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Authors: Nick Carter
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TRULY HAPPY IS MAKING THE MOST OF MY TALENT FOR SINGING AND PERFORMING.
I definitely wasn’t one of the cool kids, an athlete or an honor student before then, so it was sweet to step in and take the role of Raoul, especially since the guy who had chickened out was one of the smartest kids in our school and was on student patrol too.
Being cast in the Phantom of the Opera was one of the best things to happen to me at that time. It was one of those rare moments in our family when everyone seemed to join in the fun. Even Dad rallied and got into the spirit. He went to work building the chandelier for the set, which was the centerpiece on stage. Mom worked on the play too, making costumes. They brought the other kids to rehearsals and to the design sessions, and everyone seemed to have a good time without any drinking, fighting or yelling. For a moment there, we felt like one big happy family.
PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS
Even if you never made it past Introduction to Psychology 101, you can see what drew me to performing. All of us Carter kids craved parental attention and affection. Everyone seemed excited about the play and my role as the Phantom. It really brought us all together.
No matter what was happening at home, everything seemed better when I was singing. Instead of the bickering that marked so many of our days and nights, my parents were happy when I sang and so were my audiences. I was happy too. I poured all of my energy into the music because when I performed, my worries, fears, and insecurities disappeared. It was a high like nothing I’d ever experienced, and the larger my audience the better it felt.
There’s no doubt that I threw myself into singing, acting and dancing with more enthusiasm than I’d ever shown for schoolwork or sports. My mom dedicated herself to helping me chase my dream. Some have questioned her motives over the years, but I have to credit her with making sure I received the necessary training and for doing all the work required to turn my passion for performing into a career.
MY MOM DEDICATED HERSELF TO HELPING ME CHASE MY DREAM.
She supported me as I progressed through a series of coaches and trainers. At age 10, I found myself beneath the wings of Bob Karl and Sandy DiMarco, professional dancers who owned the Karl & DiMarco School of Theater & Dance in Tampa. One of the first classes I took with them was tap dancing. I was horrible at it. Bob Karl, who looked more like an old-fashioned gangster than a Julliard-trained choreographer, didn’t seem to enjoy watching me trip over my own feet either. He was nice about it most of the time, but trying to turn me into a dancer made him grumpy.
In no time at all, I found myself banished to the back row of Bob’s class. Once again, I was put with the slow learners. Maybe Bob thought it would help me to watch all the other kids in the front row get the moves right.
I did ultimately improve enough to land a spot as a performer in a troupe that was every straight boy’s wildest dream. Bob’s wife and co-owner Sandy DiMarco had a side job as the choreographer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ halftime shows. Sandy put together a team of beautiful cheerleaders—and me!
Actually, the bikini-wearing, pom-pom swinging Swashbucklers were more like a cross between Victoria’s Secret models and the Rockettes. The Bucs were my favorite team, and I was also a big fan of gorgeous, scantily clad young women, so I was a very lucky boy. Don’t get me wrong, Backstreet is a great group. Kevin, A.J., Brian, and Howie are my brothers and fun to hang out with, but they don’t quite do for me what my first group did. I enjoyed every minute of the Swashbuckler experience, though not nearly as much as I would have enjoyed it if I’d been about ten years older.
This was back when Tampa’s NFL team played in the old Houlihan Stadium, which was demolished in 1999. The Buc’s creamsicle-colored uniforms from those days are still my favorites, but the teams
I definitely wasn’t one of the cool kids, an athlete or an honor student before then, so it was sweet to step in and take the role of Raoul, especially since the guy who had chickened out was one of the smartest kids in our school and was on student patrol too.
Being cast in the Phantom of the Opera was one of the best things to happen to me at that time. It was one of those rare moments in our family when everyone seemed to join in the fun. Even Dad rallied and got into the spirit. He went to work building the chandelier for the set, which was the centerpiece on stage. Mom worked on the play too, making costumes. They brought the other kids to rehearsals and to the design sessions, and everyone seemed to have a good time without any drinking, fighting or yelling. For a moment there, we felt like one big happy family.
PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS
Even if you never made it past Introduction to Psychology 101, you can see what drew me to performing. All of us Carter kids craved parental attention and affection. Everyone seemed excited about the play and my role as the Phantom. It really brought us all together.
No matter what was happening at home, everything seemed better when I was singing. Instead of the bickering that marked so many of our days and nights, my parents were happy when I sang and so were my audiences. I was happy too. I poured all of my energy into the music because when I performed, my worries, fears, and insecurities disappeared. It was a high like nothing I’d ever experienced, and the larger my audience the better it felt.
There’s no doubt that I threw myself into singing, acting and dancing with more enthusiasm than I’d ever shown for schoolwork or sports. My mom dedicated herself to helping me chase my dream. Some have questioned her motives over the years, but I have to credit her with making sure I received the necessary training and for doing all the work required to turn my passion for performing into a career.
MY MOM DEDICATED HERSELF TO HELPING ME CHASE MY DREAM.
She supported me as I progressed through a series of coaches and trainers. At age 10, I found myself beneath the wings of Bob Karl and Sandy DiMarco, professional dancers who owned the Karl & DiMarco School of Theater & Dance in Tampa. One of the first classes I took with them was tap dancing. I was horrible at it. Bob Karl, who looked more like an old-fashioned gangster than a Julliard-trained choreographer, didn’t seem to enjoy watching me trip over my own feet either. He was nice about it most of the time, but trying to turn me into a dancer made him grumpy.
In no time at all, I found myself banished to the back row of Bob’s class. Once again, I was put with the slow learners. Maybe Bob thought it would help me to watch all the other kids in the front row get the moves right.
I did ultimately improve enough to land a spot as a performer in a troupe that was every straight boy’s wildest dream. Bob’s wife and co-owner Sandy DiMarco had a side job as the choreographer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ halftime shows. Sandy put together a team of beautiful cheerleaders—and me!
Actually, the bikini-wearing, pom-pom swinging Swashbucklers were more like a cross between Victoria’s Secret models and the Rockettes. The Bucs were my favorite team, and I was also a big fan of gorgeous, scantily clad young women, so I was a very lucky boy. Don’t get me wrong, Backstreet is a great group. Kevin, A.J., Brian, and Howie are my brothers and fun to hang out with, but they don’t quite do for me what my first group did. I enjoyed every minute of the Swashbuckler experience, though not nearly as much as I would have enjoyed it if I’d been about ten years older.
This was back when Tampa’s NFL team played in the old Houlihan Stadium, which was demolished in 1999. The Buc’s creamsicle-colored uniforms from those days are still my favorites, but the teams
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