MELBOURNE dancer Jacob Moulton (16) has the tap dance world at his feet. The high school student successfully juggles his tap dance commitments and his studies with his role as wide receiver in the Under 19’s Melbourne University Gridiron Team. He also sails and boxes for fitness.
Jacob has had a busy few years. He received Silver at the International Dance Organisations (IDO) Dance World Cup in Romania for his tap dance solo in 2015 and competed in the IDO Tap Dance Championships in Germany in 2016, taking home Silver in the IDO Junior Trios and placing fourth in the world in the IDO World Tap Dance Male Solo section.
His success at the 2016 IDO Championships opened the door for Jacob to perform in the American Tap Dance Show, a large tap show in Boston, alongside “some of the greatest IDO world tap adult champions”. He also performed for Timberland alongside some of Australia’s best tappers in the TDC production, “Three Feet of Beat”.
Jacob is taught by Cathy Nicholas, Jason Samuels Smith, Bjon Carter, Omar Ewards and Joseph Lemae in Los Angeles and by Ray Hesselink in New York. His Australian teachers are Jack Egan, Thomas Egan, Sheldon Perry and Julie Green. His vocal coach is Sally Bourne. He says his idols are the Nicholas Brothers, Hugh Jackman and the American football champion Odell Beckham Jr.
Not surprisingly, 2017 is looking busy. Jacob will be competing in the Dance World Cup in Germany along with the Commonwealth Dance Cup in South Africa in August. He would also like to compete again the IDO Championships “pending end of year school exams”. He will dance in the LA Tap Festival and the Australian Dance Society Gala performance at Etihad Stadium.
Jacob says that in the future, his “ultimate goals is to get a Veterinary Science degree either in Australia or overseas while performing and working in theatre and movies professionally”. . . . preparing to compete in the Dance World Cup in Germany and the Commonwealth Dance Cup in South Africa.”
- MIchelle Dursun
Top: Jacob Moulton performing at the Timberland shoes launch event, at Melbourne's Docklands last year. PHOTO: SHANNYN HIGGINS PHOTOGRAPHY.
This profile is part of a special feature entitled "Rising Stars", by Michelle Dursun, in the June/July issue of Dance Australia. Get your hands on the new issue at your favourite magazine retailer or subscribe here, or purchase an online copy via the Dance Australia app.