Shayni notelovitz biography template
Shayni Notelovitz, 14, played Tenille, the henpecked child star of a pushy stage mum in Razzle Dazzle, the hit recent Australian mockumentary about the competitive world of children’s dance. Her real-life mother Avi, 45, a primary school teacher in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, has taken Shayni to dance class every day for 10 years.
Avi: I don’t know where Shay gets it from – certainly not from me. I actually don’t see me in her at all. I much prefer to stay away from the limelight but Shay is very focused and ambitious; she’s always wanted to be famous. I never knew what I wanted.
I can remember when Shayni told me she wanted to be a ballet dancer. She was four years old and I was giving her a bath. I’m not a good dancer. I did this silly little ballet dance in the bathroom for Shay, ridiculing the idea. We were killing ourselves laughing, but then she said: ‘Mum, I really do want to dance’. So I took her to ballet and she was a natural.
I think it’s great that she knows what she wants to do, what her passion is. When I became a mother, I made a pact with my husband Leon that we would always help our children live their dreams. If our little boy Gadi says he is going to be a professional footballer, that is what he is going to be. You have to let them have these amazing goals and aspirations. We try so hard to shield children from disappointments, but if you’re always going to be protected from giving things your best shot then you’re never going to achieve your dreams.
There’s a line in the film where Tenille’s mother Justine [Kerry Armstrong] says: “Tenille has so much in store, she could open a store. She’s an Ikea of talent.” Shay is clearly talented herself. All through her growing up, people have recognized that and said to me: “Look, Avi, what are you going to do about Shay?” When she got too good for her old dance school, we moved her to a more professional one.
I take her to classes every evening and all day Saturday – 18 hours a week. When she started high school, she was struggling to fit the dancing in and it was making her miserable. We gave her the option of going to a performing arts school but she wanted to stay with her friends so we made the deal that she is going to concentrate on the core subjects – English, maths and science – and the rest she just needs to listen in class and get by. That is how she copes. I don’t want her to give up her academics completely nor do I want her to compromise her dancing. She’s mature enough to choose her own direction.
Am I a pushy mum like Justine? I will shout and scream for Shay, but I don’t feel the need to push her because she is so driven herself. I’ve met mothers who take it to the extreme, who psyche their kids up, who complain if their kid isn’t given a starring role, or who dispute the judges’ decisions. I’ve even seen mothers try and intimidate Shay before competitions – it’s ridiculous. I just try and stay calm for Shay, but inside I am so nervous I think people must be able to hear my heartbeat.
It was very strange seeing my daughter up on the big screen. The first time I saw the movie, I actually didn’t watch it at all because I was just looking for her. I was very relieved when it got such great reviews. I don’t see Shay as this child star really. All I do is try and keep her well grounded. She likes to turn it on to get her own way sometimes. She’s a good little actress but she’s not a celebrity in our house.
Shayni: My mum is my best friend; I tell her everything. We love to do girly things together: go shopping, get our hair done, go for sushi, watch Australia’s Next Top Model. The older I get, the more clothes we can share. She’s quite stylish although she’s more conservative, so sometimes she makes me go and change.
I’m a big spender so it’s just as well that I can’t get at the money I made from the movie or there would probably be nothing left. I don’t even know how much I earned. It’s in a bank account I can’t touch until I’m older, but as soon as I can I want to buy a nice car.
At the moment Mum usually takes me to dance class and Dad picks me up. They trust me. They don’t make me study too hard which might sound a bit strange. They’ve said they want me to focus on the core subjects and they don’t push the others subjects because they know I just want to perform.
Dancing is the only thing I want to do. I’m not sure whether I want to dance or act ultimately – probably both, like Jessica Alba in that movie Honey – but I do know I want to be famous. Sometimes at school some little kid will come up to me and say: “You’re that girl in the movie!” I don’t think I’d change if I became really famous because Mum would soon bring me back down to earth.
Of course, it might never happen. I’ve had disappointments before but Mum has taught me to just get up and go again. When I went for my first audition for Australian Dance Idol, I didn’t get through. I was about to leave when someone asked me where I was going. She went to speak to the judges and told them they’d made a mistake. So they agreed to re-audition me and I got through and ended up winning the whole thing. But I was this close to going out in the first round. It’s funny how moments like that can change your whole life. If I hadn’t won that, I probably wouldn’t have got the film and I probably wouldn’t be considering a career as a dancer. You just have to take your chance when it comes along.
I’d love to be a mum myself one day. I’d definitely like to see my daughter on stage in a tutu but I wouldn’t force her, just as my mum hasn’t forced me. Mum is nothing like my mother in the film. She’s not pushy at all. But some mothers are. And some of the dance teachers can be really over the top: weighing students and putting them on strict diets and stuff. Fortunately I’ve never had any of that personally. When it comes to my dancing, I rule the roost. Mum isn’t very school teacher-y, especially at home. She’s still in charge but I’m the louder personality. She’s very shy and hates attention but I love it. I like to stand out.
Some people think that I am stuck up, but I’m not. I’m just a confident person and that can come across the wrong way. But my mum is always really supportive and excited for me.
Of course there are times when we fight, but we’ve never had a big falling out. She’ll sometimes accuse me of being a drama queen. She thinks I’m always acting which can be frustrating because actually sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I really do feel that way. I don’t put on a show all the time.
Avi: I don’t know where Shay gets it from – certainly not from me. I actually don’t see me in her at all. I much prefer to stay away from the limelight but Shay is very focused and ambitious; she’s always wanted to be famous. I never knew what I wanted.
I can remember when Shayni told me she wanted to be a ballet dancer. She was four years old and I was giving her a bath. I’m not a good dancer. I did this silly little ballet dance in the bathroom for Shay, ridiculing the idea. We were killing ourselves laughing, but then she said: ‘Mum, I really do want to dance’. So I took her to ballet and she was a natural.
I think it’s great that she knows what she wants to do, what her passion is. When I became a mother, I made a pact with my husband Leon that we would always help our children live their dreams. If our little boy Gadi says he is going to be a professional footballer, that is what he is going to be. You have to let them have these amazing goals and aspirations. We try so hard to shield children from disappointments, but if you’re always going to be protected from giving things your best shot then you’re never going to achieve your dreams.
There’s a line in the film where Tenille’s mother Justine [Kerry Armstrong] says: “Tenille has so much in store, she could open a store. She’s an Ikea of talent.” Shay is clearly talented herself. All through her growing up, people have recognized that and said to me: “Look, Avi, what are you going to do about Shay?” When she got too good for her old dance school, we moved her to a more professional one.
I take her to classes every evening and all day Saturday – 18 hours a week. When she started high school, she was struggling to fit the dancing in and it was making her miserable. We gave her the option of going to a performing arts school but she wanted to stay with her friends so we made the deal that she is going to concentrate on the core subjects – English, maths and science – and the rest she just needs to listen in class and get by. That is how she copes. I don’t want her to give up her academics completely nor do I want her to compromise her dancing. She’s mature enough to choose her own direction.
Am I a pushy mum like Justine? I will shout and scream for Shay, but I don’t feel the need to push her because she is so driven herself. I’ve met mothers who take it to the extreme, who psyche their kids up, who complain if their kid isn’t given a starring role, or who dispute the judges’ decisions. I’ve even seen mothers try and intimidate Shay before competitions – it’s ridiculous. I just try and stay calm for Shay, but inside I am so nervous I think people must be able to hear my heartbeat.
It was very strange seeing my daughter up on the big screen. The first time I saw the movie, I actually didn’t watch it at all because I was just looking for her. I was very relieved when it got such great reviews. I don’t see Shay as this child star really. All I do is try and keep her well grounded. She likes to turn it on to get her own way sometimes. She’s a good little actress but she’s not a celebrity in our house.
Shayni: My mum is my best friend; I tell her everything. We love to do girly things together: go shopping, get our hair done, go for sushi, watch Australia’s Next Top Model. The older I get, the more clothes we can share. She’s quite stylish although she’s more conservative, so sometimes she makes me go and change.
I’m a big spender so it’s just as well that I can’t get at the money I made from the movie or there would probably be nothing left. I don’t even know how much I earned. It’s in a bank account I can’t touch until I’m older, but as soon as I can I want to buy a nice car.
At the moment Mum usually takes me to dance class and Dad picks me up. They trust me. They don’t make me study too hard which might sound a bit strange. They’ve said they want me to focus on the core subjects and they don’t push the others subjects because they know I just want to perform.
Dancing is the only thing I want to do. I’m not sure whether I want to dance or act ultimately – probably both, like Jessica Alba in that movie Honey – but I do know I want to be famous. Sometimes at school some little kid will come up to me and say: “You’re that girl in the movie!” I don’t think I’d change if I became really famous because Mum would soon bring me back down to earth.
Of course, it might never happen. I’ve had disappointments before but Mum has taught me to just get up and go again. When I went for my first audition for Australian Dance Idol, I didn’t get through. I was about to leave when someone asked me where I was going. She went to speak to the judges and told them they’d made a mistake. So they agreed to re-audition me and I got through and ended up winning the whole thing. But I was this close to going out in the first round. It’s funny how moments like that can change your whole life. If I hadn’t won that, I probably wouldn’t have got the film and I probably wouldn’t be considering a career as a dancer. You just have to take your chance when it comes along.
I’d love to be a mum myself one day. I’d definitely like to see my daughter on stage in a tutu but I wouldn’t force her, just as my mum hasn’t forced me. Mum is nothing like my mother in the film. She’s not pushy at all. But some mothers are. And some of the dance teachers can be really over the top: weighing students and putting them on strict diets and stuff. Fortunately I’ve never had any of that personally. When it comes to my dancing, I rule the roost. Mum isn’t very school teacher-y, especially at home. She’s still in charge but I’m the louder personality. She’s very shy and hates attention but I love it. I like to stand out.
Some people think that I am stuck up, but I’m not. I’m just a confident person and that can come across the wrong way. But my mum is always really supportive and excited for me.
Of course there are times when we fight, but we’ve never had a big falling out. She’ll sometimes accuse me of being a drama queen. She thinks I’m always acting which can be frustrating because actually sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I really do feel that way. I don’t put on a show all the time.