BEHIND THE SCENES: Reality TV star Rogelio Gonzalez on Dancing and Acting for 'Saturday Morning Fever'
On Jan. 27 Fuse Network will premiere the series "Saturday Morning Fever." The docu-comedy series tells the story of a long-running local Philadelphia dance show, "Dancin' On Air" and follows seven of its participants. Each participant is a regular on the show and despite the small stage, they believe that it is their ticket to stardom. That is because "Dancin' On Air" helped launch the careers of celebrities such as Kelly Ripa and Madonna.
Latin Post had the chance to talk to Rogelio Gonzalez, one of the show's stars. Rogelio was born in Mexico and was brought to the U.S. from an early age. As a Philadelphia native, Rogelio is a dancer, actor and also has a passion for cooking.
Latin Post had a chance to talk to Rogelio about his adventure on "Saturday Morning Fever" and his upcoming projects.
Latin Post: How did you get involved with the project?
Rogelio Gonzalez: It started back all the way to 2012. I came to audition for "Dancin on Air." I was the very last one on line and I gave it my all and I left everything on in the dance floor and I think they saw that in me. Four years later, I have the golden opportunity and I am one of seven stars in this TV show.
LP: What was the experience of being with "Dancin' on Air?"
RG: I got to meet some of my very best friends on that show; people like Nicole and Tina and some of the most incredibly talented people you could ever find. Not to mention some of the nicest people you could ever meet in the world. I built some real friendships on "Dancin on Air."
LP: Where did your passion for dancing begin?
RG: The whole reason I started dancing was actually for the ladies. This was all the way back in sixth grade. I used to go to some dances and I didn't want to be that guy in the corner who couldn't dance for himself. So that is the real reason I started dancing. However, I really fell in love with dance. I really fell in love with the movement, the freedom and the expression. I am able to tell stories through movements that I can't tell through words. That's why I love dancing.
LP: What are some of your favorite music genres to dance to?
RG: I love electronica. I love hitting all those beats as well as I love the rawness of hip hop.
LP: Do you like any Latino beats?
RG: Honestly I don't listen to too many Latino artists aside from Marc Anthony. I love his song "Vivir la Vida" and honestly it brings me out of my element. Whenever that song comes up I have to dance. I love that song. But there are not many Latin artists I listen to.
LP: You're on "Saturday Morning Fever." What are the challenges of working on this series? Since it is a reality TV show, what are the lines between reality and acting in this show?
RG: Its definitely a reality TV show and a lot of what you will see on TV did actually happen. There are moments in the series that my schedule got completely booked off and that showed on camera. Some people might think I'm Superman but I am the man behind it, the Clark Kent version of me. You will get to see me break down and try after that.
LP: I watched the first episode and I know you talked about making friendships. I saw you had a conflict with the choreographer Marisa on the first episode. Can you talk about those experiences?
RG: The thing about my six other cast mates is they all bring something to the table. Tina is an incredible singer, Marisa is a choreographer and I am more of a freestyle dancer. In the show in the first episode we're trying to help Tina put a performance together. We have different styles. Working with Marisa we kind of butt heads. We kind of bring the best of both worlds and in the episode we are trying to come to an agreement. That is what you're going to see on TV.
LP: Coming into something choreographed, what are the challenges of this versus doing freestyle?
RG: Not so much that I find it challenging but that I prefer the freedom of freestyle movement. To me I'm kind of freestyling right now with words and that is what I prefer to do with dance as well. I prefer not to put any restrictions on my dance and when I have choreography it kind of feels like I have restrictions. So I prefer to have freedom of movement.
LP: So how do you compromise that?
RG: I do have an easiness to learn and I learned it. You'll see that I am able to adapt to change. I'm not just a freestyle dancer. I can be a lot more than that and that shows me that I can do choreographed dancing.
LP: In the teaser for the season, there are previews about you shooting a film. Can you talk a little bit about that?
RG: The film is called "Dark Military." I'm also an aspiring actor. My good friend directed the film and that has been a pet project of his for about ten years. The best part was that the actors he cast in the film he didn't have to audition. So I didn't audition for that that part. That's how much he believed in me. The trailer should be coming out soon.
LP: Can you tell me a little about your passion for acting?
RG: I actually started back in middle school. I would see commercials on TV and I said, "You know what, I can do that." I wanted to prove something to myself and that's where the interest started from. I got very lucky because I landed my first big role not long after I started. I got to act on commercials. I got to be the lead in that.
LP: So what is your major goal after "Saturday Morning Fever?"
RG: Hopefully down the line I'd like to be on the food network and have a show on there. Cooking is one of my passions. One thing that we didn't show on this show is that one of my passions is cooking. Perhaps I'll show more of that down the line.
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