Timomatic makes US Debut!
Recently Timomatic made his debut performance in the USA as a special guest artist on the Miss Universe Pageant production. What is little known here in Australia is that US Choreographer and Miss Universe production team creative, Michael Schwandt, was instrumental in securing this amazing opportunity for one of our finest. Michael is a regular and much admired visitor to Australia, conducting annual choreographic tours and mentoring young dancers across the country. Michael has also sponsored a number of Australian dancers for work in the US.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Michael for a quick chat despite his insane schedule recently and ask him why he loves Aussies – and Timomatic particularly at the moment – so much!
What drew you to Timomatic as a performer?
“I think honestly it is his combination of skills as a dancer, singer and overall performer. I think those are the types of artists any creative director and/or choreographer would want to work with b/c your possibilities grow exponentially when you have those combined skill-sets at your disposal.”
You have assisted many Aussies break into the US market … What is it about our performers that you like or love so much?
“I have an affinity for Australians because of their hard work ethic and the determination to succeed that I see in so many of them. The ones that immigrate have much more to lose, much more at stake than American dancers so I feel like every job they do they give 150% because every project that gets them that much closer to their dream…if they aren’t already living it. I’ve recently had 3 different Australian assistants for a TV series and a TV special as well as hired 4 Australian dancers in the last year multiple times. Aside from that, I’ve helped 5 Australians secure their work visas in the US and mentored, encouraged and pushed 4 others to make the transition to both the US and UK. I feel like there are so many people that tell you “no” or “you can’t” in the entertainment industry, so I try to be the very opposite force and tell people ‘yes…you can…’ but only ‘if’ and this is a big if, ‘you work hard, you follow through, you are dedicated and you’re prepared to weather all the `no’s` that will come your way’.”
What other artists have you worked with in your career?
“From the artist side, I have worked with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Kelly Rowland & David Guetta, Cobra Starship, Akon, Flo Rida, The Veronicas, Boys Like Girls, Luciana, Train, John Legend to name a few. In TV, Miss Universe, So You Think You Can Dance, Your Chance To Dance, America’s Next Top Model, a new US show called “Oh Sit!” From a stage side, I just directed mega Vegas casino Mandalay Bay’s New Years Eve spectacular, Nike’s 2012 Olympic Uniform worldwide debut, a lot of major US football stadium shows, and a lot of other corporate stage shows and commercials. Each and every job is so very different from the last and I definitely feel blessed to be able to work across so many different platforms and mediums.”
How do you see the US market responding to Timomatic?
“I think they are going to respond well to him, that exactly why I have been pushing him so hard for the last year to both the producers of the show and the network. I think he has a really interesting story and there are so few male artists that do what he does so I feel like people will respond well to him – both in terms of his stage performance and his music.”
