Preston Mui
July 14, 2004

Anyone in attendance at any of the 70 shows of Mariah Carey’s Charmbracelet Tour couldn’t help but notice Preston Mui, a young, charismatic dancer exuding talent and confidence. Always upfront and always wearing a smile, Preston makes it quite obvious that performing is a personal passion and not just a routine job.

“I have been a performer my entire life,” he says. “My mother took me to my first music class at age 5. I was in acting classes at age 10. I've taken dance, martial arts, gymnastics, acrobatics; anything that involves movement, I have done. I did plays and musicals throughout my childhood. So, my entire life has been full of music, art and dance.”

Mariah Daily: So what initially attracted you to dancing?
Preston Mui: I took my first dance class when I was 10 years old. I was originally a gymnast, but after a long-term recovery from an injury, I strayed away from gymnastics and I stumbled upon dance. I took my weekly dance classes for a couple years, but I was by no means a dancer. Half way through high school, I transferred from a regular high school, to an arts high school. Then I started to train and really learn to love dance. After high school I moved to Los Angeles and was on scholarship at a dance studio called The Edge Performing Arts Center. It's a one year program, at an open dance studio, that trains and prepares you for the professional dance world. It was a grueling schedule, with 30 hours of dance, plus 15 hours of non-dance classes, like voice lessons, gymnastics classes and acting classes, a week. It's a wonderful program for young aspiring dancers.

I grew up in a very traditional household. My background is Chinese, and I was raised with more of a Chinese influence. ... For me, performing was like an escape from my traditional, conservative family. Onstage, I was free. Even today, when I'm onstage, nothing else matters. It doesn't matter that my car broke down, or that I barely make enough money to eat. Being onstage is an escape for me. I feel like I’m truly alive. If there is one thing I know about myself, it is that I am a performer. Performing has been my life, is my life and will be my life forever.

MD: How did you get the job to be a dancer on the Charmbracelet Tour?
Preston: I first found out I got the job in late April of 2003. After I did a series of auditions, I got a call from my agent telling me I had booked it. The first audition was a private call, meaning, if you were not invited to the audition, you could not audition. To audition at a private call, you either have to know the choreographer or be submitted by your talent agency. There were about 100 people, mixed with boys and girls. That is a fairly small audition, considering Janet Jackson had over 1,000 people at her audition. Every audition is usually run the same. Everyone shows up and you sign in, fill out information sheets, turn in your headshot and resume, get a number and get your picture taken. Usually, they then teach you a dance combination and you perform it in groups. We learned a hip hop dance combination and performed it in groups of 10 people in numerical order. Then, they made a first cut. They called everyone into the room and read a list of numbers that was the list of people that would stay. I was confident I would make it past this first cut, I felt like I had done well. Thankfully, I heard my number and prepared myself for the next part of the audition.

Then, we had to dance in groups with our same type to put on video tape. So, the tall black boys danced in a group, the little latin girls danced in a group and so on and so forth. After that, we were free to go home. The next day, I was called to go to a small callback, and was put on another video tape. A few days later, I was called to another callback, but this time we only needed our polaroids taken and filled out more paperwork. A few days later, I was called for another callback and we were put on tape again. But with each callback, there were fewer and fewer people. It was exciting for me to be going on all these callbacks for a world tour. I had never done a tour before, and I had little experience with the dance world. So this, for me, was big.

MD: During rehearsals, did the dancers run through the routines by themselves or with Mariah? How does the entire rehearsal process work?
Preston: During the first three weeks of rehearsals, we, the dancers, rehearsed on our own. We were taught all the choreography and staging, at a dance studio in Manhattan. Each day, we learned something new. There were always changes, whether it had to do with music, the stage layout or costumes. After three weeks in the studio, we then moved rehearsals to a warehouse in New Jersey where the stage was set up. There we met the crew, band, and Mariah. The fourth week of rehearsal was done in full costume, with full band, backup singers, lights and with the vocal stylings of the lovely Mariah Carey. It was so awesome to see how everything came together. What was even more amazing, was listening to MC sing all of her music, live with the band and backup singers every day, for a week straight. It was a lot of grueling work, but listening to her sing every day made me forget that I was even in rehearsals.

MD: What are the advantages or disadvantages of working with someone as well known as Mariah?
Preston: One of the advantages of working with someone as well known as Mariah is that we travel to exotic places that I would probably never have a chance to visit. Another advantage is that my dancing has been recognized because my talent, dance, is strong enough to perform along MC’s talent. I still receive e-mails from MC’s fans telling me how great of a job I did in her concert. Also, it’s a great name to have on my resume, and a great story to tell my kids! As for disadvantages, I don’t think there are any. Honestly, it was an awesome experience to work with MC.

MD: Is the tour schedule as difficult as it seems?
Preston: The tour schedule, normally, is very difficult. Some tours perform one night, leave after the show for their next destination. Where they travel all night and arrive the next morning, to perform that same night. Then do the same process again. With the Charmbracelet tour, we performed one night and left the next morning for our next city. Sleep the night once we arrive, then perform the next day. Mariah’s voice is sacred. To preserve it, we had a day or two off between each show. So our schedule wasn’t so bad. Being in a different city every couple days wasn’t bad either, unless each city was in a different time zone. When we traveled thru time zones, it was hard to get a good nights rest. My body never really adjusted very well. So I was very tired a lot. It was most difficult when we traveled overseas.

MD: Mariah will be the first to admit she’s more of a singer than a dancer. However, does she have any say on the choreography of the routines? Who teaches her the dance moves?
Preston: MC has say when she has to do the choreography herself. The choreographer will modify it if it’s too hard for her. She made up a little part in “Honey” on the Charmbracelet tour. When it came time to learning choreography, Rachel McIntosh was in charge of teaching it to her.

MD: Any favorite memories from the tour?
Preston: I have so many wonderful memories from the tour; it would take forever to tell you about all of them. But one of my personal highlights was riding on the tour bus with all the rest of the dancers. We, the dancers, became such a little family on the tour. We still talk to each other today. One favorite memory was in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was one of the dancer’s birthday and we totally got her soaked with silly string, whipped cream, water guns and cake. She was drenched, from head to toe, in nothing but food. It was great. But the most incredible part about that night, was that everyone started to turn on each other. It had become a food fight and everyone ended up with whipped cream in their hair. It was the best night of the tour.

MD: Have you become close friends with any of the touring crew and personnel while being on the road together?
Preston: Besides the dancers, I became close with the band and backup singers. We, the band, singers and dancers, traveled together a lot. We stayed at the same hotels and always rode to the venues together. So we all became great friends. I think that if you are not friends with those on tour with you, it would make the experience miserable. So it is very necessary to make friends with those you work with.

MD: What advice would you give to any aspiring dancers?
Preston: My advice to aspiring dancers is to express when you dance. Dance like it is the last dance you’ll ever do. Dance with emotion and intent. When you dance, let everything go. Forget about who is watching, how high your leg kicks, how hard you pop. Just dance with your heart and you’ll experience the beauty of dance.

MD: What should be known about Mariah Carey?
Preston: Mariah is one of the sweetest women I have ever met. She loves music and loves to sing. I think the world should know that Mariah Carey is as human as you and I. With one added bonus, her amazingly angelic voice.

MD: What is next for Preston Mui?
Preston: I’m in rehearsals for Paulina Rubio’s world tour. After that, I hope to pursue my own career as a singer and actor in Asia. So watch out for me!