By Kristy Johnson

He became a household name through So You Think You Can Dance and was a perfect fit for street dancer Leroy in FAME, so what can we expect from Tim Omaji next?

A back injury during his time with FAME could have marked a disaster for Tim, yet it was this unfortunate event that enabled the star to focus on producing music. “Before FAME wrapped up, I injured my back and was off dancing from October to early January”, says Tim. “Some of the crazy moves I used to do I’m kind of hesitant to do now, but it gave me the opportunity to really focus on producing music. I had the opportunity to work with DJ Poet, who is the official DJ of the Black Eyed Peas. We wrote a couple of songs together and it really kind of put music on the focus.”

So how does one manage to score such an impressive gig? “It was all through management,” says Tim. “My management had also approached DJ Poet to work with other artists as well. They said this guy is coming up, his music is similar, let’s work together.”

Timomatic fans can expect to hear these tunes on the airwaves soon. “Hopefully in a couple of months. These kind of things are really up to them – their side of the ball. They take the tracks back to the States and work on it there. Obviously they have a million projects and I guess as an up-and-coming artist in Australia, it may not be a priority. But I’m hoping,” says Tim.

Whether or not we get to hear these tracks straight away, you can expect to see more of Tim in the entertainment scene. “Entertainment on a whole is what I’m about right now. I think music and dance can’t live without each other. Music obviously is an expression through melody and harmonies which I’ve never wanted to not do, and then dance is the expression of music. But when I hear music I start dancing,” says Tim.

He might be working with the big guns in LA, yet Australia will always be Tim’s home base. “I would love to go and make a name in the US. I see myself as an international global artist of the future, but I love Australia and always want to keep it my home and my base.”

Besides working with DJ Poet, Tim has already produced an album. “When I was in FAME I recorded a somewhat debut album. There was quite a lot of down time around the shows, so I edited, produced, recorded and wrote 25 tracks. Out of those I chose about 12. Come opening night, my back goes out, and it was kind of pushed to the backburner. I plan to re-release that as well as release a studio album signed to a label by the end of the year,” says Tim.

What kind of beats can we expect to be rocking to? “I see my style as being an eclectic style, but I think the base of it will be R&B because that’s kind of where it started. It will be R&B through different styles. I see myself as a Ne-Yo, Usher and Michael Jackson mix: music that makes people want to dance and feel good.”

Fox Theatre, Atlanta
March 2011

By Deborah Searle

Burn The Floor is a ballroom blitz! The new Broadway production of Burn The Floor, currently touring the States, is adorned with glitz and glamour and gets the audience dancing in their seats. You know you’ve seen an inspiring show when the audience member beside you inquires about taking up dance classes for the first time, in her 40s!

Directed and choreographed by award winning Aussie Jason Gilkison, the show has the correct mix of slow and fast, romantic and sexy. The talented team of 20 dancers is accompanied by two outstanding vocalists and two percussionists who bring the music to life and add to the overall sensory appeal.

It is a star studded cast, smattered with celebrity dancers from So You Think You Can Dance US and Australia, Dancing with the Stars and Superstars of Dance. Vocalist Vonzell Solomon was even the second runner-up in the fourth season of American Idol.  Dancers Anya Garnis and Pasha Kovalev, ‘All Stars’ from SYTYCD US  were definite crowd favorites as they played leading roles in the production.

A highlight for me was watching young Robbie Kmetoni, winner of SYTYCD Australia, perform with such style and commitment. Robbie, who had never taken ballroom dance before competing in the TV phenomenon, is a contemporary and jazz dancer. Before the show I wondered if he’d be able to hold his own surrounded on stage by award winning ballroom champions from across the globe. Robbie, however, was given some jazz based choreography, mixed with ballroom partnering where he could highlight his strengths such as his flexibility, leap and kicks. He was a strong performer and a joy to watch. He had great attack in the quick ballroom group numbers and was very convincing, dancing next to his colleagues, many who have been ballroom stars since childhood.

Dancer Giselle Peacock was a stand out.  Much shorter than most of the other dancers, she made up for her lack of height with her attack and feisty execution. She was the perfect blend of technique and sex appeal. Her shorter legs seemed to make her foot work crisper than her long legged counterparts and her black curly hair whipped up a frenzy.  A slow rumba duo to Burn for You, with partner Kevin Clifton was breathtaking, yet her fast Cha Chas were just as exciting.

Burn The Floor is a celebration of all things ballroom. The costumes are stunning, ostentatious and colourful and the dancers are technically strong and passionate performers. We enjoyed everything from Viennese Waltz to Jive, Cha Cha, Swing, Salsa and even Paso Doble.  A Paso Doble dance off between two couples was a highlight and a Quickstep/Lindy/Jive/Swing performance to “I’m a Ding Dong Daddy” was fun and energizing, leading us into the interval wanting to see more.

My only criticism of the show would be that a storyline, even if just a lose one, would have been helpful to tie all the dances together and keep the mind engaged. However, there was enough variety, adroit dancing and dynamic vocals that the show was enjoyable without one. I left the theatre inspired and in awe of the dance talent that I had seen. Burn The Floor definitely has a ‘wow’ factor and an energy of its own.

Check out what Nigel Lythgoe has to say about So You Think You Can Dance Australia.
What happened to it? Will the show come back?
Dance Informa gets the scoop.

Dance Informa/Dance News International takes no responsibility for the content of any videos viewed through youTube.

By Kristy Johnson and Deborah Searle.

Australia once again voted, and we were left with two technically strong and beautiful dancers – Robbie and Jessie H. Season three of SYTYCD Australia was a hit, and the dancing was phenomenal.

Eighteen year old Robbie took the crown, with Jessie just behind. Dance Informa spoke with both dancers just after they were announced as Australia’s favourites.

Robbie was shell shocked to say the least. “Every time someone says ‘winning’, I’m like ‘oh yeah that’s right!’, he laughed.

But did he envision making it so far in the competition? “I took it day by day”, he explained. “My main goal was to get to the top 40. If I made top 40 and got cut before top 20 then that was fine, as long as I got to top 40. I thought that was a huge achievement for me, especially at my age. So that was my main goal. But when I got top 20, the goals just kept on coming. Firstly with top 20, then top 10, top 6, top 4, then top 2 and then…”, he elaborated.

Excited about her achievements Jessie said, “I couldn’t ask for anything better”.

Robbie and Jessie perform together

Robbie and Jessie, friends before the competition, were so happy to be the final two together. Jessie shared, “it was an amazing experience with such an amazing friend. To have someone there that you know throughout the whole thing is that little bit more comforting”.

With or without friends though, the competition this year was tough. Robbie found his height to be his biggest obstacle. “Everyone can see my height, obviously. All the girls were taller than me and people automatically just looked at my lifts every time to see if I could do them”, he revealed. “That was the one thing I had to work on the most in this competition”.  Jessie on the other hand found the top 4 week to be her biggest test. “I think definitely top 4 week would have to be the biggest challenge I had as a dancer, not only physically, but mentally as well.  That was a big, big week. It was probably one of the hardest experiences of my life to date”.

So how did Jessie make it through the competition? “To be honest, I think I kind of take things one step at a time”, she said. “I just want to get through one more round, and then I guess it just keeps on climbing. That was how I approached the whole thing because I didn’t want to live ahead of the times because the experience is incredible. There are wonderful choreographers and amazing dancing and to be thinking ahead of yourself you’re kind of missing out on what’s happening right now”.

Robbie is announced the winner!

But the competition wasn’t just a challenge, it was also an amazing experience for the two young dancers. Robbie relished the live audience. “My highlight would probably be the live audience, just the vibe that they gave us”, he said. “Every week was just so incredible.” Robbie found top 4 week to be a huge test also, but the audience helped him through. “At top 4 week we were literally at breaking point and at that rehearsal day none of us could have walked, let alone danced. When it came to the show we were just so worried we couldn’t make it, but the audience pulled us through”.

Jessie enjoyed performing for the audience also. “My highlights were performance night”, she said. “You always end up having that dodgy dress run but then it always goes better for the performance somehow”. Jessie also loved the group numbers. “I think every single group routine would have to be a highlight for me because that’s kind of the point when there’s no competition anymore, it’s just all of you getting together and learning an amazing routine with possibly Australia’s best choreographers and some that are even internationally acclaimed. That’s kind of like the ‘chill-time’ when we can all just get together and have a bit of fun”, she explained.

Robbie feels that the advice given to him by the judges has impacted him positively for the future. “I think the best advice (the judges) gave me was to stop, because in my head I acted like a boy because of my age. Straightaway when they told me that I had the capability to become someone else that I thought I wasn’t, I took that on board. I think it came out in my dancing and it improved me so much. I think that’s why I was in the top 2, because I took that on board and just moved on.”

But now that it’s all over, what do they plan to do? “I would absolutely love to take my part in the contemporary side of things”, shared Jessie. “This experience has just opened so many doors as some amazing choreographers have been on the show like Garry Stewart and Rafael Bonachela”, she gushed.

Robbie who was offered the option of several different dance company contracts has chosen to dance with Burn the Floor. “I worked with Jason Gilkison on the show and he is my absolute idol”, he shared. “He just got the best out of me. The Paso Doble that he gave Ivy and me really took me to the higher level that I needed to be”. And he couldn’t pass up the chance to travel to the US. “Plus there’s the free ticket to travel around all of America, which is a dancer’s dream! I definitely have to take that opportunity, especially at my age”, he said excitedly.

By Deborah Searle.

Canadian born dancer and choreographer Stacey Tookey is an all round dance fanatic. Starting dance at a young age alongside her siblings at her mother’s dance studio, Stacey has gone on to take the contemporary dance world by storm. She has danced with numerous ballet and contemporary companies, choreographed for both Broadway and television, and enjoyed dancing in Celine Dion’s A New Day Vegas Spectacular for its five year run. A teacher and choreographer in high demand, Stacey will be teaching at this year’s World Dance Movement in Italy.

Gearing up for WDM and season seven of SYTYCD US, Stacey took a moment to speak with Dance Informa.

Tell us about your training and what got you into dancing.
My mum is a dance teacher and owns a studio in Canada. She has for 40 years now, and she’s still open and running strong. I guess I got thrown into it really young because of convenience, but it just turned out that I absolutely loved it. I trained in ballet, tap and jazz. I was even a Scottish highland dancer at one point.

From there I went off to train at some ballet schools; Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal and Dance School of Fine Arts. From there my professional career took me first to Vancouver where I was an apprentice with Ballet British Columbia. Alongside a lot of other jobs I was also a Grizzlies Extreme Dancer for the NBA in my first year in Vancouver. I’d do a little ballet and a little hip-hop at the same time. People thought I was a little crazy, but it was part of my up-bringing. I trained in every sort of dance. So in my professional career I kind of wanted to do a little bit of everything.

Then from there I moved to New York. There I was able to work on projects with Bette Midler, and I worked in a creation for an audition process with Madonna. I danced with Mia Michaels’ contemporary company. I also worked on assisting the Broadway show, A Few Good Men Dancin’. From there I auditioned for Celine and did the whole five year run of Celine Dion in Las Vegas.

What would you name as your career highlight?
As a dancer my highlight would definitely be the Celine Dion show. Working from the very beginning of the very first step of the creation of the show, to the closing night, was such a journey. It was over almost six years of my life. It was just all encompassing, the most brilliant experience I had in my dance career. And I think it really was the dream job. I felt very blessed and was with such a great group of people. Celine Dion was an absolutely amazing role model. She’s just an unreal woman. The whole experience would definitely be my highlight so-far.

Tell us about your role with World Dance Movement?
I’m going to be joining the World Dance Movement faculty for the first time this year. I will be teaching during the first week of the three week intensive. I’ll be offering classes in contemporary and things that relate to contemporary dance. We might do some partnering and some more jazz, but it will mostly be based on contemporary.

Do you teach at other dance conferences?
Yes, I teach all over at dance conventions and I’ve taught some classes internationally. I do a lot of work back home in Canada too, whenever I can. I do tonnes of master classes everywhere.

This year for World Dance Movement they are offering on-line virtual classes for the first time. Do you think dancers can really learn from on-line videos as opposed to being there in Italy?
I think it is an excellent option for dancers that maybe can’t afford to make the trip to Italy and take part in the World Dance Movement live. Of course I think live is always going to be better, but this is an incredible way for the dancers to still learn and get the feeling like they are taking class from these extraordinary teachers. They will be getting new material, and still feel like they’re part of it, even though they’re not there.

It’s a really interesting concept. I’m excited to try it. I think it will be a challenge for the teachers to make sure they’re teaching the classes in a way that they are offering themselves a lot to the camera, as well as the students that are there, so that the virtual dancers still get a real, personal feeling, like they are taking the class with you.

When choreographing and teaching what do you seek to get out of your dancers?
The most important thing for me is for a dancer to be open and willing to try. A dancer that is vulnerable in a sense that they can bring what they have to the table and maybe feel a little bit silly sometimes, but explore different movements that they are not used to.

If your dancers could walk away with one thing after working with you, what would you want it to be?
I just want them to walk away feeling like they have learnt something. That they have grown and that I have pushed them to a new level, in a positive way. I really want them to walk away feeling good and like they have accomplished something. I want them to look back and say ‘before that four days when I worked with her I didn’t do that’ or ‘I didn’t look at it that way’.

You’re known for your contemporary choreography. What is the secret to making a powerful contemporary dance?
Anytime you’re creating a piece of contemporary movement, I think the number one thing is that you have to tell a story. Whether that’s in a minute and a half, like it is on SYTYCD, or whether it’s on a company for twenty minutes. My whole goal is for the audience to feel something. If you can’t give the dancers something that lets them express emotion while they’re dancing, and give them a story to back it up so they have a reason to do the movement, then I don’t believe that the audience is going to feel it. I always decide what I want to say, create a story, and then create the movement around that so that the audience really feels it, and the dancers do too.

What projects are you working on at the moment?
Right now we’re just starting the next season of SYTYCD in the States, so that’s definitely in the foreground. That’s what I’m working on right now. I’m also working privately with some different studios and youth companies to create choreography. I have an amazing agency that’s backing me and giving me amazing opportunities which I can’t name yet, but they are in the works. I’m kind of taking it all in and seeing what comes next.

Will you be choreographing for SYTYCD US Season 7?
Yes, I’ll be seen as a guest judge for one of the auditions cities (that will be airing very soon), and I will be choreographing for both the US and Canadian shows.

What do you think about the return of the ten all-star dancers this SYTYCD season?
I think it’s interesting. I think it’s fun and after this many seasons you’ve got to mix it up. It’s going to put a spin on things and I think change is good. It will make for an interesting show for sure. No one really knows how it will turn out. We’ll see how it goes. But I’m happy to see some of the all-stars back because I know I like to work with those dancers.

What are your dance dreams and goals?
I would absolutely love to have my own company. That would be so great. I’d be shaping my dancers, saying exactly what I want to say and putting on the shows that I want to put on. That would definitely be a dream of mine. Also I’d like to keep exploring the different possibilities of choreography and different avenues that I haven’t explored, like film and television besides SYTYCD. Dance is everywhere, they use it in episodic TV and in movies. It would be so fun to be on a movie set and be creating the whole dance sequence. Who knows? Something along that line for sure.

For more information about World Dance Movement visit www.worlddancemovement.com
Dance Informa is a proud sponsor of World Dance Movement.

By Deborah Searle.

Jack Chambers won us over in the first season of SYTYCD Australia. The jazz and musical theatre performer was a standout, with his versatility, showmanship and infectious personality. So what has Jack been doing since winning the competition in April 2008? Dance Informa’s Deborah Searle caught up with Jack in New York City to see what he’s been up to.

Since being crowned Australia’s favourite dancer Jack has moved to the big apple to pursue his Broadway dreams.  “The longest process for me was getting the Visa that I needed to be able to move here and work”, he shared. “I’m here on a talent Visa. It’s titled ‘Alien of Extraordinary Ability’. Isn’t that funny! I love to tell people that”, he laughed.

So with his Visa now in hand Jack is taking on the theatre, one step at a time.  “Back home a lot of people don’t realise that moving here was a fresh start. I have to kind of work my way up to getting into the industry. I’m getting there. I’m just trying to get my name out there and meet the right people”, he explained.

So what has he been doing in his nine months in the US?  “Teaching has been my main form of income.  I am teaching at Peridance Capezio Center and Joffrey Ballet School. I also taught at East Coast Movement in New Jersey.  I choreographed a routine for them recently that they won with at the American Dance Awards competition and I got given a young choreographers award”, he revealed.  “I’ve also just been in Michigan judging some competitions and teaching workshops”.

As Jack is now both teaching and taking dance class in NYC, I asked Jack about the best studios in town. “Peridance”, he exclaimed. “Peridance Capezio Center has a lot of great technical classes and fabulous, spacious, new studios”, he expanded. At Peridance Jack teaches a quirky and hard hitting jazz class three time a week, with two intermediate classes and one beginner.

But has Jack made it on Broadway yet? “I’ve been doing auditions”, he said.  “In August, just after I moved here in June 2009, I auditioned for Wicked and they wanted me! They asked me to be in the show, but the Actor’s Equity Union has very specific requirements regarding work visas. They would like me to have a Green Card because then I am a US citizen. There are ways around it, but it’s a lot of paper work and time. So that was a big shame because I could have been doing a show, but at least it was a bit of a confidence boost.”

However, Jack has been doing a lot of performing.  “I’ve worked with some pretty cool choreographers including Johnny P, the resident choreographer on the Regis and Kelly show, and Emmy nominated choreographer Brian Thomas, on gigs around the place and corporate events”. 

And Jack has had a taste of Broadway. “I got to be a part of the creation of a new musical by Step Theatre Company called ‘Katy Bridgewater’.  It’s in the creative stages and we performed one act at Alvin Ailey Theater, which was fun. All the performers were Broadway performers and people in the industry, so it was great to be a part of that”.

But has Jack danced on Broadway – yes! “I got to be a part of a Broadway Cares/Buick Commercial. A group of dancers and I performed in Times Square as the pre opening performance of Broadway on Broadway.”

With some great experiences under his belt already, Jack has also just performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. “I was asked to perform at the Spring Gala, hosted by Liza Minneli, where we opened the show with a performance of 42^nd Street & then a Steam Heat routine. I worked with Josh Prince, the choreographer of Shrek the Musical, who has a lot of Broadway credits”, he said excitedly.

Jack has even been working with Australia’s ballroom guru, Jason Gilkison. “Burn the Floor were here for several months and at the same time Jason was also doing stuff for the American series of SYTYCD.  Jason used me in rehearsals before he went to LA to see how it was for a non ballroom dancer to pick up the choreography. I loved that, it was like I was having a private lesson with Jason.” But working with Jason, did he get to see Burn the Floor? “I saw the show a million times and it was very successful. It made me very proud to be Australian”, he gushed.

So what has been Jack’s biggest challenge with moving to New York? “Other than the paperwork?” he jokes. Starting fresh and not knowing many people was Jack’s biggest hurdle. Jack has discovered that he has to put himself out there and get known. “I came here not knowing many people and in America the attitude is different. I’m not one to talk myself up and put myself out there, but I’ve noticed that you have to do that here.”

So what is auditioning like in New York? “There are always a lot of people and it’s always in a tiny studio”, he laughs.  “It’s kind of intimidating because everyone knows each other, and they even know the choreographers auditioning. It is a big industry, but it’s also small because everyone knows each other.  But once you’re in, it’s not as intimidating”, he explained.

But if Jack could be in any musical, which one would he choose? “I would choose Wicked. I love the music, the costumes and the production as a whole.  Hopefully one day I can understudy Elphaba and sing ‘Defying Gravity’”, he jokes. “I would also love to be in West Side Story because it’s really hard hitting and emotional dancing or in Hairspray or In The Heights. I’d love to be in anything, I just want to perform”, he expressed. “I want to clear up this Green Card thing and be on Broadway, and I don’t want to be just a dancer on Broadway”, he made clear. “That’s where I want to start because it’s been a while since I’ve done some musical theatre, but in the city I really want to focus more on my singing and acting. I want to build them up more while I’m here and get more confidence with them and hopefully get onto Broadway. But I’ve got a really open mind to whatever comes. This city is so exciting! I don’t know what audition I’m going to go for, or what’s coming up next!”

But when Jack gets that Broadway role, will he ever come back to Australia? “Of course”, he exclaimed. “ I love it here, but I love home. I will always want to come back!”

Catch Jack at Peridance Capezio Center
Intermediate Jazz – Tuesday 9pm – 10.30pm
Beginner Jazz – Thursday 9pm – 10.30pm
Intermediate Jazz – Sunday 2.30pm – 4pm

Quirky with a funky twist incorporating quick, hardhitting, intricate moves fused with smooth flowing movement!www.peridance.com

Capezio will have a fantastic new store in the Peridance Capezio Center in the very near future. www.capeziodance.com

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.

The Top 20 Show Their Moves!

By Dolce Fisher.

Well, this season has opened a little differently – NO VOTING!  The top 20 performed a showcase and Dance Informa was there at the live recording to enjoy it. The showcase allowed the dancers to give voters a taste of who they really are before the voting begins. Performing in their own style the dancers showed their strengths, giving the choreographers a chance to let their hair out creatively.

This year’s Top 20 are definitely stronger than in the past and they are all very talented technicians in their own styles. 

Some highlights were the insane double lift in Jet’s Hip Hop routine and Sarah Boulter’s Twilight inspired contemporary number. There were some beautiful moments in Jason Gilkison’s group Viennese Waltz and a very mature emotional performance from the youngest dancers Issi and Robbie.

We look forward to next week!

For everything SYTYCD Australia visit www.ten.com.au/dance