Who was the best celebrity to perform with and why? What’s your best tour story? ~Lisa, NYC

Hmmmm, let me think... there was Men in Black II with Will Smith, videos with Jessica Simpson, touring with Pink, the American Music Awards and MTV Awards with 'NSYNC, Pepsi commercials with Britney, the Pro Bowl halftime in Hawaii with Jennifer Love Hewitt, the HBO special with Michael Jackson; amazing memories and great experiences on so many levels.

I think what stands out the most is my time working with Jennifer Lopez… and I’ll tell you why. I danced, worked and traveled with some of my best friends while dancing for her. There were six talented male dancers on tour and Cris Judd, who is a good friend of mine, was the choreographer at the time. We had a hectic schedule, performing on numerous TV shows, flying from country to country every day (from Spain to London, Germany to Sweden), all to promote her new album. We were paid well and treated very well as far as the amenities; she took good care of us. One of the coolest parts of the three-week promo tour was having a private plane for the dancers, band, stylists, management and J.Lo herself. Every seat on the plane was first class; never a line to stand in or bag to check. You jumped out of the car and onto the plane; so rare and so cool! Basically it turned a gruesome work and travel schedule into a less stressful, more enjoyable one.

Aside from those perks, the laughs and the moments spent with my friends on the road with Jennifer Lopez are what made that time very special for me. We were like family on the road. We had Thanksgiving dinner together in London, prayed together before performances and all played a part in the success of the project. What I remember most is that we laughed… and laughed… and laughed. There were many times during my career where I felt like I was out there on my own. Working and traveling with close friends on the J.Lo project made that time special.

During that tour, we performed for the US troops at Ramstein Airforce base in Germany during December of 2001. It was the highlight of my time working for Jennifer Lopez. It was the holiday season and the troops were away from their loved ones. More importantly, 9/11 had just recently occurred. After the attacks in NYC, I could remember how helpless I felt. I wished there was something I could do to give back or help those who suffered such great loss. So when the opportunity came to perform for our service men and women, it gave me a tremendous amount of pride. It gave me a purpose. I guess I've answered my second question without even realizing it. Thank you for letting me share my stories with the next generation of dancers... and for helping bring back so many special memories for me as a dancer.

GEO

“Be ICONic”