Becoming a contestant on NBC’s World of Dance is no small feat, and what we see on screen is only a small part of the story. Without the support of their friends and family over the years, most of the contestants wouldn’t be where they are today.
We caught up with the cabaret duo Luka & Jenalyn to learn about how the support they’ve received over the years has made all the difference. The common theme? They wouldn’t be here without the support from a variety of people along the way.
“My family is extremely supportive in what I do, ever since I was a little kid,” said Luka. This included a wide variety of things, such as driving him to classes and competitions, to paying for classes and traveling to events.
“My parents are my version of NappyTabs…my dad is the best manager and agent you could ever ask for and my mom does pretty much everything else – chauffeur, chaperone, opportunities scout, nurse, counsellor, teacher, photographer, friend & cheerleader,” said Jenalyn. “My 2 brothers are my biggest fans…they are always promoting me and there is no jealousy only love!!! My grandparents watch every single show and always give me advice and support.”
When they started filming NBC’s World of Dance, Luka & Jenalyn knew that being part of such a huge experience would require a new level of support, but they weren’t aware of how much.
“My mom gave up a month and a half of her work to live with me in LA and I couldn’t have done it without her,” Jenalyn shared. “Since she is a nurse, she helped with all of the dance injuries to make sure we were protecting ourselves and treating the injuries properly. She has taken the time to chronicle the whole experience on film!”
“It’s blind support,” Luka explains. “We can’t tell them anything about what’s happening in the show… they knew something something big was happening and we were working hard to get the most out of it, but they had no idea what it was.”
It’s not just recent years that the support has made a difference. Luka doesn’t believe he’d have made it this far without his mom’s support and her encouragement to stick with dance, especially during his early teen years.
“We’ve had a slew of amazingly supportive coaches and mentors that have encouraged us to reach for the stars,” adds Jenalyn, “to go beyond our limits and always believed in our talent including Craig Smith world cabaret champion and coach, Tony Meredith sytycd mentor, Gary Edwards ballroom giant, Maurizio Vescovo world ballroom champion from Andra Dance Studio, Ilia Kosolov and Aida Shoes, Georgia Ambarian world cabaret champion, Vanesa stay original salsa coach for 10 years and so many more that we may have missed here.”
Catch more from Luka & Jenalyn as they compete on NBC’s World of Dance Tuesdays at 10/9 central. This week the competition continues as some of the world’s best dancers compete for a $1 million prize. Between episodes, read exclusive interviews and more on the official source for all things World of Dance.
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