Faculty

Gary Pate - International Director / Master Teacher
Gary has been involved in show business, entertainment and dance since the age of five. He received his Associate of Arts Degree from Prince George's College and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Maryland. He has owned and directed one of the largest gymnastics and dance complexes on the East Coast and was the director and choreographer for Superstars Show Troupe, one of the country's hottest performing groups.

Gary and his students have appeared on the hit TV shows, Star Search, The Today Show, P.M. Magazine, and Good Morning America, have performed at the Apollo Theater, Disney World, The White House for three U.S. Presidents, the National Theater, NFL and NBA half-time shows, and were invited to perform at the World Expo in Brisbane, Australia.

Gary has appeared on the cover of Dance Teacher Now, Dancer Magazine, and Performer's Edge Magazine, and is one of the hottest practicing jazz and acrobatics teachers. He has taught for every major dance organization in the United States, including Dance Educators of America, Dance Masters of America, Dance Olympus, Dance Caravan, Canadian Dance Teachers, NADA and Professional Dance Teachers of America. Gary has taught Master Classes from coast to coast and from Canada to Puerto Rico, also bringing dynamic styles of teaching to private studios across the country. He has worked with great stars such as Sinbad, Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Donald Trump, Michael Bolton, Gregory Peck, Lorrie Morgan, Don Rickles, Shari Lewis and "Downtown" Julie Brown, to name a few. One of the most highly sought after performing arts judges in the country, Gary has also served on the Board of Directors for Dance Educators of America, where he held the position of Competition Chairman. In this position, he built Dance Educators of America's National Dance Competition into one of the biggest in the U.S. In 1992 Gary received the 3rd Annual Robert Christopher Award and in 1991, Mexico honored his achievements in the Art of Dance.

Since 1994, Gary has served on the executive committee for the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover the costs of heart transplants for needy recipients.

Gary began working in the talent competition business over 20 years ago, when he and his parents opened their very first "Starmaker Competition" in Washington, D.C., and has since gone on to lead the nation in establishing comprehensive and fair rules in the talent competition industry.

Gary, in his quest for discovering new talent, established Starpower National Talent Competition 1988 and has set a rapid pace in building this organization into one of the largest and most prestigious talent competitions in America. It is his goal to make Starpower an exciting, professional and fun-filled event, creating memories for a lifetime.

Pamela Bolling
Pamela Bolling is a name that has become synonymous with professionalism and nonstop energy. Starting out as 1 of the first Star Search contestants in dance, her career continued to carry her on to many more exciting things.

For the past 15 years Pamela has been based in Orlando, Florida. She began in Orlando as a dancer/singer/actress working for The Walt Disney World Company. Her first show in Orlando was The Diamond Horseshoe review, where she was put to the test as a triple threat. Later on Pamela went on to do other shows such as: World Dancers, Epcot Center, Explosion Dancer, Pleasure Island and much more. Success did not stop there, however, her

resume reads with such stars as: New Kids On The Block, MC Hammer, Lee Greenwood, Donny and Marie, Back Street Boys and most recent Weird Al Yankovich!

Later, Roger Minami and Bill Thomas (two producers currently working directly with the legendary man himself, Merv Griffin) discovered her. She went on to choreograph in the Bahamas, Paradise Island and Atlantic City. Her shows then went on to take first billing at Merv Griffin’s Resorts

& The Atlantic City Hilton. Being mentored by Roger Minami himself, Pamela began taking on roles not only as a choreographer but also as a director.

When Mr. Minami retired, Pamela joined with two other talented partners and took over his production company, Rabco Enterprises. Now that company is called “Hardrive Productions.”

Currently she and her partner have created world-class entertainment around the globe. Pamela is the resident in-house choreographer and director. Their creative costuming staff includes over 20 seamstresses, dance studio (equity approved) and over two million dollars worth of costumes and sets.

Pamela’s achievements and goals never stop. With her production company, Hardrive Productions, she created The 2nd Story Guys, an astonishing group of stilt performers who have performed at places such as the Super Bowl, The Judd’s Reunion Tour, and The Donny & Marie Show. Their travels also include Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and Bergen, Norway. Hardrive is known as one of the top show producers in Orlando and was recently recognized for “Best Show” at Busch Gardens.

Today Pamela is choreographing for 3 Celebrity Cruise Line ships: the Mercury, Century, and Galaxy as of the last year. She recently opened new shows for them called "A Touch of Broadway," Shout, Dance Around the World, Ole Time Rock n Roll, and "Elements". The shows have received the highest ratings in the history of these 3 ships, which led to an exclusive interview with Pamela for Dance Spirit Magazine.
She is also very busy working with choreographing industrials such as Give Kids The World and Walt Disney World's "Happily Ever After." In addition to that she enjoys working with ballet companies and community theatre. She is currently choreographing and directing the Miss Teen America pageant which will be held for the first time.

Adrienne Renee Canterna

A native of Maryland, 25 year old Adrienne began dancing at age 3. She is a scholarship graduate of the Kirov Academy of Ballet and a national and international guest artist, choreographer, teacher and judge. In 1998, she was the youngest American ever to win the Jr. Female Gold Medal at the Jackson International Ballet Competition at the age of 15. Other prestigious awards inclue "Teen Miss Dance of America" and the "Grishko Award of Excellence in Ballet". She has performed across the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Caribbean. Adrienne has danced with numerous companies including the Washington Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and was a Principal Guest Ballerina with the Universal Ballet in Seoul, Korea for their productions of "Don Quixote", "The Nutcracker" and "La Bayadere". She can also be seen in the motion picture, "Step Up." Adrienne is the Founder and Artistic Director of "American Dance Artists" and "Pretty Girls of Dance. She is also the Associate Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer of Rasta Thomas' "Bad Boys of Dance". www.rastathomas.com

Kacy Combs
Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Kacy received his BFA in Dance Performance from Towson University. Kacy has danced professionally with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Paul Mitchell, Fox Family Channel, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Moving Company and Scott Rink & friends. He has also worked with such stars as, Dru Hill, Jenny Garth (90210), Julio Iglesias, Montell Jordan, N’SYNC, Ultra Nate’, and many more. Recently, Kacy was also featured in People Magazine and on the hit VH1 show DRIVEN: N’SYNC. He has taught and choreographed for NBA Halftime Entertainment, Radio Disney, ACDF, Dance Caravan, Dance Power Express, Dance Masters of America, The Gus Giordano Dance Center, Starpower’s Power Pak, and Wichita

State University, as well as countless studios and companies throughout the US and Canada. His choreography has been regarded as cutting edge and has received awards from every major dance organization in America.

Sky Hoffman

As a first generation American, Sky's parents came to America rooted in the entertainment industry. His father, Freddie around the time of Sky's birth, was producer and choreographer of many Vegas shows and his mother, Mei, was a clothing designer and former assistant to a world famous juggler. As a Las Vegas native Sky was steered away from the 'business' by his parents, but with an extensive background in the martial arts and classical piano, Sky, as he explains it, "indirectly and unconsciously developed the skills necessary to pursue a career in music and movement. . . in other words" as he revises himself with a smile "...my parents indirectly and unconsciously developed the skills necessary for me to pursue a career in music and movement".

As with most children growing up in the 80's and 90's, Sky was apart of the ever-growing MTV generation. Such artists as Michael and Janet Jackson, New Edition, MC Hammer, and the like, were dominating the airwaves, and, like many other teenagers, were emulating their idols by doing what else, impersonating them. Sky was no exception. His "indirect and unconscious development" eventually resulted in his arrival into the street dance world of "Culture Shock", a hip-hop dance troupe with a focus toward inner-city youth. With no prior formal dance training, Sky flourished along a path of unfathomed dreams. Beginning in 1995, he trained consistently with the troupe for 3 years, in 1996, booked his first professional dance job in Las Vegas, "Splash" at the Riviera, and throughout, performed in various conventions and industrials (Nike, Adidas, Jeep, Levi's, Ecko, etc.). Then in 1998 he made the big move to Los Angeles to see if he had what it took to be a successful dancer in the industry.

More than ten years later with multiple tours, commercials, videos, movies, stage performances and televised award shows running the majority of his resume, Sky is surprised, amazed and so thankful: Aaliyah ("We Need a Resolution"), Pink ("Get This Party Started"), Tyrese ("Blue Streak/Criminal Mind"), Justin Timberlake ("Like I Love You", "My Love"), Aerosmith ("Pink"), Britney Spears ("Pepsi"), Beyonce ("Dreamgirls"); even his childhood dance idols Michael Jackson ("American Bandstand", "A Night at the Apollo") and Janet Jackson ("Doesn't Really Matter") are just a select number of artists he has performed with.

A cool laid-back character off-stage with the reputation of being an electrifying performer and entertainer on or off, Sky has always been considered a professional amongst professionals. Recently coming off of Justin Timberlake's "FutureSexLoveShow", Sky, as he puts it, “ . . . has only begun". "I never thought I would be in the entertainment industry, I also never thought I would dance for someone like Michael Jackson... [in saying that,] its never been about the destination, its always been about the journey. . . we cannot predict our future because the future will always be that, the future, but we can attempt to be completely aware of the present. My passion for dance has brought me to this point, who knows where this point will take me in the next ten years. . .". Yes, who does. Meaningful words of wisdom from such a talented young man. Sky has taught his form of "street" inspired dance choreography for the past twelve years. Besides teaching for such well-known LA based dance schools as the Edge, Millenium and Debbie Reynolds as well as many other dance schools around the States, he often teaches internationally for such countries as Canada, England, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia, Switzerland, Portugal, Germany, and Australia. And starting this fall of '08, for the third year, Sky will return to teach for the "Wild" Dance Intensive.

Jason Janas

Jason Janas originally hails from the Northern New Jersey area. His dance education is highlighted by his tenure as a charter member of The New Jersey Tap Ensemble, where Jason began his rhythm tap career under the direction of Mrs. Deborah Mitchell. He has performed at the Supper Club in NYC with Mike Minery, with Adrienne Canterna in Washington, DC for the Vice President Dick Cheney, and many more. Jason has taught for Dance Power Express, Dance Masters of America, Starpower’s Power Pak, and Stepp With Me Dance Conventions.

His tap choreography has won awards from coast – to – coast. Jason is a principal dancer with the Tapestry Dance Company, under the direction of Acia Gray. He has also started his own tap festival called, Hoofin’ Ground in Charlotte, NC.

Recently Jason was featured in Dance Spirit Magazine, along with the rest of the cast of Derick Grant’s Imagine Tap. The show was a critical success and featured some America’s best known tap dancers. In the past year Jason has been keeping busy as a National spokesperson for Capezio Tap shoes appearing in ads in every major dance magazine in the country. He also has been a feature dancer in Ayodele Casel's "Wonderland (A tribute to Stevie Wonder)" and "Diary of a Tap dancer", which was premiered at the world famous Apollo Theater in New York.

Marty Kudelka
In only a short time since his move to Los Angeles, Marty has earned the respect and admiration of the dance community. By working with top artists such as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, N’SYNC, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, O-Town, Christina Milian, Justin Timberlake, Mandy Moore & Donnell Jones, Marty has also quickly become one of the most sought-after choreographers working today.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Marty began breakin’ at the age of eight. By the age of sixteen, Marty began freestyling with his friends and they would sneak into clubs for an opportunity to freestyle as well as watch. Participation in talent shows soon followed and it was at this point that Marty first realized he had the gift of dance. Choreographing routines and teaching

them to his friends progressed into teaching at nearby studios. By the age of 20, Marty opened up his own studio. He eventually transitioned into teaching at the most prestigious dance studio in Dallas where, during his four years there, he was able to tune his craft and become one of the most popular teachers in Dallas.

In June of 1999, Marty came to Los Angeles with $1,200 in his pocket and plans to only stay for two months. Needless to say, he hasn’t left. Marty spent the next year-and-a-half as a co-choreographer on Janet Jackson’s “All For You” World Tour, which is aired as an HBO special. Marty then moved on to choreograph Pink’s “Get The Party Started” music video and N’SYNC’s “Girlfriend” music video. Then on to directing and choreographing N’SYNC’s “Celebrity 2002 Tour” as well as their performance at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

Marty took a brief break from music videos to choreograph the Disney feature film, “The Lizzie McGuire Movie,” which starred Hilary Duff. Marty recently served as artistic director and choreographer for Justin Timberlake’s “Justified” World Tour. He assisted Justin in launching his solo career by choreographing all of his music videos, including “Like I Love You,” “Cry Me A River,” “Rock Your Body,” and “Senorita.” Marty also staged a show-stopping live performance at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. His current credits include Mariah Carey’s “The Emancipation of Mimi” promo tour and the Disney/Touchstone feature film “Stick It”. Look for him as a guest choreographer on the FOX television series “So You Think You Can Dance”.

Aside from choreographing, Marty also enjoys sharing his knowledge and inspiring future generations of dancers by teaching at studios and conventions throughout the country. Marty’s commanding emergence in the dance world demonstrates that true talent is always in high demand.

Billy Larson
From Philadelphia, PA, Billy brings a vast array of performing, teaching, and choreographic experience rangin from contemporary jazz to rhythm tap. As a teacher, he is currently full-time faculty at the renowned Broadway Dance Center in New York City teaching advanced contemporary jazz and just finished the first Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Summer Intensive for The Joffrey Ballet in NYC serving as the resident contemporary jazz instructor.

Recently, Billy danced the lead role in Mia Michaels' "3 Steps From Heaven" staged for ASH Contemporary Dance Company, where Billy performed as principal male dancer for 4 years. He traveled throughout North America as Funky in Dein Perry's critically acclaimed TAP

DOGS and was a dance champion on CBS's Star Search. Other company work includes principal roles with the late Mark Marino's American Dance Company where Billy performed throughout Italy, Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia. Some other credits include the 2002 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies in Salt Lake City, Carnival Choreographer's Ball NYC, The Elan Awards, Broadway Dance Center's Performance Outlets, and Dancers Responding to AIDS benefit performances. Broadening his career as a choreographer, Billy recently formed Truth In Progress, a contemporary dance company based out of the Philadelphia/NYC area. Check Billy out online at www.billylarson.net

Carrie Locklyn
Born and raised in the small beach town of Cape May, NJ. Carrie has been on the stage since the age of 4. She began her studies at the Jersey Cape Performing Arts School. After joining their company at the age of 8, Carrie made her way into the competition circuit where she earned recognition and many titles (including Miss Starpower). After 11 years with the company and thousands of hours of ballet class, Carrie was ready. Carrie started her career at the age of 16; her first break came in Barry Lather’s Retro Active, after such she found herself cruising the world and choreographing shows for Paramount.

Carrie made the move to NYC, where she continued her success in the dance world as well as branching out into other fields of the entertainment industry. After choreographing tours and club shows for many artists, Carrie was asked to start artist development for major record label showcases. As result seeing her clients signed to such labels as Sony and Ministry of Sound. After performing on MTV’s VMA’s with Jimmy Fallen and James Brown, Carrie was requested to appear in numerous episodes of Saturday Night Live. After many successful years in NYC, multiple television appearances, national commercials, and print campaigns she decided to test the waters in Los Angeles. L.A. placed new goals and challenges in Carrie's path. She entered the world of commercial hip-hop, something that was not as prominent on the east coast and after a year of consistent training she started assisting and teaching along side one of hip hop's top teachers. (Sky Hoffmann) Carrie was chosen to be a part of Mariah Carey's come back tour for the Emancipation of MIMi, after many award shows and world wide performances, Carrie had the honor of making history performing next to Mariah for Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's Eve in Time Square. On the teaching front Carrie has over 10 years of experience stateside as well as internationally. Her teaching has lead her to countries such as Switzerland, England, Ireland, Germany, Canada, Estonia, and Portugal to name a few. Carrie continues working with the top names in the business, she currently has multiple commercials running and recently was featured on the ESPY Awards along side Justin Timberlake. She has also started to make waves in her acting career recently shooting the pilot “As Advertised”.

Kenny Wormald (Appearing in Dallas, TX and Washington D.C.)
Kenny was a featured dancer on the MTV network show Dancelife. Kenny has appeared in the films You Got Served, Jackass II, and was a feature performer in Center Stage "Turn It Up". After performing in the Nelly Furtado video "Promiscuous", he was noticed in an audition by Nelly and danced backup with her in a performance of her hit "Maneater" on the TV show Saturday Night Live. Since then he has been in video's and toured with Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Prince, PCD, Jessica Simpson, and Kylie Minogue. Kenny will be appearing at WILD as a special guest this season.