Tag: professional

Getting a Leg Up: How Growing Up as a Comp Kid Prepares You to Go Pro

Commercial dancer Kaitlynn Edgar was in Travis Wall’s class at NUVO when she realized that competitions and conventions could lead to big things. Like joining-Shaping-Sound big. “After class, Travis started asking me all these questions, like when I was graduating,” she recalls. “Everything fell into place, just because I happened to be a senior that […]

On Tour with Shaping Sound

Shaping Sound Dance Company first debuted its full-length production That’s Where I’ll Be Waiting in 2013. Two years later, the contemporary show—with explosive energy from co-choreographers Travis Wall, Nick Lazzarini, Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson, and dancers like Jaimie Goodwin, Chantel Aguirre and Amy Yakima—is still going strong, earning nightly standing ovations. What’s it like […]

21 Quick Questions with Allison DeBona

Ballet West’s Allison DeBona first became a major figure on the pop-culture scene with her stint on The CW series “Breaking Pointe.” Her ethereal grace and commanding stage presence have kept her there since. DeBona trained with the Parou Ballet Company (now New Castle Regional Ballet) in New Castle, PA, and the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet […]

Teddy Forance Writes a Letter to His Teenage Self

Whether he’s onstage with Shaping Sound—the company he helped co-found with Travis Wall, Nick Lazzarini and Kyle Robinson—or performing with artists like P!nk, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga or Usher, contemporary dancer Teddy Forance never delivers anything less than jaw-dropping performances. His technique is flawless and he leaves everything he has on the stage, every single […]