Show & Tell: Dancer Allison Kyler

Meet Allison Kyler

The Party Pit at New York-New York

Hometown: Hickory, N.C.

Age: 30

Began taking dance lessons as a kid. … Winning a fashion show at her local mall led to her signing with the Wilhelmina modeling agency. … Spent summers in New York City taking classes and doing print modeling jobs. … Performed in a national tour of “Godspell” at 12 (musical theater credits also include “Gypsy” and “Bye Bye Birdie”). … Moved to L.A. to become a professional dancer at age 16. … Appeared in the original iPod ad campaign (she’s the silhouetted woman dancing against a green background). … Performed in the “Slumdog Millionaire” number at the 2009 Oscars ceremony. … TV/film credits include dance-doubling for Lauren Ambrose in “Six Feet Under.” … Also has been touring as a backup singer/dancer with Motley Crue for the past three years.

On knowing she wanted to be a dancer:

“As a kid I was obsessed with Paula Abdul and Madonna. I knew I wanted to spend my life onstage. I know this probably sounds horrible for a 5- or 6-year-old, but Paula Abdul’s ‘Cold Hearted Snake’ video, I was obsessed (laughs). And it’s so random, but Nirvana’s ‘(Smells Like) Teen Spirit,’ all I wanted to be was a cheerleader in that video.”