Musa Cooper

Musa A. Cooper (born February 26, 1978) is an American dancer and fitness model who has had several television appearances, and is best known for being featured on both of the initial two seasons of the popular televised dance competition So You Think You Can Dance.

Musa Cooper

Life

Cooper grew up in Camden, New Jersey with a foster family and moved to Mount Laurel at the age of 13, where he recounts being relieved that he no longer had to eat at a soup kitchen.[1] He attended Lenape High School, where he was a track star in the 1990s and was known for exuberant gymnastic dancing moves, such as doing back-flips at pep rallies.[2][3] He was a member of the school's first State relay championship team in 1997, and had experience as a hurdler, sprinter, and high jumper.[4] A dancer from a young age, Cooper specialized in hip-hop and b-boying styles, then studying more rhythmic dances when he reached his early teens.

Cooper was a performer for Beyoncé Knowles at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, and has made cameo appearances on other television programs, such as Sex and the City.[5] In 2005, he appeared in the short film, It's Fun to Help Poor People, Franny Canada.[6][7] Also in 2005, he was one of the first people to audition for the first season of So You Think You Can Dance. He was prominently featured in the first few episodes, and though he impressed the judges with his unique dance style, he did not make the final cut. In 2006, he tried again at the New York City auditions, and had improved so much, and had sufficient quantity of unique moves, that he was passed through to the Las Vegas auditions and eventually into the finals. He proceeded to the top 12, but was eliminated on July 13, 2006. His assigned dance partner had been Natalie Fotopoulos, who went on to become one of the top 6 finalists before herself being eliminated.

Cooper is married, and lives in Burlington Township, New Jersey, and works as a professional dancer.[2]

References
  1. Young, Uriah. "Interview: Musa Cooper", Questions for the Driven. Accessed December 5, 2017. "As a child, because my mother had a drug problem, I was placed in a foster home in Camden. Then, when I was 13, my foster family moved to Mount Laurel. At that point, I was just happy I didn't have to visit a soup kitchen anymore or share clothes with my brothers."
  2. Sheibley, Lauri. "Burl. Twp. dancer enjoyed the reality show experience", Burlington County Times, July 23, 2006. Accessed February 4, 2013. "BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP -- Musa Cooper wants the world to know his name and his dance moves.... He moved to Mount Laurel when he was 13 and graduated from Lenape High School in Medford, where he was a standout track athlete."
  3. "Cooper helps Lenape capture four firsts in Liberty", Courier-Post, April 6, 1997. Accessed December 5, 2017. "It was the first time in 13 years that any one competitor won four gold medals at Burlington County Hall of Fame Relays, but Lenape High School's Musa Cooper says it wasn't even one of his better days."
  4. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-07092006-681192.html%5B%5D
  7. (video)

Sources
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