Kenny Wormald
Encyclopedia
Kenny Wormald is an American professional dancer and actor. He is best known for his appearances on the MTV network show Dancelife
, and his starring roles in Center Stage: Turn It Up
and the 2011 version
of the 1984 film Footloose.
, to Melanie and Edgar K. Wormald, and grew up in Stoughton, Massachusetts
, where he graduated from Stoughton High School
in 2002.
He has two brothers, Lee and Dylan.
Kenny moved to Los Angeles
right after his high school graduation.
video. He attended the Sherry Gold Dance Studios (The Gold School) in Brockton, Massachusetts
.
At the age of eleven he won the Master Dance of New England, at thirteen the Junior Mr. Dance of New England, Teen Dancer of Boston at fourteen, and Teen Mr. Dance of New England at fifteen.
In 1996, Kenny was selected to dance for President Bill Clinton
at the White House as a part of the annual Easter celebration.
In 2002, he won the gold medal at the World Dance Championships in Riesa
, Germany
for a tap dance routine he performed.
Wormald was in an episode of The Drew Carey Show
entitled "Family Affair" in 2002.
He was featured as a dancer in music videos with Madonna
, Mariah Carey
's "It's Like That
", JoJo's 2004 "Baby It's You
", Christina Aguilera
's "Candyman", Chris Brown's "Gimme That", Nelly Furtado
's "Promiscuous
", and Prince And Pussycat Dolls
Bottle pop. He also toured with Justin Timberlake
.
He choreographed the song Mirotic
for Korean group TVXQ
, which was released on September 2008. He also appeared in Korean singer BoA
's English debut music video 'Eat You Up
' (released on October 2008) as a backup dancer and later on her third English music video 'Energetic' (released on August 2009).
On November 1, 2008 the Oxygen cable network debuted Center Stage: Turn It Up
in which Wormald played lead character Tommy Anderson. He danced in the Doll Domination Tour with The Pussycat Dolls in 2009, and that same year he danced in VMA's Michael Jackson Tribute together with Janet Jackson and others.
On June 22, 2010, Paramount Pictures
announced that Wormald had been cast in the lead role of Ren McCormack in the film musical adaptation remake of Footloose
, after both Zac Efron
and Chace Crawford
departed the role. The film was directed by Craig Brewer
and was released on October 14, 2011.
He contributed choreography to Korean group Super Junior
for the song Mr. Simple
, which was released on August 2011.
DanceLife
DanceLife is a 2007 dance-oriented US TV reality show, featuring and produced by Jennifer Lopez. The series follows the lives of seven dancers trying to break into the world of professional dance and trying to "make it" in Hollywood...
, and his starring roles in Center Stage: Turn It Up
Center Stage: Turn It Up
Center Stage 2: Turn it Up or Center Stage 2 is the official sequel to the 2000 dance drama film Center Stage. The film was directed by Steven Jacobson and written by Karen Bloch Morse, based on characters created by Carol Heikkinen....
and the 2011 version
Footloose (2011 film)
Footloose is a 2011 American dance film directed by Craig Brewer. It is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name and stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, and Andie MacDowell. The film follows a young man who moves from Boston to a small southern town and protests the town's ban...
of the 1984 film Footloose.
Personal life
Wormald was born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, to Melanie and Edgar K. Wormald, and grew up in Stoughton, Massachusetts
Stoughton, Massachusetts
Stoughton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,962 at the 2010 census. The town is located approximately from Boston, from Providence, and from Cape Cod.-History:...
, where he graduated from Stoughton High School
Stoughton High School
Stoughton High School serves the town of Stoughton, Massachusetts. The grades range from 9th grade to 12th grade, with an average of 300 students per class. It is located on 232 Pearl Street in Stoughton MA.-Sports:...
in 2002.
He has two brothers, Lee and Dylan.
Kenny moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
right after his high school graduation.
Career
He began dancing at the age of six, after his mother saw him dancing to a New Kids On The BlockNew Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
video. He attended the Sherry Gold Dance Studios (The Gold School) in Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
.
At the age of eleven he won the Master Dance of New England, at thirteen the Junior Mr. Dance of New England, Teen Dancer of Boston at fourteen, and Teen Mr. Dance of New England at fifteen.
In 1996, Kenny was selected to dance for President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
at the White House as a part of the annual Easter celebration.
In 2002, he won the gold medal at the World Dance Championships in Riesa
Riesa
Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located at the river Elbe, approx. 40 km northwest of Dresden.The world's first 110 kV power line was inaugurated between Riesa and Lauchhammer in 1912....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for a tap dance routine he performed.
Wormald was in an episode of The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
entitled "Family Affair" in 2002.
He was featured as a dancer in music videos with Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's "It's Like That
It's like That (Mariah Carey song)
"It's Like That" is a song written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey, Dupri, and Seal for Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . It borrows the hook "it's like that y'all" from the Run-D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go...
", JoJo's 2004 "Baby It's You
Baby It's You (JoJo song)
"Baby It's You" is a song by American recording artist JoJo, featuring American rapper Bow Wow. Written by Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas, Eric Dawkins, and Antonio Dixon, and produced by The Underdogs, the song was released in September 2004 as the second single from JoJo's self-titled debut...
", Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
's "Candyman", Chris Brown's "Gimme That", Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
's "Promiscuous
Promiscuous (song)
"Promiscuous" is a dance-pop/R&B song by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from the album, Loose . It was written by Furtado, Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills, with the latter pair handling production of the song...
", and Prince And Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
Bottle pop. He also toured with Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
.
He choreographed the song Mirotic
Mirotic
-Version B:-Version C:-Version D:-Japan Release Version:-Promotional singles:* "주문-Mirotic * "Wrong Number" -Release history:...
for Korean group TVXQ
TVXQ
TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...
, which was released on September 2008. He also appeared in Korean singer BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
's English debut music video 'Eat You Up
Eat You Up
"Eat You Up" is Korean singer BoA's first English single, produced by Henrik Jonback, from her English debut album BoA. This is BoA's first single to be released in a digital format. The song was originally set for release on October 14, 2008, but was then pushed back to October 21, 2008. It is...
' (released on October 2008) as a backup dancer and later on her third English music video 'Energetic' (released on August 2009).
On November 1, 2008 the Oxygen cable network debuted Center Stage: Turn It Up
Center Stage: Turn It Up
Center Stage 2: Turn it Up or Center Stage 2 is the official sequel to the 2000 dance drama film Center Stage. The film was directed by Steven Jacobson and written by Karen Bloch Morse, based on characters created by Carol Heikkinen....
in which Wormald played lead character Tommy Anderson. He danced in the Doll Domination Tour with The Pussycat Dolls in 2009, and that same year he danced in VMA's Michael Jackson Tribute together with Janet Jackson and others.
On June 22, 2010, Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
announced that Wormald had been cast in the lead role of Ren McCormack in the film musical adaptation remake of Footloose
Footloose (2011 film)
Footloose is a 2011 American dance film directed by Craig Brewer. It is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name and stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, and Andie MacDowell. The film follows a young man who moves from Boston to a small southern town and protests the town's ban...
, after both Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...
and Chace Crawford
Chace Crawford
Christopher Chace Crawford , better known as Chace Crawford, is an American actor. He currently portrays Nate Archibald on the CW television drama Gossip Girl.-Early life:...
departed the role. The film was directed by Craig Brewer
Craig Brewer
Craig Brewer is an American film director and screenwriter. His 2005 movie Hustle & Flow won the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and achieved commercial success, along with an Academy Award for Best Original Song, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp".- Life and career :Hustle & Flow...
and was released on October 14, 2011.
He contributed choreography to Korean group Super Junior
Super Junior
Super Junior is a South Korean boy band. Formed in 2005 by producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, the group comprised a total of thirteen members at its peak, and was once claimed to be the world's largest boy band...
for the song Mr. Simple
Mr. Simple
Mr. Simple is the fifth studio album of South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on August 3, 2011 by SM Entertainment and KMP Holdings in South Korea. This is the group's second album featuring ten members, the first being their previous album, "Bonamana"...
, which was released on August 2011.
Tours
- Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
– FutureSex/LoveShowFutureSex/LoveShowFutureSex/LoveShow is the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. The tour supported his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds. This became Timberlake's first solo global tour, reaching North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania...
2007 - The Pussycat Dolls – Doll Domination Tour 2009
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | You Got Served You Got Served You Got Served is a film written and directed by Chris Stokes, manager of its stars, recording artist Omarion, Marques Houston and the members of boy band B2K. The plot concerns a group of dancers, who take part in a street dancing competition... |
Dancer | (Uncredited) |
| 2006 | Clerks II Clerks II Clerks II is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, sequel to his 1994 film Clerks, and his sixth and latest feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse... |
Dancer | |
| Jackass 2 | Dancer | (Uncredited) | |
| 2008 | Center Stage: Turn It Up Center Stage: Turn It Up Center Stage 2: Turn it Up or Center Stage 2 is the official sequel to the 2000 dance drama film Center Stage. The film was directed by Steven Jacobson and written by Karen Bloch Morse, based on characters created by Carol Heikkinen.... |
Tommy Anderson | Main Character |
| 2011 | Footloose Footloose (2011 film) Footloose is a 2011 American dance film directed by Craig Brewer. It is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name and stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, and Andie MacDowell. The film follows a young man who moves from Boston to a small southern town and protests the town's ban... |
Ren McCormack | Main Character |
Further reading
- Fahey, Rich, "Stoughton dancer leaps to starring role", The Boston Globe, January 2, 2011
- Soroff, Jonathan, "Kenny Wormald: The new Footloose star tells us about dancers’ feet, L.A. girls and tripping in front of Madonna", The Improper BostonianThe Improper BostonianThe Improper Bostonian is a glossy lifestyle guide for the city of Boston. The magazine comes out bi-weekly and reports on the area trends in a young and entertaining way.The magazine is a staple of the city, being free to people inside the city, and $14.95 a year for people who live outside Boston...
, October 19 - November 1 2011 issue, p.35. - Woodman, Tenley, "Kicking it old-school: Stoughton dancer says accent helped him land ‘Footloose’", The Boston Herald, Wednesday, October 12, 2011