Q&A with Leo Moctezuma: Part 1

A world tour on the scale of P!nk’s Funhouse takes the efforts and talent of many people to bring music to life. One such person is choreographer and dancer, Leo Moctezuma. His road to co-creating the dance portion of one of the hottest shows worldwide did not happen over night. He was kind enough to share his background with fans in portion one of this Q&A.

Background in dance; when did you start, when did it turn into a career?

When I was a kid, I always like to dance around the house. And if there was any kind of Latin music I was on my feet moving to the beat. At the age of like 12 I followed my girlfriend at the time to her dance classes. So my parents let me take a tap class for a few months then stopped after my first performance with the studio.

I then re-found my love for dance when I moved with my sister to Hawaii for my High School years. I was heavily into my Acting and Drama classes. With that Came Musical Theater. The first big musical I did that was not connected to my High school was "West Side Story" at a community theater in which I played "Pepe" when i was 15 yrs old. It was in that show where i really new that i loved Dance. I then got recruited to join "24/7 Danceforce" A professional dance/performing company, under the direction of Marcelo Pacleb.

Dance became my money maker right away. A lot of the gigs that we "24/7 Danceforce" did were paid gigs. By my senior year of HS, 24/7 Danceforce opened a dance studio where I started teaching hip-hop and Jazz Funk right after school. Then I went to my part time job as one of 2 male dancers in "Legends in Concert" in Waikiki, Hawaii. It’s a very well known show of super star impersonators like (Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley... etc) but they sang with their own natural voices. 

After HS,  June 98. I was re-located my Walt Disney World in Orlando to work as a Dancer at "PleasureIsland" in Downtown Disney. As well as all the top notch shows all around the Disney theme parks. After working at Disney for a year in OrlandoFL, I got my first tour which moved me to Los Angeles to continue my career as a professional dancer.

Who have you worked with (artists/tours)?

As early as 1999, I have been blessed to be a part of many of the most anticipated music tours of all time such as Rick Martin‘s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” World Tour, Britney Spears’ “Dream Within A Dream” World Tour, Paulina Rubio’s “Border Girl” Promo Tour. Featured as the “Man In The Box” on Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped” World Tour, and Britney Spears’ highly publicized “Onyx Hotel” World Tour where I was featured in a seductive duet with Britney herself, and The Spice Girls reunion tour. I have also been blessed to assist Choreography on Madonna’s “Confessions” World Tour and P!NK’s “I’m Not Dead” World Tour.  Other artist I’ve worked for include, Toni Braxton, Stevie Wonder,  Kristine W, Ne-Yo, Wayne Brady, Chayanne, and a lot of great Latin artists.

Background in music; vocals, instruments, music style, writing

My Music background stems as far back as my dance background. Just not as intense. I always loved to sing, but never really thought I was good at it. Although in all the musicals that I did in and out of HS,  I had no shame in singing my heart out in the big ensemble numbers in each show.

I feel like I became a true “Triple Threat” as an original cast member in the two musicals, “The Ten Commandments” featuring Val Kilmer, and the Tony award winning Broadway musical, “Rock of Ages.” where I then started taking proper vocal lessons from Kyle Puccia who is one of my dearest friends, an artist in his own, & one of my current writing partners.

 I am also a part of the original cast of “The Zodiac Show” which I choreograph and perform in each year.  Singing my very first song, “Dance with Me” written by Kyle Puccia in front of the Zodiac audience.

You can view that performance and many others and listen to some of the music I’ve written and recorded on my Myspace Music page.

I’m currently learning how to play the guitar. I bought a Mini Maton Australian made Guitar a few months ago while touring with the Funhouse in Australia. When writing songs, I like to tell some kind of a story with my lyrics. My personal experiences or thoughts seem to always be relatable and fun for me to write.  Loving many different genres of music, I am currently creating my own sound or what I like to call my "Music Cocktail": Pop, R&B on the Rocks with a Latin Twist. 

During your days off on tour, describe your favorite cities world-wide for the following:

-Adventure

My favorite adventure on an off day of the Funhouse tour had to have been in Port Douglas, Australia. We some days off and some of us flew to PD for a vaca. Met some locals... One of them, who is now a good friend took me to the rain forrest. Mosman Gorge. The hike though the jungle like trees and vines... to end up by an amazing flowing river. Where u can jump off rocks, swing on vines, or just sit on one of the Big rocks enjoy the view and just meditate.

-Leisure

When I think of tour and the word Leisure... Sydney, Australia pops into my head. So many things to do on ur free time down there. Take long walks or jog around the Botanical gardens. Hike around the beaches starting at Bondi beach. Or take a farey for a few bucks under the SydneyHarbor and pass the Opera house to Manly beach and chill. Yeah... Leisure = Sydney!

-Beauty

I can find some kind of Beauty in every city around the world. But I do think amazing views, beaches, and architecture. I can name a lot of places in the world that i have visited. But the places I’ve been on this tour.... You guessed it! AUSTRALIA baby! Yeah, I’m secretly in love with that country. The people, the energy, the vibe.... all BEAUTIFUL!

-Nightlife

When I think of Nightlife... I still think NY got my travels beat so far! It is the city that doesn’t sleep, right? Say no more......  lol

Part two of Leo’s Q&A consists of addressing questions on the Funhouse tour.

For more info: Visit Leo's Myspace and You Tube pages to experience more of what he has to offer.