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Posts tagged Jigtv.com
Jigtv.com Interviews Travis Wall of so You Think You Can Dance Fame
Mar 16th
Chelsea Latimer from social dance site JigTV.com got to spend some time talking with Travis Wall, runner-up in the 2006 season of So You Think You Can Dance. During the interview they talked about Wall’s beginnings in a dancing family, his career, and his future plans.
Wall is a contemporary dancer and dance choreographer who offers online dance lessons at JigTV.com. Travis spoke of his time on So You Think You Can Dance, saying “Honestly, it’s what every dancer could possibly imagine. It’s pretty awesome.” He pointed out that he great thing about the show is that the dancers are the stars, rather than being merely a part of the background. Travis mentioned that during the show’s followup tour the audience was screaming his name when he was dancing, a phenomenon most dancers never experience.
When asked about his favorite dance from the show, he said “The bench dance was definitely my favorite because it was the first time I did contemporary on the show, and I think people kinda didn’t know what I was about until I did that.” He also spoke of his appreciation for Wade Robson and Mia Micheals, two of the So You Think You Can Dance choreographers.
Travis Wall got his beginnings in his mother’s dance studio growing up. He said that even though it was tough on his family financially, it allowed him an exposure to dance from such a young age that he didn’t know where he would be otherwise. Chelsea asked Travis about taking over his mother’s studio one day, and he said that while it wasn’t something he wanted to do right away, he thinks he would eventually become more involved.
Wall spoke of dancing with his adopted brother Danny Tidwell, indicating that he had always looked up to Danny as the kind of dancer he wanted to be. It was cool for Travis to have Danny come into So You Think You Can Dance in the 2007 season, also achieving runner-up position.
Wall ended by saying he thought that dancers should look for inspiration wherever they could, “Just keep renewing yourself. If you get bored with one thing, find a way to make it happy. You always have to find that new energy in life that’s going to keep you going.”
To watch the full interview, check out JigTV.com.
Dancer And Choreographer Tony Testa Talks About His Career With Dance Site Jigtv.Com
Feb 21st
(March 5, 2009âDenver, CO) Taking some time from his busy schedule of working with professional musicians and dancers, choreographer Tony Testa sat down to talk with JigTV.com about his career, which started at the young age of 14. Since then he has performed with the likes of Aaron Carter, Janet Jackson, and Britney Spears.
As part of JigTV’s professional dancer interviews, Tony talked about how first gig was with Tap Kids, an off-Broadway production directed by Lisa Hopkins, during which he made some good friends and had his first experience touring. Tap Kids toured on the weekends, he said, leaving time during the week for school, baseball, and wrestling.
At the age of 16, Tony Testa was taking a dance class with Brian Friedman, another choreographer featured on JigTV, when Brian asked him to perform in a show he was choreographing for Aaron Carter. Shortly after that, he put together a choreography reel before moving to Los Angeles. Tony highly recommends putting together a choreography reel so that people can show studios what they can do, even if choreography isn’t their strongest point. People looking for dancers need to know what they can do, and a choreography reel is the best way to show them.
In addition to taking dance classes, Tony emphasizes the importance of networking and knowing the right people, but says it has to be for the right motives. “If you’re obviously trying to network just for money purposes, people can see through that,” he says, but adds that he has found that as long as you do what you love, are true to yourself, and do what you do best, people will seek you out.
As proof of the success of these efforts, when Tony was 18 he got a call from Janet Jackson’s director, who had seen his choreography reel and wanted him to audition for Janet’s show. He got the position of junior choreographer to work under the director and another professional choreographer. “I was beyond intimidated!” Tony said. He had never worked with other choreographers before, so that job helped him learn a lot.
Recently, Tony performed with Britney during MTV’s Video Music Awards. He and the others dancers rehearsed for three weeks, and he was very satisfied with the performance.
To view the full interview with Tony Testa, visit JigTV.com.
Dancer Suzi Taylor Talks To Social Dance Site Jigtv.Com About Her Life As A Professional Dancer
Feb 9th
Professional dancer Suzi Taylor recently sat down for an interview with JigTV.com to offer insight into her life and career as well as pointers for aspiring dancers.
As an internationally renowned choreographer and dancer, Suzi Taylor has worked with some of the biggest organizations in dance today, such as the New York City Dance Alliance and Steps on Broadway. In her exclusive JigTV.com interview, she delves into a bevy of topics surrounding the modern world of dance.
Chelsea Latimer, host of the online dance community\’s interview series – which also provides online video dance classes with top dancers and choreographers – talks with Suzi about her background, what she has learned from her students, her recovery from double hip replacements, and what common mistakes new dancers can avoid.
Suzi\’s main piece of advice for dancers worldwide is to discover \”secondary talents.\” \”The hip replacements I had made me realize I had to rely on other strengths,\” she tells JigTV.com. \”You can adapt so much even when you lose strengths.\” JigTV.com agrees with the concept of capitalizing on new strengths and provides users with opportunities to learn dance from a long and varied list of famous choreographers, including Bryan Tanaka, Blake McGrath, Tony Testa, and Galen Hooks. JigTV.com also provides video blogs posted by pro dances, video classes, how-to guides, and other information that gives users the chance to continually learn from the best of the dance world.
To view the entire interview, check out JigTV.com.
Blake Mcgrath Talks to Jigtv.com About His Time on Dancelife and so You Think You Can Dance
Feb 7th
Chelsea Latimer from social dance site JigTV.com got to spend some time talking with Blake McGrath, contestant in the 2005 season of So You Think You Can Dance and star on MTV’s DanceLife. McGrath is a hip hop dancer and dance choreographer who offers online hip hop dance classes and instructional videos on JigTV.
Blake McGrath was one of the stars of DanceLife, an MTV reality show about the lives of professional dancers. He spoke fondly of his time on the show, saying that he felt the show represented him well, as well as being good about giving him a heads up about when they were going to be filming and not intruding too much on his personal life. “They just kind of followed us around,” Blake said, “And it got to show what dancers really go through to make it in the business.”
When asked if he kept up with any of the other stars from the DanceLife, he said Kenny Wormald and Michelle Maniscalco are some of his best friends, and that Kenny actually teaches some classes with Blake.
Blake said his time on So You Think You Can Dance taught him a lot because he had to dance in a lot of different styles that he wasn’t used to. “I definitely learned a lot” he said, “I had to be very versatile in a lot of different styles.” He said he likes to take dance classes in styles that he’s not familiar with, even though his primary style is hip hop, to make his dancing more dynamic.
While Blake is a dancer, he is currently focusing on singing, and is producing an album. He said he has always been able to sing well, so it was just a natural progression for him to make an album. He described his musical style as “soulful R&B pop” with dancing incorporated.
Blake maintains that one of the most important things to remember in the life of a professional dancer is to keep your head on straight. He said that the lifestyle is fast and can be draining, so remaining grounded is important. Blake thinks that continuing his dance education by learning new dance styles and moves is extremely helpful. Blake closed the interview by suggesting that dancers remain focused on their goals and keep a tight circle of friends for support.To watch the full interview, check out JigTV.com.
