Neil Haskell

Neil Haskell
Born	April 16, 1987 (1987-04-16) (age 24) New York, U.S.
Occupation	Contemporary dancer

Neil David Haskell (born April 16, 1987) is an American contemporary dancer. He is best known as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance where he finished third in the final four. On April 22, 2008, he began performing in the Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz as Luke.^[1] Neil most recently joined The West Side Story National Tour as Snowboy. He returned as an All-Star in Season 7 of SYTYCD.

Biography

Haskell was born in Clarence Center, New York and first started dancing at age five at the David DeMarie Dance Studio in Clarence, New York, and American Academy of Ballet in Williamsville, NY. He also appeared in small roles in movies. At age 15, he began intensive training in ballet at the Chautauqua Institution for three summers. He attended Point Park University for a year, majoring in dance. Haskell has described his dance style as jazz/ballet. He earned the title of "Male Dancer of the Year" at the American Dance Awards in 2005. He got his Equity card the summer before auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance.

He has performed in the Twyla Tharp Broadway show The Times They Are A-Changin', with music by Bob Dylan, and in Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera's performances Grease, 42nd Street, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Beauty and the Beast.^[2] Neil also landed a supporting role in MTV's movie musical, The American Mall which was broadcast and DVD released in summer 2008.^[3] In Spring 2008, Haskell, along with former SYTYCD contestants Sabra Johnson and Danny Tidwell is featured in movmnt magazine's cover story to promote 'Keep it Real' the publication's awareness nonprofit organization.^[4] In April 2008 he began playing the role of "Luke" in the Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz. He continued playing the role of "Luke" until March 2009, and left to begin working on the new Dolly Parton musical "9 to 5". Neil was also cast to play the leading role of Jake in the new musical "F#@king Up Everything" in the New York Musical Theater Festival (NYMF 2009) which performs at various times from Oct 6 through October 17. All performances sold out. He has recently returned to So You Think You Can Dance Seasons 7 and 8 to dance as an All Star. He was also in the First National Tour Cast of West Side Story playing the role of Snowboy.

So You Think You Can Dance

Haskell was paired up with contemporary/hip hop dancer, Lauren Gottlieb. The couple danced together until Week 6, when the couples were assigned new partners. Haskell was then partnered with Sara Von Gillern, and debuted their disco routine.

Haskell noted that he wants to use his experience on the show as a "springboard for the rest of [his] career".^[2]

After making it to the top 10 finalists, Haskell joined his fellow contestants in So You Think You Can Dance's 2007 dance tour that concluded on November 30, 2007.

On the August 7, 2008 Season 4 finale, Haskell, along with other finalists from seasons 1-3, joined Season 4's top 20 in a dance number. He also returned as an All-Star in Season 7 of SYTYCD, and again in Season 8.

Week	Partner	Dance	Song	Result
1	Lauren Gottlieb	Salsa	"Friday Night Rhythm"	Safe
2		Hip-hop	"The Way I Are" by Timbaland (featuring Keri Hilson and D.O.E.)	Safe
3		Tango	"Tanguera" by Sexteto Mayor	Bottom 3 Couples
4		Jazz	"Night of the Dancing Flame" by Roisin Murphy	Safe
5		Contemporary	"Let the Drummer Kick" by Citizen Cope	Bottom 3 Couples
6	Sara Von Gillern	Disco	"Knock on Wood" by Rachel Stevens	Safe
7	Lacey Schwimmer	Latin jazz	"Acid" by Ray Barretto	Bottom 4
		Contemporary	"Time" by Billy Porter
8	Sabra Johnson	Jazz	"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics	Safe
		Paso Doble	"España Cañí" by Juan & Gennaro
9	Sabra Johnson	Hip hop	"Whine Up"—Kat DeLuna	3rd Place
	Danny Tidwell	Contemporary	"Are You the One?"—The Presets
	Lacey Schwimmer	Lindy Hop	"Bill's Bounce"—Bill Elliot Swing Orchestra

The American Mall

Haskell also has a role in The American Mall. He plays a night janitor at the mall who is also a member of a rock band, where he played guitar & keyboards.

References and notes

1. ^ Neil Haskell To Join Cast of 'Altar Boyz' as Luke (BroadwayWorld.com)
2. ^ ^{a b} Fox Broadcasting Company: So You Think You Can Dance
3. ^ BWW News Desk (2007-12-22). "MTV Develops 'The American Mall' Original Musical". BroadwayWorld. http://westend.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=23887. Retrieved 2007-12-22. 
4. ^ "movmnt magazine keep it real campaign". http://www.movmnt.com/keepitreal. 

External links

• Neil Haskell at the Internet Movie Database
• So You Think You Can Dance FOX Biography
• Neil Haskell Feature on BestofOffBroadway.com

Persondata
Name	Haskell, Neil
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 16, 1987
Place of birth	New York, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death