Why Add Acro?
Now an Emmy Award–winning choreographer, teacher and judge for New York City Dance Alliance, Ciulla has a theory as to why tumbling is so popular today. He credits television shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “America’s Best Dance Crew” with getting audiences accustomed to watching high-energy, athletic performances. “The dancers on these shows have incredible tumbling and acrobatic skills, so people expect it now,” he says. Ade Obayomi, Mollee Gray and Legacy Perez from Seasons 5 and 6 of “SYTYCD” set the standard for acro, using their tumbling skills to secure spots in the Top 10. “Acro definitely gave me a leg up on ‘SYTYCD,’ because even though America may not always appreciate good technique, they love seeing twists, flips and spins,” says Neil Haskell, Season 3’s third-place winner. Yet acro served Neil well even before he auditioned for “SYTYCD”—it landed him a spot in Twyla Tharp’s musical “The Times They Are A-Changin’” in 2006. He says that without his acro skills,
