By Deborah Searle.

As dancers across the country are enjoying season two of ABC3’s hit dance drama, Dance Academy, Dance Informa spoke with two more of the shows young stars – Alicia Banit who plays ‘Kat Karamakov’ and Tom Green who plays ‘Sammy Lieberman’. Tom spoke with Dance Informa directly from Los Angeles as he is keeping busy filming a pilot season for another show in the States.

If you didn’t see our interviews with co-stars Jordan Rodrigues and Dena Kaplan, click here.

What do you enjoy most about Dance Academy?

Alicia
Dancing and acting have always been my favorite things and with this show I can do both! It’s my dream job.

Tom
Being part of something so original and well received, and having people contact you and tell you it has positively influenced their life in one way or another.

Did you enjoy filming season two?

Alicia
Season two was an absolute blast to film. It was great to be back with the cast and crew from season one and the new cast mates just heightened the love. It’s awesome to have a group of people with the same passion and that get along so well. It makes the whole experience so enjoyable.

Tom
Season two was a lot more fun than season one. Purely because we all knew each other much better than the previous season, we had better storylines, better routines and we were all much more familiar with our characters and their journey.

Characters Ben (Thomas Lacey), Kat (Alicia Banit) and Sammy (Tom Green) perform in an episode of Dance Academy, season 2. Photo: Mark Rodgers

Do you relate to your character?

Alicia
I absolutely relate to my character. Personality wise Kat and I are very similar with us both being the life of the party and quite quirky, but Kat deals with some family situations that aren’t ideal for her and I’ve always had a very close and loving family around me. Kat is more of a rebel than I am so it’s fun to be able to bring that side of me out through Kat.

Tom
Sammy and I both have a similar sense of humour, so I can relate to that, as well as his determination.

Tell us about your dance background.

Alicia
I’ve been dancing since I was four at T-Jam Dance School doing tap, jazz, ballet and hip hop. At the age of 12 I got a scholarship into The Victorian College of The Arts Secondary School (VCASS) and learnt new dance styles like contemporary, character and acrobatics. I’m now 21 and I still haven’t stopped dancing!

Tom
I started dancing when I was about 11 or 12 just because my sisters did it. Plus, at the time I was singing a little so I needed to know how to move on stage. I trained at the Joanne Grace School of Dance in Wollongong, NSW for about eight years in ballet, contemporary, jazz and modern. Once I turned 16 I would catch a train up to Sydney every Saturday for a hip hop class at Urban Dance Centre.

What’s your favourite dance style?

Alicia
I love hip hop and during the second season of Dance Academy I rediscovered my love for tap! They are both such free dance styles and allow you to bring your personality into them.

Tom
Contemporary or hip hop.

Tell us about your acting background.

Alicia
I started acting at the age of 6 when I got a small role in a film called Dead Letter Office. After that I did lots of comedy skits on shows called I.M.T (In Melbourne Tonight) and Rove. I stopped acting for a little while when I really focused on my dancing and then at the age of 16 I started up again getting roles in Summer Heights High, Neighbours, As The Bell Rings, Rush and Tangle. Then finally I got my dream job on Dance Academy!

Sammy (Tom Green) dancing in a scene from Dance Academy

Tom
I had always been involved in plays and shows at school and at the local theatres as a kid. When I was 12 I was accepted into a drama group called Kids Casting Agency where I would learn drama exercises and theatre sports every Saturday for a year. At the end of the year I left the group and went back to school but I was still getting called in for auditions. I booked my first job when I was 16 on a telemovie called Emerald Falls which unfortunately never got picked up. After that I went back to school and ended up auditioning for a short film called The Ground Beneath and was lucky enough to score the lead role. That film opened a lot of doors for me and my career; I signed with an agent, won several awards around the world and got to work with some industry professionals on other jobs.  Since then I’ve been lucky enough to have worked around the country on a couple of feature films, short films, corporate films, TV shows and commercials.

If you weren’t cast in Dance Academy, what would you like to be doing?

Alicia
I’d love to still be acting and dancing. I’d probably be in America auditioning for films and shows over there.

Tom
If I wasn’t cast in Dance Academy I would have probably gone back to school and finished year 12. If I wasn’t acting I have no idea what I’d be doing. It would have to be something in the arts.

What advice would you give to young dance/acting hopefuls?

Alicia
The advice I always give is to never give up. The performing industry is tough and cut throat and there are a lot of rejections. You have to not take that rejection to heart and concentrate on your goal. Do as many classes, auditions and performances as you possibly can to get your confidence up and always believe in yourself.

Tom
You have to work extremely hard in both fields if you want to pursue them as a career. If you want to dance, don’t just stick to the same styles, go out and learn new things from different teachers at seminars or workshops. If you want to act, watch a lot of classic films, become familiar with techniques, actors, directors and photographers. Experience as much as possible.

Top photo by Steve Brack.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – everything dance in Australia – dance news, dance auditions & dance events.

By Bonnie E. Erickson, Director of Educational Programming, Broadway Dance Center.

As Broadway Dance Center master theater teacher Jim Cooney and I looked around the room, we saw lovely young dancers standing in groups with other dancers in the identical leotards of their respective studios, with arms crossed, hips out, and expressions of trepidation – we looked at each other and smiled: a beautiful blank canvas for our work!

Jim and I had come to Australia for two weeks of workshops in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast, and we were excited to bring our message of kindness between dancers, of supporting one another in the classroom, at the audition, and on the stage to Australia’s dancers, and especially to fellowship with other dance educators to bring the dance world ever closer. Jim is the Faculty Advisor for our Educational Programming and I am the Director of Educational Programming at Broadway Dance Center – in these roles, Jim and I teach this message to all the dancers who come through our full-time programs at BDC, creating dancers who are “happy to be here, and ready to work!” – a quote I must properly attribute to the extraordinary Lucille DiCampli of MSA dance agency, with whom we work on our mock auditions.

Jim Cooney of Broadway Dance Center teaches Australian students

At each of the eight workshops we taught, it was exhilarating to watch these dancers go around the room, shaking hands with other dancers to get acquainted and to get past their fears, and then expanding that energy as they learned Jim’s wonderful musical theatre choreography. It was wonderful to see their hearts and minds open, and fully enthralled in the joy of dance.

We were fortunate enough to secure a segment on Australia’s popular television show The Circle, and at the behest of the show’s producers, Jim quickly put together a flash mob for the show, recruiting dancers we’d met at our Melbourne workshops through the lovely directors of the studios The Space and Dancescape to perform on the show. It was so gratifying to be able to immediately put into practice what we’d taught them – life is the audition, and you never know what might lead to a gig in this industry, and quite simply being nice can get you the job.

After each of the workshops we had a talk-back with the students, answering their questions about Broadway Dance Center and New York. We were especially excited to announce the planned opening in April of two new studios on the first and second floors of the building, bringing us to seven state-of-the-art studios. The students were, as you can imagine, ecstatic to imagine a schedule of over 300 classes a week in ballet, contemporary, jazz, theatre, hip-hop, tap, yoga, pilates, flexibility, belly-dancing, acting, Latin, partnering, and so many more. We also spoke of our new offerings like the Original Broadway Choreography Series, the Contemporary Variations Series, our Industry Insider Series, and the exciting introduction of Parsons Dance in Residence at BDC.

While BDC’s main demographic is and always has been the walk-in dancer — New Yorkers and others who come in and simply sign up for whatever classes they want to take that day — we’re also home to four full-time programs: the International Student Visa Program, the largest and oldest of the programs; the BDC Training Program, its counterpart for American dancers of varying levels; and our two professional elite training programs for US dancers, the Summer Intern Program and the Professional Semester. The students of the ISVP hail from more than 35 countries worldwide. They comprise of a vibrant community of talented, multi-cultural dancers who take 12 classes weekly, enjoy special master classes, rehearsals, performances, the benefit of a full-time staff (including a student advisor), and one-on-one faculty mentoring. They join us for three months, six months, or a year initially, and then can extend their programs for up to three years. It is quite simply a joy to watch these students progress as they study closely with our world-class faculty, many of whom are working choreographers. Often our teachers offer the students incredible performance opportunities available only through their participation in the program.

Workshop students with Jim Cooney, Bonnie Erickson and Jessica Orcsik

A recent graduate of the ISVP, Jess Orcsik, is herself a studio owner in Sydney, and an ambitious young entrepreneur, as well as a lovely dancer indeed. Jess loved her time at BDC, and upon her return to Australia felt that the training she’d received was so powerful that she wanted to find a way to share it with the dancers of her country, perhaps during shorter visits to New York. When she contacted me with her idea, we jumped at the chance to work with her to develop The Australian Intensive, a program designed by Jess through her J.O. International Productions, whereby groups of young dancers can come to BDC to study intensively in a similar structure to the rigorous ISVP course.

As a longtime Australiophile — I have a sister who lives in Yeerongpilly, Brisbane — I had a trip planned to take a respite from New York’s winter months to the lovely Aussie summer, and so in chatting to Jess about my trip, it became obvious to both of us straightaway that we ought to combine pleasure with business and offer some workshops and reach out to the burgeoning dance community of Australia. We’ve had many Aussie dancers in the ISVP through the years, and have been delighted to watch them get better and better — the training in Australia is clearly on the rise. We’ve had gorgeous dancers like Amy Campbell from So You Think You Can Dance and Dena Kaplan from Dance Academy come through the program, and we’re seeing more and more dancers of their calibre apply to the program.

I like to think that the founder of BDC, the late Richard Ellner, would feel that his dream of one all-encompassing studio, with the best dance faculty in the world, offering the finest dance instruction and a veritable “home away from home” for dancers, is indeed thriving here in the heart of the Broadway theatre district. Even more, I hope he’d feel proud to see that rather than resting on our laurels, we’re all working hard to further this dream and welcome more dancers from around the world into the BDC-red hallways of our studios.

Photo: Students enjoy dancing Jim Cooney’s choreography.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – everything dance in Australia – dance news, dance auditions & dance events.

By Deborah Searle.

The much anticipated Season 2 of ABC3’s Dance Academy starts Monday March 12. Dance Informa spoke with Dance Academy stars Jordan Rodrigues who plays ‘Christian’ and Dena Kaplan who plays ‘Abigail’ in the lead up to the new season.

Tell us about your dance background and training.

Jordan Rodrigues
I started when I was about 13 and trained in all main styles of dance from ballet to hip-hop and haven’t stopped since.

Dena Kaplan
I started dancing at age 3! I have mainly trained in ballet at the Australian Ballet School and with Jane Moore. I also trained overseas in contemporary dance at Alvin Ailey and did jazz and hip hop at Broadway Dance Centre. Dancing has been a huge part of my life from a very young age. I was always eager to try as many classes and teachers as possible.

Did you take formal acting classes before auditioning for Dance Academy?

Jordan
I did drama at school, but that’s about it. After season 1 of Dance Academy I went back to the basics of acting so I could get the formal training behind me and it was an incredible help.

Christian and Abigail in class. Photo: Mark Rodgers

Dena
No- never :)
Only a few private lessons with an acting coach.

Do you relate to your character?

Jordan
Christian does remind me of my rebellious days as an angst-y teen, but I’m not really like that anymore. We both share the same style of dance which is a contemporary/ hip-hop style and we also wear sort of the same clothes.

Dena
Yes, we are both very passionate about dance and extremely driven career wise. I also try to be a hard worker like Abigail. I relate to many of her experiences and obstacles that occur in the dance world and her sensitivity towards her family.

What do you like most about your character?

Jordan
He knows how to get the ladies and I actually take pointers off him too!

Dena
Her sense of humour and dry wit, she is also very honest.

Christian dancing hip hop. Photo Mark Rodgers

What do you dislike about your character?

Jordan
He is a bit closed when it comes to his emotions but that just makes him Christian doesn’t it.

Dena
Her competitive nature, it’s detrimental to herself. She also has a hard time letting people in and embracing new friendships. Plus, she’s very critical of herself.

What has been your most embarrassing or memorable moment on set?

Jordan
I had an amazing experience with the cast shooting some pretty emotional scenes on one of the last days of shooting season 2 and I learnt a lot about myself as an actor that day.

Dena
The amount of times I have fallen over or hurt myself during a dance scene is laughable! I also tend to ruin all my costumes as I am a little clumsy with tea and coffee. There have been many memorable moments. In season 2 I had the pleasure of working one on one with the incredible Rafael Bonachela from Sydney Dance Company.

What is life like behind the scenes?

Jordan
Really good, everyone gets along really well and we have become a family that goes through ups and downs together on and off set.

Dena
Early starts, lots of rehearsals, sore bodies and lots of fun! Constant green room antics and pranks, and music playing.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Jordan
I love playing cover songs on the guitar, dancing and going to the beach for a surf.

Dena
Travelling! I love being active and fit in my spare time but I also enjoy being at home with my sisters and puppy and watching TV. I fill my spare months off being involved in the other side of the industry by doing styling and makeup. I enjoy being behind the scenes too. Currently I am working on a new project that is keeping me very busy writing and creating!

Abigail performs en pointe. Photo: Mark Rodgers

How has your life changed since Dance Academy?

Jordan
I don’t think I would be as good a dancer if I didn’t have the show to push me to be my best and I also now have people tweeting me in different languages which is pretty cool. However, I don’t know what they’re saying sometimes.

Dena
I have been fortunate enough to continue working in the Film/TV industry which I am so grateful for. I have been living in Sydney too permanently, which is a new change.

What can we expect from your character in Season 2?

Jordan
Christian is going to be a lot more open with himself, friends and his dancing so you will get to see a another side to him and not the mysterious Christian that you met in season 1.

Dena
A huge change! She goes through a very big journey in season 2, lots more dancing and maybe even some singing. Expect to see a few different sides from Abigail this series.

What did you enjoy most about filming Season 2?

Jordan
There was a lot more dancing and more intense story lines that were able to push me as a dancer and actor.

Dena
I absolutely love my cast, they are the most wonderful and talented group of people. I really enjoyed working with our new cast members too – Issi Durant (Grace) and Thomas Lacey (Ben). I also think we pushed our minds and bodies to the limit this series and I am very proud of what we created.

Why will we enjoy watching Season 2?

Jordan
Well apart from seeing the growth of the characters and the awesome dance scenes, we have two new amazing characters that will definitely spice things up.

Dena
The whole series has stepped up a level, the dancing is extraordinary, we have more choreographers involved and the acting is very moving this season. I think the audiences will be hooked!

Catch Jordan and Dena in Dance Academy on ABC3 at 6:30pm every Monday through Thursday, starting March 12.

Top photo by Steve Brack.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – everything dance in Australia – dance news, dance auditions & dance events.