Two years ago, at age 15, tap dancer Emma Wylie took a chance and moved to NYC by herself. Now 17, she’s seen that risk pay off: She’s an understudy for Dorrance Dance, headed by tap pioneer Michelle Dorrance, and is mentored by two more tap world luminaries, Derick K. Grant and RONxII (pronounced “Ron […]
Though he says his favorite style is hip hop—and he can definitely hit hard when he needs to—Lior Melnikov’s onstage charisma brings to mind old-school entertainers like Fred Astaire. Thanks to that singular performance quality, 12-year-old Melnikov has been popping up more and more frequently in the commercial world: He made it to the Top […]
Eden Galloway may have won Mini Female Outstanding Dancer at the 2016 New York City Dance Alliance Nationals, but her talent is anything but miniature. Not only does she have the technique necessary to clinch a national title, but this contemporary queen also has musicality and presence beyond her years (all 11 of them). Her […]
You might have seen 16-year-old Leili posing in a Discount Dance Supply ad, or competing at the 2015 Youth America Grand Prix finals in NYC. But this super-focused aspiring ballerina spends most of her time away from the spotlight, training at the San Francisco Ballet School. In fact, Leili first fell in love with the […]
Hip-hop phenom Kenneth San Jose has so much natural talent that his lightning-fast technique and mesmerizing musicality developed practically overnight. Though he can hold his own with dancers twice his age, he’s only been formally training for two years! Kenneth was already an accomplished singer and actor when he decided to add dance to his […]
Nina Bartell is such a complete performer that when she was crowned Teen Outstanding Dancer at the 2015 New York City Dance Alliance gala, it felt inevitable. You’d never have guessed the 16-year-old had only begun competing solos two years prior to her big win. Bartell trains at Sweatshop in Denver, CO, where she studies […]
Hip-hop phenomenon Phoenix Lil’Mini is a girl on fire, with ultra-precise animation skills and larger-than-life stage presence. So it’s no surprise her resumé lists one dream gig after another, like hitting the “So You Think You Can Dance” stage with her mentor Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer, dancing in Missy Elliott’s “WTF (Where They From)” music video […]
“I’ve always loved having an audience and making people smile,” says 14-year-old Soni Bringas. “At the end of my first year dancing, I was in a big recital for a huge crowd—I was hooked after that.” That love of performing helped Soni’s career skyrocket. Her jam-packed resumé already includes an appearance in the video for […]