Rasta Thomas

Born: July 18, 1981 in San Francisco, CA

Height: 5'10" |  Weight: 160 lbs.

Where's home?: New York and L.A.

Rasta Rocks the Dance World - by Danielle Josephs

What would you get if you took the best of Baryshnikov, Bruce Lee, and Michael Jackson? It would be Rasta Thomas!( Entertainment Tonight )

Born in San Francisco, California, Rasta moved to the Virgin Islands shortly after, and lived there from ages 1 to 3. He was raised in Saudi Arabia from ages 3 to 9, as his father was a physician to the Royal Family. After that, he moved to Washington D.C., and has been there ever since. With a background similar to that of the United Nations, Rasta's father is a Jamaican-American-Arab, and his mother is of Irish, German, and English descent.

Acquiring his 3rd degree black belt in tae kwon do at age 9, Rasta has extensive experience in martial arts, and has practiced tae kwon do, judo, capoeira, karate, hapkido and more. Dan Thomas, Rasta's father, is also a tae kwon do instructor, and has always involved Rasta in numerous types of physical activity from the time he was child, including swimming, gymnastics, soccer, baseball, and basketball. Rasta says, "I think his (my father's) philosophy was, 'I'm gonna make Rasta so tired that the only time he has free, he can't get into any trouble, he'll just want to sleep.' It worked, and I don't think I got into that much trouble."

As punishment for being rude and disrespectful in martial arts class, Rasta was enrolled in ballet classes at age 7. "My dad, besides being a physician, was a martial arts teacher, and he threatened me by saying, 'If you don't improve your behavior, I'm going to put you in a tutu.' It petrified me," claims Rasta. Overcoming his fear of tutus, dance is now Rasta's profession. His favorite form of dance is "contemporary" because "it's very abstract. You can go from picking your nose to jumping around. In contemporary dance, I can incorporate my martial arts, my gymnastics, etc.," says Rasta. However, Rasta did convey his everlasting appreciation of classical ballet, and the full-length productions like Giselle and Don Quixote.

On and off stage Rasta is inspired by people such as Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, Mohatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. Dr. Seuss has also been a mentor. Arthur Mitchell (director of the Dance Theater of Harlem), Debbie Allen, Patrick Swayze, the reassurance of his stuffed animal Alf, and of course, Mom and Dad, have contributed to Rasta's drive to be the best both in the dance studio and on the street.

Rasta's advice to aspiring dancers is to work hard and be dedicated. "You get in what you put out," says Rasta. He believes technical training is necessary for dancers because it provides "a better line" and an excellent foundation.

At age 13, Rasta won his first international dance competition in Paris, which reinforced the notion that he could pursue a dance career. This successful start led to many other gigs, including being featured at the 1999 Academy Awards, being chosen to participate in the dance section displaying "Best Original Scores," choreographed by famous choreographer Debbie Allen. Most recently, Rasta finished working on a dance film with Patrick Swayze, called Without A Word. The movie, directed by Patrick Swayze's wife, was worked on by three choreographers: Dwight Rhoden, Doug Varon, and Alonzo King.

In his CD player you'll find a variety of music, from Tracy Chapman's Matters of the Heart to Michael Jackson's History to Stevie Wonder's Greatest Hits to music from new breakout artist, Oscar Hawkins. He recommends dance brands for shoes and clothing such as Capezio and Radetsky Wear, run by dancer Sascha Radetsky's mother. Rasta plans to continue working with choreographers and pushing his limits, and to collaborate with artists of all kinds. On October 7th he will be going to Russia to collaborate with the Kirov Ballet. When asked about future plans, Rasta says, "To be the best I can be...without joining the army." Rasta, we all salute you.