Betsy Reason column: Teenage dancer adds moves
to hip-hop
17-year-old dances for rapper Lil' Bubba, lives in
North Hollywood.
By Betsy Reason
November 29, 2005
Betsy
Reason
When Porshia Monks was 3, her parents enrolled her in
dance class, though her dad thought "it was kind of silly" at the
time.
She wanted to be the "cooker girl" at McDonald's when
she was 5, but by the time she was 7, Porshia was in dance
competitions and had her mind set on performing in music videos
someday.
At 8, she was getting compliments for her tap dancing
and was a regional finalist in a national model search. And at 13,
she performed in an off-Broadway dance musical in Times Square.
Now 17, the 5-foot, 3-inch naturally curly brunette is
a hip-hop dancer touring with 13-year-old rapper Lil' Bubba.
And life couldn't be better, said the Noblesville teen
who moved to North Hollywood a year ago.
Porshia, who performs jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical and
modern dance, first went to California after earning a weeklong
scholarship to the Millennium Dance Complex, the same studio where
Britney Spears trains.
Speaking of Britney, Porshia has performed wearing the
pop star's costumes and is getting pointers from Britney's former
dancer and top choreographer Jesselee Santos.
"She had a look and an execution about her movement
that stood out," said Santos about Porshia, who sees great potential
in the Noblesville girl. "There is not anything she cannot
tackle."
That's why Santos and singer/songwriter Jonathan
George, owners of a talent development company in North Hollywood,
encouraged Porshia to move there to get her career on track.
Porshia, who acts and sings alto soprano, dreams to be
in commercials and music videos and on television. She believes
staying focused, practicing a lot and finding the best training she
can get will be the key to her success.
Jeff Monks, owner of Monks Media, an Internet radio
station in Noblesville, is proud of his daughter, saying she's more
independent and mature since she moved to California. He's thrilled
for Porshia to pursue the career she's always wanted.
Betsy Reason writes about interesting people,
places and events in each Noblesville Ledger. Contact her at (317)
444-5542 or Betsy.Reason@TheNoblesvilleLedger.com.
