Lisa Joann Thompson
Encyclopedia
Lisa Joann Thompson is an American dancer, choreographer, actress, and model
who was a Warrior Girl
, Laker Girl
, Fly Girl, Motown Live Dancer
, and Backup dancer
to some of the most prominent artists in the musical industry. She starred in the hit television show In Living Color
as a Fly Girl during seasons 4 and 5, and was assistant choreographer during season 5.
In television
, Thompson had recurring dancer roles in the series' In Living Color
, Fame L.A.
, Motown Live
, Tracey Takes On, and Cedric the Entertainer Presents
; she had supporting acting roles in the series' The Bold and the Beautiful
, Days of our Lives
, The X-Files
, The Pretender
and MTV's Now What
.
In film
, Thompson appeared as a dancer in Michael Jackson's short film Ghosts (1997) and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
(1997), and she had dancer roles in scenes from a variety of hit films in the 2000s such as The Majestic (2001), The Hot Chick
(2002), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
(2003), Starsky & Hutch
and Shark Tale
(2004), and Big Momma's House 2
(2006).
In television commercials, Thompson has appeared in a variety of local and national spots, including a national for The Gap, Inc. clothing retailer called "Khaki a Go Go," that made the TV Guide
list of "50 Greatest TV Commercials of All Time."
Between appearances in television, film, and commercials, Thompson has provided choreography and/or dance steps, made appearances in music videos, or danced in awards shows with many top musical acts at the apex of their fame including Michael Jackson
, Madonna
, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys
, Vitamin C
, Deborah Cox
, Bubba Sparxxx
, Ricky Martin
, and Will Smith
.
Thompson has been a regular Host
and emcee for the The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball
show for five years.
She has been featured in articles and interviews by various publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine, Shape Magazine
, and TV Guide
, and newspapers such as the Oakland Tribune, Los Angeles Times
and USA Today
.
. She lived on a ranch in Peyton, Colorado
for five years in the 1970s (the current site of the Cowboy Church of Peyton
), before moving to Northern, California
. She started out as a promising gymnast
, winning a bronze medal
in a regional competition at the age of 8. Thompson lost interest in gymnastics
and switched to dance
. She studied jazz
, ballet
, and hip hop
. However, she had a natural ability and love for street dance
.
for the Golden State Warriors
National Basketball Association
(NBA) team. While a member of the Warrior Girls, Thompson appeared in the MC Hammer
videos U Can't Touch This
and Pray
. After her second stint as a Warrior Girl and feeling inspired from appearing in the popular MC Hammer videos, Thompson moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in dance and acting.
During the 1990-1991 NBA season, Thompson was a member of the Laker Girls
for the Los Angeles Lakers
NBA team. That season the Los Angeles Lakers went to the NBA Finals
against the Chicago Bulls
NBA team.
Thompson was selected as a Laker Girl for the 1992-1993 NBA season, but declined, opting instead to work in television.
sketch comedy
television series In Living Color
as a Fly Girl during seasons 4 and 5 (1992–1994). She also appeared as herself or as a dancer in various comedy sketches with cast members or guest stars.
On September 23, 1993, Thompson was the lead guest star on Herman's Head
, an American television sitcom, season 3, episode 2, "There's a Fly Girl in my Soup." This episode was featured in the September 18–24 Fall Pre-View special issue of TV Guide Magazine.
The Fly Girls did a number of guest appearance
s on talk show
s such as The Rosie O'Donnell Show
, Vicki! hosted by Vicki Lawrence
, Leeza
hosted by Leeza Gibbons
, and an appearance on The Muppets
.
Thompson was also an Assistant Choreographer for In Living Color
, Season 5.
After In Living Color
was cancelled, Thompson was slated to be the host of the television game show
, MTV
's Singled Out
. However, she was replaced by Jenny McCarthy
between the test shows and the first episode. Thompson then switched from television to modeling.
, Reebok
, and Sketchers.
and directed by Stan Winston
. Thompson was one of the primary performers in the Maestro's (Michael Jackson
) family of dancing ghouls. Shooting took place for several months in an unused hanger at the Van Nuys Airport
in Van Nuys, California. The film was screened at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
and released to the general public on May 9, 1997.
From 1997 to 1999, Thompson had dancer roles in Fame L.A.
, a television series about a dance school in Los Angeles. While on Fame L.A., she also was a Motown Live Dancer on the TV series Motown Live
, appeared as a supporting actress in the American television series The Pretender
, and appeared as dancer in the American movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
.
In January 1998, Thompson was a member of the fictional musical group called the Spicy Crispy Girls, a take off of the Spice Girls
, a British pop music
girl group
(at the time one of the most popular groups in the world), in two comedic national television commercials for the Jack in the Box
fast-food chain restaurant. The commercials were used to promote the new Jack in the Box Spicy Crispy Sandwich, with the girls dancing in "the Jack groove."
On December 6, 1998, Thompson was a supporting actress on The X-Files
episode "Dreamland II."
In early 1999, Thompson appeared in a national television commercial for The Gap, Inc. clothing retailer called Khaki A Go Go, which was a brilliant advertisement known for its simple yet effective message - showing a group of young dancers having fun dancing in The Gap Khakis to 60's swing. The commercial won Best Commercial award at the American Choreography Awards
in 1999." The July 3, 1999 issue of TV Guide Magazine (Vol. 47, Num. 27) rated the commercial as one of the "50 Greatest TV Commercials of All Time," and featured a story on 3 of the dancers, including Thompson. Thompson, who had changed her hair from blond to 'fire-red' as noted by TV Guide, was a standout in the commercial, with several full page photos of her in the guide.
, and has worked as a choreographer in television, movies, and in numerous music videos with many of the top recording artists in the music industry.
She has been a backup dancer most in most of the major awards shows in the entertainment business including the Academy Awards Show, The Grammys
, MTV Music Awards, MTV Movie Awards
, American Music Awards
, BET Awards
, and the The Emmys
.
In 2000-2001, Thompson was a character on the television situation comedy MTV's Now What
, which followed the lives of four friends in their junior year in High School.
In 2002-2003, Thompson had recurring roles on the Fox
sketch comedy
television series Cedric the Entertainer Presents
.
In 2004, Thompson was used for "performance capture" for dance scenes in the Oscar nominated animated feature, Shark Tale
. During performance capture (i.e., motion capture
), the performer wears a suit affixed with reflective markers that record the human actions; this data is used to animate digital character models in computer animation. The animated characters perform the same actions as the human actor. Thompson did performance capture in dance scenes for animated characters portrayed by Angelina Jolie
and Renée Zellweger
. Shark Tale grossed $367 million worldwide and was nominated for Best Animated Feature
at the 77th Academy Awards
show.
Thompson is a long time collaborator and/or assistant choreographer with producer/choreographer Tony Gonzalez (Tony G). She was assistant to Tony G for the Bring it On
cheerleader comedy films (2004's Bring It On Again
, 2006's Bring It On: All or Nothing
, 2007's Bring It On: In It to Win It
and 2009's Bring It On: Fight to the Finish
).
In 2011, Thompson collaborated with producer/choreographer Tony G on several webisodes
of the NBC
situation comedy
television show The Office, Season 7.
show for five years. The show is a monthly showcase of the top choreographers in the world (video, music, and film), usually run in Hollywood, New York
, London
, Tokyo
and Paris
; and is considered the dance community's ultimate competitive venue for choreographers to display their work.
The show often includes special guests and appearances by many of the top dancers and choreographers including luminaries such as Paula Abdul
, Travis Payne
, Kenny Ortega
, and Wade Robson
. The audience is usually populated with many of the top song writers and musical acts in the entertainment business.
and The Groundlings
improvisational comedy enterprises. Afterward she began doing sketch comedy
and stand up
in various theaters and comedy clubs in the Los Angeles
area.
In 2006, Thompson began performing as a warm up comic
for television and theater productions such as the Fox
television sitcom Happy Hour
.
Thompson does voice-overs
through voice casting agent Kalmenson & Kalmenson.
to Josh Debear (also known as 'JD Tru'), a rap artist and former music producer for Michael Jackson
's record label, MJJ Music
. The couple have two young children.
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
who was a Warrior Girl
Warrior Girls
The Golden State Warrior Girls are an all-female National Basketball Association Cheerleading dance squad that performs in support of the Golden State Warriors during home games at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The 2009-2010 dance team consists of 10 veterans & 8 rookies...
, Laker Girl
Laker Girls
The Laker Girls are an all-female National Basketball Association Cheerleading squad that performs and supports the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team in home matches.They also perform at many other events and venues....
, Fly Girl, Motown Live Dancer
Motown Live (TV Series)
Motown Live was an American television series showcasing live performances by music artists in the areas of rhythm & blues, hip hop, and popular music. The show ran had 13 episodes from during 1998-1999....
, and Backup dancer
Backup dancer
A backup dancer is a performer who dances with or behind the lead performers in a live musical act or in a music video. Their movements provide a visual symmetry and rhythm to accompany the music....
to some of the most prominent artists in the musical industry. She starred in the hit television show In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
as a Fly Girl during seasons 4 and 5, and was assistant choreographer during season 5.
In television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, Thompson had recurring dancer roles in the series' In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
, Fame L.A.
Fame L.A.
Fame L.A. was an MGM U.S. television series from 1997-1998. It told the story of a drama/dance school in Los Angeles where students honed their talents while overcoming various personal problems. It starred Christian Kane, Rosalyn Sanchez, and William R. Moses. Its producers included Patricia...
, Motown Live
Motown Live (TV Series)
Motown Live was an American television series showcasing live performances by music artists in the areas of rhythm & blues, hip hop, and popular music. The show ran had 13 episodes from during 1998-1999....
, Tracey Takes On, and Cedric the Entertainer Presents
Cedric the Entertainer Presents
Cedric the Entertainer Presents was an American sketch comedy television series starring Cedric the Entertainer. The series premiered September 18, 2002 on Fox and after the first season, Fox renewed the show for a second season but right before the show aired its second season, Fox canceled the...
; she had supporting acting roles in the series' The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
, Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, The Pretender
The Pretender (TV series)
The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work...
and MTV's Now What
The Sausage Factory
The Sausage Factory, also known in the United States as MTV's Now What?, was a Canadian/American television situation comedy that followed the lives of four friends in their junior year at West Boulder High School....
.
In film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Thompson appeared as a dancer in Michael Jackson's short film Ghosts (1997) and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American science fiction/action-comedy film and the first film of the Austin Powers series. It was directed by Jay Roach and written by Mike Myers who also stars in the title role. Myers also plays Dr. Evil, Austin Powers' arch-enemy...
(1997), and she had dancer roles in scenes from a variety of hit films in the 2000s such as The Majestic (2001), The Hot Chick
The Hot Chick
The Hot Chick is a 2002 American comedy film about a teenage girl whose body is magically swapped with that of a 30-year-old criminal. It was directed by Tom Brady and produced by Guy Riedel for Happy Madison and Touchstone Pictures, from a screenplay by Tom Brady and Rob Schneider...
(2002), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 American action comedy film. It is the sequel to 2000's Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of $259.2 million.The cast again includes Cameron...
(2003), Starsky & Hutch
Starsky & Hutch (film)
Starsky & Hutch is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips. The film stars Ben Stiller as David Starsky and Owen Wilson as Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson and is a film adaptation of the original television series of the same name from the 1970s....
and Shark Tale
Shark Tale
Shark Tale is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. In the story, a young fish named Oscar falsely claims to have killed the son of a shark mob boss to win favour with the mob boss' enemies and advance his own community standing...
(2004), and Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was...
(2006).
In television commercials, Thompson has appeared in a variety of local and national spots, including a national for The Gap, Inc. clothing retailer called "Khaki a Go Go," that made the TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
list of "50 Greatest TV Commercials of All Time."
Between appearances in television, film, and commercials, Thompson has provided choreography and/or dance steps, made appearances in music videos, or danced in awards shows with many top musical acts at the apex of their fame including Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
, Vitamin C
Vitamin C (artist)
Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick is an American pop music singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress better known by her stage name, Vitamin C. Her singles include "Graduation ", "As Long As You're Loving Me", "The Itch", and her most successful hit the Top 20 Gold certified "Smile"...
, Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Her 1998 song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held the record for longest-running number one single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart , a record held for nearly eight years. She has achieved ten number-one hits on...
, Bubba Sparxxx
Bubba Sparxxx
Warren Anderson Mathis , known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American Southern rapper. His biggest hit is "Ms. New Booty" featuring The Ying Yang Twins which peaked at #7 in the United States...
, Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
, and Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
.
Thompson has been a regular Host
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
and emcee for the The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball
The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball
The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball show is the longest running dance show in Southern California, and a popular monthly showcase of the top/elite choreographers in the world...
show for five years.
She has been featured in articles and interviews by various publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine, Shape Magazine
Shape Magazine
Shape Magazine is a monthly English language fitness magazine started by Weider Publications in 1981, founded by Christine MacIntyre and became the #1 women's fitness magazine...
, and TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, and newspapers such as the Oakland Tribune, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
.
Early life
She was born Lisa Joann Thompson in 1969, the youngest of four children in Oak Forest, IllinoisOak Forest, Illinois
Oak Forest is a suburban city about south/southwest of downtown Chicago in Bremen Township in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,051 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. She lived on a ranch in Peyton, Colorado
Peyton, Colorado
Peyton is a census-designated place and a U.S. Post Office in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 250. The nearby unincorporated area of Falcon also uses zip code 80831...
for five years in the 1970s (the current site of the Cowboy Church of Peyton
Cowboy church
Cowboy churches are local Christian churches within the cowboy culture that are distinctively Western heritage in character. A typical cowboy church may meet in a rural setting in a barn, metal building, arena, sale barn, or old western building, have its own rodeo arena, and a country gospel band....
), before moving to Northern, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She started out as a promising gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
, winning a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in a regional competition at the age of 8. Thompson lost interest in gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and switched to dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. She studied jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, and hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
. However, she had a natural ability and love for street dance
Street dance
Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc...
.
NBA cheerleader
During the 1988-1989 NBA season and the 1989-1990 NBA season, Thompson was a member of the Warrior GirlsWarrior Girls
The Golden State Warrior Girls are an all-female National Basketball Association Cheerleading dance squad that performs in support of the Golden State Warriors during home games at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The 2009-2010 dance team consists of 10 veterans & 8 rookies...
for the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) team. While a member of the Warrior Girls, Thompson appeared in the MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
videos U Can't Touch This
U Can't Touch This
"U Can't Touch This" is MC Hammer's 1990 super hit signature song, from his album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The album sold more than 10 million copies, due primarily to this single, and gaining multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA, and other Recording Industries.Rick James sued Hammer...
and Pray
Pray (MC Hammer song)
"Pray" was the third single released from MC Hammer's third album, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. Produced by MC Hammer himself, the song heavily sampled Prince's hit song, "When Doves Cry", the first and one of the few songs legally sanctioned by Prince to incorporate samples of one of his...
. After her second stint as a Warrior Girl and feeling inspired from appearing in the popular MC Hammer videos, Thompson moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in dance and acting.
During the 1990-1991 NBA season, Thompson was a member of the Laker Girls
Laker Girls
The Laker Girls are an all-female National Basketball Association Cheerleading squad that performs and supports the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team in home matches.They also perform at many other events and venues....
for the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
NBA team. That season the Los Angeles Lakers went to the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
against the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
NBA team.
Thompson was selected as a Laker Girl for the 1992-1993 NBA season, but declined, opting instead to work in television.
Fly Girl
From 1992-1994, Thompson starred in the FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television series In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
as a Fly Girl during seasons 4 and 5 (1992–1994). She also appeared as herself or as a dancer in various comedy sketches with cast members or guest stars.
On September 23, 1993, Thompson was the lead guest star on Herman's Head
Herman's Head
Herman's Head is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from 1991 to 1994. The series stars William Ragsdale as the titular character, Herman Brooks.-Synopsis:...
, an American television sitcom, season 3, episode 2, "There's a Fly Girl in my Soup." This episode was featured in the September 18–24 Fall Pre-View special issue of TV Guide Magazine.
The Fly Girls did a number of guest appearance
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
s on talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
s such as The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
, Vicki! hosted by Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedienne, and Billboard Hot 100 #1 singer, who was frequently a game show panelist in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Leeza
Leeza
Leeza is a daytime television talk show hosted by Leeza Gibbons. The show ran on NBC between 1994 and 2000, and was also shown on other stations in markets where the local NBC affiliate pre-empted it in favor of other programming...
hosted by Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Kim Gibbons is an American talk show host. Gibbons is the host of her own radio show, Hollywood Confidential, part of the United Stations radio syndication company.-Early life:...
, and an appearance on The Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
.
Thompson was also an Assistant Choreographer for In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
, Season 5.
After In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
was cancelled, Thompson was slated to be the host of the television game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Singled Out
Singled Out
Singled Out was a game show that ran on MTV from 1995-1998. Each episode featured a group of 50 men and a group of 50 women competing for a date with one main contestant of the opposite sex.The original hosts were Chris Hardwick and Jenny McCarthy...
. However, she was replaced by Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
between the test shows and the first episode. Thompson then switched from television to modeling.
Modeling
From 1995 to 1996, Thompson was represented by the Bobby Ball Agency (BBA) in Hollywood and traveled around the world dancing and modeling for sports companies NikeNike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
, and Sketchers.
Film, television, and dancing
In 1997, Thompson was a dancer in the short film Michael Jackson Ghosts, co-written by Stephen KingStephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
and directed by Stan Winston
Stan Winston
Stanley Winston was an American visual effects supervisor, makeup artist, and film director. He was best known for his work in the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, the Predator series, Iron Man, Edward Scissorhands, and Avatar...
. Thompson was one of the primary performers in the Maestro's (Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
) family of dancing ghouls. Shooting took place for several months in an unused hanger at the Van Nuys Airport
Van Nuys Airport
Van Nuys Airport is a public airport located in Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley section of the city limits of Los Angeles, California, United States. No major commercial airlines fly into this airport; it is used by private, chartered, and small commercial aircraft...
in Van Nuys, California. The film was screened at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
1997 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Isabelle Adjani *Gong Li *Mira Sorvino *Paul Auster *Tim Burton *Luc Bondy *Patrick Dupond *Mike Leigh *Nanni Moretti *Michael Ondaatje -Feature film competition:...
and released to the general public on May 9, 1997.
From 1997 to 1999, Thompson had dancer roles in Fame L.A.
Fame L.A.
Fame L.A. was an MGM U.S. television series from 1997-1998. It told the story of a drama/dance school in Los Angeles where students honed their talents while overcoming various personal problems. It starred Christian Kane, Rosalyn Sanchez, and William R. Moses. Its producers included Patricia...
, a television series about a dance school in Los Angeles. While on Fame L.A., she also was a Motown Live Dancer on the TV series Motown Live
Motown Live (TV Series)
Motown Live was an American television series showcasing live performances by music artists in the areas of rhythm & blues, hip hop, and popular music. The show ran had 13 episodes from during 1998-1999....
, appeared as a supporting actress in the American television series The Pretender
The Pretender (TV series)
The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work...
, and appeared as dancer in the American movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American science fiction/action-comedy film and the first film of the Austin Powers series. It was directed by Jay Roach and written by Mike Myers who also stars in the title role. Myers also plays Dr. Evil, Austin Powers' arch-enemy...
.
In January 1998, Thompson was a member of the fictional musical group called the Spicy Crispy Girls, a take off of the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
, a British pop music
British pop music
While various forms of commercially produced popular music had existed in Great Britain for several centuries, what is now understood as British pop music emerged in the mid-to late 1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music...
girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
(at the time one of the most popular groups in the world), in two comedic national television commercials for the Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box is an American fast-food restaurant founded by Robert O. Peterson in 1951 in San Diego, California, where it is still headquartered today. In total, the chain has 2,200 locations, primarily serving the West Coast of the United States...
fast-food chain restaurant. The commercials were used to promote the new Jack in the Box Spicy Crispy Sandwich, with the girls dancing in "the Jack groove."
On December 6, 1998, Thompson was a supporting actress on The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
episode "Dreamland II."
In early 1999, Thompson appeared in a national television commercial for The Gap, Inc. clothing retailer called Khaki A Go Go, which was a brilliant advertisement known for its simple yet effective message - showing a group of young dancers having fun dancing in The Gap Khakis to 60's swing. The commercial won Best Commercial award at the American Choreography Awards
American Choreography Awards
The American Choreography Awards was a ceremony and show that honored outstanding choreographers in the fields of feature film, television, music videos, and commercials. They were first known as the L.A. Dance Awards , then as Bob Fosse Awards, and a.k.a. Fosse’s , and eventually the American...
in 1999." The July 3, 1999 issue of TV Guide Magazine (Vol. 47, Num. 27) rated the commercial as one of the "50 Greatest TV Commercials of All Time," and featured a story on 3 of the dancers, including Thompson. Thompson, who had changed her hair from blond to 'fire-red' as noted by TV Guide, was a standout in the commercial, with several full page photos of her in the guide.
The 2000s
Throughout the 2000s, Thompson had dancer roles in a variety of television programs and hit films by major film studiosMajor film studios
A major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box-office revenues in a given market...
, and has worked as a choreographer in television, movies, and in numerous music videos with many of the top recording artists in the music industry.
She has been a backup dancer most in most of the major awards shows in the entertainment business including the Academy Awards Show, The Grammys
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
, MTV Music Awards, MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
, American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
, BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
, and the The Emmys
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
.
In 2000-2001, Thompson was a character on the television situation comedy MTV's Now What
The Sausage Factory
The Sausage Factory, also known in the United States as MTV's Now What?, was a Canadian/American television situation comedy that followed the lives of four friends in their junior year at West Boulder High School....
, which followed the lives of four friends in their junior year in High School.
In 2002-2003, Thompson had recurring roles on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television series Cedric the Entertainer Presents
Cedric the Entertainer Presents
Cedric the Entertainer Presents was an American sketch comedy television series starring Cedric the Entertainer. The series premiered September 18, 2002 on Fox and after the first season, Fox renewed the show for a second season but right before the show aired its second season, Fox canceled the...
.
In 2004, Thompson was used for "performance capture" for dance scenes in the Oscar nominated animated feature, Shark Tale
Shark Tale
Shark Tale is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. In the story, a young fish named Oscar falsely claims to have killed the son of a shark mob boss to win favour with the mob boss' enemies and advance his own community standing...
. During performance capture (i.e., motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
), the performer wears a suit affixed with reflective markers that record the human actions; this data is used to animate digital character models in computer animation. The animated characters perform the same actions as the human actor. Thompson did performance capture in dance scenes for animated characters portrayed by Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
and Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
. Shark Tale grossed $367 million worldwide and was nominated for Best Animated Feature
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles-based professional organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 77th Academy Awards
77th Academy Awards
The 77th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2004 and were held on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by comedian Chris Rock.The nominees were announced on January 25, 2005...
show.
Thompson is a long time collaborator and/or assistant choreographer with producer/choreographer Tony Gonzalez (Tony G). She was assistant to Tony G for the Bring it On
Bring It On (film)
Bring It On is a 2000 teen comedy film about two competing high school cheerleading squads, starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union...
cheerleader comedy films (2004's Bring It On Again
Bring It On Again
Bring It On Again is a cheerleading comedy film starring Anne Judson-Yager and Bree Turner, directed by Damon Santostefano and written by Claudia Grazioso, Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn....
, 2006's Bring It On: All or Nothing
Bring It On: All or Nothing
Bring It On: All or Nothing is the third installment in the Bring it On series of films that revolves around high school cheerleading. Directed by Steve Rash, the movie was released direct-to-DVD on August 8, 2006 by Universal Pictures....
, 2007's Bring It On: In It to Win It
Bring It On: In It to Win It
Bring It On: In It to Win It is a 2007 teen film. First a sneak peek on The Jake Show Season 2 premiere, directed by Steve Rash and starring Ashley Benson, Michael Copon and Cassie Scerbo. It is the fourth film in the Bring It On franchise, which focuses on competitive cheerleading. It was shot at...
and 2009's Bring It On: Fight to the Finish
Bring It On: Fight to the Finish
- Marketing :American Cheerleader Magazine had an interview and photo shoot with cast members Christina Milian, Cody Longo, Vanessa Born, Rachele Brooke Smith and Gabrielle Dennis, which can be seen in the August 2009 issue. Christina Milian is also on the cover of American Cheerleader Magazine's...
).
In 2011, Thompson collaborated with producer/choreographer Tony G on several webisodes
Webisode
A webisode is a short episode which airs initially as Internet television, either download or stream as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cable television. The format can be used as a preview, a promotion, as part of a collection of shorts, or a commercial.A webisode can be an episode...
of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
television show The Office, Season 7.
The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball
Thompson has been a regular Host and emcee for the The Carnival: Choreographer’s BallThe Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball
The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball show is the longest running dance show in Southern California, and a popular monthly showcase of the top/elite choreographers in the world...
show for five years. The show is a monthly showcase of the top choreographers in the world (video, music, and film), usually run in Hollywood, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; and is considered the dance community's ultimate competitive venue for choreographers to display their work.
The show often includes special guests and appearances by many of the top dancers and choreographers including luminaries such as Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
, Travis Payne
Travis Payne
Travis Payne is an American choreographer, director, and producer. He is best known for working with Michael Jackson as the choreographer for This Is It until Jackson's death. Payne also served as the associate producer for This Is It, and along with the director, Kenny Ortega, was extensively...
, Kenny Ortega
Kenny Ortega
Kenneth John "Kenny" Ortega is an American producer, director, and choreographer. He is known for directing the High School Musical trilogy and Michael Jackson's This Is It concert tour.-Life and career:...
, and Wade Robson
Wade Robson
Wade Jeremy William Robson is an Australian dance prodigy, director, producer, songwriter, and award-winning choreographer. He began performing as a dancer at the age of five. He has directed music videos and world tours for numerous music artists such as 'N Sync and Britney Spears...
. The audience is usually populated with many of the top song writers and musical acts in the entertainment business.
Theater and Voice-Overs
In the mid 2000s, Thompson began focusing more on comedy. She attended The Second CityThe Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
and The Groundlings
The Groundlings
The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
improvisational comedy enterprises. Afterward she began doing sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
and stand up
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
in various theaters and comedy clubs in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area.
In 2006, Thompson began performing as a warm up comic
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
for television and theater productions such as the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television sitcom Happy Hour
Happy Hour (TV series)
Happy Hour is a sitcom that debuted on Fox in the United States and on CTV in Canada on September 7, 2006. The show starred John Sloan as Henry Beckman, a young man rebuilding his life after losing his girlfriend, his job, and his apartment...
.
Thompson does voice-overs
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
through voice casting agent Kalmenson & Kalmenson.
Personal life
In 2005, Thompson was married on the island of MauiMaui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
to Josh Debear (also known as 'JD Tru'), a rap artist and former music producer for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's record label, MJJ Music
MJJ Music
MJJ Music was an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment recording company, founded by American pop singer Michael Jackson....
. The couple have two young children.