Age 2 • Began watching his brother’s videotape of Michael Jackson’s Making Of Thriller and "a year later I had the whole routine memorized." Age 5 • Won a dance contest for eight year olds and up and the prize was to meet M.J. "The next night I performed at his concert." • Joined The Johnny Young Talent School doing shows, clubs and TV shows. Age 7 • While at Disney with the Talent School he fell in love with America. Moved with his family to the U.S. • Started working with Michael on Black Or White, Jam and the Heal The World videos, which "sprung me into dancing in other artists’ videos." Age 10 • Commercials and co-starred on the TV show Full House. Performed in the 65th Annual Academy Awards, choreographed by Debbie Allen. Age 11 • "Hey kid, wanna be in a rap group?" was the question asked at Venice Beach when Wade was discovered once again. The group, which included one other kid, was called Quo and was under Michael’s label, MJJ Music. Wade traveled for about two years, during which time "I got interested in music production from learning and hanging out with the production people. Soon after, I got my own studio and began writing and producing music." Age 12 • Started subbing at Moro Landis Dance Studios in L.A. "People soon started demanding I have my own class, so they gave me three classes a week where I was averaging about 40-50 people a class." • Teacher at Tremaine Dance Studios and the EDGE Performing Arts Center in L.A. • Principal actor in the movie Kazaam, also produced a song for the soundtrack with Shaquille O’Neal, We Genie. Age 14 • Choreographed and produced the music for his breakdown session "that later became my signature thing" for Immature’s Watch Me Do My Thang video on Nickelodeon. • Started on the dance convention circuit with Tremaine. • Choreographed for Immature’s performance on the 7th America’s Teachers’ Award for Disney and Kids’ Choice Awards for Nickelodeon. • Produced the title song for the Mystery Men movie, Who Are Those Mystery Men? • Produced Youngstown’s next single, Peddle To The Steel, the same group responsible for the Go Go Gadget movie’s title song. Age 16 • Choreographed and produced the music for the opening number on Britney Spears’ tour. "My new signature thing has become choreography and music. I can accent the music to give it a whole new vibe." • Choreographed the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for Britney and produced the music for ’NSYNC. (To those of you who thought you saw fellow Tremaine teacher and Wade’s "partner in crime" Dan Karaty dancing on the VMAs, you were right!) Age 17 • Working on the music and choreography for the European VMAs with Britney. "I’ll re-do the Baby and Crazy music by taking the vocals and creating a whole new track around them." • Wanted by ’NSYNC to produce music for their shows and possibly write on their new album. • Choreographing the new Genuine video None Of Your Friend’s Business, which is going to be a remake of the Thriller video. • Working with IMX on their new video. • Traveling with Tremaine on their dance convention circuit.JUST WADE Q: Is it hard to be taken seriously as a choreographer at your age? A. It’s starting to get better, but when I began choreographing at 14 it was hard. People would ask, ’Who’s the teacher?,’ ‘The little kid over there with the shaved white head.’ ‘Yeah, right!’ But I proved myself as soon as I started dancing. Once I built up my rTsumT it became a little easier. Q: What was working with Michael Jackson like? A. It was never a big deal meeting Michael because I’ve known him from such a young age. I consider him to be just another guy who’s lucky to be a part of something like I am. Q: Do you feel like you missed out on your childhood? A. No, because I just had different experiences than other kids my age. When everyone was at the prom I was in France teaching a workshop at a studio. I started home study when I was in Quo in sixth grade. When I was in ninth grade I started accelerating and graduated about a year and a half ago. In terms of college, if I do go I would go to film school because that’s something I really want to do. Q: What’s a day in the life of Wade? A. At home, I work in my production studio, writing and producing music as much as I can. Because of my busy schedule I don’t get to devote as much time to music as I would like. When I do get the time off I’m in my studio or doing auditions for commercials, TV shows and other acting gigs. Q: What work are you most proud of? A. The VMAs. It was the most creative control I’ve had over something, plus I did the music and I was really proud of it. Also, the new Youngstown single that’s coming out, their first single from the movie Go Go Gadget soundtrack went over really well, so Disney’s backing this new one all the way. Q: What’s the best part about what you do? A. The people you get to interact with and also the final product. Sitting back and watching something you did in your home studio broadcast on TV to 45 million people is pretty trippy, but I get over it quick and start thinking about what I can do next time to make it better. Q: What’s the most difficult part? A. Having to be so creative. Currently I’m working on the music for the new Genuine video and I just finished doing the music for Britney’s VMA performance and now I gotta do it all again. It’s hard and also fun and creative to figure out where to pull it from. Q: What is the most important advice you share with dancers and choreographers? A. To begin with, set goals. You can make anything happen if you want it bad enough. Plan five years ahead, strive for it every day and understand that everything you do affects where you’re going to be in five years. Never wait for things to come to you, you gotta be a go-getter and go get it. Q: What is your choreographic process? A. I play the music without even thinking about dancing, I just feel the music. I try to put my body into strange positions that feel uncomfortable to make up new stuff people haven’t seen before. You can take something from anything. I watch and study animals—the way cats move, orangutans, raptors in Jurassic Park—and then turn that into dance moves. Q: What tips do you have for breaking into music? A. First off, you have to get an agent or a manager. To find out about casting calls, check the Internet. Once you start going to auditions, don’t go in there like a hermit and stand in back, learning the routine and thinking ’I’ll just be good and act nice and that will come through and they’ll recognize me.’ Obviously be respectful, but when dancers come into L.A. auditions they come in with platforms and crop tops, looking like ‘Grrr, get out of my way!’ You have to go in with confidence, otherwise you’ll get trampled on. Q: How can dancers keep their skills sharp? A. Practice constantly. For ballet and jazz you have to be in class to get your technique, but for hip hop dancers that’s not as important. Watch as much as you can, especially videos, but not just what’s out today because it all had to come from somewhere. Go to the source: Watch old musicals starring the Nicholas Brothers, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly. Study the dancing and turn it into your own thing. Also, don’t just work on choreography; know how to freestyle. Seventy percent of auditions are freestyle—that’s where you find your own niche, what makes you a little different and gives you your own style. Q: What about the financial rewards of dance as a career? A. Dancing is a really hard business because of the amount of work and the low pay. If you’re lucky you get a steady gig and a solid income, but that doesn’t happen often. It’s hard because dancers have such passion. Videos are a lot of fun, but not the best money in the world. Work toward regular income, like a tour. Q: Where do you see yourself in the future? A. Being an artist, a singer and a rapper. Further in the future I see myself directing movies, choreographing on a smaller scale for my films, definitely still writing and producing music. The problem with all that is sometimes doing too much can hurt you because you end up not doing anything right. Right now I just want to figure out an avenue where one thing can lead to another. I think making an album can do that, it will enable me to produce and write my own music which will spark others’ interest in having me do music for them and help my producing career take off. Q: All the girls on the dance circuit are dying to know, do you have a girlfriend? A. No. Enough said!You've Seen Him In
