From the competition stage to superstardom, these former Showstoppers have inspired the world with their talents.
Born in Houston in 1981, Queen B wasted no time working her way toward a lifetime of success. At our Houston Showstopper competitions, she took the spotlight – and now it follows her. Today, Beyonce is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide, 24 Grammys, and a lengthy list of awards, including Top Female Artist of the Decade, the Most Powerful Female in Entertainment by Forbes in 2015 and 2017, and one of the 100 women who defined the last century by Times.
Known to the world as JLo, the legendary Jennifer Lopez has gone on from Showstopper to success in all that she does – and she’s done it all – from film and TV acting, singing and dancing to becoming a fashion designer, producer and businesswoman. More recently, in 2018, she was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and the sixth highest-paid woman in music by Forbes. In 2019, Lopez was nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG and Critics’ Choice for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Hustlers.” And in 2020, JLo would return to the stage during a Super Bowl LIV halftime show alongside Shakira that would make history.
Behind her signature bow, JoJo is an unbelievably talented dancer, singer, actress and YouTube star. From her time as a Showstopper competitor and appearing on two seasons of “Dance Moms,” JoJo has been catapulted into stardom. She released two hit singles, signed with Nikelodeon in 2017, appeared in the film “Blurt” and “The Masked Singer” as the youngest contestant at 16, and was named as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2020.
As a child, Keri Russell performed with the Mickey Mouse Club and on our Showstopper Stage with the Lisa Holtz Star Struck Dance Studio. Fast-forward to 1998, when Keri portrayed the title role of “Felicity” and took home a Golden Globe for it. From 2013 to 2018, Keri starred in the spy thriller, “The Americans,” picking up Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role. And her film credits include “Mission: Impossible III,” “Waitress,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” and many more.
The beautiful Jamie Pressly turned heads in the modeling world, but before that, she spent 11 years training in both dance and gymnastics, and showing off her talents at Showstopper events. Today, Jaime is best known for her award-winning acting chops, winning an Emmy for playing Joy on the sitcom, “My Name is Earl,” and garnering nominations for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. She’s appeared in a long list of TV shows and films, including Joe Dirt, I Love You, Man, A Haunted House, and as Jill Kendall in the hit sitcom, “Mom,” since 2014.
Before being crowned the Princess of Pop, Britney Spears was a Showstopper! The successful singer/dancer/actress took the late 1990s by storm with her breakout single, “… Baby One More Time,” and continued with eight albums and more than 100 million album sales worldwide – a milestone that makes her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2016, the Grammy Award-winning Britney was ranked at No. 20 on Billboard’s Greatest Of All Time Top Dance Club Artists list. And, on top of that, the iconic artist most recently found success on the stage of her own Las Vegas Show, “Piece of Me,” which she also took on tour to North America and Europe.
Another alum of “Dance Moms,” dancer/actress/author/model Maddie Ziegler is widely known for her 2014 starring dance role in Sia’s “1,000 Forms of Fear” music video trilogy, which includes the hit song “Chandelier” that attracted more than 5 billion views on YouTube and received rave reviews from critics worldwide. Her beautiful self has also appeared in films, TV shows, concerts, ads, and on the covers of magazines. From 2015 to 2017, Maddie was included on Time’s list of the 30 Most Influential Teens. On top of that, her memoir, The Maddie Diaries, was a New York Times bestseller, she appeared as a judge on the 2016 season of “SYTYCD,” she’s been a voice and appeared in films, and her Instagram account has more than 13 million followers.
Sarah, known simply as Margaret Qualley, grew up in Asheville, N.C., training as a ballerina. The daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, Margaret went on to earn an apprenticeship at the North Carolina Dance Theater company, attended London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and studied at New York University. As an actress, Margaret gained recognition for her role in the HBO series, “The Leftovers,” and gained acclaim with an Emmy nomination for her role in the FX drama miniseries, “Fosse/Verdon” in 2019. Her career success that same year was her appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
Mandy Moore is a two-time Emmy-nominee Choreographer and Dancer whose work has been seen on television, film, and concert stage. Mandy was one of the choreographers for Celine Dion’s Taking Chances World Tour. In addition to being the choreographer for American Idol (season 6), she was a choreographer on seasons 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of So You Think You Can Dance. She also appears as a guest judge on SYTYCD often. In 2012, Mandy’s choreography was featured in the Academy Award-nominated David O. Russell film Silver Linings Playbook with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Mandy has performed on television shows and films including, but not limited to, Malcolm in the Middle, That ’70s Show, and The Drew Carey Show. Her film credits include A Time for Dancing and Austin Powers Goldmember.
The dance prodigy took her first dance steps at age 2, competing at Showstopper and going on to star in “Dance Moms,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “America’s Got Talent,” “SYTYCD” and more. Sophia even holds the Guinness World Record for 55 consecutive pirouettes in a row! Training an impressive 40 hours a week in jazz, contemporary, tap and ballet, the YouTube sensation also extends her talents into retail with her own fashion line, California Kisses Dance Wear, and into the music industry, with several original songs and music videos.
Kent started dancing at the age of 8 and continued on to be a Showstopper top soloist and in our opening number for many years. He’s also taught at our Showstopper Dance Conventions multiple times! Boyd was the runner up on season 7 of So You Think You Can Dance and has been in many films including It Remains, Teen Beach Movie 1 and 2, as well as Chasing Hayes. He’s also been on many T.V. shows including Bunheads, Glee, Chasing 8’s, and Shake it Up!
Former Showstopper, Tate Taylor, is now an actor and director! He’s best known for directing the movies The Help in 2011, Get on Up in 2014, Chicken Party in 2003, and Girl on the Train in 2015. He’s also been an actor in Planet of the Apes, I Spy, Chicken Party, Pretty Ugly People, and Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.
Nick and Aaron both sharpened their dance moves on the Showstopper Stage before going on to become the pop superstars they are now. After his superstardom with The Backstreet Boys, Nick starred in two reality shows, “House of Carter” (2006) and “I (Heart) Nick Carter”(2014). He’s also guest starred in several TV series and released a memoir, “Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It”(2013). Currently, he’s dancing on the hit TV show, Dancing With the Stars! Other than for his hits like “Aaron’s Party”and “I Want Candy,” you might recognize Aaron from 7th Heaven, Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time, or The Even Stevens Movie. He continues to tour both nationally and internationally today!
This Canadian singer/songwriter/dancer was a finalist on “SYTYCD” at only the age of 13. As a singer, Tate released her debut EP, All The Things I Never Said, in January 2020, which includes her single, “One Day” that originally went viral on YouTube and went on to be certified Gold in Canada in April 2020. “You Broke Me First” from that album was released amid COVID-19 lockdowns, but Tate still managed to later perform the single on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards.
Before becoming a pop super star, this N*SYNC member was a young, aspiring dancer and a competitor on the Showstopper stage. Originally from Bowie, Maryland, JC was born with a talent for singing, dancing, and acting. This talent later led him to his debut as a member of the Mickey Mouse Club and brought him to the group now known as N*SYNC. He spent four years as a judge on America’s Best Dance Crew where he watched many of our current Showstopper Convention Teachers compete! He’s currently working on a film with Topher Grace and Lauren Lapkus titled One Shot.
With 20 years of dance and production experience, Angel is an award winning choreographer and founder of the national dance movement Peace Love Hip Hop. She has toured the country teaching a positive message with a twist of creative choreography and her unique costume design. As a former Hollywood designer, she won an Emmy for her costume work on That 70’s Show.
Tiler began dancing at age 2 in her mom’s ballet studio in Bakersfield, Calif., and hasn’t stopped since. Her performance credits include “The Music Man” on Broadway, the Kennedy Honors ceremony (twice) in front of former President Barack Obama, “The Nutcracker,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Swan Lake,” and more with the New York City Ballet. Tiler also started her own dancewear collection, made appearances in movies, and was the main focus of the 2018 documentary, “Ballet Now.”
Ambitious and creative, Kristin McQuaid is one of today’s hottest choreographers & creative directors. For more than 15 years, she has wowed audiences as a choreographer, dancer, designer, actor, and has just added creative director to that list. In 2015, Kristin was honored to win the choreographer’s TV show Make A Move and her work has been featured in the Capezio A.C.E. Awards and TV commercials for brands including Vlado Footwear and Old Spice, and most recently, a national and digital Best Buy campaign. Her work was also seen on FOX’s hit, So You Think You Can Dance
Co-founder of The Space dance school in Orange County, California, Autumn Miller is following in the dance footsteps of Mom Krista and Dad Cory. She first started dancing at age 5, multi-training in jazz, contemporary, hip-hop/jazz funk and ballet. A few of her dancing creds include an appearance in Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair” music video, a music video with Madilyn Bailey, “DWTS,” Disney’s “Shake it Up,” and more. Autumn has also worked with national brands, like Nickelodeon, Walmart, Target, DreamWorks, McDonald’s and more. Launched in 2011, her popular YouTube channel, “Autie Freesytle Friday,” has more than 70 million viewers following her fun dance videos, short skits set to music and overall personal journey as a dancer in LA.
This petite powerhouse actress and dancer is best known for her starring role in “Step Up” opposite Channing Tatum. Before that, she was a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, Pink, Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera. Jenna’s acting credits and TV appearances include “American Horry Story,” “Witches of East End,” “Soundtrack,” and as host of “World of Dance.”
This powerhouse vocalist first debuted on the Showstopper stage at age 5 as a dancer before she took over the mic. By 11, LeAnn recorded her first album and by 13, she released the hit song, “Blue,” which earned her two Grammys and the honor of becoming the youngest country music star since Tanya Tucker in 1972. Since then, the singer/songwriter released 10 albums, sold more than 45 million copies, and earned three ACM awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, a CMA and an American Music Award. LeeAnn’s unforgettable song, “How Do I Live,” was ranked as the most successful song of the 1990s by Billboard Magazine.
N*SYNC’s Lance Bass is a former Showstopper contestant from Laurel, Mississippi! With N*SYNC, Lance has performed alongside stars such as Celine Dion and Gloria Estefan…but singing isn’t his only talent! Not long after N*SYNC, Bass moved to Russia where he became certified by both NASA and the Russian Space Program after several months of cosmonaut training. Later he made his acting debut on the WB television show 7th Heaven, and later owned his own music and film production company! He remains active in the media by attending premieres and fashion launches. He even released an autobiography —Out of Sync. He was also a co-host on the KTLA Morning Show but more recently, he’ll be joining the Meredith Vieira Show as her co-host!
This “Star Search” grand champion first started dancing at the age of 11 and continued with performances in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and as Pouncival in “Cats.” His award-winning choreography work can be seen in a long list of Broadway musicals, including “South Pacific,” for which he earned a Tony nomination for Best Choreography, and “Newsies,” for which he won the Tony. Additional honors for Chris are an Outer Critics Circle Award for “Newsies,” the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography in “Altar Boyz,” and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreographer for “Altar Boys” and “Bat Boy: The Musical.”
Rachel has graced the Showstopper stage many times winning numerous awards including Showstopper Television Show Champion and National Photogenic Winner. She is now a professional make-up artist and model and is soon coming out with her own line of makeup. She has danced at The Celebrity Theater in Myrtle Beach, SC but is now living in L.A. She’s worked on “So You Think You Can Dance,” “The Young and The Restless,” “The Bold and The Beautiful,” “Extreme Makeover Wedding Edition,” the MTV Movie Awards, “Seinfeld – The Reunion,” and many other TV shows as a make-up artist. She just recently won an Emmy Award with her hair and makeup team for the work she did on “The Young and the Restless.”
After gracing the Showstopper stage, On May 20, 2020, Julie Yap ‘05 was sworn in as a superior court judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court of California. Yap’s judicial appointment is the culmination of her extensive experience in the judiciary, private practice, academia, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. Yap began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Frank C. Damrell, Jr. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, from 2005 to 2011. From 2011 to 2012, she was a Supreme Court fellow, a highly selective year-long placement with federal judiciary agencies.