Nu-Stylz:
Cicely Bradley and Olisa Thompson
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Cicely Bradley and Olisa Thompson are the award-winning, show-stopping choreographing team known as Nu-Stylz. Drawn together by their mutual love for dancing, the dynamic duo has been performing together since the fourth grade. As children, Nu-Stylz danced almost every day. They would perform their high-energy dance routines for anyone; anywhere! It didn’t matter if they were in a backyard or in a ballroom, Nu-Stylz would always be the center of attention when the music came on. By the time they were teens they’d already earned a reputation for ripping down stages at dance competitions, college shows and even the world-famous Apollo Theater. Their professional career officially launched at the age of 15 when they were selected out of hundreds to dance with Ralph Tresvant of the R&B group New Edition. Since then Nu-Stylz has gone to become one of the hottest chorography teams in the business, working with top entertainers such as G-Unit, Missy Elliot, Tweet, Daddy Yankee, Mario, The Fugees, and Whitney Houston.
As their name implies, Nu-Stylz is a dance unit that creates original moves and sparks the hottest dance trends. They bring massive energy and unparalleled “flava” to any project they work on. Their choreography on Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On” music video earned them nominations at the 7th Annual American Choreography Awards and the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. At the 10th Annual American Choreography Awards they won the “Outstanding Achievement in Choreography” award for their work on Missy’s “Pass the Dutch” music video.
In the spring of 2006 Nu-Stylz was selected to judge the second season of Fox TV’s hit reality-competition show “So You Think You Can Dance”. Although their appearance on the reality show was the first time many in the United States got to see the lovely and lively ladies, Nu-Stylz are quite visible overseas. Since 2004 they’ve toured Europe for months at a time with the Whogotskillz.com dance movement, teaching their unique hip-hop dance moves to thousands of people at all skill levels and from all walks of life. Driven, but humble, Nu-Stylz also gives back to the community. For the past two years they have hosted free dance workshops throughout the year for underprivileged children in New York.
With a sexy but hardcore style, the madams of moves have also worked on commercials for Nike and the 2006 “VH1 Hip Hop Honors” awards show where they took their skills to another level by choreographing and dancing alongside a 75-piece marching band and with hip-hop legends Rakim, Ice Cube, Ice-T, the Wu-Tang Clan, and the Beastie Boys.
After traveling extensively and working with an eclectic clientele, Cicely & Olisa have seen first-hand how dancing breaks down barriers, unites, and boosts self-esteem. They hope to continue to spread that feeling of unity, confidence, and just plain ol’ fun when they release their first DVD “Queens of Choreography” in the first quarter of 2007. The DVD will breakdown some of Nu-Stylz most innovative moves and give a sneak-peak into their daily grind, showing what it takes to become top choreographers in the music business.
Passion, professionalism, and raw moves has sustained Nu-Stylz for over a decade in the industry, but ironically, another factor has played in their favor—their constant ability to amaze people with their innovative and hardcore delivery. “When we were young, people didn’t expect us to dance as seriously and passionately as we did because we were kids. As we got older people also didn’t expect us to dance as hard as we do because we’re females. Olisa and I are going to keep defying expectations in the future because we love what we do, and that love motivates us to consistently bring that freshness and that fire to whatever project we work on.” For more information on Cicely and Olisa, check out their website at www.cicelyandolisa.com, or visit their management team at www.keenmanagementgroup.com.