Interview with the Cast of Bunheads!

We love ABC Family’s new series, Bunheads, starring Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster as a dance instructor in a small town and introducing Kaitlyn Jenkins, Bailey Buntain, Julia Goldani Telles, Emma Dumont as her students.  Glitter caught up with these dancers / actors for an exclusive look at the show, their dance backgrounds, and what they love about the dance world.  Read on to find out more!

GLITTER: Tell us about your character on Bunheads.
BAILEY: I play Ginny Thompson. She’s smart, sensible, and realistic but also struggles with feeling confident. She’s 14 and going through a lot of changes and she isn’t comfortable in her own skin yet. Her and her best friends are all ballerinas and their lives pretty much revolve around dance. They spend more time at their dance school than anywhere else and it’s their home away from home.
KAITLYN: My character’s name is Bettina Jordan but everyone calls her “Boo” for short. She’s a lot like your average “girl next door.” Boo is sweet, a little shy, goofy, loyal to her friends, and VERY dreamy, especially when it comes to ballet. The twist? She may have more passion for ballet than any of her other friends, but she doesn’t quite have the right body.
JULIA: I play Sasha Torres. Sasha is edgy, insolent, and a little bit rebellious. She relies on her talent as opposed to working hard like some of the other girls do. Like many teenagers, she’s curious about the world and seeks adventure. I’m excited to see how she’ll deal with all the changes coming to Paradise.
EMMA: My character Melanie is in every way the goofball of the group. She’s always laughing and really just wants to have fun. She’s high energy and when she comes into a room, she comes bouncing.

GLITTER: What can you tell viewers about the show?
BAILEY: Fun! Ballet is definitely a big theme so they’ll see some fierce dancing, but the show is really about relationships and going after your dreams. It’s very real and relatable. Then of course our main character, played by Sutton Foster, is beyond amazing!!
KAITLYN: Fellow “Bunheads” can expect a show filled with friendship, fun, and unexpected twists and turns in the plot line. I think the biggest surprise of all will be how the show looks at the truth in the dance world and realistically brings it to life.
JULIA: It’s a smart and original show. I think teenagers will be able to relate to what the girls are going through. Expect a lot of banter, cultural references, and quirky characters. Though Bunheads is centered on dance, it also focuses on growing up, forming unconventional families, and adapting to new situations.
EMMA: Bunheads is, for lack of a better word, HILARIOUS! While filming, I have to keep myself from laughing at all the great moments. The show focuses on a clever, fast talking, show girl from Vegas, who isn’t afraid to laugh at herself and boy will she make you laugh. It’s an amazing melting pot of musical theater, ballet and pop culture references. It’s full of witty anecdotes and sayings and is all around a fabulously quirky production. What I personally love about the show is that you don’t have to be a ballerina to love it. It’s completely relatable and just plain fun.

GLITTER: Describe your dance training.
BAILEY: I started dancing when I was 4 years old but really started taking it seriously when I was 7.  I’m trained in ballet, jazz, and tap and have been performing nonstop ever since. I also love partnering! Whether it’s swing dancing or ballroom, having a boy to lift, throw, and support you is always fun.
KAITLYN: I began taking tap and jazz lessons at the age of three and started my ballet training at age five. I studied and competed at a competitive dance studio until the age of thirteen. When I expressed a desire to study ballet exclusively, my mom (a former professional ballet dancer herself), happily helped me make the transition to a classical ballet school where I studied and took part in annual school and company performances. I spent my summers studying at intensive training programs with American Ballet Theatre in New York, Boston Ballet, Kaatsbaan, The Jillana School, and Anaheim Ballet.
JULIA: I’ve been dancing since I was five. I started in Brazil and then when my family moved to the United States, I continued to train in Los Angeles and New York. Though my focus has been ballet, I enjoy other types of dance as well.
EMMA: I have been dancing since I was three. Growing up in Seattle, I began with ballet and tap. Later on I started taking modern, contemporary and jazz classes, hip hop and even African dance.

GLITTER: What inspired you to be a dancer?
BAILEY: My Mom took me to the Ballet for the first time when I was a kid and I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It sounds cheesy, but once I started, I fell in love it. It’s such a special way to express yourself.
KAITLYN: I would say my mother. She always encouraged me through my many trials in ballet, taught me to fight for what I wanted, and to never give up on my dream.
JULIA: I was fascinated by the story telling element of dance: how one can convey so much through steps and movement. I liked the freedom that dance offered and was inspired by the possibility of using imagination to interpret or choreograph a piece. As a kid, the colorful tutus definitely didn’t hurt either.
EMMA: Because I started so young, there wasn’t exactly one thing that made me start dancing, but I have to say that everything keeps me dancing. Dance is the most incredible expression of emotion. When I walk down the street, I can’t help but dance. In the grocery store, I hear the speakers playing and my feet just start moving. People look at me like I’m crazy, but who cares!

GLITTER: What are 3 qualities you feel are important to becoming a dancer?
BAILEY: Passion, Creativity, and Perseverance.
KAITLYN: To become a dancer the most important qualities are determination, patience, and a great passion for your art!
JULIA: I think it’s important to be optimistic, humble, and driven. Dance is so competitive but if you really love it, every minute will be worth the battle.
EMMA: Dedication, a good work ethic and a love for dance. You love it enough and the other two will come. It’s such a physically demanding art form, that sometimes it gets hard to be in a place mentally where you want to keep going. But in the end, you walk out on stage, smile, take a deep breath and it’s all worth it.

GLITTER: Of all the performances in which you have participated, which one is your favorite?  Why?
BAILEY: This one! It really is a special show and working with such talented people is a privilege.
KAITLYN: My favorite performance to date would have to be when I was fourteen and was asked to step in and perform the role of Clara in the “Nutcracker.” I was cast as the understudy and my friend who was cast as Clara couldn’t do the performance. As it turned out, I got to perform it three times! I had dreamed of doing this role since I was four when I saw my very first “Nutcracker” danced by the Joffrey Ballet. It was incredible to see my dream unfolding before me and it was a performance I will always cherish.
JULIA: My favorite role was playing Clara in the Nutcracker. Every aspect of that ballet is so magical: it’s fun to be able to lose yourself in a fantasy world for a couple of hours.
EMMA: I have always loved doing Nutcracker in the winter. One year I was in Waltz of the Flowers and on the last performance day I came down with a terrible stomach virus. I was literally lying on the floor, in the bathroom, in my pink tutu. I didn’t think I would be able to go out, but someone came in and brought me a single rose. There was a note that said “Get well. Sending you love.” It was from the cast and our director. I don’t think there was ever a performance where I felt more loved and supported. I went on stage, looked off stage right and there was one of my friends standing there with a bucket, just in case I had to…you know…throw up. I laughed and smiled at her. I made it through the whole performance and it definitely makes for a good memory.

GLITTER: If you could play any dance role, which would it be and why?
BAILEY: That’s too hard! There are so many to choose from. But… I would go with Juliet from ‘Romeo and Juliet’. It’s THE classic.
KAITLYN: I would choose Odette/Odile from Swan Lake. As an actress, it is impressive and fulfilling to be able to play such opposite characters at the same time.
JULIA: I’d love to dance the role of Kitri in Don Quixote. I’ve always admired her fearlessness and her variations are mesmerizing. The story of Don Quixote is so intriguing and I think it translates beautifully into the ballet.
EMMA: Esmeralda! She is truly remarkable. She runs around dancing and banging on her tambourine. She is seductive yet sweet and all men are instantly attracted to her. She somehow manages to get the entire country of France up in arms, just by going about her life. She is very powerful and joyful when she dances, especially in her famous tambourine variation.  If not Esmeralda, I would have to say Juliet from Romeo and Juliet. This ballet is one that is filled with darkness and I find Juliet to be the light among many evils. She is vulnerable and young, surrounded by people pulling her in all directions and this makes the style in which she dances very unique.

GLITTER: How do you overcome performance jitters?
BAILEY: I had a teacher once tell me to focus on your first moment. The first thing you do on stage. If you can nail that, the rest falls into place. A good warm up is always a must too 🙂
KAITLYN: I wish there was an easy solution, but the truth is there isn’t. The best advice I can give is to be confident that you know your choreography and change your nerves into excitement. BREATHE!
JULIA: I try to overcome performance jitters by listening to music, or reading a good book. Sometimes, I’ll watch That 70’s Show and end up laughing my worries away.
EMMA: I always try to imagine the stage as my dance studio. Instead of people in rows of seats, there’s a giant mirror in front of me. I hear the voice of my director yelling corrections, in my head. “Don’t let the tutu fool you Em, this is just like rehearsal.” I tell myself.  A simple “Merde!” for good luck and I’m cool as a cucumber.

GLITTER: What do you hope to be doing in 5 years?
BAILEY: I am so grateful I get to do what I love, and I just hope I get to keep doing it. I hope to keep improving and do work that challenges me and that I can be proud of.
KAITLYN: Filming “Bunheads!” If I can’ be doing that then I will continue to dance and pursue my other really BIG dream, to act in major motion pictures. I would love to be in films with great messages that make the audience think and reflect on their own lives. I really want to change and touch people with my acting.
JULIA: I hope to be fortunate enough to continue learning, doing what I love and working with people I look up to.
EMMA: In five years I hope to still be acting. I grew up doing musical theater and have always loved it, just as I love dance. If I’m not acting, I want to be a mechanical engineer.

GLITTER: What advice do you have for other Girls Who Rock interested in becoming a dancer?
BAILEY: Do it! Look up your local dance studios and have your parents take you to check them out. Get a schedule and pick out the classes that look like the most fun to you. Everyone is a beginner at some point and there is no reason you can’t be the next best dancer!
KAITLYN: TRY IT! You never know where dance will take you. It’s fun, great exercise, a good outlet for your emotions or stress, and dance teaches you valuable life lessons!
JULIA: Go for it! Be committed, don’t let anyone discourage you, and always have fun.
EMMA: DO IT! There’s no other advice to give, but to say “go for it!” Just try out a class or two. Maybe try tap or hip hop or ballet.  All dance styles are great! Just stay confident and don’t ever give up.