Dance Mogul Magazine · Exclusive Feature · New Jersey
Noel Bajandas: New Jersey Is Still Breeding Stars
A Union City kid who learned to dance from his mother and from MTV became a Cirque du Soleil performer, a waacker and an in-demand choreographer. DMM spotlighted him in 2013. Here is that story, and where he has taken it.
Originally published June 30, 2013 · Updated November 12, 2026 · Dance Mogul Magazine
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File // At a Glance
Name — Noel Bajandas
Hometown — Union City, New Jersey
Work — Dancer, choreographer, director and teacher
Artists — Madonna, Adam Lambert, Miley Cyrus, Toni Braxton, Daddy Yankee; dance mentor and choreographer for Kim Petras
Stage & screen — Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium; So You Think You Can Dance; Dancing with the Stars; Camp Rock 2
Teaching — Steps on Broadway; Broadway Dance Center guest faculty; original faculty of Generation IV and Rock The House intensives
14
Age he began performing
18
Joined his first NYC company
2010
Joined The Waackers
2021
Lollapalooza with Kim Petras
The 2013 Feature
From the DMM Archive · June 30, 2013
Noel Bajandas is the epitome of a “master at his craft.” Born and raised in Union City, New Jersey, a majority Latin-based community, Noel learned how to dance from his mother, who showed him the love and art of Latin music and dance. MTV being his favorite station growing up, Noel trained himself by imitating all of the dances in their music videos, award shows and concert specials, which in turn helped develop his natural raw talent into true passion. After joining his first dance company in New York City at age 18, Noel realized that this was the path he was intended for, and since has had the opportunity to share his art with artists like Adam Lambert, Miley Cyrus, Toni Braxton and Daddy Yankee, to name a few. He ran away with the circus for a while when he toured worldwide with Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium, the company’s first touring arena show, and worked on the TV films Camp Rock 2 and the Bring It On series.
As a choreographer, Noel has worked alongside Mia Michaels in shaping a few group productions on Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance. He also worked on the 2010 TV Land Awards and Dancing with the Stars, and is currently working as artistic director and choreographer for Billboard dance artist Consuelo Costin. Noel has also been part of The Waackers, a crew under the guidance of Kumari Suraj, since 2010, and has made a mark in the culture with his own signature style of sophistication and masculinity while keeping true to the art form. Noel teaches various styles of dance in Los Angeles at the International Dance Academy in Hollywood and is an original active faculty member of the Generation IV Dance Intensive.
Dance Mogul Magazine had the honor to catch up with Noel in hopes to inspire and empower, especially all the youth of NJ who love to dance but never really get a chance to shine because of the big lights of NYC. If Noel can do it, you can do it too.
DMM’s original 2013 feature, reproduced in full with spelling and punctuation corrected.
Watch: From the Original Feature
From the 2013 feature. The video that ran with DMM’s original spotlight on Noel Bajandas. Video: YouTube.
From Union City to the World
Union City sits just across the Hudson from Manhattan. That closeness is a gift and a challenge. The opportunities are close, but so is the shadow of the city. In 2013, DMM wrote this feature especially for New Jersey kids who love to dance but feel overlooked next to New York’s big lights.
Bajandas’s path shows how a dancer can turn local roots into a global career. His first teacher was his mother, who brought Latin music and dance into the home. His second was MTV, where he studied music videos, award shows and concert specials and taught himself by copying what he saw. By 18 he was in his first New York company. From there, the work went worldwide, from arena stages with Cirque du Soleil to television and pop tours.
His 2013 bio also highlights waacking, a dance with roots in 1970s Los Angeles clubs, through his membership in The Waackers under Kumari Suraj. Bajandas brought his own approach to the form, which DMM described as sophistication and masculinity while staying true to its roots. For more on the waacking revival and the teachers who kept it alive, read our feature on Brian “Footwork” Green.
Career Timeline
CULTURE = the scene · CAREER = the work · TEACHING = passing it on · DMM = our coverage
Childhood · CULTURE
Learns Latin dance from his mother in Union City, New Jersey, and teaches himself by imitating MTV music videos and award-show performances.
Age 14 · CAREER
Begins performing professionally, according to his Steps on Broadway bio.
Age 18 · CAREER
Joins his first dance company in New York City.
Touring years · CAREER
Tours worldwide with Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium, the company’s first touring arena show; works with Adam Lambert, Miley Cyrus, Toni Braxton and Daddy Yankee.
SYTYCD Season 5 · CAREER
Works alongside Mia Michaels on group numbers for So You Think You Can Dance.
2010 · CULTURE
Joins The Waackers, a crew under the guidance of Kumari Suraj.
2010 · CAREER
Works on the TV Land Awards; also credited on Dancing with the Stars and Camp Rock 2.
June 2013 · DMM
Dance Mogul Magazine publishes this spotlight.
2021 · CAREER
Works as dance mentor, movement coach and choreographer for pop artist Kim Petras, including her headline appearance at Lollapalooza, according to his agency bio.
Today · TEACHING
Teaches at Steps on Broadway and as guest faculty at Broadway Dance Center; original faculty member of the Generation IV and Rock The House intensives.
Where Is Noel Bajandas Now?
More than a decade after DMM’s spotlight, Bajandas has built a career that spans pop music, film and teaching on both coasts.
Pop music. His agency bio at MSA says that Republic Records artist Kim Petras personally enlisted him as her dance mentor, movement coach and choreographer, including for her headline appearance at Lollapalooza in 2021. The same agency lists his work with Madonna, Adam Lambert, Toni Braxton and Miley Cyrus.
Film. A 2020 event listing for a live dance class he taught describes him as appearing in films including La La Land, and as featured in and contributing choreography to In the Heights and the third SpongeBob feature film, then upcoming. DMM presents these as listed in that description.
Teaching. Steps on Broadway in New York lists him as faculty and says he has spent two decades teaching, choreographing and performing since age 14. Broadway Dance Center lists him as guest faculty and describes him as a man with a mission: to leave a legacy. He is also an original faculty member of the Generation IV and Rock The House dance intensives.
The 2013 message still stands. New Jersey kept breeding stars, and Bajandas kept proving that a kid from Union City can reach the world’s biggest stages and come back to teach.
What the Next Generation Should Learn
1. Your first teacher may be at home. His mother’s love of Latin music and dance gave him his foundation.
2. Study everything you watch. He trained himself by imitating MTV performances. Watching closely is a form of training.
3. Don’t let a bigger city’s shadow define you. Being next to New York didn’t stop a Union City dancer from building a global career.
4. Respect the roots of a style. In waacking, he developed his own approach while staying true to the art form.
Why It Matters to DMM
DMM’s own story began in New Jersey street dance, which is why this feature was written for New Jersey youth who feel overlooked. Bajandas is the proof we wanted them to see: a local kid with a mother who loved to dance, a television set and a dream, who became a performer, choreographer and mentor.
More stories of dancers who built careers from the street to the stage are in our Exclusive Interviews. Explore the history of the styles he teaches in our Dance Styles Hub, and find more updated stories in The DMM Archive.
Continue Your Journey
Honor the pioneers in The Legacy, and watch more in the DMM Video Vault.
Noel Bajandas: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Noel Bajandas?
Noel Bajandas is a dancer, choreographer, director and teacher from Union City, New Jersey. He toured with Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium, has worked with artists including Madonna, Adam Lambert and Miley Cyrus, and teaches at Steps on Broadway.
Where is Noel Bajandas from?
He was born and raised in Union City, New Jersey, a largely Latin community just outside New York City, where he learned to dance from his mother.
Did Noel Bajandas work with Kim Petras?
Yes. His agency bio says Kim Petras enlisted him as her dance mentor, movement coach and choreographer, including for her headline appearance at Lollapalooza in 2021.
Is Noel Bajandas a waacker?
Yes. DMM’s 2013 feature notes he had been part of The Waackers, a crew under the guidance of Kumari Suraj, since 2010.
Where does Noel Bajandas teach?
He teaches at Steps on Broadway in New York, is guest faculty at Broadway Dance Center, and is an original faculty member of the Generation IV and Rock The House dance intensives.
The Story Continues
In 2013 we closed this feature with a simple line for New Jersey’s young dancers: if Noel can do it, you can do it too. That line is still the point.
Every class he teaches today passes along what he learned from his mother, from MTV and from the stages in between.
Sources & Further Viewing
© 2026 Dance Mogul Magazine LLC · From the Archive, Updated · A Black-owned dance and empowerment publication since 2010