A New Zealand hip hop film. Directed by Tammy Davis, and featuring Stan Walker, Kherington Payne and Tia-Taharoa Maipi.
She's the sole American import in Born To Dance, the Kiwi hip-hop dance film which opens at local cinemas today - meet Kherington Payne, who plays North Shore resident Sasha, a dancer and the love interest of the film's leading man, Tu.
Her credentials: Payne was discovered in season fourof So You Think You Can Dance. She's been a principal dancer for Katy Perry and The Pussycat Dolls, and made her big screen debut in the 2009 remake of Fame.
How she ended up in Born to Dance: "I basically heard the producers were interested in me for a role, so I did a skype audition interview with Tammy first, put myself on tape for the producers, and a week later found out I was leaving for New Zealand. I almost didn't do it, because I wasn't sure if I should do another dance film at this point, but I'm so glad I said yes, because I feel like this is the first real dance film I've been involved with. I'm really proud of it."
Why she thinks Born To Dance is different: "It's just not as corny or cheesy as other dance films to be honest. I feel like it's a true story, and there's so much heart behind it, and I could feel everyone's passion behind the scenes which really transferred on screen."
On working with Goebel: "I remember the first time I met her, she was so sweet and open and kind, and I was really impressed, because you never know what you're going to get in this industry. And also, because I've never really danced in this style before, I was pretty nervous about that, but she was an amazing choreographer and teacher, and it was so fun to come and do this grimy hip-hop style."
Kherington Payne as Sasha, Tia-Taharoa Maipi as Tu in the movie Born to Dance.
On the New Zealand dance scene: "I hate admitting this, but I really didn't know much about the New Zealand dance scene, and then we went into our first rehearsals with all the dancers, and I was just absolutely blown away. I was just like, 'Oh my God, all of you need to go to America right now, because you would just kill it'. I feel like it's been kept kinda quiet, how amazing the dance scene is here, but they're just going to explode, I'm sure. I hope the movie does great things for all these dancers, because they totally inspired me every day."
