Dancing with the Backstreet Boys is a nice gig..

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 17, 2099 Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Submitted By: Y Wednesday, November 17, 1999 Dancing with the Backstreet Boys is a nice gig for 3 St. Louis-area hoofers By Kevin C. Johnson Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic Dancing on stage with the Backstreet Boys during the hot pop group's completely sold-out tour is a nice gig - if you can get it. The arenas will be packed when the tour hits cities acound the world, and many young dancers would sell their souls to get on board. But a trio of St. Louis-area hoofers, Amy Allen, Earl "Sleepy" Manning and Roland Tabor, didn't have to go to such extremes to land three of the 10 dancer spots on the tour. They just relied on their talent. "It was a little different for each of us," Allen explained during a telephone interview at a tour stop in Detroit. Manning and Tabor, who are brothers, also gathered in Allen's hotel room for the phone chat. Allen, originally of St. Charles, went the old-fashioned route to get on the tour. She auditioned for choreographer Fatima Robinson. "I wasn't even auditioning for the Backstreet Boys," says Allen, who first met with Robinson for a slot in Will Smith's "Miami" video, which she didn't get. What she did get was some notice from Robinson, who later called her for the Backstreet Boys tour. "She asked if I was interested, and of course I said yes. I was home by myself when I got the news. I screamed my head off. My phone bill was out of sight because I had to tell everybody. It came out of nowhere," says Allen, 24, a former Los Angeles Lakers girl who has appeared in videos by Mase, Master P, C-Murder and Maxi Priest. She has since gone on to appear in the Backstreet Boys' latest video for "Larger Than Life," danced with the group on the MTV Video Awards and completed the Backstreet Boys' European tour. That's a lot of dancing considering Allen left Missouri only last year. "I didn't think it would happen this quickly. If you don't look spectacular or have a special look, it's difficult. To me, I look like an all-American girl. So doing the hip-hop thing is a little difficult since I'm white and blond. They look at you in an audition and they're like 'Hmmm, no rhythm.'" Manning, 25, didn't have to audition since Robinson was already familiar with his work as a dancer. He'd toured with Aaliyah and Next and appeared in the "Larger Than Life" and "(Everybody) Backstreet's Back" videos since leaving St. Louis in 1996 on a Los Angeles-bound Greyhound bus with $20 in his pocket. "She knew me as a dancer and asked me if I wanted to come. She'd seen us (Manning and Tabor) in the clubs in LA and liked how we danced," says Manning, who'd also toured with the Backstreet Boys in Europe. Making it as an R&B/hip-hop dancer didn't come as quickly for Manning, whose first video in 1996, for R&B girl group 702, was never aired. But he knew his day would come. "I knew I wanted to dance, that I wanted to go to LA and learn to become a famous dancer," says Manning, who speaks of growing up in near-poverty conditions with little chance of accomplishing what he has. "I worked to try to achieve certain goals," says Manning, who'll tour with the Backstreet Boys in South America and Japan next year. Tabor, 22, also danced with Aaliyah, appeared in the same two Backstreet Boys videos as his brother, did a Hammer video, danced for Usher on two tours and choreographed Ginuwine. "It's a blessing, a true blessing. This makes me feel good. It's great," says Tabor, who moved to Los Angeles four years ago. He, too, expects to tour with the Backstreet Boys next year. It is folks like Manning, Allen and Tabor who help make the Backstreet Boys look good on stage, as fans will see when the ensemble performs at Kiel Center tonight. A group like the Backstreet Boys can't get by on singing alone, and flashy special effects and hyperactive dancing are needed to keep the show moving. When the Boys last performed here in July 1998, their moves were tightly choreographed, though the steps weren't exactly current. "They may not be the best dancers, but they catch on real quick," says Manning, who ranks their dancing ability just behind that of Aaliyah, Ginuwine and Next. Allen says, "Actually a few of them are good dancers. Kevin (Richardson) used to teach ballroom dancing. A couple of them have some nice rhythm going on." She says what the Backstreet Boys reveal on stage in the dancing department is a combination of what comes naturally and what the choreographer instilled in them. "The choreographer worked with them a lot. And even when you have something natural, it's still hard work." "They learn quick," said Tabor. "Some learn quicker than others. But they work really hard, and they won't get on that stage unless they get it down pat." So what are Richardson, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, Howard Dorough (Howie D.) and Alexander James McLean (A.J.) like off stage? "The guys are so cool. We get together all the time and confer. They listen to our ideas and they're extremely nice, and they want to participate in a lot of things with us," says Manning. Tabor agrees, saying, "We all go to clubs together, and they come to the room for Play Station. But I hang out with Nick more than any of them." But Allen sees a little less of the Backstreet Boys when they're not performing. "It's hard, though we try to schedule little events like a Halloween party or bowling party. But lots of times they're in different hotels and they're doing lots of press and have lots of meetings. It takes up lots of their time. But as far as the dancers go, we're a big family and we spend a lot of time together." Backstreet Boys Where: Kiel Center When: 7:30 tonight How much: Sold out More info: 241-1888 Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnansaz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: johnansaz http://t-links.org/EZjAi12N real sex dating near you! Submitted by: best pron BNYjUr Thanks again for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on Comment on this item. Next Item: Readers respond to "Crushed: Backstreet Boys Disappoint" Prev Item: Readers respond to "Crushed: Backstreet Boys Disappoint" (Part II)