She’s got the moves!
DUMBO resident Ellenore Scott has made the top 20 lineup of the FOX competition show “So You Think You Can Dance.”
“I’m just really excited. It’s very overwhelming. It’s also very humbling,” she told this paper.
Just 19 years old, Scott is competing against some of the best young dancers in the country and is wasting no time distinguishing herself from the pack.
She’s combining her love of ballet, hip-hop and pop-locking for a style all her own. She calls herself a “lockerina.”
“The thing I think I have that a lot of other contestants don’t is I have confidence in myself because I believe that what I do is special. I have confidence but not cockiness,” the dancer said.
She also brings an element of humor to her routines.
“I don’t mind shaking my butt and being funny,” she laughed.
Scott developed her technique with the assistance and support of her parents, who are both dancers. Although Scott was more interested in karate and her saxophone as a young child, she later fell in love with dance.
“My dad was on a TV show called ‘Destination Stardom.’ It was a competition show like ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’” Scott explained. “I saw him when I was 10 and I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do. I want to do hip-hop like my dad.’”
The family moved from California to Manhattan’s East Village so Scott could attend the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. Upon graduating in 2008, the family moved to DUMBO in search of calmer and more affordable digs.
“In DUMBO, it’s so quiet and there’s art galleries and families,” Scott said. “When I come home at night, I can turn off because it’s so quiet and peaceful. I really do feel a lot healthier living in Brooklyn.”
The talented teen often opts to travel on her bike instead of public transit.
“I like to explore Brooklyn on my bike,” she said. “I like to go to Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic Terminal and Carroll Gardens. There’s lots of cute, quaint shops.”
But for now, Scott is in Los Angeles participating in daily dance rehearsals as “So You Think You Can Dance” prepares to air live. Last season’s winner was deemed “America’s Favorite Dancer” and received a cool $250,000.
“I want to have a full and healthy [dance] career,” Scott said.
After performing on stage, Scott hopes to become a choreographer. She also has aspirations to open a dance-themed restaurant.
“It’s going to be called the Dancing Chef,” she said. “I’m going to hire all dancers. I’m going to name every dish a different dance move and the dancer will have to do a different dance move when you order it.”
With TV stardom and big dreams, Scott is glad she ignored friends’ advice to attend college instead of pursuing a dance career.
“My mom was like, ‘Do whatever you want to do. Don’t listen to them because you’re the one who is going to be living with that decision,’” she said. “I think I made the right decision.”
“So You Think You Can Dance” airs on FOX on Tuesday at 8 p.m. To watch videos of Scott performing, visit www.ellenorescott.com or www.fox.com/dance.
