channing tatum connection
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 The Vow (2012)
21 Jump Street (2012)
Haywire (2012)
The Son of No One (2011)
Dear John (2010)
Fighting (2009)
Stop-Loss (2008)
Step Up (2006)
She's The Man (2006)
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 You mentioned that when you were little, back in that martial arts ring, that the pride of your parents meant a great deal to you. What was their reaction?They just told me to come home if I wanted to, but they weren't too excited. They were used to being able to brag about me, so yes, it sucked. I definitely felt I'd let them down. If it wasn't for my mom, I just would not be here today. Not just the physical part of bringing me into this world, but she got me through everything. A lot of the bad stuff I don't really want to go into? She totally saved my life. She was the cornerstone. She got me through it no matter how bad it got.
Because she always believed in you?
Yes. She would never let me give up. Her word was relentless. Whenever I wanted to give up, she got me through it. When you're young, you always think you have it so terrible. But I look back on it all now and I realize how bad I didn't have it. I am who I am because of the way they raised me, and I'm so happy for it. I've really tried to take all the good things from everyone in my life and hold onto them.
So what did you do?
Well, I got a job with this puppy/kitty nursery, I worked in construction - framing houses, I worked as a mortgage broker, I got a job at the cologne counter of Dillard's and then at this edgy little raver clothing store.
Was that the scene you identified with?
Yes, I was really part of the raver club-kid thing, right from the time I was sixteen. That's still who I get along with best.
Is there anything in your life that takes you away from competition?
Dancing. I don't really like to compete with it now? But I used to be this really freakin' battle kid. I used to love going into clubs, whatever and getting into a breaking circle.
When did you get into it?
I was about sixteen and I was living with my sister for a while, and her friends would get me in. The clubs down in Florida are kind of lax, they're a little more grimy and a little grittier. But I got into the clubs and I saw this crowd of people going nuts over these kids flipping and spinning on their heads, and I was like: "What? I want to do that." Oh yeah.
Was it the physical challenge or did you want the attention?
It's not the attention, because I don't even really like to be looked at. At first it was the adrenaline, getting out there and performing, and there's another guy across from you that you're competing with. And you develop your friends that are your crew and you've got people who are coming into your club from the outside, and then you're going nuts and you're kind of like battling.
But I don't go in circles anymore. When I go out to dance now I go into the corner of a club and just kill it. It's so much more fun when you're not there thinking "Oh my God, who's looking at me?" When I was younger I definitely did it for the attention but now I do it for me. Like I'll go into the aerobics room of my gym and kill it for a couple of hours. I love it.
What is it you love about dancing?
It's more like a really cool body thing. The only other time I've felt it has been acting. Like, you feel this rhythm, or this beat or this lyric that means something to you. Or it doesn't even have to mean anything, you just relate to it somehow, it makes you want to move. The people who like to dance, they like the way their body moves because that's what's intimate to them. Moving their arm a certain way, that feels good to them. So the next thing you know, you're spinning around in circles and you're not even aware of what you look like, you're just kind of going with it.
I really get inspired by songs. Like, if I hear a thug "Want to kill ya" song, I'm ready to go out and get crazy. Or if you hear this really sexual, sensual slow song, I want to go have sex. I'm very animalistic when it comes to stuff like that. Very basic emotions. I don't know if I'm very complicated at all. I wish I was. I wish I was one of these deep, intricate people. But I just love having fun really.
Is that feeling of losing yourself in the music when you're dancing the same as it is for an athlete hitting their zone?
I guess they could be related. Anything physical, you're doing it, and then ... let's say you're playing football and you just get handed the ball and you're running. Sometimes everything just goes quiet, and the next thing you know, you're flying. You're just dipping and running and ... that's when the amazing things happen, when everything just focuses in for two seconds. Then it's over and you're just like "Yes! That was hot!" The excitement comes afterwards, when you realize what you've just done.
How did you get the Ricky Martin video?
I got into the Orlando casting through a friend's agency. There were about one hundred people in the room and they were playing "She bangs." They auditioned people in groups of three, so you kind of tried to dance with each other.
Did you think you'd get it?
I didn't expect to hear anything because I knew they'd alreeady done a casting in Miami and I was pretty sure they'd get all the dancers they needed there. And they did, except me — I was the only dancer they took from Orlando.
How much did you get paid?
I was so excited. I was just an extra, but they offered to pay me $400 and fly me to Atlanta, so I thought "Shit! I want to go to Atlanta." And it was crazy. Seven days and I don't think I slept once. It was so beautiful. Ridiculous. I think there were four guys and probably thirty girls. We never slept, we didn't sleep at all. We just partied the whole time. The only time we actually did sleep was when we went to costume, waiting to get dressed and made up and everything.
How many people on the crew.
I'm not sure but it was a huge set and the biggest production I've ever been part of. The whole thing was enormous. I had this platinum hair and a big Mohawk with these crazy spikes. Now as far as the pay was concerned, I realized being a dancer in videos wasn't for me. But I'd always wanted to be on an MTV video, and I'd done it, so I was like: "Cool! Done. Check that. What's next?"
So what did you do?
One of the dancers I met on the set got me a job as a choreographer with this little hip-hop dance group down in Miami.
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