Neil Haskell - Season 3

Neil Haskell

Neil Haskell, 20, is a Contemporary Jazz dancer from Clarence Center, NY. Neil is currently training in New York City, where he performed in the play “The Times They are A-Changin’” on Broadway and was named Male Dancer of the Year in 2005 by the American Dance Awards Competition.

1. What is your full name?
Neil Haskell

2. Do you have a nickname?
No.

3. How old were you when you started to dance?
5 years old

4. Do you have any formal dance training? If so, please provide details regarding training.
I grew up as a competition kid, and then trained at Chautaqua Institution for ballet for 3 summers. I also went to Point Park University as a dance major for a year.

5. If you had to categorize your dance style, what would it be (hip hop, ballet, tap etc…)?
Jazz/ballet

6. What other talents/hobbies do you have?
Playing volleyball, I was MVP of my high school volleyball team in my junior and senior year.

7. Who is your favorite professional dancer?
Charlie Hodges as well as anyone from Times They Are A-Changin.

8. Does anyone in your family dance professionally?
Nope

9. Have you performed in musical theater or in public functions as a dancer?
Yes, I got my equity card last summer at Pittsburgh. I performed in Beauty and the Beast, Grease, 42 nd Street and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I was also on Broadway in the fall performing in the show The Times They Are A-Changin.

10. What would you like to see happen to you as a result of the show?
I want to use this show as a springboard for the rest of my career. I just can’t wait to use this exposure to its fullest extent

11. Where would you like to be in 10 years and what would you like to be doing?
I have no idea what will happen in 10 years, a lot could change. I’m excited to see what will happen.

12. What has been your most memorable dance experience?
Dancing on Broadway in The Times They Are A-Changin was the greatest experience ever. This show will always be the show that stays closest to my heart.

Male Dancer of the Year in 2005 by the American Dance Awards Competition

wow, credentiels, this boy has.

Yeah, but absolutely no screen time. It would be nice to see more about him...

I don't remember seeing this guy at ALL during the auditions. When he was in the waiting area, I kept thinking 'who is this guy?' I look forward to actually seeing him dance. Hmm - maybe the producers are keeping him under wraps so they can amaze us with his brilliance. Sort of the AI-Bo treatment.

I'm sure just by looking at him he'll soon become my oldest daughter's favorite. She's almost 13 and is a big fan of contemporary dance. Plus, he's a cutie...

yum he's cute! :)

Every time I look at him I keep thinking he looks like a cross between Nick Carter and that lead singer from Sum 41 who is married to Avril Lavigne (forget his name). Something about his image just screams boy band material.

I watched Hidden Palms because I was bored and nothing interesting was on and he reminds me of the lead on that show. No idea who the actor is *shrugs*

But... who is he? What is with all these dancers we have never seen before? They spent hours (not really but felt like it) on people they cut but no time on ones they kept?

Did a quick google on him and he has some pretty solid credentials, should be interesting.

Neil Haskell

You couldn't forget Haskell's main role in "Beauty and the Beast." He started as "a village teenager," but once in the Beast's castle, he was the very acrobatic carpet, spinning gaily through the air.

It was quite a featured role for a rookie, but Haskell isn't as young as he looks. He started tap dance and gymnastics at age 5 back in Clarence Center, an eastern suburb of Buffalo, and he's never stopped. Eventually the gymnastics dropped away, and he added other dance styles -- jazz, ballet, hip-hop, lyrical and something called acro, which prepared him to be a whirling dervish carpet.

Dance took him to Male Dancer of the Year at the American Dance Awards at the end of high school. He's in the dance program at Point Park, not musical theater. "The training is, like, unbelievable," he says. "I'm learning to use my body to find where the movement should come from, not tricks."

He auditioned on the advice of a teacher. "I didn't know how big a deal it was until afterward. It's definitely taught me a lot about the business, what I need to do in college to get myself ready for New York, something most people don't get until after college."

Haskell has a head on his shoulders, though his mop of blond hair and youthful complexion remind you how young he is. And he's not blase about school: "I made dean's list second semester; my mom was really proud."

source: Ensemble finds wealth of opportunity at CLO

I like, I like.

acro... short for acrobatics... ie tumbling.