Ariana DeBose

DeBose was born on January 25, 1991 in North Carolina. Her mother, Gina DeBose, is a middle school teacher. DeBose trained in dance at CC & Co. Dance Complex in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her father is Afro-Puerto Rican and her mother is white. She has also said, "I present as black and I do have African-American lineage, but I’m also part-Italian."\n', 'She made her breakthrough in 2009, when she competed on the TV series So You Think You Can Dance, making it into the Top 20. She later appeared on the soap opera One Life to Live and played Inez in the North Carolina Theatre\'s production of Hairspray before booking the role of Nautica in the 2011 Alliance Theatre production of Bring It On. She also appeared in the ensemble of the New York Philharmonic production of Company, which was filmed for television. At the end of 2011, Bring It On embarked on a national tour across the United States. DeBose continued her role into the 2012 Broadway production, and understudied the character Danielle.\n', 'Her career launched, DeBose played Mary Wilson in Motown on Broadway in 2013, understudying the role of Diana Ross. DeBose left the show soon later to play Eponine in a regional production of Les Misérables before returning to Broadway as a noble and a player in the musical Pippin, understudying the role of the Leading Player, which she ended up taking over for a short period in 2014.\n', '