Email
Jason Nious has always been strong.
A trained gymnast, Nious didn’t discover dance and theater until after he graduated from Albuquerque High School.
“I was all about gymnastics, that I really didn’t have time for anything else,” he said during a recent interview from Montreal, Canada. “After high school while I was at University of New Mexico, I started getting into stepping.”
But it wasn’t until he took his first drama class at UNM that his life changed.
“The class was full and they told all nonmajors to drop the class,” he said. “I wasn’t a theater major but I stayed in class and ultimately majored in theater.”
Nious is one-fifth of the dance group Molodi.
The group started while Nious was at UNM. The group blends traditional percussive dance with guerrilla theater, slam poetry, beat box and all in a high-energy, rhythmic experience.
“We’ve had different members in the group,” he said. “But all of our members have been strong performers.”
The current lineup consists of Harmony Costa, Chris Rutledge and former Duke City residents Antwan Davis, Khalid Freeman and Nious.
“We all used to live in Las Vegas, Nev.,” he said. “But we’ve all moved on to different ventures in our career. So finding time for Molodi has been more difficult now, but we get it done.”
Molodi will perform Friday, Nov. 19 through Sunday, Nov. 21 at The Cell Theatre in Downtown Albuquerque.
“It’s always nice to come to our hometown for a show,” he said. “There’s nothing like being on stage in Albuquerque. A lot of people remember us from years ago and there’s so much love.”
Nious will get into the Duke City for the three-day event before he flies back to Montreal to start rehearsals for Cirque du Soleil. He just signed a two-year contract with the company.
“We’re in creation right now. The company has three new shows in the works,” he said. “One will be based in Los Angeles at the Kodak Theatre, one is the touring Michael Jackson show and I’ll be in the show at Radio City Music Hall in New York.”
So keeping up with choreography can be a challenge for Nious. From working with Cirque du Soleil and Molodi, he said it’s constant stress on his body.
“I have to keep up with my workouts so I don’t get injured,” he said. “I’m older now and losing some of my muscle so I have to work out twice as hard.”
Nious admits that rehearsals with Molodi have slacked a little since the members all don’t live near each other. He said rehearsals before the Albuquerque show were intense.
“It’s an entirely different game for us,” he said. “Keeping our stepping in line and the whole routine tight takes a lot of work. Luckily, we’re all very professional with what we do.”
Nious said that Davis and Freeman are both alumni of Highland High School.
“I met them when I was at UNM and it was cool for us to all bond over our group,” he said. “They are both very talented entertainers.”
Nious said Freeman will fly back from Paris before the Albuquerque show. He said Freeman was auditioning for the Michael Jackson show with Cirque du Soleil.
“Out of 400 dancers and a bunch of cuts, he was one of the last ones standing,” he said. “It’s really great to see all of us building our careers. And this all started because of Molodi.”
Nious said he’s looking forward to seeing his friends at the show.
“We’ll probably go to Frontier to eat some food,” he said. “I miss the food a lot. At least I get to come back a couple times a year.”
WHAT: Molodi
WHEN: 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 19; 8 p.m. , Saturday, Nov. 20; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21
WHERE: The Cell Theatre, 700 First Street NW
HOW MUCH: $20 available at 766-9412 or online at www.fusionabq.org
