Written by: Lisa Simmons, Gold Coast Confidential Newspaper Article
February 18th, 2009

GOLD Coast-reared Jesse Rasmussen has told CoastConfidential of his disappointment in being eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance Australia.

“I just wish I could have stayed a little longer,” says Helensvale High-schooled Rasmussen, 24, now based in Sydney.

His Top 20 dance partner Max Francisco, 24, was also eliminated on Monday night.

The hip-hop dancer and teacher had a televised falling out with judge Jason Coleman.

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“I like to think what happened last night was about the dance; not anything else,” says Francisco.

“It doesn’t make me less of a dancer. I made the Top 20. And even if I could, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d rather be true to myself than lie and be a fake on national TV.”

Rasmussen’s friend Ben Veitch, 26, a jazz dancer and teacher, of the Gold Coast, also had to dance for his life on Monday.

The pair have been buddies since childhood when they learned to dance at the same Gold Coast dance school.”

“We even had our own handshake we’d do at parties because we thought it made us look cool,” says Rasmussen, who hopes his friend can go on to win the series.

Rasmussen will visit the Gold Coast in May when his touring workshop company Fly Fresh brings visiting Los Angeles dancers to the Gold Coast.

Original article from: http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/02/18/50161_gossip-news.html

“I love hip-hop as it’s constantly changing and evolving, which keeps it fresh and exciting”

From moon-walking up the aisles of supermarkets to performing in musicals and films, Jesse Rasmussen has come a long way with his dancing. One of four children, Jesse started dancing at nine and won the Showcase Australian Dance Championships at the age of 12. He moved out of home at 17 to commence a career as a professional dancer with his first show, Hot Shoe Shuffle. By the age of 20, Jesse had performed in three musicals. His dancing has also been utilised in Happy Feet and King Kong and he is currently running two hip-hop companies.

A competent tap dancer, Jesse was nominated for the Most Outstanding Performance in a Stage Musical at the Australian Dance Awards in 2002 for his tap Solo in Hot Shoe Shuffle and was narrowly beaten by Todd McKenney.

Original Article from: http://dance.ten.com.au/jesse-profile.htm