Nicole Muñoz – Center Stage: On Pointe

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I did a pilot before Center Stage: On Pointe. It didn’t go ahead, but it was still a really cool pilot. It was called ”Home” and it was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Then, I got to do an independent film called Gregoire that was written, directed and produced by Cody Bown. So, now that movie is going to be even special and more meaningful because of what is going on over there now. I got to work on some plays and then I’ve just been working with auditions and such.

Q) We’ll be seeing you shortly in Center Stage: On Pointe please tell us about the premise.

A) I did the role when I was younger doing Center Stage: Turn It Up. So, I knew the character and then basically the producers came up to me around January of last year. They pretty much said that they were excited about this new dance project. They just seemed very giddy. We kept talking and they suggested it be called Center Stage: Dance Camp. I was pretty excited and they were asking me if I still was dancing. I told them not nearly as seriously as when I did when I was growing up and that I was more of an actor than I was a dancer. They worked the script around that and it was really exciting to be a part of something that was day one for me.

Q) What was it like reuniting with the cast?

A) Most of the cast is new, but the people coming back when I saw them were like, “Wow! You’ve grown up.” When I was last on set, I was this tiny curly-haired creature. I wasn’t a person yet. This time everyone was really friendly. It was like a reunion vibe where everyone was supportive. Rachele Brooke Smith came on set and we did a blog together. She was very, very excited to be back. I’ve never seen someone so happy. It was pretty infectious and it was needed because on one of the days where we were doing the big final dance for the movie everyone was getting a little tired after doing it over and over again. She showed up with her energy and it was just like having ten Red Bulls. [laughs] All of the new cast were the best for me. Most everyone on set were dancers before they were actors and I really appreciated that because it was very give and take on set. Everyone was around the same age so we got along really well. People on set would give me advice when I was dancing. All the dancers were so supportive and every once in a while I would get to help them with like breaking down a scene or general camera advice. But it was a really interesting give and taken and I was so thankful these guys were supporting me throughout this.

Q) What was it like working with Kenny Wormald?

A) He was very excited to come on to set. He came on set with a presence of knowing what he was doing. He got it down and was just going to do it. He and I had a scene where we had to dance together. It was supposed to be more of a freestyle because it was the first scene in the movie for us. We were having some trouble grooving with each other. So, he took my hand and was like, “Let’s look in the mirror and just do it.” I am hoping I got it a little down. We’ll see when the movie comes out! He was so supportive and you can tell he loves the franchise. It was not like being on set with cast members. It kind of felt more like family that I hadn’t seen for a while.

Q) What kind of training did you come to the series with?

A) I started dancing when I was four years old and I started with ballet and jazz. Then, at around eight years old I started doing competitive dancing. Eventually, I joined a dance company with a studio called Joy of Movement that is run by Susie Green and Amy Hamilton was a side choreographer. We got to go to things like New York City Dance Alliance and places like Dance Excellence, which are conventions. I go to dance and compete there. I was dancing about fifteen to sixteen hours a week at that point. I was about fourteen years old by then. I moved to a studio because I moved houses so I changed dance studios too. I went to Artistic Edge in Frazier Heights and there I continued doing competitive dancing. I started with hip-hop and musical theater and ballet and contemporary and lyrical and pretty much any category we could go into. I quit dance when I turned eighteen years old. I just didn’t want to do competitions anymore because it got catty. But I did appreciate dance taught me like a lot of discipline and a healthy living. It made me some really good friends and taught me how to take initiative and direction. I worked on the series “Defiance” then and I moved to Toronto to film. I did do some dance drop-ins sometimes since just because I stopped competitions didn’t mean I stopped loving dancing. I always loved to dance. You have to be very, very committed to competitions and training all the time and dedicating your lifestyle to it. For me, I chose dedicating my life to acting instead of dance.

Q) Was there anything you added to Bella that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) The script changed quite a bit. I wanted to make sure that confidence was addressed and that having people who support you, how important that is was addressed. That working hard is the way to get to where you want to be. Bella doesn’t cheat her way in the movie. She practices and learns from others. She works on self confidence because that makes you a better dancer. I wanted it to be close to how I felt when I was dancing sometimes back in the day. Bella, in the movie, has a lot of issues with not being the best ballerina in the studio. Not because she has to be the best, but when you are not the best sometimes you feel you are the absolute worst. There is a character named Lorenza who is a teacher at the American Ballet Academy and she is very, very mean to Bella so it gets her down. She has people like Allegra (played by Maude Green) and Damon (played Bart Cowperthwaite) who help Bella see her potential. It’s that sometimes you cloud yourself with poor thoughts that you kind of don’t get to see what you could be. That’s definitely something I’ve felt before and still feel now sometimes. I know other people can relate to that.

Q) What were your most memorable moments from filming?

A) The first rehearsal was when I showed up ten minutes because I was doing wardrobe. Of course, everyone was already holding hands and loving each other and doing the positive vibe thing before they started. I walked in with my costumes because that morning I had a meeting and then had wardrobe. I had to get myself to the studio for rehearsal. I walked in and I kind of stepped foot into the studio. That’s when it felt so real like we were actually doing a dance movie. Never did I think I was going to end up doing a dance movie. I’m so glad I did it because it was so much fun. But that day we were learning some of the choreography and I noticed I was having some trouble learning as quickly as everyone else. It is a mental skill that develops when you are a dancer, picking up choreography quickly. It’s something I used to be able to do. I never thought it would be an issue. It kind of was at first, but then I’d go home and practice my ass off until I had it. [laughs] It just took a lot of hard work, which is a good thing. I got to meet Bart that day and we were practicing lifts and certain choreography. He was so insanely helpful that I honestly don’t think I would have gotten through it without him. Another moment on set was a scene where I go up and do a small piece of modern dance that I am practicing in a studio. Then, Damon comes behind me and talks to me. Then, all of a sudden he starts improvising while I sit in the back and watch. I am supposed to be thinking, “Oh my gosh! This boy I have a crush on is dancing amazingly!” His dance was so amazing that I started to cry. I couldn’t stop crying while I was watching it. It was that beautiful! So, they are going to have to edit my face out from crying in the background. He is so insanely dedicated. Bart is going to skyrocket! I can picture it now.

Q) What was it like working with Director X.?

A) He gave me a lot of freedom in terms of where to take different scenes on set. It was making my own choices and being able to stand by them and having him support them all the time. If he had an idea, he would put it forward. But in acting scenes, it was pretty interesting to really be handed a lot of confidence and that what I did was okay. He was very supportive. For that, I’m very thankful for. He instilled a lot of confidence in me and dancers and actors, which is probably the biggest takeaway. If I wasn’t 100% confident in certain dancing scenes, it was fake it until you make it!

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you going to be live tweeting and sharing some behind the scenes photos?

A) When it goes on Lifetime, I want to live tweet. That’s my big plan. I’d like to get some of the other cast to do it was well.

Q) What have you taken away from working on Center Stage: On Pointe?

A) Believe in yourself. I know it sounds so cliché, but it is a huge part of dancing. Especially it is a big part of dancers who are younger. When I say younger, I was sixteen or seventeen years old and self confidence was a huge problem. It really effected my dancing. The movie does have some funny parts, but I hope that people take from it to really believe in yourself and if you work hard you can get to where you want to be. Maybe even by working hard you’ll end up places you never thought you’d go.