Bio
Shelley Christians is a South African dancer best known as one of the Top 16 contestants on the second season of the SABC1 reality competition So You Think You Can Dance, in 2010.
So You Think You Can Dance Q&A
City
Cape Town
Profession
She is the head cheerleader for the Stormers. She's a final year Dramatic Arts student at Cape Academy of Dramatic Arts, and a glamour and lifestyle model. She also teaches dance at Virgin Active and workshops at schools.
Dance history
She has been dancing since she started walking. She is classically trained in ballet at Studio RAP and International Dance Academy, which she attended from 1996 until 2002. She also trained for show dance, cabaret, belly dancing and African Jazz at the Afrika Ablaze as well as trained for Hip Hop at CUT of Africa Academy. She has also been a professional dancer for four years. She represented the Stormers in Sports Illustrated in 2007. She has been in numerous ads, including the Vodacom All the single ladies ad. She was also a back up dancer for R&B singer Loyiso and the band Denim. She featured in Lira and Jody Williams' music videos.
Why should Shelley be SA's favourite dancer
She is hungry. She is competitive and full of life on stage and believes that she is versatile and easy to work with. She has the personality and dance ability to be South Africa's favourite dancer.
Favourite dance genre
She loves all genres, but at the moment her favourite is hip hop.
Dance accolades/trophies/titles
Number 1 Hip Hop formation with Out Of Africa at Grand West and Sun City SADTA competition
4 Gold medals at North America Dance Champs solo's
The Feet of Steel award for pointes work in New York
The MTV Dance award for best Hip Hop group in New York
What would she do with the prize money?
She would help her parents, she owes them so much. She says they have invested a lot of time, patience and money in her, for her to be the best dancer she can be. They made sure she went to a lot of dance schools and got the training she needed. It's one thing to be born with a talent and passion, it's another thing to have parents who love you so much to spend their last so that you could have the best opportunity.
What makes her stand out in the competition?
She will bring personality, drama, flavour and attitude, and all these will show in her dancing. To her, dynamite comes in small packages. She will also bring some versatility with her different dance background styles. She has been performing for a while, but she has been out of technical training for a long time. She wants to prove that she still has it and you can get it back after being out of it for some time.
Family background
She is an only child and stays with her parents. She surrounds herself with a lot of pets- her rabbit Puffin, an African grey parrot Charlie, a mini-yorkie Cody and two mixed breeds, Storm and Cuddles.
Audition process
She auditioned in her home town, Cape Town. She wasn't planning on entering, but with much encouragement from her friends and family, they convinced her to give it a shot.
Profession if not dancing
She would still be in the arts industry. She originally wanted to be a fashion designer and a makeup artist, which she freelances as now. Her heart is however on the stage, so acting, television acting, broadcasting and presenting are dreams of her... and to be the next Charlize Theron.
Impression of the South African dance scene
She doesn't think that there are enough opportunities for the enormous talent we have in South Africa. Artists need to get the recognition they deserve.
What would winning So You Think You Can Dance mean to Shelley?
It would mean the world to her, it's an international show so its really a big deal. Being voted as South Africa's best dancer by the public and getting recognition for what you love would be amazing. It would be a great achievement considering everything that it takes to get to the top 16.
Inspiration
She finds inspiration in a lot of things. From her family as well, the internet always has such good quotes and words of wisdom to google. She finds inspiration everywhere, in every person she works with, every learning experience and everything positive.
Challenges faced
She has had too many. Losing her grandmother was a big thing to deal with for her family.
What makes Shelley happy
Her pets, coming home to them after a difficult day always lifts my spirits. Her friends also always make her laugh, just chilling with them, making jokes, their movie nights, just everything. Dancing and performing makes her happy. Shopping and music, she finds cooking and baking also therapeutic after a long day.
Message for potential fans
She would like to say thank you to everyone who has supported her and still supports her. Who has believed in her to make it this far. To her fans - believe in yourself and anything can happen. She has done all she could to get to this point and she won't give up.
South African charity close to her heart
She is a very huge animal lover, she is a big softy. T.E.A.R.S and the SPCA charity are quite big for her, as well as D.A.W.G - anything animal related. If she could, she would buy an RV or huge bus and drive around the streets picking up lost, hurt or abandoned animals and open a shelter to feed them and take care of them till they can be adopted. If there's one thing that can get me emotional and angry, its animal cruelty.