Alex Meraz

• Alex Meraz at the Internet Movie Database
• Alex Meraz’s official Twitter account

Alejandro “Alex” Meraz (born January 10, 1985) is an American dancer, actor and martial artist. Meraz is best known for playing the werewolf named Paul in the film New Moon, and its sequel The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. He later reprised the role in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is set to reprise it once again in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Alex Meraz claims indigenous Mexican heritage from the P’urhépecha people. He attended the New School for the Arts, and is an avid painter and illustrator.  Besides break-dancing, which he was advent in during the early 2000s under the name “Nomak,” Alex excels in indigenous and contemporary dancing. He has studied mixed martial arts, winning numerous tournaments in karate and the martial art of Capoeira.

Alex’s first big film was The New World as one of the Powhatan core warriors, inspiring him to continue acting. Thereafter he was in the running for the film Apocalypto but in the end was turned down. His big break came when he was cast as werewolf Paul in the film New Moon. He is married to his Vietnamese-American wife, Kim. His wife, a Twilight fan, told him he should audition for New Moon, believing he was perfect for the part. They have a son named Somak, for whom his mentor, actor Raoul Trujillo, is the godfather. Somak means “beautiful one” in Quechua, an indigenous language from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.  In June 2012 the couple had their second child: a son named Talus Alexander Meraz. He also starred in the latest season of CSI: New York.

Chelsie Kay Hightower bio and photos

Official site Chelsie Kay Hightower (born July 21, 1989) is a Latin ballroom dancer, who is best known for being a regular dance partner, trainer, and choreographer on the ABC competition show Dancing with the Stars. Born Chelsie Kay Hightower in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raised in Orem, Utah with five brothers and her mother, Laurie Hightower, she started dancing when she was nine years old, and received conventional training since the age of 14. Hightower performed in musical theatres across the United States. She was a U.S. Worlds finalist in 2005, and competed on Team USA. She graduated from Timpanogos High School, then attended Utah Valley University. At 18, she made her television debut on season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance. She was eliminated from the U.S. reality TV show on July 31, 2008 after making it to the top 6. Hightower joined the season-eight cast of Dancing with the Stars as a professional dancer, and was partnered with Ty Murray, a nine-time World Champion rodeo cowboy. On May 12, 2009, she and Murray were eliminated from the competition with a 4th place finish. Her partner for Season 9 was professional snowboarder Louie Vito. They were eliminated in week six of the competition, and came in 8th place. For Season 10 she was partnered with Bachelor Jake Pavelka. They were voted off in week five of the competition, and came in 7th place. She was paired with Michael Bolton in Season 11. The couple were eliminated in week two. For Season 12 she was partnered with rapper and actor Romeo Miller. They were eliminated in week eight of the competition, and came in 5th place. She was not on Season 13 (Fall 2011), but returned in Season 14 (Spring 2012) partnered with Disney Channel star Roshon Fegan. The couple was eliminated on Week 8, finishing in 6th place. Hightower made an appearance in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Winter 2010 edition (pages 152 and 153) along with three other couples from Dancing with the Stars.On July 8, 2010, Chelsie received an Emmy nomination for the “Paso Doble/Malagueña” dance that she and Derek Hough performed and co-choreographed for Dancing with the Stars Season 10. Hightower has performed with singer/songwriter Jewel (Ty Murray’s wife) in concert on Jewel’s hit “Hands.”

Jessica Sutta bio and photos

• Official website
• Jessica Sutta at the Internet Movie Database

Jessica Lynn Sutta (born May 15, 1982) is an American dancer, showgirl, singer, recording artist, model, and actress. She is best known as a member of the American pop girl group and dance ensemble, thePussycat Dolls. She left the group in January 2010 to embark her solo career. She is currently finishing her debut solo album Sutta Pop which is expected to be released in 2012. Sutta’s debut single, “Show Me”, reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Charts in the United States. In 2003, she moved to L.A. and three months later was on a dance audition for a PSA involving Smokey Bear when she came to the attention of choreographer Robin Antin, who cast her with the Pussycat Dollsin 2003. From the moment Sutta joined The Pussycat Dolls, she says: “This is where I always wanted to be. I thought The Pussycat Dolls were genius. I am so blessed to be a part of this group.”  Sutta sang co-lead along with Carmit Bachar and Ashley Roberts in the “Stickwitu” single B-side, “Santa Baby”. After the departure of Bachar from the group, Sutta took the parts that Bachar used to sing, and co-leads with Melody. Sutta also recorded a solo song, “If I Was a Man”, for the Deluxe Edition of the Dolls’ second studio album Doll Domination. The song is produced by Smidi, Ron Fair, and Stefanie Ridel. During the hiatus of the Pussycat Dolls in 2007, Sutta was featured on two tracks, “Make It Last” and “White Lies”. Both managed to chart on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, reaching the top three while “White Lies” was successful in Europe. It made Sutta the second artist to have two concurrent top 10 Club Play singles. “White Lies” peaked at #1 for four weeks on Billboard‘s Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. On January 29, 2010, Sutta revealed she had been ousted from the group. In an interview with E! Online Sutta revealed that she broke a rib while on tour with the group and the group’s management failed to provide her with any accommodation, so the “almost homeless” singer had to crash on a friends couch as she recovered from a broken rib. In Life & Style magazine she stated: “I basically felt like nothing more than a glorified back-up dancer after seven years with the group. I wasn’t feeling like I was growing in the situation. It was something I had to do. Breaking my rib is what sent me over the edge.” Sutta told MTV Newsthat she had the blessing of the Dolls to step out on her own. “They were really supportive of me. It was a big decision, but it was the best decision.” She also said she can be her own woman. “I think I was always in the shadow of Nicole, so I think it’s the chance for me to come out.” On January 30, 2010, Sutta clarified her comments with ABC News regarding her leaving the Pussycat Dolls, stating that Scherzinger is like a sister and she has love for her. Sutta also said that the rib injury obtained during the tour made her realize she did not want to be with the group any more as she did not think it was her future. She said she was recording and writing her debut album and said that fans could expect music very soon.