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ACTOR VISHAL ARORA GIVES EVERY ROLE HIS ALL

9/14/2016

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​Vishal Arora’s professional skill has earned him significant cache in cinema’s most significant international centers. Working in both India’s Bollywood and California’s Hollywood, the Los Angeles-based actor has a vibrant, appealing attitude and outgoing demeanor which has led him through a series of very diverse roles and dramatic settings.​
 
From situation TV comedy to taut big screen suspense, Arora’s deft acting technique can successfully serve almost any role, and he recently explored a new career avenue, appearing as the lead character in a Punjabi pop music video by the famous singer Charanjeet Singh Sondhi.
 
“I was born in Northern India where the culture is very attracted to lively, loud pop music,” Arora said. “In Punjab, almost every kid sings and dreams of becoming a pop star. Punjabi pop style is all about being very open. It really doesn't care about having a message or anything except going with the flow and doing what you feel. Even if a song’s lyrics don't really make much sense, it's fun always and high energy.” 
 
Punjabi pop, with its infectious rhythms and exotic instrumentation, has become known worldwide, and songs like Punjabi MC’s remix of  “Mundian To Back Ke,” featuring famed rapper Jay Z, have crossed over to top the charts in multiple countries, even making the US Top 40 and has been featured on the soundtracks of numerous American films and TV shows. In India, Sondhi is one of the genre’s key proponents.
 
“It was pretty exciting how it came about,” Arora said. “I was doing a play and one night after the show, I met Sondhi, a very popular singer. He liked my acting, and said he was impressed by the feelings I expressed onstage and told me about this story for a particular music video that was coming up. Not long after, he discussed with me and played the song, ‘Kittiyan Kyun Bewafaayian,’ for me. I liked it and he finalized me for the shoot.” 


“Because I was always interested in movies or TV this was my first music video,” Arora said. “I’d never thought of even trying for one but when it came along by itself like that, I decided to go for it.” 
 
“The video is about a villager who falls in love but gets ditched by the girl,” he said. “I played the main part of the heart-broken lover, who suffers through that revelation and then sees her actually marrying the other guy.”
 
Filmed on location in the remote countryside, the job had some unexpected merits for Arora. “It was a great experience, as the shoot was in a small village with lots of very friendly people,” he said. “It's fun to go and explore the Indian countryside. And the people there give you so much affection—almost too much. There’s lots of love and lots of good food.”
 
“The director Dinesh Dubey was good, very chill to work with,” Arora said. “It took us two days to shoot the video and I liked the way he tried different things, so we’d have lot of options when it came to editing. I had to learn drive a tractor and that was a first for me. I took a few trial runs before the shoot, but there were definitely some fun moments learning that. I loved it.” 


The music video represented one more step forward in Arora’s fast-growing resume of notable achievement. “I really enjoyed the job,” Arora said. “And it is doing well, it was released by T-series, one of the best known music companies in India. It's a good song, and the people are loving it, especially out in villages where lot of guys in love get hurt just like that, and when they watch the video or listen to that song, it makes them feel better.”


Even for a role that some may have approached as a light weight gig, Arora’s involvement was typically intense. Having trained at the distinguished Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute, the actor completely inhabited the role with his own life experience.
“personally, I have been in just this kind of situation,” Arora said. “And it took a while for me to get out of the character, because I felt it so deeply. It’s tough when you use real sense memory to play a part like that. I finally came out of it—but it took a week.”
That kind of heartfelt commitment is what really sets Arora apart from many of his colleagues. Expect to hear a lot more from this young talent.


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An Interview with One of Canada's Brightest Talents: Tate McRae

11/17/2015

 
PictureTate McRae shot by Nicole Hudson
Canada's Tate McRae is an undeniable triple threat whose talent as an actress, dancer and singer is beyond astonishing, and she's not even a teenager yet. McRae began her career in the spotlight as a dancer at the age of 6, and since then her ability to command the stage and her audiences' attention has led her around the world performing in a long list of shows and competitions.

The extraordinarily talented performer won the Junior Best Dancer Award at the 2015 Dance Awards in NYC in July, and was also named the Silver Medal Solo Winner at the YGAP NYC Finals in April. She is also one of a select few of Capezio's sponsored dancers!
 
Her skill as a dancer undoubtedly helped put her on the map in the highly competitive entertainment world, but it's the vast nature of her talent that has propelled her to the top of the industry in such a short amount of time.
 
Over the last few years McRae has acted in several television and film productions as the voice of the character Spot Splatter Splash in the hit series Lalaloopsy, the film Lalaloopsy: The Big Show and the video Lalaloopsy: Band Together, and Princess Nutmeg in the 2013 video Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale.
 
It doesn't hurt that McRae is also incredibly cute. The way that she is able to work her magic on the camera has been a major factor for her gaining traction in the modeling world. Over the years she's been featured in Dance Spirit Magazine, as well as print ads for clothing companies including Capezio, Miss Behave Girls, Schatzi, Twear, and more.
 
To find out more about this phenomenal performer make sure to check out our interview below. You can also find out more about Tate McRae through her website: http://www.tatemcrae.com/
 
Where are you from and how old are you?
 
TM: I am from Calgary, Canada and I'm 12 years old.
 
When and how did you get into acting?
 
TM: I got into acting through my dancing and singing. I love musical theater and had to learn to develop characters for my songs. Then, the same day I got an agent I booked a job doing voice overs for the show Lalaloopsy!
 
What is it like having such a successful career at such a young age?
 
TM: I do not really think of myself as having a career yet. I am learning and getting amazing opportunities that I can hopefully turn into a career when I am older!
 
Can you tell us a little bit about some of the television shows you've been in?
 
TM: I was in 17 Episodes of the show Lalaloopsy where I play Spot Splatter Splash. I also played Spot Splatter Splash in the video Lalaloopsy: Band Together and Lalaloopsy Ponies: The Big Show.
 
I loved playing Spot! She was carefree and creative and had a lot of energy. It was so fun! Spot was one of the main characters so I had a lot of lines. It is hard recording voice-overs. You are the only one in the recording booth and there are lots of people online from the states directing you. I usually got a 30-page script 1 to 2 days before we recorded, so you have to go through it and figure out how your expression is going to be. A few times I had to play 2 characters in one episode. So I had to sound different. In one I had to sing badly as Spot and then have a beautiful voice as Harmony.
 
I also played Nutmeg in the video Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale and Holly Sleighbells in the episode of the Lalaloopsy series It’s A Wrap.
 
I played Harmony in the Lalaloopsy DS Game. It was so fun recording this, but even more fun playing the game and hearing your voice!
 
You get approached all the time to work on projects with people, what makes you pick one role over another?
 
TM: Sometimes it is timing. I still go to school full time and attend a professional ballet school. Those are important to me and sometimes I just cannot miss too much time there.
 
Have you done any theatre productions yet?
 
TM: I was in "Camp Rock The Musical" when I was 8 and loved the experience.
 
Is it overwhelming at times to be receiving so much recognition for your work so early on? How do you balance being a kid with having a career?
 
TM: Not really, I love everything I do and I believe it is important to stay grounded and appreciate every opportunity. I know that there are many talented kids out there and as many jobs as you may book, there are even more you get turned down for. Even in my spare time I chose to do something that has to do with the arts. I am always singing or dancing around or listening to music! I have been like that since I was a little girl. Even before I took lessons I was always putting on shows!
 
What has been your favorite role so far and why?
 
TM: My favorite role was Harmony, because I got to combine my singing and my acting in one! It was so fun.
 
Which actors do you look up to, and why?
 
TM: I really look up to a lot of actors. I like Angelina Jolie, just because she is so good in so many different roles and is so versatile! I also love Shay Mitchell. She does so many different TV and movie roles and is quite young and also has a great personality off screen. Blake Lively is also amazing! She is so classy and beautiful on screen!
 
What separates you from other actors?
 
TM: I think what separates me is that I am a dancer and a singer also. I’m always performing and incorporating my other passions into my acting. I feel that dancing, singing, and acting define me as a person.
 
 When did you first begin dancing?
 
TM: I first began when I was 6... I was not really serious about it until I was 8. That is when I decided that I loved it and wanted to take it to the next level.
 
How has dancing helped you in your career as an actor?
 
TM: Dancing has helped me with my career as an actor because I have made so many more connections through dance. The 2 worlds really do cross over. Dance has given me lots of confidence and has made me really comfortable performing. I do not get nervous when I am asked to recite lines or play a character.
 
Can you list some of the people you’ve worked with that our readers might know?
 
TM: I have mainly worked with big names in the dance industry. Travis Wall from Shaping Sound and So You Think You Can Dance, who just won an Emmy. I have assisted his classes many times. I also love working with Will Lofts who is in Teen Beach Movie. He gives me lots of advice on what I should do and how I can become more versatile! Blake McGarth recently choreographed a video for the band Walk Off The Earth, where I was a lead dancer. He is a huge supporter of mine. He is also a singer and has been on some TV shows so he's a great connection for me to have!

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Tate McRae (left) and Myles Erlick (right) rehearsing for the Walk Off The Earth music video for 'Rule the World'

​What projects do you have coming up, or have you recently finished filming? 
 
TM: I am currently working on a video series that is incorporating my dancing and acting. I recently filmed “Downtown,” a hip-hop video with Jake McWilliams the CEO of Dance Studio Heroes. I have also recently finished a video called “Stranded,” which incorporated my dancing and acting, and was produced by Jayna Photography in NYC. I will be releasing a new one shortly. I am also releasing an Ebook in the New Year.
 
What kind of training have you done?
 
TM: I have trained in all forms of dance-- jazz, tap, contemporary, classical, pointe, and musical theater, and taken voice training for classical, pop and musical theater, as well some acting and improvisation classes.
 
Why are you passionate about acting?
 
TM: I love expressing myself in any way! When I am dancing I am acting, when I am singing I am acting. Everything I do seems to bring out my acting!
 
If you weren't an actor, what other profession do you think you would like to have in the future?
 
TM: I would either like to be a professional singer or dancer!
 
What are your hobbies outside of performing?
 
TM: I do not have a lot of time outside all of my performing classes and school, but I do love to hang out with my family and friends and watch movies. I also like to write songs and make videos in my free time... In the summer I like to go to the lake and wake surf!
 
You've also had a lot of success as a model and commercial actress, can you tell us about some of the projects you've done in these fields so far?
 
TM: I have modeled for a few lines. My first one was a clothing line called Schatzi. That is when I knew I loved the camera! I have also modeled for Capezio, Miss Behave Girls and the dance clothing companies Twear and Triple Flip.
 ​

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