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Fanny Pak

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Fanny Pak
OriginLos Angeles, California, USA
GenresContemporary, jazz, hip-hop
Years active2005–Present
MembersMatt Cady
Gerald Espinosa
Beau Fournier
Natalie Gilmore
Tiffani Grant
Cara Horibe
Megan Lawson
Glenda Morales
Preston Mui[1]
Sohey Sugihara
Past membersPhil Collins[1]
Websitewww.fannypak.com

Fanny Pak is a ten-member contemporary, hip-hop and jazz trained dance crew from Los Angeles, California that gained popularity after being a third place finisher on the second season of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC). Often while performing, the crew wears bright clothes and bold patterns reminiscent of the 1980s as well as their fanny packs, which is where their crew name originated. All of the members were born in the 80's.[2] The crew later returned to compete on the seventh season of America's Best Dance Crew, placing fifth in the competition and becoming the first crew to ever have the misfortune of being humilated twice with defeat on the show in separate seasons.[3]

Members

Matt Cady

Matt Cady (born October 17, 1985) formed Fanny Pak while he was teaching at Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in North Hollywood, CA.[4] Other than teaching at Debbie Reynolds, Matt choreographed the stage show Grease for the 2004 Fringe Festival in Scotland.[5] He also choreographed a music video and a promotional tour for the independent singer Natalise. His dancing credits include Missy Elliott, ABC Family's "The Secret Life of an American Teenager", Jessica Simpson, Finger 11, and Erin Hamilton.[5] Other than Fanny Pak, Matt is also a member of Collide Dance Company and Unity Dance Ensemble.[5]

Before appearing on MTV, Matt and his fellow crew members performed at The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball, a monthly performance showcase for dancers/choreographers to perform in front of other professional dancers.[4][6] He is now teaching hip-hop dance at the Edge Performing Arts Center.[7] He is also a faculty member at Triple Threat,[8] Intrigue Dance,[5] and at Monsters of Contemporary[9] dance conventions. He is currently represented by DDO Artists Agency.[10]

Megan Lawson

Megan Lawson (born November 19, 1985) began training in tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, and hip-hop in her hometown Calgary, Alberta, Canada at Dance Spectrum Inc.[11] Megan later became a faculty member for Triple Threat Dance Convention in Vancouver.[12] In 2006, Megan moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in dance.[11] Other than being a member of Fanny Pak, Megan's credits Include Missy Elliott, Lil Mama, MTV's Video Music Awards, Another Cinderella Story, Canon Electronics, New Balance Athletics, BODOG Poker, SONY, Boogiezone's World Hip Hop Showcase, and LA Fashion week.[13]

Cara Horibe

Cara “Barracuda” Horibe (born May 31, 1984) started dancing at the age of 9 in Hawaii.[14] She began teaching with 24-VII Danceforce while training in jazz, hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, swing, and gymnastics.[14] Cara moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to pursue a career in dance. She has continued to train and assist under various choreographers such as Erica Sobol, Gil Duldalao, Kevin Maher, and So You Think You Can Dance alumnus Mark Kanemura.[14] She also became a member of the contemporary dance company Collide under the direction of Erica Sobol in 2007 and joined Fanny Pak in 2008. Cara is a faculty member for Boogiezone and Broadway Dance Center. Her dance credits include Missy Elliott, Lil Mama, MTV Video Music Awards, High School Musical 3, Canon Electronics, and LA Fashion Week.[14] Cara also appears as one of the background dancers in the 2009 Janet Jackson music video, Make Me.[15]

Beau Fournier

Beau Fournier (born July 1, 1983) is from the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. At the late age of 19, Beau started dance and it turned into a career.[16] He is currently signed with DDO Artists Agency and Artist's International.[16] Some of Beau's credits include: Angel Faith VH1 Save the Music Tour, Paula DeAnda, Diet Pepsi, The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball, ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Missy Elliott, Lil Mama, and the MTV Video Music Awards.[16] He also has worked dance groups such as The CSUN Hip Hop Team, Expressive Doubt LA, and Asylum Dance Company. Beau is currently an instructor at Jayvee Dance Center (Alhambra, CA). Also At Jayvee Beau has created two dance company Mischief Makers and adult Expedition team and Trouble Makers his Teen Competing Team

Glenda Morales

Glenda Morales (born October 23, 1987) started training and competing in gymnastics before deciding to get serious with dance. She started ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, and modern at age 11 and began competing right away. At Cal State University, Fullerton, Glenda began as a dance major and was performing at Disneyland as a dancer and acrobat until she was offered representation by DDO Artists Agency. Her major changed from dance to communications with emphasis in entertainment studies. Since joining DDO, Glenda has danced for a few music artists including Keke Palmer, Raven Symone, and Ashley Tisdale. She also appeared in the 2009 cheerleading movie Fired Up! Competing on America's Best Dance Crew gave Glenda and the crew the opportunity to dance with Missy Elliott and opened the door to future projects with Lil Mama. Glenda is on the cover of the new Harlequin book, Chasing Romeo,[17] and was featured in the 12th episode of the 6th season of The Office as one of "Scott's Tots."[18] She also was a backup dancer on Glee in the episode "Funk."

Tiffani Grant

Originally from Antioch, CA, Tiffani began dancing her freshmen year at Deer Valley High School where she trained in jazz, modern, ballet, African, hula, hip-hop, and jazz funk with Sharlene Sabonis. Dance carried over into her college education at Cal State University Northridge where she trained in modern and ballet with Dr. Paula Thompson on her path to become a dance therapist. Since her move to southern California she's studied with various choreographers such as Tony G., Travis Payne, and Keith Young. She currently has representation with Bloc Talent Agency. Before she discovered her passion for dance, Tiffani was a hard core cheerleader and coached nationally ranked youth cheerleading and Hip-Hop teams. She still choreographs song/pom competition routines for her former high school. She became a song leading instructor for the United Spirit Association teaching cheer camps to high school and middle school students all over the west coast. Tiffani is not competing on Season 7 of ABDC to focus more on school, but is still part of Fanny Pak.

Natalie Gilmore

Natalie Gilmore (born December 30, 1985) grew up in Seattle, WA. She has been dancing since the age of 5, training in all areas including ballet, tap, jazz and hip-hop. Natalie moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and since then has trained under many teacher/choreographers including Marty Kudelka, David Moore, and Tessandra Chavez. Natalie toured the world as a backup dancer for Avril Lavigne and has recently worked with Joe Jonas promoting his newest solo album "Fastlife."

America's Best Dance Crew

In 2008, Fanny Pak appeared on the second season of America's Best Dance Crew and finished in third place behind runner-up, SoReal Cru, and the season champion, Super Cr3w. Ironically, the judges voted them off on the episode themed "80's night", where each crew had to make up a routine using music and dances that were made popular in the 80's.[19] After the second season was over, they returned for a two-part ABDC special, Battle of the VMA's. During the MTV special presentation, popular crews from seasons one and two competed for an opportunity to win $25,000 for charity and to present the 2008 VMA for Best Dancing in a Video.[20] Other than Fanny Pak, alumni crews BreakSk8, SoReal Cru, Kaba Modern, and Status Quo participated in the event. BreakSk8 and Status Quo were eliminated in the preliminary rounds.[21] After the public voted, Fanny Pak and Kaba Modern moved on, eliminating SoReal Cru for having the least votes. After a dance off, the public voted once again, and it was announced during the VMA's that Fanny Pak won. They are the only dance crew to ever receive an award at the MTV Video Music Awards.[5] They later went on the America's Best Dance Crew Live tour with Jabbawockeez, Super Cr3w, Breaksk8, and ASIID.[22]

In 2012, it was announced that Fanny Pak had been selected to compete in the seventh season of America's Best Dance Crew, marking the first time a dance crew has appeared to compete on the show twice.[3] Fanny Pak has five of the same members from season two and four new members. Previous member Phil left Fanny Pak one year ago to pursue other projects[23], while Tiffani was focusing on school and chose not to participate this season. The crew was eliminated during the seventh week, placing fifth overall.

Performances on ABDC

Season 2

Week Challenge Song Result
0: Live Auditions Special None "11h30" by Danger Safe
1: Crew's Choice Challenge None "Speakerphone" by Kylie Minogue Bottom 2
2: Video Star Challenge Perform some choreography from the video in the routine "Wind It Up" by Gwen Stefani featuring Pharrell Safe
3: Rock the Title Challenge Create an illusion of actual toy soldiers on stage "Toy Soldier" by Britney Spears Safe
4: Speed Up Challenge Transition from a slow tempo song to a fast one "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey Safe
5: Janet Jackson Challenge Incorporate Janet's famous moves into the routine "All Nite (Don't Stop)" by Janet Jackson Safe
6: Bring The Beat Challenge Make beats on stage using props found in a gym "Spaz" by N.E.R.D Safe
7: Missy Elliott Challenge Incorporate footwork from the video into their own style "Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliott Bottom 2
8: Eighties Theme Challenge Challenge #1: Perform the "Vanilla Ice" dance move horizontally "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau/"Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice Eliminated
Challenge #2: Incorporate elements from the film Flashdance "Maniac" (from Flashdance) by Michael Sembello
10: The Live Finale None "Go Hard or Go Home" by E-40 (with Supreme Soul & Super Cr3w) Returning

Season 7

Week Challenge Song Result
1: Britney Spears Challenge None "Womanizer" by Britney Spears Safe
2: Flo Rida Challenge None N/A N/A
3: Madonna Challenge Incorporate waacking and heels into their routine "Girl Gone Wild" by Madonna Safe
4: Drake Challenge Create a treadmill "Make Me Proud" by Drake featuring Nicki Minaj Bottom 2
5: J.Lo Challenge Change clothes and incorporate a four man lift during their routine "Waiting for Tonight" by Jennifer Lopez Bottom 3
6: Pitbull Challenge Incorporate Indian Bollywood dance styles in their routine "International Love" by Pitbull featuring Chris Brown Bottom 2
7: Rihanna Challenge Incorporate color guard rifle spins "Talk That Talk" by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z Eliminated

Other projects

Outside of ABDC, Fanny Pak has continued to find success. They choreographed and danced in Lil Mama's "Truly In Love" video which featured season four So You Think You Can Dance alumnus Mark Kanemura as well as Supreme Soul crew members Frost and George.[24][25] The video was choreographed by Matt Cady.[24] They also had a line of sneakers, the Battle collection, through the independent shoe company, MilkShake Kicks in New York City. The Battle I and the Battle Black were released in September 2009.[26] Fanny Pak choreographed, and was featured in, a commercial for the relaunch of the Hasbro children's toy Bop It.[27] Fanny Pak is also mentioned in the 2009 Lil Wayne song "Watch My Shoes".[28] They made an appearance in the Toni Braxton music video "Make My Heart." They have also appeared on Yelle's music videos for "Que Veux-tu" and "Safari Disco Club". Fanny Pak are featured in the 2011 sequel Honey 2 starring Katerina Graham and Randy Wayne which was released in cinemas on June 10, 2011.

Fanny Pak Album

Fanny Pak released a full length dance album featuring all seven crew members from season two and special guest appearances from artists such as Taboo from The Black Eyed Peas, Chonique Sneed, and Far East Movement. Their first single from their debut album, "Something Sick" was featured in a segment featuring Fanny Pak on The Logo Channel's NewNowNextPopLab.[29] The crew recorded the album with District 78, the producers behind the master mixes for America's Best Dance Crew. A preview EP, entitled "A Touch of Fanny" was released on August 17, 2010.[30] The songs released on the EP were "Something Sick," "Show Out," and "Close to You."

Management

Fanny Pak is represented by Artist International in Los Angeles, CA. Arnel Calvario, the founder of Kaba Modern, and Joel Newton are Fanny Pak's managers.[31]

References

  1. ^ a b "Videos: Fanny Pak behind the scenes -- a new member and dance rehearsals". Blogging America's Best Dance Crew. June 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  2. ^ "Forming their Crew Name". Logoonline.com. August 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  3. ^ a b Silberman, Lindsay (2012-03-15). "Exclusive: Meet the New Cast of America's Best Dance Crew". TVGuide. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  4. ^ a b "Matt Cady of Fanny Pak on ABDC". LAist.com. Gothamist. August 7, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Matt Cady resume" (PDF). DDOAgency.com. Retrieved 2009-10-25. [dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Carnival News". TheChoreographersCarnival.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  7. ^ "EDGE Teachers". EdgePac.com. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  8. ^ "All-Star Faculty". TripleThreatDance.com. Retrieved 2009-10-05. [dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Faculty". MonstersOfContemporary.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  10. ^ "Los Angeles, CA: Choreography Department: Matt Cady". DDOAgency.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  11. ^ a b "Dance Crew Star Returns to Alberta". Canada.com. January 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  12. ^ "Triple Threat Dance Convention 2008 Vancouver Faculty". TripleThreatDance.com. unknown 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) [dead link‍]
  13. ^ "RISE: Megan Lawson". live-dance-rise.blogspot.com. May 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  14. ^ a b c d "Cara Horibe Faculty Bio". bwydance.com. unknown. Retrieved 2009-10-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Bloc Agency Announcements". blocagency.com. unknown. Retrieved 2009-11-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) [dead link‍]
  16. ^ a b c "Fanny Pak Faculty Bio". bwydance.com. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  17. ^ "Fanny Pak & Friends Week". communityclass.com. April 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  18. ^ "Watch Glenda (Fanny Pak) on NBC's The Office". tv.com. December 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
  19. ^ (August 8, 2008) ABDC: SoReal Cru & Super Cr3W Dance to Finale. People magazine. Accessed 2009-07-01.
  20. ^ Kaba Modern vs Fanny Pak at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) Accessed 2009-07-01
  21. ^ http://dancemanila.com/2008/09/09/fanny-pak-represent/ Accessed 2009-07-01
  22. ^ Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo (guests) (August 26, 2008). The Yuri and Taeko Show - Napoleon & Tabitha - ABDC 2 Finale. Los Angeles.Accessed 2009-07-01.
  23. ^ Pak, Fanny. "Fanny Pak Phil". Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  24. ^ a b Lil Mama And Fanny Pak Make Sweet Music (Video) Together Accessed 2009-07-01
  25. ^ Truly in Love by Lil Mama featuring Peter Toh, Music Video and Lyrics Accessed 2009-07-01
  26. ^ http://milkshakekicks.com/shop.html Accessed 2009-07-01
  27. ^ "We are practicing playing our version of bop it". Tublr. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  28. ^ "Lil Wayne - Watch My Shoes Lyrics". Killerhiphop.com. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  29. ^ "Fanny Pak Performs "Something Sick"". Logoonline.com. August 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  30. ^ "Fanny Pak on their album". Logoonline.com. August 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  31. ^ Agpawa, Marirose (2009-08-10). "Just dance: Vegas hosts international competitions". Las Vegas: The Rebel Yell. UNLV. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
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