The Commercial “It” Girls

Posted on Jun 1, 2010 by .

(L-R) Lauren Gottlieb, Heather Morris and Taja Riley. Photo by Joe Toreno.

No matter where you turn these days—magazines, TV, even the Academy Awards—you’re likely to spot one of these three dancers: Heather Morris, Lauren Gottlieb or Taja Riley. All three are former comp kids turned commercial queens, and they’re heating up the industry. Heather is a dancer-turned-actress with girl-next-door charm, and thanks to her role on “Glee,” she’s in high demand in Hollywood. Lauren is a familiar face: Since appearing on “So You Think You Can Dance,” she’s booked jobs with everyone from Mariah Carey to Cirque du Soleil. And then there’s Taja: Though she’s just 18, she’s already a hot commodity on the commercial scene.

So what’s their secret? They’ve all got star quality. “They were all ‘that girl’ at the dance competition, who was winning all of the awards,” says Brian Friedman, who has known all three girls since they were young. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off them. They had the performance quality on top of the technical ability.”

This month, catch all three girls on “Glee”: Heather returns as Brittany, the dim-witted (and hilarious) cheerleader; Lauren will be front and center as a dancer with rival singing group Vocal Adrenaline; and Taja will suit up as a Cheerios cheerleader. Read on to meet these three dance dynamos.

Comments

comments

Hide ↑
My mom signed me up for my first dance class when I was four and I was instantly addicted. I danced everywhere, leaping through the aisles at the grocery store and making homemade dance videos in my basement with my best friend. Eventually I started competing at Concord Dance Academy in Concord, NH, spending every winter weekend competing in tap, jazz, musical theater, open and lyrical. I spent nearly 30 hours a week in the studio and I never got sick of it. I thrived on competition until I went to college as a journalism major at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT, where I was also the captain of the university’s Kickline team. We won first place in the college division at the Scholastic Kickline Championships and now, with a massive trophy and a diploma under my belt, here I am, living the dancer/writer dream working at Dance Spirit.
Alison's website
Follow Alison on Twitter
Recent Related Posts
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.