Local woman plays small part in new movie
Published 10:45 am Thursday, May 21, 2015
Hip hop dancing is all the rage, but it was Kimberly Madsen-Thomas’s classical ballet training that caught the attention of movie producers.
Thomas was one of 18 selected from more than 1,000 dancers to perform in “Pitch Perfect 2,” the musical comedy sequel to “Pitch Perfect,” which became a sleeper hit in 2012 grossing more than $115 million worldwide.
“For the audition they had us do improvisational dancing for 30 seconds. Everyone in my group was hip hoppers, but I did ballet. I just showed them what kind of dancer I was,” Thomas said.
Auditions were held in Baton Rouge, and it was from a Facebook post from one of her friends that Thomas learned about the dance opportunity.
“I had never auditioned for anything professionally, so I thought I would do it for the experience,” she said.
“I really wasn’t expecting anything, but I got a call back from the casting company,” Thomas said.
Filming was done in a warehouse in Baton Rouge where Thomas said they practiced for hours every day.
“It was so unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was amazing seeing people I had seen on stage,” she said.
Thomas said the choreographer for the movie was very “stern” with the dancers, but added she appreciated his style.
“He gave no praise during the rehearsals, but with the filming he gave us a lot of praise,” she said.
Thomas was unable to note any downside to her experience.
“On the whole, the experience was amazing. I tried to drink it all in and enjoyed it,” she said.
Prior to moving to Vicksburg last January with her husband, Bobby, Thomas had previously lived in the River City for two years.
At the age of 7 she took her first dance lessons from Valarie Atwood, the owner of Vicksburg Dance Studio, where Thomas now teaches ballet, jazz and lyrical dance.
After only one year of dance from Atwood, Thomas said she and her family moved to Minnesota where she continued her training.
“We moved to Starkville when I was in the seventh grade,” Thomas said, and she began dancing at the Academy of Competitive and Performing Arts in Starkville.
After graduating from high school, Thomas continued her education at Mississippi State University, where she served as the president of Terpsichore — the MSU dance theater company.
Thomas also did summer intensives with Ballet Magnificat.
Thomas and her husband Bobby have two children, Cari and Wally.