Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann - Bios for Carrie Ann’s Team

Here’s the other half of the Dance War – Carrie Ann’s team. Check out their bios too:

Bradley:

BACKGROUND: Bradley has continually been inspired by one of his brothers, and started singing and dancing after watching him do it. He has 3 brothers and a younger sister, all of his whom are into performing arts. They are not sure where their artistic side comes from because mom and dad are not into performing. Bradley graduated high school with honors from Nashville School of the Arts. He also trained at D.C. Dance Factory in Nashville, and Chicago Multi Cultural Dance Center. He has been dancing for 8 years and his training includes jazz, hip hop, tap, and ballet. In 1996 he won “Pre-Teen Star Talent of the Year” with International Modelling & Talent Association. In 2001 he won “Best Choreography” at Nashville School of the Arts. In March 2004, Bradley was featured in Dance Magazine teaching hip hop to Nashville Ballet. For the past 8 months he has been performing on a cruise ship. He just returned and is teaching jazz at American Academy of Dance. Bradley has been singing since he was young and loves singing oldies and country music. He was encouraged to expand on his singing when he was placed in the top level of his school choir at age 10.
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Much of his inspiration to perform comes from watching his older brother, who now dances on Broadway. In the year 2000 the family’s house caught fire and they lost all of their belongings. Bradley ran back in the house and saved the family dog. Bradley says this was a very difficult time in his life and they are all still recovering from it to this day. Singing has become one of Bradley’s outlets for emotion when he is going through any tough situation. Bradley’s goal is to “share his talent with America by giving them extraordinary entertainment”.

CHARACTER SYNOPSIS: Bradley has a very big and vibrant personality. He is a person who others instantly feel comfortable around. He enjoys making people laugh and it shows. In a group he will be the one who supports others and encourages them. He enjoys the challenge of competition and has a competitive nature. Part of his drive is to prove to people that doubt his abilities that he can succeed.

APPLICATION INFORMATION: When asked why he should be picked for the show, Bradley said, “Personality and Charisma! And yes, I think I can DANCE! I’m not shy at all, in fact I love the camera. Making people smile and laugh is my LIFE. I want to share my talent with the country and WIN this thing!” He feels he excels in Jazz and Hip Hop, but when asked if he has a least favourite type of dance, he says, “I honestly love EVERY style. Even if I don’t feel comfortable at first with the style, I love the challenge of having to learn and perfect it.” He goes on to say his least strong styles are ballet and contemporary, even though his article in Dance Magazine he studied ballet at the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center. He says he is inspired to dance by, “my family and mostly the people watching me. When I see people smiling and clapping it inspires me to continue this lifestyle because I love seeing joy in peoples’ faces.” He feels his best vocal style is upbeat songs and enjoys oldies and country. He says his least favourite style of singing is ballad, but can do it with lots of practice. He says he is inspired to sing because, “it fills any void during my good and bad times. So when I sing it’s always been an outlet for whatever situation I would go through!!” When asked what he hopes to get out of this experience, he said he would hope this experience will open other doors for him, but he also wants to, “prove [to] the negative people in my life that I am somebody and somebody with extraordinary talent.” He feels his best quality is his people skills, and his worst is his lack of patience. He concludes by saying Will Smith is the famous person that most reminds him of himself because he is “incredibly funny.”

Chris:

BACKGROUND: Music and performing has been the focus of Chris’s life and is what brings his family together. Both he and his little brother, AJ, live at home with their parents and have been singing and dancing together for years. Instead of playing sports, the duo perform at concerts and charity events around Los Angeles. Chris’s Mom is their biggest supporter and the person who took them to all their auditions growing up.,She still comes along to as many auditions and performances as she can. Chris says that seeing his Mom makes him want to work harder.

Chris was voted most talented student in his senior survey. He spends most of his time writing beats and trying to produce some of his own music. He has perfect pitch and loves to write harmonies to songs. He graduated high school last year and is now a music business major at CSUF.

CHARACTER SYNOPSIS: Chris is extremely confident for his young age. He knows how to work a crowd and give a polished and mature performance.

APPLICATION INFORMATION: Chris says that his biggest inspiration to become a performer has been his little brother. He says they are each other’s biggest competition, but also each other’s biggest mentor. His biggest challenge has been overcoming the criticism of his peers. When asked why he should be chosen for the show, Chris responded, “I have had a very long journey. I’ve started from having no connections or musical talent and made it very far. I have worked hard to this point and I feel it’s my time. I would love to be a part of this show and all the talent.” He as taken 6 years of hip hop and pop dance classes and feels these are the two areas in which he excels. His least favourite type of dance is ballet. What keeps him dancing is, “knowing there is always someone better and wanting to excel.” Chris has also had 6 years of vocal training and likes singing R&B and pop. He claims that making the “Dance War” call backs is the moment that he is most proud of and just hopes to meet other talents people with the interests as him. He says his greatest qualities are he is responsible and respectful and that his worst quality is admitting his worst qualities. When asked what excites him and scares him the most about performing, he only wrote, “audience reaction,” under both.

Mariel:

BACKGROUND: Raised in Chicago, Mariel’s parents divorced when she was young. Her Dad is very encouraging of her dream to be a professional dancer and despite not having much money supports her financially. Her grandmother on her dad’s side has been battling cancer and when Mariel told her about moving to California and going to the Pop Academy her grandma gave her the money she was saving for cancer treatments. She said she has already seen the world and is at the end of life, and that Mariel is just beginning hers. Mariel now lives in Hollywood with her brother.

Mariel has been singing competitively since she was 13 years old but only recently started vocal and dance training. She is a full time student at the Hollywood Pop Academy where she has mostly been concentrating on hip-hop with her dancing. The style of singing she prefers is R&B/soul.

CHARACTER SYNOPSIS: Mariel is very driven. Since her grandmother gave her the money to come out here, she feels she absolutely has to succeed. Mariel can be somewhat shy, but definitely not when she is performing. She will be a team player in a group. She will help others and get along with everyone. She has a nurturing personality and is a very pleasant person. Mariel has a competitive streak, and enjoys the way competition pushes one to be their best.

APPLICATION INFORMATION: Mariel is a very spiritual person. When asked what inspired her to want to perform, she said, “It took me a long time to recognize that singing was not only a blessing, but a way for God to say he trusts me to use my voice for the right reasons. It is a symbol of his belief in me. To perform will be to share that gift .” When asked why she thought she should be chosen for the show, she simply stated, “I will entertain you! Trust me.” When asked what inspired her to audition for the show, she said, “I want to perform! This is a way to be seen and I see a lot of opportunities that could stem from this show, not to mention the training opportunity.”

She goes on to say “I want to outperform myself! I want to get my dancing up to par with my singing, but I also want to be further trained vocally so that my singing will become even stronger.”

Mariel feels the most comfortable dancing Hip Hop, but only because it is the main style of dance taught at the Hollywood Pop Academy. She says she was inspired to dance by her love of singing. She says, “I want to be as well-rounded a performer as I can be.” Mariel feels she excels in a genre somewhere in between R&B and Soul and does not excel in opera. She goes on to say, “I sing because it symbolizes love to me.” She goes on to explain how being of Asian/Pacific Islander descent has made it difficult for her to break into the industry and hopes this experience will bring her into peoples’ homes, “in the least threatening way possible.” She is proud of the fact that she is “drama-free,” but thinks her worst quality is being too critical of her own performances. What scares her most about performing is having to open herself up because she considers herself a shy person.

Elizabeth:

BACKGROUND: Elizabeth was fostered then adopted as a baby into a loving, supportive, big family (4 kids of their own). Her dad is a retired police officer and mom stays at home. Growing up Elizabeth rode horses and loved to play with her older brothers who have all served in the military. Now that everyone is grown up with kids of their own, the Huetts get together every Sunday for a big family BBQ . Elizabeth still lives at home and works as a waitress at a local restaurant.

Recently her adopted brother figured out that a co-worker was Elizabeth’s biological brother. As a result Elizabeth met her mom and biological brothers and sister for the first time less than a year ago. Elizabeth’s adopted family is very supportive of this new union and invites her biological mom and three siblings to their big Sunday bbqs often. She feels very blessed to have been placed into such a loving home and is also overjoyed to have a relationship with her biological family and finally understands where her musical abilities come from. She can’t wait for them to see her perform on a big stage for the first time.

CHARACTER SYNOPSIS: Elizabeth is extremely fiery, bright, witty, and driven. As a stronger singer than dancer she knows she has a lot of work to do on her dancing but feels confident that her voice will continue to out shine some of the other contestants. She commanded the stage during her audition and was a real crowd pleaser.

APPLICATION INFORMATION: Elizabeth felt she should be chosen for the show because, “The audience will root for me.” When asked what inspired her to try out for the show, she said, “It sounded like it would take me out of my comfort zone of just singing and make me work. Hopefully the hard work will pay off!”

She has been taking voice lessons off and on for 5 years and enjoys singing country, pop, and alternative. She is inspired to sing by great music on the radio and television.

The only dance training she has had is one year of jazz classes in middle school. Most of her dance experience comes from clubbing and she feels she is only good at dancing if she is taught the moves and can practice them until she gets them right. Her inspiration to dance comes from music videos because, “the style and expression that are shown these days are off the hook!”

When asked what her proudest accomplishment is, she said, “becoming part of the Huett family (adopted) and making [a] relationship with my newly found biological family.” She feels the most significant moment in her life is yet to come. She feels her honesty is one of her greatest qualities but that it can also be a flaw. She feels her weakness is that she is hard on the ones she loves. She claims to love everything about performing and is undaunted by the prospect of performing in front of millions.

Allysa:

BACKGROUND: Allysa started dancing in jazz classes when she was just 2 years old. She has had training in many styles, but feels she excels in hip-hop and jazz. She has won several scholarships and awards throughout her dancing. Allysa has always had dreams of being on Broadway, which influenced her to want to sing as well as dance. She did receive some vocal training when she was very young at her elementary school. She says she learns new things about her voice daily.

Allysa originally came to the auditions just as support for a friend. When she saw everyone auditioning and realized what a great opportunity the show could be she decided to go for it and audition. When Allysa graduated high school she opted to not go to college right away and moved to New York for 6 months to live with a cousin. From there she moved to Los Angeles and has been there for about a year and a half. Her mother is very supportive of her decisions and her dreams of being a performer.. Allysa would consider going back to school, but is solely focused on her career as a performer for now.

CHARACTER SYNOPSIS: Allysa is nurturing and caring by nature. She is a very proud and determined person. Allysa is aware of her uniqueness and embraces it. She says she will try her best with the competition and see what happens.

APPLICATION INFORMATION: When asked what inspired her to become a performer she did write, “I just truly love to express myself,” and thought she should be chosen for the show because, “I’m beat, and people like to watch me.” When asked what inspired her to apply for the show, she again mentioned the fact that she tried out by accident, but goes on to say, “I’m glad it ended up the way it did because the best things happen by accident ” She has been taking dance lessons for 18 years with classes in ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, tap and African. She is most comfortable in jazz and hip hop and states she definitely does not have a least favourite type of dance. She doesn’t feel she has developed her voice enough to have a favourite style and only guesses that she wouldn’t be good at singing alternative.. She is quite proud of the fact that she is living on her own and regrets nothing in her life so far.. She feels her best quality is her hard work and determination and her worst is that she is messy and unorganized. Finally, when asked what celebrity reminds her of herself, she said, “Nobody! I am not like anyone else. I am original.”

Marqis:

BACKGROUND: Marqis was an athlete his whole life. Both he and his twin brother played football and had dreams of playing for the NFL. In junior college he tore his ACL and also had neck and back spasms, which ended his football career.

After being injured he turned to performing and joined a boy band which he was in for 7 years. He had danced, but had never sung before joining the group so the other members taught him all he knows about singing. They performed on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon about 5 years ago and have been close to breakghrough but it has never quite happened. He believes this is because others want to change their positive and spiritual image. They had a record deal, but have been waiting for the funding from the record company for over a year. The other members of his group were Latter Day Saints and he ended up joining the religion and was baptized 5 years ago.

Marqis has had about a year of vocal training now but hasn’t had any formal dance training. However in high school was on the school’s competitive dance team. The team won many competitions including placing 2nd at Nationals. Marqis primary style of dance is hip-hop.

CHARACTER SYNOPSIS: Marqis is a fun-loving guy. He feels he has not accomplished much in life and this would be a huge stepping-stone for him. In a group he will definitely speak his mind. Due to having less training and experience than some of the other contestants, he may feel left behind at times. He will work hard, as he has a survivor mentality. He also wants to push his limits both mentally and physically.

APPLICATION INFORMATION: Marqis is a “starving artist.” He only heard about the audition at midnight the night before and decided to audition on a whim. When asked what inspired him to be a performer he said, “Honestly, I kinda fell in love with it by chance ” He has had to overcome many hardships to become a performer, but says that the hardest is the fact that he has been “pinchin pennies for 5 years.” He shrugs it off though, saying that sacrifices come with the territory. He thought he should be chosen for the show because, “my face will be famous one way or another. If you decide to be the way Smiles all around.” When asked what inspired him to audition for the show, he simply said, “faith” and takes pride in the fact that he has made it this far with absolutely no formal dance or vocal training.

He says that, “hip hop is all I feel and all I know. But that could change.” He says he appreciates all types of dance, but if he had to choose a least favourite style it would be disco (even though his dance audition song was “Disco Inferno”). He feels he excels in pop and R&B and is inspired to sing by artists like Smokie Narful, Lauren Hill, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Tank, and, as he says, “all those who represent the beauty of song.” He goes on to say, “OH AND BOYZ II MEN!” When asked what accomplishment he is most proud of, he said, “I honestly haven’t accomplished anything as far as I’m concerned.”

He then lists the day he was baptized five years ago as the most significant moment in his life. He lists his sense of humour, his support of his friends, and his blunt honesty as his best qualities and his stubbornness, insensitivity, and his blunt honesty as his worst. When asked if he would consider himself a competitive person, he responded, “Yes I would. But only if it’s something that motivates me or something I believe in.” Marqis really enjoys all sports and used to draw and sketch. He goes on to say, “if I’m not playing sports, singing, or dancing, I’m probably asleep.”

dance, dancing, Dance War, Drew Lachey, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Cheryl Burke