need to get back to that.

What other dreams would you like to achieve?
I’d love to do more tours. I’d love to do a Vegas show. I’d love to do films. I’d actually love to develop TV shows and I’ve been in talks with stations. I’d like to be behind the scenes. Everything that I want to do, accentuates what I do anyway, which is create choreography.

By Deborah Searle.

LaurieAnn Gibson has choreographed for almost every major superstar in today’s industry, including Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Puff Daddy, Missy Elliott and Lady Gaga. She not only starred in the feature film Honey, alongside Jessica Alba, but was also the film’s choreographer. She has created for commercials, television, film, and arena tours and is about to start filming on a new television series of her own, along with her work on shows like Making the Band and SYTYCD.

Deborah Searle shared a few moments with Gibson, after taking her class at The Pulse On Tour.

LaurieAnn is a star, with an incredible list of career achievements. But does she have a career highlight? “Everything has been a highlight because everything has evolved”, she said. “But I think right now I’m really excited about the Lady Gaga Monster Ball that I creative directed and choreographed. She’s got eleven dancers. I knew Gaga before she came out and she’s developed more as a dancer, with that mindset. So the dance on the tour is just amazing.”
So underneath the crazy costumes and outlandish performances, what is Gaga really like? “She’s funny, she’s great”, laughed LaurieAnn. “She’s like a dancer, she’s one of us.”

As she has danced and choreographed for television, film and the stage I asked LaurieAnn if she had a favourite performance platform. “I love it all, but I love the lights of stage, the arena tours, the live action”, she shared. But does she prefer to perform, choreograph or teach? “I love to perform. I’m a dancer in my heart and soul. I can’t fight that feeling. But I love everything. I respect the teaching part of it, I am still evolving that because I am a working choreographer and I only teach at The Pulse. I’ve never taught prior to that really. I have a lot of respect for dance teachers. I don’t ultimately know if that’s my calling, but I enjoy it. I teach in another way, I teach my dancers that I work with. I work them very hard”, she explained.

So what does she want to share with the young dancers she teaches at The Pulse? “I think for me it’s encouraging them and building their love of dance, more than beating them down about a step. They get us for such a short period of time, so I try to infuse them with the movement that could unlock their confidence, the spirit of dance and the feeling of dance. That’s my mantra, that’s what I’m really about, the feeling of dance.”

LaurieAnn teaches at The Pulse

So where did it all begin for LaurieAnn? “I honestly believe with all of my heart that I was called to be a dancer”, she expressed. “I think it happened in the heavenly realms. My Mum put my two older sisters in dance class and they rejected it, so she never put me in as she never wanted to force us. I asked to dance.”

LaurieAnn then went on to train at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. “I was born in Toronto Canada and I was studying at the National Ballet of Canada. When I was 14 I saw Alvin Ailey at the O’Keefe Center. I had been studying dance, and there were all the white girls in the class (not that that mattered), but it was the first time that I saw black girls on pointe and they looked like me. They danced with an intensity and a soulfulness that I wasn’t getting. I told my mother that I wanted to go there. So we found out that they had a school. When I was 16 I took a Greyhound bus to New York to study at Ailey.” At a young age that was a big move for LaurieAnn. “It was terrifying, but I just wanted to dance. My mother and father were terrified, but I was like ‘I want to be a dancer’”, she expressed.

Training at a modern dance institution, how did she get into hip hop? “I started hip hop as a sort of side bar. I was at Ailey studying and I was in the second company. I learnt all the repertoire and I realized that there was something more that was going on inside of me. As much as I loved doing company work, I had this thing where I didn’t want to have to conform to the character that was required in each piece every day. I respected it so much, but I felt like there was something else. Then I went to a Mary J Blige audition and I found so much freedom in the hip hop. That’s what attracted me to that stage of my dance career.”

Having such formal training, how has this impacted her choreography and style? “My training is everything”, she said. “In the hip hop world people probably criticize and call me 60% technique and 40% street. I’ve battled in many circles but my style is definitely technically based. It has the feel of hip hop, but it’s very challenging for the street dancer as it elevates hip hop. I think that’s what I am ultimately crafting and creating. Hip hop is a feeling and there is still a level of technique, I think, that should be required”, she explained.

LaurieAnn at The Pulse with Gil Duldulao & Dave Scott

So where does she get her ideas and inspirations from? “It’s funny because it has everything to do with my faith. God works through my dreams, he gives me the visions, he speaks to me, he shows me. I see it first and then I begin about the journey to create. Music is the other thing, that in tandem, works with my gift. It speaks to me and tells me what to do where. The music has the other element, the balance for me”, she explained.

So what advice does she have for aspiring choreographers? “Make sure you have the gift in all honesty, and not just the ability to put steps together. Make sure it’s a calling, that it’s that uncomfortable feeling to create something new and that you’re not imitating. Make sure you know that it’s what you’re called to do”, she advised.

With a new television show about to begin I asked LaurieAnn about her current projects. “I just did Alicia Key’s new tour, which was amazing and I’ve got Puff Daddy coming out again”, she shared. “I have my own show coming out that we’re really happy about. It is almost like America’s Next Top Model. It’s called Boom Kack.”

But what is the Boom Kack about? “I am going to take about 15 girls and find the next professional female dancer”, she explained. “I’ll train them, infuse them with what I feel are things that no-none told me, build their spirits, develop their technique and give them as much as I can in six weeks. The winner gets $85,000, an agent, a placement in a video and to work with Gaga.”

So what advice does she have for the young dance hopefuls? “It sounds like a cliché, but I would honestly say to believe in yourself against all odds. When it feels like you just can’t make it or that you’re just not good enough, that’s just not true, it’s just about believing at all times. If that’s what you really want, you can make it.”

Photos: Courtesy of The Pulse. Top photo by Voyeur Photography.

By Deborah Searle.

Tyce Diorio is a star of the stage and screen with an amazing list of dance credits. As he prepared for his Australian visit, to choreograph for SYTYCD, Dance Informa’s Deborah Searle spoke with Tyce about his career, his inspirations and aspirations.

With such artistic achievements, I asked Tyce about his dance background. Where did it all begin?” I trained in New York city at the High School of Performing Arts, the school that FAME is based on”, he shared. “I trained in modern, jazz and ballet. I also trained in Los Angeles as well - both the leading dance capitals of the world. I was very fortunate.”

I was curious as to why he started dancing. “My cousin acted on Broadway and in television and film and introduced me to my first dance teachers. Then I studied ballroom first, then ballet, African, modern and tap. I had a really versatile studio that I went to”, he revealed.  So how did this broad training develop his dance passion? “You’re so well versed in so many different things that you start to have all these influences musically, stylistically and culturally. It kept my mind working really fast”, he said.

With not only skills in dance and choreography, but in music and acting also, Tyce Diorio is an accomplished triple threat. “I sing, I act, I choreograph and I dance. It was my goal in life to be able to have all that background. I sing equally as well as I dance. And I think the acting comes with the dancing, so you have to be well skilled in that department”, he advised.

Tyce greats eager dancers at The Pulse

So how did he get his big break? “I was on a show called Star Search which is sort of like what SYTYCD is now for dancers, but back in ‘88. I was a teenager and I won the grand prize as a soloist with a perfect four star rating every week. Paula Abdul was one of the judges and she saw me. I moved to California and jumped on a world tour with her. It was my first huge job. I had done commercials prior to that”, he explained. And it all started from there. “It was just like a snow ball effect. Then I met Janet Jackson and life really began.”

More recently we have been enjoying his work on the US series of SYTYCD. I asked Tyce about his experiences with the hit television show.  “I am enjoying it. It’s been such a great journey/evolution for me. I won an Emmy Award which is thrilling. Just the whole experience has been a much awaited thing for dancers and dance since the ‘90s. So now it’s here and I’m just capitalising and riding that wave, because it’s here for a moment and then we’ll move into another faze at some point. But it’s been incredible”, he shared.  So how does he enjoy working with the team? “Nigel Lythgoe and Fox TV have been incredible and so supportive. They give us such freedom and I get to work with amazing peers/choreographers like Sonya Tayeh, Tabitha and Napolean, Wade Robson, Mia Michaels, and the ballroom experts. They are so brilliant. So has he met Australia’s Jason Gilkison? “Of course! He’s one of my favourites. His work is so stellar”, Tyce exclaimed.

SYCTYD is a wonderful experience for Tyce, but he has also enjoyed many other career highlights, noting his role in the Broadway show Fosse as one of those special times. “It was a starring role for me. I replaced one of the greatest modern/contemporary dancers of our time – Desmond Richardson. He’s brilliant.” Dancing with Janet Jackson was also memorable for Tyce. “I danced on a world tour with Janet Jackson, on what I think was her best tour – The Velvet Rope. That was incredibly thrilling”, he said. “Winning the Emmy Award was amazing too.”

Currently Tyce is enjoying working with actress Katie Holmes. “I work very closely with Katie Holmes – getting to direct, conceive, conceptualise and choreograph a piece for her – an old Hollywood piece called ‘Get Happy.’”

Having performed on stage, television and film, I asked Tyce if he had a favourite performance medium. “I love television because people have to get invested quickly and it’s theatrical, yet it’s also commercial and it’s sexy. The whole world gets to experience it”, he answered.

So what inspires him to create such amazing work wherever it’s presented? “The music, life and people watching”, he revealed. “You watch the way people move and the way they stop, think and feel. Humanity in general inspires me.” Tyce is also inspired by other artists. “Dancers obviously inspire me; their individuality and their take on certain people’s choreography. Other choreographers inspire me too, as well as movies, art, New York City, Europe, Japan…. so many different things can inspire you I think. You pull from so many places.”

So where will we see Tyce’s work in the future? “I have an animated film coming out called ‘Dorothy of Oz’ and I worked on an episode of Drop Dead Diva”, he disclosed.  But if there was one more thing he could create, what would it be? “I think that I would like to probably have my own one man show that I direct, conceive and choreograph. I don’t know? Maybe it turns into a book, movie or a television show”. So would he act, dance and sing? “Everything” he exclaimed!

Photos: Courtesy of The Pulse. Top photo by Voyeur Photography.

By Deborah Searle.

After visiting eleven other cities, The Pulse 2010 ‘Find Your Voice’ Tour ended in Atlanta on March 20th and 21st. And what a way to finish, with the entire star studded faculty at the event! With classes from Brian Friedman, Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, LaurieAnn Gibson, Tyce Diorio, Gil Duldulao, Cris Judd, and Dave Scott, the dancers attending enjoyed a challenging, yet inspiring weekend.

Held at the Georgia World Congress Center, each level enjoyed large ballrooms to dance in. I relished the opportunity in the Advanced/Pro room to learn from the industry’s leaders. Each class was an hour or longer and we all got the chance to take at least one class from each faculty member. Dave, LaurieAnn, Gil and Cris taught Hip Hop, Tyce and Brian taught Jazz, Wade gave us his own unique style with repertoire from his work on SYTYCD and Mia shared with us her contemporary/lyrical expertise. All the classes were tough and demanding, but tailored to each level. I particularly loved the choreography in each routine we learnt. We weren’t just learning steps, but a unique style and form of expression. I enjoyed Wade and Mia’s classes the most, as their movement sits well with my dance background and personal taste.

On the Saturday night the dancers got their moment to shine with a Pulse Showcase, where they performed group routines from their studios or companies. With a large variety of dance styles displayed at different levels, it made for an interesting show. Some of the talent was outstanding. There are amazing dancers coming out of US studios, as well as some exceptional choreography. There were, of course, many cheesy ‘competition’ like numbers, but these were fun and mostly executed well.

At a teachers lunch on the Sunday, studio teachers and choreographers were given feedback from the faculty on the work they presented, which was constructive and helpful.

After the grueling two days of classes The Pulse event ended with a faculty question and answer session. The students took great advantage of this, asking their idols about their childhoods, dance backgrounds, aspirations and even about the passing of Michael Jackson, who they have all worked closely with. The faculty, who enjoy a wonderful family like relationship, laughed and told stories, really taking the time to answer each question and communicate with their fans. They were real and encouraging.

The Pulse provides a great opportunity for young dancers, budding professionals and teachers to learn from some of America’s top commercial artists and choreographers. The faculty are accessible and friendly and they take the time to impart their passion into the dancers. The Pulse is not for everyone, with only a few dance styles covered, but for those who love hip hop, jazz and/or contemporary, or who just want a challenge, this convention is a real treat.

Next on The Pulse schedule is their huge Summer events in Los Angeles and New York.
For more information visit www.thepulseontour.com

Photos: Courtesy of The Pulse

Lady Gaga Dancer Montana Efaw.

 By Kristy Johnson.

At only 18 years of age, Montana Efaw is already making a name for herself. Chosen to dance for Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball World Tour, Montana will be heading to the Australian shores early this year. Excited about the tour, Montana spoke with Dance Informa’s Kristy Johnson.

Congratulations on being selected as a dancer for Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball World Tour.
How did this come about?  

Back in August or September ’09 there was a big audition held to dance for Lady Gaga at the MTV Video Music Awards.  I was fortunate to book that job. It was a highlight moment I’ll never forget.  The concept was so amazing, incredible and theatrical and Gaga is the absolute best singer/songwriter and entertainer!  I didn’t want the experience to end!  So when I got the call from my agent that I was chosen to be booked for the Monster Ball World Tour it was like my dream came true.

For you, what does it mean to be a Lady Gaga dancer?  

Oh man! Gaga is such an incredible talent. It is a dream job to dance for her and go full out at every performance for her.  Dance and performing is my passion.  I’m 100% a Lady Gaga Monster!

Relocating from Portland to Los Angeles, how did you prepare for the move?  

For me, the key when making that move to LA is to have a  plan!  I knew at about 14 or 15 that I wanted to dance/choreograph as a career. So looking back at those years, every step I did brought me closer to that.  Although I am 18 years old, I had prepared for the move for several years with training, traveling, working hard and grasping every dance opportunity along the way. I didn’t wait for things to come to me, but I pursued everything!  And did I mention training, traveling, training, traveling….lots of that!

Your career to date reads like a dream, what advice would you give to aspiring commercial dancers?

Get into the best studio in your area and train, train, train!  In all styles!  In this business you have to be able to master several styles of dance. Don’t focus on just hip hop or just jazz.  Train the hardest on what you are weakest in.  Teach class, get used to working with dancers and setting choreography on them.  Find local shows and conventions where you can get stage performing opportunities. Be relentless.  And be yourself! Don’t try to imitate another dancer. You can definitely learn from other dancers, but you are what makes you unique.  Then when the time is right for you (you have a plan, a place to live, job opportunities, an agent, etc) you make that giant step!

Which choreographers have you been working with for the tour?  

Laurieann Gibson!  Ahhhhhh…..amazing!  I assisted for her for a couple years at a dance convention called The Pulse. Her style is so unique and entertaining and when she teaches class she includes tips and tricks on how to be a better performer. Listen to everything she says – golden advice.  If you ever have a chance to take her class, DO NOT miss it!   She also has an incredible assistant, Richie Jackson who works with us a lot too – very inspiring! (For information about The Pulse visit www.thepulseontour.com)

With the tour heading down to Australia, what can we expect to see from the show?  

Be prepared for the show of your life!  Lady Gaga will give you a performance you will be talking about for years to come!

What’s next for you after the conclusion of the tour?  

Oh, I really can’t think about that!  My job is here and now and I give it 200% of myself.  Right now I’ll keep my Monster Paws up!

Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball World Tour is currently touring the US, before heading to the UK. Her first concert in Australia will be March 17^th at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Check out www.ladygaga.com for dates and locations.