ICONic is a dance crew with 7 members from Englishtown, New Jersey. The group brings different and fresh elements on their hip-hop performances. Their routines are uniquely highlighted with Broadway overtones.
Brandon Tyler
Brandon “B” Tyler is 23-year-old from Highstown, New Jersey. His dancing career started right after he looked up Geo’s studio online and he took an interest in it. To pay for his everyday financial needs, he works as a film projectionist at a movie theater in his hometown. In the industry, he looks up to the dancing skills of Steffan “Mr. Wiggles” Clemente, the street dancer who is famous for his popping skills. By being on Dance Crew, he hopes that he’ll be able to gain more experiences as a performer and he yearns to develop his skills in dancing.
Dena Spellman
Twenty-three-year-old Dena “Dee” Spellman hails from Buffalo, New Jersey. Her first dancing job was with break-dancer and choreographer Darrin Henson. She and her sister appeared as guest dancers on Henson’s second instructional video entitled “Darrin's Dance Grooves 2: Darrin and Friends." Aside from dancing, she spends most of her free time teaching dance classes or retouching headshots and photos in Photoshop. Her dancing idols include Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly, Darrin Henson and Geo Hubela. Family and friends serve as sources of inspiration for her. She claims that their support and encouragement has helped her become the best she can be. In joining Dance Crew, she hopes to meet new people and learn a lot about the dance industry.
Gerard Heintz
Gerard “Gringo” Heintz from Queens, New York danced on and off during his childhood days. But when he was 13 and his father passed away, he used dancing as an outlet and started to take dance seriously. This 26-year-old feels blessed that his work as a professional dancer is enough to pay his bills. Aside from dancing, his other interest includes snow boarding, drawing, singing and being a disc jockey. His idols are his sister Glenn Douglas Packard, Annabelle Marrerro and Catalina Reudic. He also gets his inspiration from his mother and is grateful for every person who booked him for a job, saw him talented and pushed him. His ambition is to be able to leave his hometown and conquer the world by simply doing what he loves.
Jameson Perry
Jameson Perry is from Calvent County, Maryland. His older siblings all danced and this influenced him to start dancing tap and jazz at the tender age of five. This 22-year-old works on cars during his time away from the studios. He is fascinated with rebuilding and improving engines. Perry looks up to Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire because they make dancing look easy, fun and masculine. His inspiration comes from his love of learning. He says that everyday people make new moves and styles and he appreciates what others have created. He is interested in learning those and also in sharing what he has created, too.
Jenna Spellman
Nineteen-year-old Jenna Spellman comes from Buffalo, New York. Her first job as a dancer was for Jay-Z on the MTV Video Music Awards. She was just 13 then. Spellman makes money by working as a teacher for dance classes. One unique talent that she has is talking with her mouth closed. Her dancing idols are Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly, Darrin Henson and group mate Geo. But what inspires her most is her passion for dancing. In joining Dance Crew, she hopes to expand her horizons through learning more about the industry and meeting new people.
George Hubela
George “Geo” Hubela from Manalapan, New Jersey used to be a quiet and reserved kid but dancing brought him out of his shell. He started out as a B-boy when he was 12-years-old. By age 16, he trained in formal dancing and was able to book his first gig with Disney World when he was 19. He majored in business at Fordham University in Bronx. Now 34-years-old, he owns and manages Icon Dance Complex located in Englishtown. He also choreographs and is a faculty teacher for hip hop at the Broadway Dance Center in New York. Aside from performing, he also loves to draw during his silent moments. He was awed when he saw Michael Jackson perform "Billie Jean," and admits that the king of pop is one of his idols. He also admires Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and the original Rock Steady Crew. Allowing him to express himself creatively, Hubela considers dancing as a very liberating activity.
Zakk Manzella
Twenty-two-year-old Zakk “Smoke” Manzella is from Freehold, New Jersey. When he was five-years-old, he was spokesperson for "Slinky" and "Alpine Lace Cheese." After discovering the world of acting, he moved on to dancing and found it easier to do. By the time he reached 18, he moved to New York and since then, he relied on his performing for his source of income. He looks up to Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Geo, Keith "Boogie" Williams, Randy Connor and Mr. Wiggles. His source of inspiration is his sick father who is diagnosed with diabetes and cancer in numerous areas of his body. His father used to dance but when the cancer infected his leg, it required amputation. Manzella then took dancing seriously, living out his and his father’s dream.
ICONic is a finalist for MTV’s 2008 reality talent search Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew; where hip-hop dance groups from all over US compete for the prize money and for the opportunity to be given a touring contract.
(Photo courtesy of MTV)