Nick Lazzarini. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Unplugging commercial dance — that is the slogan of the 16-member company called “Shaping Sound”. Through a behind-the-scenes video published on YouTube, audiences can get a small preview of the show this dance company will bring to Hollywood’s Montalbán Theatre this coming weekend. By the looks of it, “Shaping Sound” promises to be more than a wow-all showcase of countless pirouettes, ‘hairography’ and leg (over)-extensions. Under director and choreographer Travis Wall, they are about to embark on a nation wide tour hoping to bring their intergenerational dance experience to as wide an audience as possible.

Since winning the first season of So You Think You Can Dance back in 2005, co-creator of Shaping Sound Nick Lazzarini has been busy at work, dancing, choreographing and making appearances in Los Angeles and around the world. The Northern California native (Lazzarini grew up in Mountain View, CA) first came to dance through a class at the local recreation center. Though the Lazzarini family is made up of music aficionados, as Nick says, dance found him by coincidence.

“I remember vividly, the day my mom signed me up for dance. We were at the local recreation center and she signed me out of soccer because I was just one of those kids who did cartwheels in the field. Instead I was fixated on this dance class that was going on. My mom asked me if I wanted to try that instead. And I did!”

And he was not shy to share his moves: for his first performance in his Kindergarten holiday pageant, 5-year old Nick proved he had swag by volunteering to do the Robot Dance. What followed was a career as a competition kid, which is where he met many of his future collaborators and colleagues among them was Shaping Sound’s Travis Wall. “We were competing for the same Jr. Mr. Dance title. I think I met Teddy (Forance) and Kyle (Robinson) right around the same time.”

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Together the creative minds behind Shaping Sound look for dancers who have that special something.

“When we audition, we look for people who command the audience’s attention. The people you can’t stop watching. They must be well-rounded too since the show involves elements of jazz, ballroom, modern, contemporary and ballet dance.”

The creative process for Shaping Sound is more than your usual ‘and five-six-seven-eight’ procedure. It is more of an ongoing dialogue, a collaboration between the four choreographers and the dancers contributing ideas, starting off with music as a point of departure. “One thing I say as a teacher a lot: 'You have to play the music through your music. As for the company, we trust each other and are certainly friends outside the studio too.'” Says Lazzarini who quotes Mandy Moore as one of his biggest inspirations.

Shaping Sound Company. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

“More than anything, in Los Angeles, there is a huge cross over between commercial and concert dance.”

LA sure is seeing some growth in the local dance scene with personnel flocking over from New York, such as former NYCB ballerinas Jennifer Ringer and Janie Taylor as well as William Forsythe from Europe. The ladder, according to Lazzarini, will make a big impact on local artists.

When thinking of his current 10-8 schedule and an extensive national tour ahead with Shaping Sound, Lazzarini likes to “be as normal as possible when things aren’t normal. I come home, I cook dinner and then I crash on my couch to check my DVR. I am stoked for fall TV” Especially for the return of his favorite show, American Horror Story.

What can the audience expect to see this weekend and in the weeks to follow around the U.S.?

“Expect a show. It is an hour and a half long show with characters. You will feel sorry for some, fall in love with others and maybe even hate them at times. There’s something for everybody.”

Reach Contributor Wiebke Schuster here or follow her on Twitter here.

Read more about dance by Wiebke on The Ballet Bag.

The Shaping Sound Company will perform at The Montalbán Theatre October 11-12, 2014. Tickets are $39 - $79. For more information click here.