The House of Ash

You can check it out on your local newsstand or at http://danceruniverse.com/stories/issues/200810/one_on_one_with_tyce_diorio-O29/ . Not only is Tyce a dynamic performer but he's very humble and fun to interview! Of course, out of all his credits, I personally am most excited about his performance in "The Newsies". Best movie EVER! The other stuff is good too...


One on One with Tyce Diorio
by Ashley Marinaccio — Oct 14, 2008

Tyce Diorio is now a household name thanks to the success of FOX’s hit reality show “So You Think You Can Dance?” But most of the program’s younger viewers don’t realize that Diorio made his small-screen debut on a different form of reality television years ago -- at age 17 he was a winner on “Star Search.” Following his record-breaking winning sweep on “Star Search,” Diorio moved to Los Angeles to join Paula Abdul’s “Under My Spell” world tour, where he also made appearances in some of her videos and on award shows. The rest is history.
“When I returned to L.A. after the tour, I went back to the beginning and trained with Paula Morgan for four years,” said Diorio. “I did four-hour private lessons with her a day. It wasn’t enough that I was just working as a dancer. I needed to retrain to sustain a lifetime of dance. I had high hopes.”
Diorio’s commitment, work ethic and positive attitude have certainly paid off. Since then, a few of the many credits on his resume include touring with Janet Jackson on her Velvet Rope World Tour along with appearances in “If” and “Together Again” music videos. He has also toured with Ricky Martin, Celine Dion, Mya, *NSYNC and Jennifer Lopez, in addition to working on movies and television sets including "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," "13 Going on 30," "That 70’s Show," "The Tyra Banks Show," "The Academy Awards," "American Music Awards" and "Fame." Diorio has graced the Broadway stage in "Chicago" and "Fosse" in addition to being the founder of Entyce productions, which produces workshop classes with faculty from SYTYCD and choreographers in the industry.
“Entyce does three dance workshops per year where we bring in guest choreographers and dancers. We have classes all day long and sessions on the industry. There is no pressure to feel like you need to compete.”
The Entyce workshops are done in the New York City metro area. Some of the top-notch choreographers that will be joining Entyce this fall include the choreographer of “High School Musical,” (***what’s this person’s name???***) and Mia Michaels, and dancers from Janet Jackson’s tour.
Although he’s hit the big time now, he comes from humble beginnings. Diorio is a Brooklyn native who trained at Horizons Dance Center.
“It’s still there today and is a great studio,” Diorio said. “I actually started with ballroom dance. I was in the ballroom competition doing cha-cha, swing and foxtrot. I was in the U.S. ballroom championship for young kids. My versatility is attributed to that foundation.”
As a young dancer, his influences included Mary Ann Lamb, Jerome Robbins and Desmond Richardson.
“They are such icons in the industry and have such longevity in the world of dance and theatre,” he said. “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway was one of the shows that really touched me. It was a dancer’s dream to be in that show. I saw it 13 times. That was the choreographer in me a long time ago.”
Diorio attended the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York City where he studied Martha Graham technique and ballet for several hours a day in addition to his regular academic curriculum.

“There was no jazz option offered at that time,” he said adding that he had a great base. Following high school graduation and his appearance on “Star Search”, he moved to Los Angeles.
He joined the crew of “So You Think You Can Dance?” as a choreographer in season two and said that the hit show has made a tremendous impact on dance viewership.
“SYTYCD has brought so much exposure,” said Diorio. “It’s absolutely unbelievable and one of the best things that’s happened to dance in the history of television. You see dance in its finest form. You get to see the truth of our lives as dancers. You are watching people be who they are. The creativity is great.”
His favorite dancers from “SYTYCD?” include Dmitry Chaplin from season two and Benji Schwimmer, Anya Garnis and Donyelle Jones from season three. However, he said that as an overall cast, season four was his favorite to work with. “They were the hardest working bunch,” he adds, noting that he especially enjoyed working with Josh Allen, Katee Shean, Stephen “Twitch” Boss and Will Wingfield.
“They were my favorites, not necessarily because they were the best dancers but they had work ethic and positive attitudes.”
He stresses work ethic and attitude as the two most important attributes that a dancer can possess.
“They came in ready to work and there was so much heart, soul and struggle. We knew that they wanted to please us (the choreographers),” he said. “They were so much more concerned with how the choreographers felt about the piece rather than what the judges would think of their dancing. They were committed.”
Diorio offers this advice for dancers who make it on to “SYTYCD?”.
“The big thing in SYTYCD? is that you need to walk away with life experience. I have made a living from being a dancer my whole life,” he said.
“ I’ve never had a nine to five job. I knew when I was young that I wanted to do this for a living. I knew when I was young that I wasn’t going to be anything other than a performer and knew that I had to immerse myself in training and that it would be my livelihood,” he continues. “It’s cool to be on the show but the show will end and your performance will be a memory. The show needs to be used to gain knowledge and experience. It’s here today and gone tomorrow. It’s not something that will last. As an artist you want to have longevity.”
Longevity, according to Diorio, manifests itself through good training, including a solid foundation in ballet and modern. “Versatility is key. Be well versed in each style and have at least four styles,” he suggests. And most importantly, Diorio promotes a good work ethic. “I would rather hire someone who has great energy who can deliver and not a lot of training, over someone with superior technique. You want to have great energy around you at all times. It’s also important to know the energy that you bring to a room.”
So what does the future hold for this dance maverick? Diorio would say that he sees himself headed towards choreographing more film and doing a Broadway musical. He notes that he has had meetings with producers of the Broadway musicals “Chicago” and “Hairspray.”
“The ball is rolling and I am headed to New York for networking,” he says proudly.
Diorio has also been working with Katie Holmes on a television show for the past nine months. "I just choreographed an episode of ABC’s Eli Stone—a musical number that will air on October 21. We’ve been working four times a week.”
This year Diorio is joining Broadway Dance Center and fellow “SYTYCD?”
Choreographer Mia Michaels for Broadway Dance Center’s traveling workshop/competition “The Pulse on Tour.” He is currently choreographing a production of “Oklahoma” at the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, PA, (http://www.thefulton.org/), in addition to doing choreography for the 2008 tour of “SYTYCD?”
Where else does Diorio see himself?
“Directing is in my path somewhere, we’ll see,” he says. “Hopefully a clothing line. I’m thinking of calling it Entyce Wear. We can start with a really cool sweat suit for dancers and build from there.”