Our world, it seems, is totally obsessed with pop stars. In the dance industry, however, our fascination for these artists generally centres round the choreography created for their shows rather than their bad behaviour or life choices. Aspiring commercial dancers, young students and teachers alike scrutinize the performances of these artists. Of special interest are the backing-dancers -- who strategically placed to enhance the star’s appearance. How do you get to be where they are – dancing off the right shoulder of Britney Spears, Beyonce or Timomatic? And what is the experience really like?
Kaylie Yee, Katie Mc Mahon and Charles Bartley are three Australian freelance commercial dancers. Though they are only hitting their mid-20’s, they have already performed with some of the best. Between them they have performed as backing dancers for Beyonce, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, Taylor Swift, Ricky Martin, Flo Rida, Jason Derulo, Pink, Jessie J, Ke$ha, Chris Isaak, Wynter Gordon, Rita Ora, Kelis and Alexis Jordan. They have backed them for guest appearances in Australia, on shows like The Voice, X Factor, So You Think You Can Dance, the Logies or the NRL Grand Final. They have also performed with most of the major Australian pop artists who have toured or launched in the last five years and appeared in their in video clips. Kaylie Yee is presently in the cast of Britney Spears’s “Piece of Me” show, now in the middle of a two-year residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
Read the full article in the Dec/Jan edition of Dance Australia, available for purchase online via the Dance Australia app or at selected newsagents and dance shops.