Alaska-born, Seattle-raised dancer JD Rainey has been adding his own personal magic to Magic Mike Live Las Vegas since the show first opened in Las Vegas. Onstage, he’s one of the most acrobatic performers you’ll find in this or any other dance-based production on the Strip, pulling incredible tricks and moves he’s been honing for years as a touring artist and founding member of the acclaimed Massive Monkeys dance crew, which won international championships in its heyday. Off the stage, Rainey is the definition of calm and cool, displaying a humble personality influenced by his upbringing in martial arts and sports and always focused on staying in peak physical and mental shape so he can bring the best version of himself to any endeavor.
Your dance crew competed on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew and won international championships in London and Korea. What was it like to take this very local style of dance and culture around the world?
It was very surreal for us because we were part of this subculture that was like skating in the ’90s. It had its own circuit and had stars within that circuit, well-known dancers and teams that had the reputation of being the best. People who were into this dance style knew about these stars, but if you’re not into the culture, you’re oblivious to it. But we got to travel and had sponsors and promoters that paid for it all just so we could compete, and that was our existence from when we were 17 into our mid 20s. We made a name for ourselves and did some monumental things in this subculture that led to more mainstream stuff.
What was your first impression of Magic Mike Live Las Vegas, and how did this job come together?
I was booked on a small tour based on the premiere of the second Magic Mike movie where they would start the movie with a flash mob dance sequence, so I was doing these small performances in the theater to get the audience riled up to see the movie. They just kept me in that network until the live show started to develop, and the idea of the show and how they pitched it was something intriguing because it was so revolutionary. It took something very stereotypically thought of and flipped it on its head. It was something that was going to change how male revues were looked at. And the fact that we get to be our own stars, our own artists in the show, that was a real selling point because a dancing career has a shelf life, and I wanted to eventually be my own star instead of dancing behind stars.
At the time you had been touring as a backup dancer with artists like Chris Brown and Jason Derulo. Did those experiences prepare you for the way the audience reacts during Magic Mike Live Las Vegas?
The first time I heard a girl scream at me at the top of her lungs, that changed everything. I played sports growing up, but I didn’t hear that on the football field. It was like, “What’s going on? That loud squeal, what is that?” That happened from dancing, but I still needed to find a style I liked. I was a big comic-book nerd growing up, so when I found breaking, everything clicked, I needed to do that. The first time I saw someone spin on their head and do a flip and stand up, I thought, “That’s a superpower.”
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