UCLA alumnus Gerald Espinosa joins Fanny Pak on MTV’s “˜America’s Best Dance Crew’

Tonight, Gerald Espinosa will perform in heels for the first time in his life.

Sporting a bright pink crew neck, New Balance tennis shoes, blue fanny pack on his shoulder and a neon green streak in his hair, Fanny Pak member and UCLA alumnus Gerald Espinosa mingles with other group members before the taping of its Madonna-themed episode of MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew.”

While high heels, tight leather pants, a cheering crowd and intense dance moves could describe a typical Madonna performance, add a panel of celebrity judges and the fear of being eliminated, and the result is Fanny Pak’s performance to Madonna’s “Girl Gone Wild.”

As for dancing in heels, Espinosa said it was one of the weirdest experiences he has had, with shaky ankles and sore hamstrings following rehearsals.

“I don’t know how else to explain it. It was my first time wearing, touching and looking at a piece of heel,” Espinosa said. “The first ones they had us try on were like slippers and I felt like Dorothy clicking my heels.”

What separates season seven from the previous seasons of “America’s Best Dance Crew” is that for the first time in the show’s history, MTV has decided to bring back Fanny Pak, a competing crew from season two. However, not only did it bring the group back, the group has been modified, with the addition of four new members ““ one of whom is Espinosa.

Espinosa met the members of Fanny Pak when he began taking classes with Matt Cady, one of the group’s founding members, at Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood.

“I was teaching a jazz funk class. The thing that I love about (Espinosa) is that he studied taekwondo so I immediately see where his precision … and discipline comes from,” Cady said. “That was what I was immediately drawn to.”

At a young age, Espinosa’s parents encouraged him to learn how to play both the piano and violin. He also studied tae kwon do for fun under the direction of his brother. Espinosa said he attributes much of his success as a performer to the support of his family.

“My dad always wanted me to be either a doctor or a conductor. I feel like he wanted me to be a musician or he’s living to be a musician vicariously through me,” Espinosa said.

When he was a freshman in high school, Espinosa joined show choir, where he expanded his musical repertoire to not only playing instruments, but also using his body and voice. Now, he leads and teaches the same show choir that he was a member of just 10 years ago.

“I think show choir was the first decision I made as a young adult away from what my parents … instructed me to do, so I think that was a big defining moment for me,” Espinosa said.

Once admitted to UCLA, he started performing with on-campus organizations such as Samahang Modern, NSU Modern and, once he graduated, UCLA’s Dance & Spirit Club.

Espinosa took a year off from dancing his senior year to focus on his studies and his goal of graduating. After graduation, Espinosa said he didn’t know whether or not performance was the direction he wanted to take career-wise. Eventually, he decided to pursue dance by taking classes and performing in other productions such as “America’s Got Talent” and Disney’s “ElecTRONica.”

When audition season for the show came around, Fanny Pak was invited to re-audition and Espinosa was asked to join the group.

“It was an easy pick. He’s been dancing in Matt’s class and has done performances with us for years now,” said Megan Lawson, a member of Fanny Pak. “He’s one of the cleanest dancers I’ve ever seen.”

According to Espinosa, preparing for each night’s show is a process in which, rather than tackling the weekly challenge, the group begins with a fun idea and then incorporates it into its routine.

“Instead of thinking in that mentality of “˜Eh, we have to come up with an eight-count,’ it’s more of an “˜Oh that makes me laugh, why don’t we work it into the routine?'” Espinosa said.