So You Think You Can Dance Australia

AGE: 28
HOMETOWN: Central Coast, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 5 years old
OCCUPATION: Beach bum

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE? Music did. My love of dance has always come from music first.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: Listening to Tina Turner and dancing up and down the driveway with my sister.

SIGNATURE MOVE: The ‘maniac’ from “Flashdance”

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? Guy Sebastian’s “Like It Like That’ music video, the Australian Deaf Society TV commercial and I also danced for Vanilla Ice at the V Festival

THING YOU’LL MISS MOST ABOUT HOME: My husband Simon, going to the beach and sleeping in

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I close my eyes and visualise myself performing on the stage with everything going smoothly!

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? I would really love to give the Rumba, Tango or the Paso Doble a go, I think they are really strong and sexy.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I have done casual class visits from the age of about five, but never did exams or competitions. I started off with jazz, but once I got to high school, I stopped going to dance schools and choreographed routines with our school dance troupe. In my early 20’s I started hip hop classes, joined a crew and got serious about hip hop dancing. I have also been taking weekly Bollywood classes for four years.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? Wade Robson. I think his choreography is genius; it’s so creative and fuses many styles.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? That I’m not very flexible or classically/ technically trained.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I really want Australia to enjoy watching me dance and to feel inspired. I love what music and dance does for people’s soul, whether they dance themselves or just enjoy watching the art form.

AGE: 22
HOMETOWN: Gold Coast, QLD
DANCING SINCE: 7 years old
OCCUPATION: Dancer

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE? I can’t recall being inspired by someone. It was just something that I wanted to do.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: My first dance class was tap. I remember being really shy but picking up the steps fairly quickly and my teacher showing a high interest in me.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I have performed in “Wicked” in the US, on a P&O cruise or as “Barney” in Dubai.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: As a lady skunk, or played the front end of an elephant on “Barney”.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? I have many, but the one that really did it for me was on SYTYCD US Season 4 with Katee and Josh choreographed by Mia Michaels performed to ‘Hometown Glory’. It gives me shivers every time!

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I always make sure I’m completely centered by taking deep breaths and pacing back and forth. I also do exercises like push ups to help keep my energy up and to get me pumped.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I started training in tap when I was seven but it wasn’t until I was 12 when I tried jazz and other styles. I was trained in a very old manner, which looking back, it has given me so much technique and stage presence. It wasn’t until the past few years that I had started to explore other styles like contemporary and lyrical which is more so what I see my style to be now.

DOES ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY DANCE PROFESSIONALLY? My sister started dancing when she was young, but then I took over from her. Our family is very music orientated – we have always had songs playing throughout the house.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? My family and my dance teacher who has taught me since I was little. They have all put so much time and energy, into helping me achieve what I love, so for them to see me hit new heights, I think would be the best reward of all.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? I think I make a strong partner and love working off someone else not only physically but energy wise.

AGE: 21
HOMETOWN: Brisbane, QLD
DANCING SINCE: 13 years old
OCCUPATION: Commercial Dancer

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: My earliest memory of dance is putting shows on for my parents in the lounge room. I remember my dad took me shopping at our local shoe store and the only ones I wanted were a black shiny pair because I thought they were tap shoes! Obviously they weren’t, but that didn’t stop me from putting on tap shows in the lounge room… on carpet!

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I would be a singer, actor, creative writer, clothes designer or stylist.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I work as a commercial dancer, so you may have seen me dancing on various TV shows.

THING YOU’LL MISS MOST ABOUT HOME: I’ll miss all nine of my housemates and our backyard pool.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? My favourite film is “The Sound of Music”. I used to hire it from the video store and then hide it when it was time return it!

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single. Some of my friends and I were joking that I should use the show as a bit of a dating forum – eligible bachelors please send in a pic and profile!

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I used to have a lucky pair of underwear. I don’t believe in luck, things happen for a reason when we create the possibility.

WHAT CAN’T YOU LIVE WITHOUT? My body – it sounds silly but I’m addicted to exercise and it’s my main outlet of self expression.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? Ballroom will be my biggest challenge, but I love challenges! Anything fun that gets the blood pumping!

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? For a girl, I started dancing quite late. I was in high school and begun dancing as an elective subject, then started at my local dance school. I mostly did jazz and musical theatre, later being introduced to contemporary and jazz funk and most recently have found a great passion for hip hop and learning its different styles and history.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? I’d like to do the Australian dance industry proud. I think some Australian dancers are under the impression that the best dancers are overseas, when infact we have amazing talent here and SYTYCDA is a great way to showcase this!

AGE: 26
HOMETOWN: Gold Coast, QLD
DANCING FOR: 9 years
OCCUPATION: Dancer

WHO FIRST INSPIRED YOU TO DANCE? Michael Jackson.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: Doing Michael Jackson in primary school at the school social.

IF WEREN’T A DANCER… I’d be a professional skateboarder or personal trainer.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I was a semi finalist in “Australia’s Got Talent”, was an extra on “The Strip” and have featured on “Totally Wild” and “Toasted TV”.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: I was a topless waiter.

THING YOU’LL MISS MOST ABOUT HOME: My mum and dad of course.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I don’t really have one. I just get on stage knowing I’m going to impress!

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

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I recently completed a year of fulltime dance that included all styles of dance.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? I really don’t have a favourite, however I think Crazy Kujo is an awesome bboy!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? My lack of flexibility.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? My strength.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? That I’m a genuine honest guy!

AGE: 25
HOMETOWN: Mt Druitt, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 10 years old
OCCUPATION: Thermo Climatic Engineer (i.e. cool way of saying Aircon Technician)

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE? Old school Bboys, and they always will!

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: Sidestepping and clicking during pre-school and winning a trophy for it.

IF WEREN’T A DANCER… I’d be at home playing PS3, eating rice or playing basketball.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I was in SYTYCD Australia Season 1 (Top 50) and Season 2 (Top 40).

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE? Suprisingly air-cons don’t really get crazy, but I have performed in front of 10,000 women before!

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: In a relationship with my beautiful girlfriend Brooke since July 2000. She’s a dancer too.

FAVOURITE BANDS/ARTISTS TO LISTEN TO? The Bamboos, Method Man, Redman and local funk bands.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? Latin or hip hop

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I’ve never really done any dance training aside from my own. I regularly do hip hop classes and lately have been doing Jazz and Contemporary classes to improve my technique.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? I would have to say Gene Kelly for genres other than my own and Bboy Remind from SEC (USA) when it comes to Bboying. Also Kelly Abbey, watching her dance makes the hair on your neck stand up, but at the same time, watching and listening to her teach can make even a bald dude’s hair grow in an instant!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? My strengths in the competition would be my showmanship and my strange ability to attract people when I dance. I don’t know what it is, but apparently people love to watch me dance, and that in itself gives me more motivation to be comfortable when I get on stage.

AGE: 23
HOMETOWN: Perth, WA
DANCE SINCE: 5 years old
OCCUPATION: Dance Teacher

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE? My mother got me to dance when I was young and Michael Jackson kept me going as I got older.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: Dancing with a broken arm to “Thriller”.

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I’d be a mac genius or a helicopter pilot.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? You might have seen me in a “ find thirty” advert in a blue B-ball shirt, or “The Footy Show” dancing behind Jo Beth Taylor. If you have travelled to Tokyo you may have seen me in “One Man’s Dream” or “Big Band Beat” at Tokyo Disney. I have also been on a Holland America Cruise Line Ship on either the Veendam or Zuiderdam.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE? Being Peter Pan was pretty fun, I got to fly by cables. Also working on a cruise ship was crazy because you could be having dinner in Barcelona and the next afternoon you could be having gyro for lunch at Santorini.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? Mia Michael’s piece with the bench and Travis Wall on SYTYCD US.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married. I met Stacey at Tokyo Disney – she was Wendy and I was Peter Pan.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? Since I started dancing at the age of 5, I have trained in jazz, ballet, tap, acrobatics and hip Hhp. Once working professionally I was taught roughly how to partner.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? Well I know that my wife, mum and sister will be proud. But I would like friends and family that haven’t seen me dance – for instance my brother in Adelaide, sister in Melbourne and father in Belgium to have the opportunity.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? My weakness would be my technique. Because I have danced all my life, it will be expected that I will be a technician, when in reality what I have mastered is my style and ability to adapt to others.

AGE: 21
HOMETOWN: Sydney, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 3 years old

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO FIRST DANCE? My big sister, I wanted to do everything she did.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: At my first concert at three years old. No one told me I would be performing in front of an audience and when I finished, I cried so much that someone had to take me off stage!

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER I’D BE… An actress.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I tried out for the last season of SYTYCDA and have featured in two “Bonds” TV commercials.

AUDITION SONG: “Breakin Dishes” Rihanna

HOBBIES: Designing and making clothes, running and having a good coffee with my friends.

FAVOURITE DANCE MOMENT FROM FILM, TV OR THEATRE? Definitely “Flashdance” where she pulls the bucket of water on herself.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? I do this weird thing where I have to breathe in and out five times because 5 is my lucky number.

WHAT CAN’T YOU LIVE WITHOUT? Milk and yoghurt – I have a dairy addiction!

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? I’m a jazz dancer so it would be cool to pull out “jazz” but would love to challenge myself to contemporary or ballroom!

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I’ve been dancing since I was three, then in 2007 I did a full-time performing arts course and haven’t looked back since. I trained in jazz, tap, ballet and contemporary.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? My commitment, I hate doing things by half. I put my heart into everything I do and I hope that shows as a strength for me.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I’m a bunch of surprises!

Style: ARGENTINE TANGO
AGE: 31
HOMETOWN: Sydney, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 11 years old

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: Spinning in the kitchen in my socks. Now I know Its called a “pirouette”!

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I have my own show called “THREE2TANGO” and I’ve danced with “The Wiggles.”

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: I dressed as one of The Village People for a promo at Circular Quay with a fake moustache!

THING YOU’LL MISS MOST ABOUT HOME: The peace and quiet and being able to go to the fridge whenever I’m hungry.

LUCKY CHARMS OR RITUALS YOU DO BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE? Red undies for good luck.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? I’m ready to step up to any challenge, so I don’t have a preference.

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? Aside from folkloric dancing and some tango, I didn’t start dancing until later in life because my parents wanted me to finish school. I really threw myself in the deep end by auditioning for a dance college without any prior training at 19. It was a long and hard road trying to catch up but I never gave in.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? I’m a great admirer of Kelly Abbey. I think she is an incredible dancer/choreographer who just keeps getting better and adapting to new styles. I admire anyone who has worked hard and is disciplined in what they do.

DOES ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY DANCE PROFESSIONALLY? My brother Fausto is an Argentine tango dancer and a great one at that. He encouraged me to learn the style and gave me the tools to go and turn it into my own.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? Not having had a lot of training means not having a lot of technique. Styles like contemporary and lyrical are hard for me because I’m not used to the extensions and jumps.

Style: JAZZ / CONTEMPORARY / BALLET / HIP HOP
AGE: 18
HOMETOWN: Sydney, NSW
DANCING SINCE: 7 years old

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: In kindergarten performing the teapot dance during assembly.

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I would be a jockey because I love horses. SIGNATURE MOVE: 20 continuous jump splits.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: I was in a Japanese lemon TV commercial.

FAVOURITE BANDS/ARTISTS TO LISTEN TO? Benny Benassi, Mumford and Sons, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Lady Gaga. Pretty much anything I can groove to.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? I hope to pick out jazz, hip hop, contemporary. I would also love a bit of jive and samba!

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I have been dancing for 11 years now, but I started taking it really seriously about five years ago and studied every style of dance to a wide extent. Versatility is such an important factor to have as a dancer and I am lucky to have that.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? Blake Mcgrath from Season 1 of SYTYCD US. He is so inspiring to watch!

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? Definitely my family. It would be the best feeling to have them touched by my dancing. The thought gives me goosebumps.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN THE COMPETITION? Probably my height because I’m short, but that won’t stop me from working hard!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AUSTRALIA TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? What I lack in height, I’ll be sure to make up for in through my passion, determination and increasing love for dance.

Style: CONTEMPORARY JAZZ
AGE: 20
HOMETOWN: Hobart, TAS
DANCING SINCE: 5 years old
OCCUPATION: Barista, dance teacher and dancer

WHO FIRST INSPIRED YOU TO DANCE? I think my sister was the first to inspire me because she started first and I wanted to do everything my big sister did.

EARLIEST MEMORY OF DANCING: I had a solo part at the end of my first concert, everybody had rushed the music and I was left standing on the stage until it was the right part of the music for me to start my solo.

IF I WEREN’T A DANCER… I would do something that involved travel and fashion. I’ve learned to love these things because of my love of dance.

WHERE WE’VE SEEN YOU? I was an extra in the “Young Divas” music video, in “Australia’s Next Top Model” and danced for Ricki Lee on the 2009 finale of “Australian Idol”.

CRAZIEST JOB YOU’VE DONE: I’ve dressed as “Bob The Builder” for Bunning’s Warehouse.

THING YOU’LL MISS MOST ABOUT HOME: I’m going to miss coming home to my relaxing apartment, going for coffee in the mornings with my best friends and catching up on goss.

WHAT STYLE DO YOU HOPE TO PICK OUT OF THE HAT? I wouldn’t mind contemporary or jazz, however I’m a little scared about ballroom!

HOW MUCH DANCE TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD, AND IN WHAT STYLES? I have had a lot of training, since I have been dancing from the age of five. When I was younger I trained in tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical and theatre jazz. I would do summer workshops of hip hop and contemporary when I got the chance.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL DANCER? At the moment I am intrigued by Travis Wall (SYTYCD US) and what he can do. His style is so unique and interesting to me.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO MAKE PROUD OF YOU? I would like to make my dad most proud, because my parents have been separated for so long now and I feel like my dad hasn’t seen me dance as much as my mum has, I’m just so excited for him to see me dance what I love to do everyday.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE COMPETITION? I’m a fighter and a really hard worker. I’m a very strong minded person and can take on a lot. I think that will help me get through the routines and keep me on top of my game.