Have you ever wondered what life on a tour bus is like? Well I got to experience a small taste of tour life back in 2017. After NBC’s World of Dance Season One aired, my sisters and I got asked to join the first ever North American tour of World of Dance LIVE. We toured cities across the U.S. and Canada. The other acts with us were SuperCr3w, DNA, Luka and Jenalyn, Elektro Bots, Eva Igo, and Diana Pombo. It truly was the most enjoyable, fun, and surreal experience I’ve had this far in my life.
The tour began in Canada with four days of rehearsals. We were very lucky to get to work with NappyTabs, Kyle Hanagami, Tessandra Chavez, and Katy Tate. We had to prepare three of our own dances before getting there and then in those four days, we prepared the entire show. We learned opening and closing numbers with everyone, combined dances with Eva and Diana, and the transitions between all the numbers. These rehearsals were really the first time we actually got to meet a lot of these acts and break the ice. After those four days of preparation, we began the tour.
The Bus:
Setup - The bus itself was actually super nice. We stayed with all of the girls on our bus besides Antonia from DNA. So it was us three and our mom, Diana and her mom, Eva and her mom, and Jenalyn and her mom. We really had so much fun. The bus was set up with a little couch, TV, and kitchen in the front. We hung out here a lot and had way too many laughs. In the middle of the bus, we had three story bunk beds (I slept on the top across from Eva). The bunk beds had black out curtains so you could pull the curtain and tuck yourself into your own “space” if you were ready to crash. We all tried to be in the front or back of the bus so that those who wanted to sleep could do so. In the back, there was a shower and bathroom along with another comfy seating area. We typically sat in the back to do homework together. Nobody really used the showers because of the small amount of water we were allowed. We typically would just shower at the venues we had shows at. Our food stock on the bus was pretty much anything microwaveable and lots of candy. LOL.
Our Driver - JERRY! Jerry was classic. It’s funny because I was so excited to write about Jerry but then realized I don’t really have much to tell that anyone would really appreciate. Jerry gave us way too many laughs but I think it was one of those things you probably had to be there for. But your bus driver becomes part of the “family” since you are with them every part of the trip...and we loved Jerry. :)
School:
Unlike the show, there were no regulations on school work whatsoever. It was literally up to us whether or not we got our school work done. We obviously let our teachers know ahead of time that we were going to miss, but we were on our own to get everything done. (Mind you, this was pre-covid, so we didn’t have every single thing posted online like they do now.) I pretty much tried my best to do as much work as I could pre-rehearsal on show days. Sometimes, I would read during intermission or cram in work whenever I needed. I tried to get Luka to help me with my French homework one day. He gave me maybe one right answer. Thanks Luka. LOL. Not going to lie, sometimes it was very stressful, but my teachers were pretty lenient and amazing about letting me turn in work late and I ended up ending the quarter with all A’s. Woo.
The Games:
I want to say SuperCr3w started these stupid mind games on tour. They began with some silly game like Johnny Whoop. (I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it but they were all games where you had to think outside of the box. That’s probably the best way I could put it. Almost like riddles.) Some of these games went on for DAYS before we could figure them out. Nobody would ever tell you the trick. It was always the worst too when you were the only one who couldn’t figure it out and everyone would team up on you. We played Johnny Whoop, Black Magic, games about roses, elephants, etc. I really think these games brought us so much closer. Believe me, things can get pretty monotonous on tour, so these games became a major source of entertainment for all of us.
The Shows:
A Typical Show Day - On a typical show day, we’d usually arrive at the venue the morning of a show. Sometimes, we’d have some free time to walk around the city we were in. We occasionally would go and get lunch, but usually we’d have a pre-show run-through around 1 or 2ish I would say. Every stage was different (size, lighting, etc.) so it was always nice to walk through the show to work out the kinks beforehand. We’d usually have some down time after the run through to eat food. Typically, the venue would provide meals or snacks for us to eat. After we ate, we’d almost always have a meet and greet. Those were always super fun for us. (It’s fun when people want to meet you! :)) We’d all hang out together at the meet and greets and goof around. After that, we’d pretty much get ready for the show and perform. When the show was over, it was always the biggest party. We’d start it off with a post show critique and then unless we had to leave immediately, we’d all hang out and dance or teach each other tricks until it was time for bed. Most of the time, our bus would travel to our next destination during the night while we slept.
The Tour - On tour, we went all over the country and Canada. Most of our tour was on the east coast. When the tour (on the bus) was over, we all met back up a few weeks later and did three more shows in California. (That was so much fun. It was the best reunion.)
Favorite Memories:
I could go on forever sharing my favorite memories and moments from the tour. We really had such an amazing bond with everyone, but every time I think back on it, these two specific moments really stick out to me. (Neglecting me getting food poisoning the one show and puking 12 times that day <3)
One of my favorite moments was after a show one night when Antonina from DNA came over to hang out on the bus with us. Prior to the tour, we didn’t know Denys or Antonina very well. We just knew they were the utmost professionals and took their training and performances very serious. That night Antonina came to hang out with all of us and started sharing stories about growing up, stories of her and Denys, stories about them moving to NYC. We literally were all CRYING laughing so hard. She had the best and funniest stories we had heard. And just her sweet little voice telling us about these crazy things (like her and Denys escaping a shooter in their apartment in NYC!!) was just too funny. It honestly was one of the most memorable nights and it made us adore both her and Denys even more. They are truly the most incredible people and FUNNY too!!!
Every show day, we always had a show run through beforehand to mark through our dances. Closer to the end of tour, the rehearsals started getting a little less serious as we were all really in the groove. For some reason on this night, all of us started going out and doing other the group’s dances for them. I mean we all had seen each other’s stuff so much, we all knew each other’s dances like the back of our hand. The girls went out and did SuperCr3w’s, Luka did Elektro Botz, and so on. That in itself was funny. But for some reason, every time Denys came out on stage, he started wearing a black trash bag a different way. He wore it once as a cape and came out with a broom he found backstage. Then he came out completely covered in the bag and danced with Elektro Botz. (Did I mention how funny those two are once you get to know them???!!! :) But it was hilarious. That rehearsal was honestly one of the funniest moments of tour. I think we all knew things were coming to an end soon and it was just so fun to celebrate and laugh with these people who had become like family in those moments.
I know neither of these stories probably seem as funny as they were. It was probably one of those things that you had to be there for. But these were two of my favorites for sure!
All around, I think the World of Dance Tour was legitimately one of the best times of my life to this point. It was not only great to experience the tour life and what that is like, but also bonding with some amazing people made it ten times more enjoyable. I swear I could write twenty more pages with stories and memories. Definitely an experience I’ll never forget. It wasn’t the longest or craziest tour...but it was one for the books for sure. (And to get paid to do that...I mean, how could you not love it???!! :) Anyhow, hopefully that gives you a little glimpse into our time on tour. Be sure to hit me up if there are things I didn’t talk about that you were curious about!!! (And PS… if any of you from tour are reading this right now- reunion soon please?!!!)
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