Wendy Calio
Encyclopedia
Wendy Calio is an American actress, singer, dancer and choreographer who is best known for her portrayal of Nina, the spirited ever-smiling neighbor on Disney Junior
children's series, Imagination Movers
.
in Mililani, Hawaii. She is 5'3", 115 pounds, has black hair with black eyes and is of Filipino
and Caucasian
descent. Her mother, Theresa Osthoff-Cambonga, is currently a business partner in her ventures.
Calio started dance training at the age of 4 by taking ballet
at The Ballet School in Walnut Creek, California
under the direction of Lareen Fender and continued under the direction of John Landowski at Hawaii State Ballet. A few years later she added to her repertoire by studying Contemporary Jazz
under Pam Sandridge at Big City Productions. Calio began acting at age 12 when she was cast as the host of "Saturday AM" on Hawaii Public Television. She spent two summers in a studio with 14 other kids filming a local version of "The Mickey Mouse Club". At age 14, Calio was crowned Miss Teen Hawaii Filipina. At 16, she recorded her first song, "I’m Coming Home For Christmas" under the alias of Sabrina Starr.
By the age of 16, Calio was an accomplished actress, vocalist and dance performer. After the release of her first song, Calio started teaching dance at a local community center in Mililani, HI and made headlines for leading over 150 dancers in annual productions at local theatre venues such as Leeward Community College Theatre and Mamiya Theatre. Using the name under which she released her single, she opened her own business, Sabrina Starr Studios, and within a short amount of time made a name for herself as one of Hawaii’s Premiere dance instructors.
Sometime in 2007, Calio began her relationship with Disney as a performer and assistant choreographer in the national tour of Disney’s High School Musical
and also appeared in Aladdin
’s Musical Spectacular at Disney’s Hyperion Theater
. To get the role of Nina on the Imagination Movers, Calio reportedly beat out over 800 hopefuls auditioning for the role in New York, Florida and Los Angeles. In October 2008, Calio married Jeremy Gilbert in a ceremony that took place at the Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute in Kapolei, HI. After finishing work on the second season of Imagination Movers
, Calio opened up a performing arts/dance school called Pas De Deux (French for "dance for two"), which opened May 1, 2010 in Waipahu, HI. Calio is also in the process of creating a children's book.
In addition to ballet, Calio is also trained in hula
, yoga
, and Bollywood
dancing, and is a pop rock
and soprano
singer. Her Hawaiian heritage and hula skills were incorporated into her character Nina in the Imagination Movers episode "Trouble in Paradise." She continues to star in Imagination Movers, and has officially signed on as the choreographer of the third season. She currently divides her time between New Orleans and Los Angeles during the hiatus periods of Imagination Movers.
Disney Junior
Disney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney....
children's series, Imagination Movers
Imagination Movers (TV series)
Imagination Movers is an American television series that premiered on September 6, 2008 on Disney Channel. The program was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers...
.
Life and career
Calio was born and raised in Oahu, Hawaii and graduated from Mililani High SchoolMililani High School
Mililani High School is the only public high school located in Mililani Town CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. on the island of Oahu....
in Mililani, Hawaii. She is 5'3", 115 pounds, has black hair with black eyes and is of Filipino
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
and Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
descent. Her mother, Theresa Osthoff-Cambonga, is currently a business partner in her ventures.
Calio started dance training at the age of 4 by taking ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
at The Ballet School in Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
under the direction of Lareen Fender and continued under the direction of John Landowski at Hawaii State Ballet. A few years later she added to her repertoire by studying Contemporary Jazz
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...
under Pam Sandridge at Big City Productions. Calio began acting at age 12 when she was cast as the host of "Saturday AM" on Hawaii Public Television. She spent two summers in a studio with 14 other kids filming a local version of "The Mickey Mouse Club". At age 14, Calio was crowned Miss Teen Hawaii Filipina. At 16, she recorded her first song, "I’m Coming Home For Christmas" under the alias of Sabrina Starr.
By the age of 16, Calio was an accomplished actress, vocalist and dance performer. After the release of her first song, Calio started teaching dance at a local community center in Mililani, HI and made headlines for leading over 150 dancers in annual productions at local theatre venues such as Leeward Community College Theatre and Mamiya Theatre. Using the name under which she released her single, she opened her own business, Sabrina Starr Studios, and within a short amount of time made a name for herself as one of Hawaii’s Premiere dance instructors.
Sometime in 2007, Calio began her relationship with Disney as a performer and assistant choreographer in the national tour of Disney’s High School Musical
High School Musical
High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
and also appeared in Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
’s Musical Spectacular at Disney’s Hyperion Theater
Hyperion Theater
The Hyperion Theater is located at Disney California Adventure, in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area, next to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It currently shows Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular...
. To get the role of Nina on the Imagination Movers, Calio reportedly beat out over 800 hopefuls auditioning for the role in New York, Florida and Los Angeles. In October 2008, Calio married Jeremy Gilbert in a ceremony that took place at the Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute in Kapolei, HI. After finishing work on the second season of Imagination Movers
Imagination Movers
Imagination Movers is a child-centered rock band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2003. The lineup includes Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche, and Scott "Smitty" Smith. Members of the group were longtime friends and neighbors....
, Calio opened up a performing arts/dance school called Pas De Deux (French for "dance for two"), which opened May 1, 2010 in Waipahu, HI. Calio is also in the process of creating a children's book.
In addition to ballet, Calio is also trained in hula
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, and Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
dancing, and is a pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
and soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
singer. Her Hawaiian heritage and hula skills were incorporated into her character Nina in the Imagination Movers episode "Trouble in Paradise." She continues to star in Imagination Movers, and has officially signed on as the choreographer of the third season. She currently divides her time between New Orleans and Los Angeles during the hiatus periods of Imagination Movers.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | |- | 1994 | The Byrds of Paradise The Byrds of Paradise The Byrds of Paradise is an American television series that ran during the 1993-94 season on ABC. The hour-long drama centering on a father and his three children, abruptly relocated to Hawaii from New Haven after the sudden death of the children's mother... |
Diane | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Cosmo's Tale | Roxy | Adam Shankman Adam Shankman Adam Michael Shankman is an American film director, producer, dancer, actor, and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet... 's Cosmo's Tale; credited as Sabrina Calio |
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| 2006 | Think Tank Think tank A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax... |
Suzanne | Think Tank (film) Think Tank (film) Think Tank is a comedy feature film written and directed by the Brian Petersen, star of MTV's "Sportblender". The film was produced by Chris Wyatt and Sean Covel... |
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| 2008–present | Imagination Movers Imagination Movers (TV series) Imagination Movers is an American television series that premiered on September 6, 2008 on Disney Channel. The program was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers... |
Nina | Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children... /Disney Junior Disney Junior Disney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney.... |
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| 2011 | Imagination Movers in Concert | Nina |