N ick & Desiree’s Infinite Dance Cast is the only podcast of its kind. Join Nick Drago & Desiree Robbins every week for the latest interviews of the dance industry’s top movers. Download our dance cast each week to learn the ins and outs of the business. It’s a show like no other…all dance, everyday, all the time!
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DESIREE ROBBINS @DesireeRobbins
Desiree has a passion for teaching and devotes much of her time training the dancers that you see in front of the camera. Her real expertise is taking dancers and fine-tuning their technique, style, and movement to create a more refined, professional product. She is recognized in the field to be able to achieve these things by analyzing form and operative skills, producing efficiency in movement. She speaks in an age appropriate terminology to all her students, which creates a strong bond between teacher/coach and student. She has well over 18 years of experience in the field.
Desiree travels to more than 40 cities per year making appearances and teaching master classes all over the world. She has since completed many tours with Tremaine while pursuing a professional dance career performing in many commercials and TV shows including Eerie Tales, Disney’s Videopolis, Miller’s Outpost, Clothestime, 24/7 and Breakthrough. She was also a Star Search winner. Desiree has become a much sought after choreographer and dance coach, including a ten-year working relationship with the NFL Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, as well as work with the NBA King’s Royal Court Dancers, the University of Illinois, University of Alabama, University of Wisconsin, and many other private competitive teams. She has been on the faculty of the University of California, Irvine for more than four years and is a guest master teacher for the University of Arizona, and California State University, Fullerton. Other national and international workshops she is affiliated with are The Jazz Fest (Costa Rica), All You Can Dance (Austria), Dansa (Mexico), Dance Coalition (Arkansas), and Ultimate Dance Challenge (Minnesota) to name a few. Her choreography talent also extends into the musical theater world with the Hollywood musical “24 Hours” which was nominated for an Ovation Award by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance, as well as an NAACP Award. Entertainers Desiree Robbins has worked with include Merv Griffin, Jay Leno, LeAnn Rimes, Tanya Tucker, Brie Larson, Nicky Barot and Liane Valenzuela. Recently she choreographed The Michael Awards with Vivica Fox, staged TV Moves Live segment featuring Mitzi Gaynor and was the assistant choreographer for The Alamo Bowl 2008. Currently she is the director of the Tremaine Teen Performance Company, which boasts over 100 members internationally. To view videos of Desiree’s work and see where she will be appearing next, visit her website at: www.dezworld.com.
NICK DRAGO @NickDrago
Nick Drago, a native Texan and graduate of Oklahoma City University, now resides in Los Angeles as a professional dancer and actor. He has appeared in music videos including: Jessica Simpson’s “Boots,” My Chemical Romance’s “Helena,” Finger Eleven’s “Paralyzer,” and others including Duran Duran, Melody Gardot, and the All American Rejects. Some of Drago’s television credits include Scrubs, Suburgatory, The Hollow Men, Wizards of Waverly Place, Fresh Beat Band, Dancing with the Stars, The Oprah Winfrey Show, MTV’s VMAs, Fashion Rocks, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, How I Met Your Mother, & Glee.
He has appeared in Alvin & The Chipmunks (as Theodore’s Dance Double), The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure (J Edgar), Hop with Russell Brand, The Muppets, G.I. Joe 2, and various other spots on The History Channel, Comedy Central, VH1, The Idea Network, and NBC.
Nick has been seen on the Emmy’s, Spike TV’s Video Game Awards with Neil Patrick Harris, and The People’s Choice Awards with Queen Latifah. In addition to his film and television work, Nick has appeared in front of national and international audiences in Jeff Amsden’s A Few Good Men Dancin’ and as Gene Kelly in “The Good Steno” with Paul Ben-Victor. His interest in health and nutrition has given him the opportunity to model for Men’s Fitness Magazine and XM Radio. Drago can also be seen in Jillian Michael’s (The Biggest Loser) Fitness and Training videos. Commercially, Drago has worked with Exxon gasoline, Jagermeister, MBNA, Smithfield Ham, Dickies, and San Miguel Beer. A dancer in such industrials for Harley Davidson and Liberty Mutual, he has also worked with, music and film stars, Jason Segel, Jamie Pressly, Chazz Palminteri, Christopher Lloyd, Ru Paul, Brittany Murphy, Mariah Carey, Jem, One Republic, and Rihanna. Nick can also be seen on season one of Bravo’s “Step It Up & Dance.” Excited to continue his career in film and television, Drago also enjoys teaching and choreographing as the co-founder of Flow 40 Dance Workshops . Check out www.NickDragoLive.com for more.
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MICHAEL BINIKOS @Binikos_M
Michael Binikos, a 20-year veteran of the music business, has worked as a record producer, engineer, writer and arranger. He started his career working as a coordinator for producers including David Cole, Michael Masser, Richard Marx and Phil Ramon. Soon he was running Westlake Audio, the major LA recording studio that launched the careers of music icons Michael Jackson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette and more.
Binikos has written and arranged for international projects for many American artists including The Eagles, Donna Summer, and Heart. In the years to follow his songwriting blossomed into publishing deals, music for film,
and advertisement campaigns for TV and Radio. As a producer Michael’s credits include LeAnn Rimes, Snoop Dogg, Brie Larson, Kanye West (Grammy’s ‘06), Jon Secada, The Troys, Tanya Tucker, Emmylou Harris, and remixes for Far East Movement, DEV, The Cataracts, Birdman and countless others.
Most recently he has been instrumental in the development and signing of new artists to labels, which include Universal Motown, Casablanca and Warner-Electra. For more information and credits on Michael Binikos, visit: www.binikos.com.
Janai Mercedes has been dancing since she was seven years old, and at the age of nine decided that it was the career path she wanted to take. Originally from Tulsa,Oklahoma, Janai grew up studying all styles of dance, as well as training in acting, voice and musical theatre. She has performed in musical productions including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (children’s chorus,9) with soap opera star Brian Lane Green, and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (women’s chorus/plate, 11). At the age of thirteen, she began to assist on tour with dance conventions such as Tremaine Dance Conventions and iHollywood, along side top choreographers. Janai now lives in Los Angeles, California and is pursuing her dream of dancing and has since traveled internationally assisting numerous choreographers. She looks forward to one day becoming a Rockette and living in New York City.
