Anthony Rue was born in Brooklyn, New York. Some of his credits include working with Madonna, Jay-Z, P.Diddy and Alicia Keys. In 2012 he launched Urban Dance League (UDL), a professional sports league of organized street-dance competitions, classes, and showcases. Anthony Rue II aka AntBoogie believes „Dancers are Athletes.“ Interview by Armando Braswell.
Who is Anthony Rue II?
In this lifetime, my soul connected to the shell of a man born and raised in New York City. Born June 15 1982. So far it’s been a great journey. I still love the things that excited me as a child; Music, dance, comic books, movies, sports, and video games. Im the most happy when I’m involved with any of these activities.
How did you arrive at Dance?
I grew up watching Michael Jackson! He, was my first inspiration for dance, music, and entertainment. I would pop in VHS tapes and rewind them back so many times to go over the choreography from his videos and performances. But my first encounter with dance instruction was in 5th grade. The National Dance Institute came to my school, P.S 185, in BayRidge, Brooklyn. I wanted to avoid a surprise math test so I opted to join the free dance class they were having in the auditorium. I did well in the class and was invited to join their SWAT Team which met on Saturdays at LaGuardia High School. Every Saturday from 10am to 3pm we had rehearsals and I looked forward to it every weekend.
How did you arrive to teach?
I started out teaching choreography to my friends. I would make up dances for us to perform at local talent shows. Once I got into high school and started to do gigs with my dance group called, The Amount Boyz, different schools would ask me to teach workshops. But I officially started subbing classes at Broadway Dance Center in 1999 when Karen Addison asked me to cover some of her classes when she was out of town dancing with different artists. I had a great time and I’m currently still teaching at Broadway Dance Center.
Where did you get the idea of Urban Dance League and why are you doing it?
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