So You Think You Can Dance Australia

AGE: 30
HOMETOWN: Brisbane, QLD
DANCING SINCE: 24 years old

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE? The Wiggles.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: At my first primary school disco, I dressed up as Michael Jackson… gloves and all!

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I’d be a So You Think You Can Dance judge.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? Dancing at the ARIAS with Jessica Malboy.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: I was a bartender in a strip club.

HOBBIES: Anything to do with film and TV – either watching or making short movies of my own.

THING YOU’LL MISS MOST ABOUT HOME: My four pillows… they have 250 thread count.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? It’s got to be Michael Jackson doing the moonwalk at the Motown Awards.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? Practising blue steel for when the judges are talking to me….

WHAT CAN’T YOU LIVE WITHOUT? A hat and my morning coffee…

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I’ve danced hip hop for about six years and dipped in an out of other styles.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? Just family and friends.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? That I perform like a “macho macho man”!

AGE: 21
HOMETOWN: Melbourne, VIC
DANCING SINCE: 16 years old
OCCUPATION: Dancer

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: I never used to be able to clap to a beat of music, let alone dance in time!

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I’d be a snowboarder.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? On Facebook! I was also an extra on “Neighbours”!

THING YOU’LL MISS MOST ABOUT HOME: My family, friends and church.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? Praying to the man upstairs.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? Hip hop, contemporary or lyrical.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I have had four years of training in jazz, contemporary, hip hop. Before that, I had never danced before!

DOES ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY DANCE PROFESSIONALLY? A few of my aunties were dancers.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? I think that most people in my life are already proud of me for making it this far.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? Salsa, ballroom and latin. Let’s hope I don’t get asked to do the running man – because I can’t do that either!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? Perseverance and persistance.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I dance because it’s what I’m called to do.

AGE: 20
HOMETOWN: Melbourne, VIC
DANCING SINCE: 2 1/2 years old
OCCUPATION: Work at Love Machine Freestyling

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I modelled as a child for “Best & Less” and “Target”.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: I was painted entirely silver and told to act like a graceful tree.

HOBBIES: I love taekwondo and go-karting.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? I am a big fan of “Centre Stage”. It’s a really up lifting movie.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I centre myself and usually wear odd socks during my performances.

WHAT CAN’T YOU LIVE WITHOUT? I can’t live without music – I need it to get me out of bed in the morning.

FAVOURITE BANDS/ARTISTS TO LISTEN TO? I love any music with a dirty beat. Something that I can groove around to in my bedroom and at a club.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? I hope to pick out either jazz or hip hop.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I have been dancing for 17 years at a theatrical dance school and have also done a full time dance course. I’ve covered jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip hop, acrobatics, tap and latin.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? My mum because of all the work she put into my costumes and drove me to all my dance lessons.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? Having to be serious and not laugh. I tend to laugh alot!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? Persistence. I’ll keep going and going until I get what I want.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? That even though I’m a bit of a tomboy, there is still a sassy fun girl inside!

AGE: 22
HOMETOWN: Sydney, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 11 years old
OCCUPATION: Mechanic

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I would be a chef, DJ or landscaper.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? Nikki Webster’s single cover.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: Working on cruise ships.

HOBBIES: DJing, cooking and working on cars.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? The opening dance in ‘West Side Story’.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I always shake my hands for some reason.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? Ballroom or Latin.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? Since I was 11, I have studied ballroom, latin, jazz, tap, hip hop, ballet, lyrical and contemporary. But my biggest acheivements would be from my ballroom and latin.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? I would have to say Jason Gilkison. His work in the ballroom field is an inspiration to all dancers.

DOES ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY DANCE PROFESSIONALLY? My mum teaches dance at numerous primary schools and has helped me with my dancing.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? Definitely my family. I want to show them that all of the hard work I have put into dancing is worth something.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? I would say my energy, and I hope it rubs off on my dance partner!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I want to hopefully put a smile on the audiences faces through my routines.

AGE: 18
HOMETOWN: Melbourne, VIC
DANCING SINCE: 8 years old
OCCUPATION: Dancer

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I would be a pastry chef.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? At an Essendon match screaming at an umpire.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? I loved the movie “Centre Stage”, my favourite scene was the Romeo and Juliet Pas de Deux.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I always have a piece of chocolate right before I go on stage.

FAVOURITE BANDS/ARTISTS TO LISTEN TO? I listen to every thing, Duffy, Bon Jovi, Jason Mraz, Daniel Merriweather and Debussy.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? I would love something I have never done before like Bollywood or Argentine Tango.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I obtained a scholarship at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School which allowed me to study ballet contemporary and other commercial styles of dance. Out of school I was also doing ballroom.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? Jason Gilkison has always been my all time favourite ballroom dancer. Li Cunxin from the book “Mao’s Last Dancer,” is a very inspiring dancer I look up to.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? I think my biggest critic is myself; therefore I would like to come out of the show feeling very proud of my efforts and having no regrets.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? I think hip hop will be the style that I would be really challenged at. My strategy is to go in and think everything through and work extremely hard so that it is no longer a weakness.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? That I love every bit of what I do and I hope you it shows. I’m hard working and will do anything to reach my dream. To be able to be dance professionally would be a dream come true.

AGE: 19
HOMETOWN: Sydney, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 4 years old
OCCUPATION: Dancer

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE: My mum enrolled me into dance class when I was quite young, so at first it was all just for fun. When I decided to take it more seriously I found myself always looking to be like Sylvie Guillem, a dancer too amazing for words.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: My earliest memory would be at my first dance concert when I was four. I was in the middle of my routine when the heel of my shoe slipped off. I remember we were sitting on the floor, waving our hands above our heads and I was trying to keep waving my hands and pull my shoe back on all at the same time.

IF WEREN’T A DANCER… I have been so dedicated to this one particular aspect of my life that I never even want to think for one second that I would have to ever give it all up.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I have danced a couple of times on TV shows and overseas at Disney World.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: When I was younger I had to teach my Dad a dance for a parent’s talent quest that was run by the dance school. He was dressed up as a woman with fishnets and balloon boobies – it was definitely something to remember!

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I have a 4 leaf clover that’s always with me and before I go on stage I run through my routine 3 times and do 27 sit-ups.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? When I was four years old I started doing jazz and ballet once a week. After my first concert, I was hooked. The following year I took up tap, modern and classical ballet. I started doing acrobatics and contemporary and whatever else there was on offer. I am very excited to learn other genres that I have never even done before like ballroom.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? My goal is to impress myself. I want to achieve things that I never thought I would be able to and to conquer obstacles that I never believed I would be strong enough to overcome.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? Australia should know that I am a perfectionist in all aspects of my daily life, not just with dancing.

AGE: 21
HOMETOWN: Newcastle, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 3 years old
OCCUPATION: Medical receptionist / math tutor and dance teacher

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE: My older sister insprired me, because at the time I didn’t think it was fair that she was the only one who got to wear pretty shiny costumes and shake her bum.

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… A mathematician; cryptology is a particular interest.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? Cell block tango from “Chicago”, the movie. A-maz-ing!

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? It sounds stupid, but I always do the same warm up, the same exercises in the same succession to the same music. People think it’s superstitious but it’s probably just my laziness. It saves me having to think of new routines.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I started ballet when I was three. When I discovered ballroom at 17 I felt like I had finally found my style. Although it was a fairly late age to start ballroom, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. Plus what girl wouldn’t want to wear exquisite ball gowns, sparkling jewelry and man-handle gorgeous guys all day?

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? Oh, that’s tough. I guess I have two: from a ballroom perspective Joanna Leunis is my idol – the way she turns and moves is unbelievable. But I would have to say the best dancer of all time would be Cyd Charisse. She was so classy, elegant, sexy and smooth. So simple and yet so captivating.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? I was going to say my mum, but she’s so excited about me making the Top 20 that I think I’ve got the proud box ticked. So I will say my dance teacher – she has played such an important role, not only in my dancing, but in my life so I would really like to impress her and make her proud to say she taught me.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? I think my technique could be my weakness. Although I have been trained in ballet, that’s only made me more aware of how much technique I have lost over the years, especially when I compare myself to the other girls. Ballroom technique is so different to all the other worlds thrown at you in this competition so my technique could be my downfall.

AGE: 20
HOMETOWN: Sydney, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 5 years old
OCCUPATION: Day dreamer/dancer

WHO FIRST INSPIRED YOU TO DANCE? I have always been a big fan of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland so they are a big part of the reason why I started dancing.

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I would still be doing something creative – that seems to be the only part of my brain that interests me! I would have kept working on my music (I started studying the piano before I started dance). Singing and acting are things that I still want to do, but I’ve also just recently been interested in Interior Design.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? Working professionally as a dancer has lead me to more of the commercial scene, so I’ve been lucky enough to feature in music videos and live performances on TV.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? Ballroom, choreographed by Jason Gilkinson… It’s a dream of mine!

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I started dancing classes when I was five and am still doing classes to this very day. My training has always consisted of jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical, contemporary and hip hop. I did a little bit of ballroom when I was about 11 or 12 but didn’t take it very seriously at the time.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? Wade Robson is phenomenal. I love the way he dances, the way he thinks in life, his ideas, originality, everything he does and has created.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? My parents and the rest of my family all around the world! Also just my close friends that they know I still love and adore that I haven’t seen since I left for Sydney.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? My mind plays funny games on me when I’m nervous.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? The love for performing on the stage.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? That there is more to me than just the dancing.

AGE: 23
HOMETOWN: Melbourne, VIC
DANCING SINCE: 6 years old
OCCUPATION: When not dancing, I’m a waitress

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE? Shirley Temple, who could forget the “good ship lollypop!”

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: Dancing in a white tutu and jiffies as a “cloud” on a blue tarp in the car park of McDonalds for McHappy Day.

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I’d be a 70’s retro hippy or a mermaid!

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I pop up in the new Grinspoon music video “Summer”.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: Dancing on the “Crusty Demons” tour, and when I wore a sexy silver space suit and cooked snags on a BBQ at an electrical companies Christmas party.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? The final dance scene from “Sister Act 2” and “You Can’t Stop The Beat” from “Hairspray”!

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I yawn a lot, its a sign of nerves.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? Something latin – maybe a salsa or samba.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I trained predominantly as a ballet dancer until the age of 16 when I graduated from Christine Walsh Dance Center. For the past seven years I’ve been working in the commercial dance scene taking class in all styles whenever possible.

DOES ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY DANCE PROFESSIONALLY? My sister has just started working in the commercial dance industry but my parents are frustrated Fredestaires with two left feet.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? Hopefully no-one will ask me to do the Melbourne shuffle!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I’m like a tropical, tribal, gypsy! For me travel is the best form of education, I love learning about the different foods, religions, native dance and music history of different cultures.

AGE: 18
HOMETOWN: Sydney, NSW
DANCING SINCE: Pre-school
OCCUPATION: Student

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: My first concert at preschool. We performed the toddler version of ‘The Nutcracker’ – lots of skipping!

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU… This is my debut!

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: A couple of years ago I did a show for ‘Hair Expo’ inspired by Edward scissor Hands, complete with scissor blades for fingers. It was pretty wild!

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? Aszure Barton’s ‘Sid’s Waltzing Masquerade’ – It really confirmed my love for contemporary dance.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? To focus myself, I run through the routine in my mind and concentrate on it’s intent. I do also have a ring that I only take off if I absolutely have to!

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? It’s in the spirit of the show to embrace challenge; so it would be good to pick something out of my comfort zone.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I’ve had a lot of great dance training as I’ve grown up. I’ve been exposed to ballet, jazz, hiphop, musical theatre, tap and contemporary.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? Probably my youth, I think having less general life experience could be a weakness.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? Eagerness to learn and take on challenges.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? That I’m genuine and I promise to give it my best shot!