Jason Gilkison is an Australian professional ballroom dance champion and choreographer.

Early life

edit

Gilkison was born in Perth, Australia.[when?][1] He was raised by his single mum, Kay.[2] At age 4, he began dancing at the Perth ballroom dance studio, founded by his grandparents Sam and Ronnie Gilkison, the first of its kind in Australia.[3][4] Gilkison has lived in Sydney, London, England and Los Angeles, United States. He realised he was gay when he was 16 or 17.[2]

Dance career

edit

At the age of 7 Gilkison was first paired with Peta Roby.[when?][3] Gilkison formed a professional partnership with Peta Roby in 1980 and were undefeated Australian Latin champions from 1981 to 1997.[3][5] At age 23, Gilkison and Roby were the ranked pair in Ten-Dance Competition.[4]

In 1990, Gilkison and Roby received the "Young Australian of the Year" Award. In 1991, they became the residing teachers at one of London's most prestigious ballroom schools, where they remained for seven years, training many of the world's leading dancers.[5]

Stage

edit

Gilkison has served as choreographer and director for the ballroom dance stage show Burn the Floor[3] Gilkison's longtime dance partner Roby served as associate producer of the show.[when?][4] Burn the Floor began touring in 1999 and reached Broadway, Manhattan in 2009.[4]

In 2012, Gilkison choreographed Dancing with the Stars: Live in Las Vegas, a live stage show at the Tropicana in Las Vegas featuring celebrities and dancers from ABC's Dancing with the Stars.[6] The production opened in April 2012 and ran for twelve weeks.[6]

TV and film

edit

In 2008, Gilkison became a contributing choreographer for Australian version of the American reality dance-off series So You Think You Can Dance. Months later he joined the US version. Superstars of Dance, which he co-choreographed[2] with Nakul Dev Mahajan.

As of 2014, Gilkison worked as the director of choreography on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing.[1]

As choreographer

edit

So You Think You Can Dance

edit
Season Week Dancers Dance style Music
4 8 Courtney Galiano
Mark Kanemura
Viennese Waltz "The Time of My Life"—David Cook
Katee Shean
Joshua Allen
Paso Doble "Filet" from Le Rêve
9 Courtney Galiano
Joshua Allen
Jive "The Dirty Boogie"—The Brian Setzer Orchestra
6 0 Karen Hauer
Ashleigh Di Lello
Ryan Di Lello
Samba "Everything I Can't Have"—Robin Thicke
1 Channing Cooke
Phillip Attmore
Jive "Rockin' Robin"—The Jackson 5
Brandon Dumlao
Pauline Mata
Smooth Waltz "You Light Up My Life"—Whitney Houston
7 Kathryn McCormick
Ryan Di Lello
Cha-Cha "Put Your Hands on Me"—Joss Stone
Mollee Gray
Jakob Karr
Viennese Waltz "Ordinary Day"—Vanessa Carlton
8 Kathryn McCormick
Ryan Di Lello
Samba "Magalenha"—Sérgio Mendes
Ellenore Scott
Russell Ferguson
Paso Doble "Village Attack" from Blood Diamond
7 0 Anya Garnis
Pasha Kovalev
Cristina Santana
Samba "Work" (Freemason remix)—Kelly Rowland
8 0 Iveta Lukosiute
Pasha Kovalev
Ballroom Medley "Ven a Bailar (On the Floor)"—Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull
1 Miranda Maleski
Robert Taylor Jr.
Jive "Runaway Baby"—Bruno Mars
Iveta Lukosiute
Nick Young
Quickstep "The Ballroom Blitz"—Sweet
6 Chelsie Hightower
Marko Germar
Samba "Cinema Italiano (The Ron Fair Remix)"—Kate Hudson
Melanie Moore
Pasha Kovalev
Viennese Waltz "Everybody Hurts"—Tina Arena
9 0 Lindsay Arnold
Nick Bloxsom-Carter
Witney Carson
Ballroom Medley "Dance Again"—Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull
1 Amber Jackson
Nick Bloxsom-Carter
Viennese Waltz "Nights in White Satin"—Tina Arena
Lindsay Arnold
Cole Horibe
Paso Doble "Unstoppable"—E.S. Posthumus

So You Think You Can Dance Australia

edit
Season Week Dancers Dance style Music
1 1 Jemma Armstrong
Rhys Bobridge
Waltz "A New Day Has Come" from Celine Dion
Stephanie Golman
Marko Panzic
Jive "Untouched"—The Veronicas
2 Kate Wormald
Hilton Denis
Foxtrot "2 Hearts"—Kylie Minogue
3 Jemma Armstrong
Rhys Bobridge
Paso Doble "O Verona" from the film Romeo + Juliet
Top 16 Ballroom "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)"—Louis Prima
4 Henry Byalikov
Vanessa Sew Hoy
African Samba "Lo-Lo Dzama"—Sum Svisti
8 Kate Wormald
Rhys Bobridge
Rumba "Message to My Girl"—Split Enz
9 Demi Sorono
Jack Chambers
Cha-cha-cha "Mercy"—Duffy
2 1 Talia Fowler
Emmanuel Rodriguez
Cha-Cha "Hound Dog"-Smoky Joe's Cafe
2 Top 18 Rock and Roll/Latin Ballroom "Objection (Tango)"-Shakira
3 Amy Campbell
Damien Samuel
Rumba "Stepping Stone"-Duffy
4 Penny Higgs
Charlie Bartley
Viennese Waltz "I Have Nothing"-Whitney Houston
6 Talia Fowler
Charlie Bartley
Quickstep "Valerie"-Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse
Penny Higgs
Ben Veitch
Foxtrot "Rock with You (Frankie Knuckles Remix)"-Michael Jackson
7 Top 8 Foxtrot "Ain't That A Kick in the Head"-Robbie Williams
8 Kat Risteska
Charlie Bartley
Tango "Gotta Get Thru This (Acoustic)"-Daniel Bedingfield
Amy Campbell
Ben Veitch
Paso Doble "Overture"-Australian Cast of Jesus Christ Superstar
9 Ash-Leigh Hunter
Damien Samuel
Foxtrot "Hurt"-Christina Aguilera
3 0 Jessica Prince
Kieran McMahon
Matt Geronimi
Will Centurion
Viennese Waltz "Never Tear Us Apart"—INXS
4 Robbie Kmetoni
Ivy Heeney
Paso Doble "Sweet Disposition"—The Temper Trap
7 Nick Geurts
Jessie Hesketh
Cha-cha-cha "Istanbul 1:26 am"—Orient Expressions

As judge

edit

In 2014, Jason Gilkison joined the judging panel on the 4th season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia alongside Aaron Cash, Shannon Holtzapffel and Paula Abdul.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Symonds, Kristy (15 March 2014). "Feet back on home ground for Burn the Floor's Jason Gilkison". Perth Now. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Archer, Gregg (14 January 2009). "Dance King Jason Gilkison Makes His Move". www.advocate.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH... JASON GILKISON". Show Biz Friends. 13 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d Lee, Felicia r. (28 July 2008). "Sassy Steps, From Salsa to Swing and Australia to Broadway". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Burnthefloor.com". burnthefloor.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b Garza, Xazmin (12 April 2012). "Kyle Massey, fellow 'Dancing with the Stars' alums unite for Tropicana show". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
edit