Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo

Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo
A strong Filipino man in a brown suit poses for a picture with his Italian wife who is wearing a colorful zebra print dress.
Backstage after the So You Think You Can Dance season-four finale
Other namesNappytabs
Alma materUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas
Occupation(s)Choreographers, dance teachers, creative directors, entrepreneurs
Years active1996–present
AgentMcDonald Selznick Associates[1] Mass Movement[2]
Known forDeveloping lyrical hip-hop
Children1[3]
AwardsOutstanding Choreography –
Primetime Emmy Award
2014 So You Think You Can Dance
Outstanding Choreography –
Primetime Emmy Award
2011 So You Think You Can Dance

Tabitha A. D'umo (née Cortopassi) and Napoleon Buddy D'umo, known together as Nappytabs, are Emmy Award-winning married choreographers. They are best known for their choreography on the television show So You Think You Can Dance and for being supervising choreographers and executive producers of America's Best Dance Crew. Since being with the former, their choreography has received both praise and criticism. They own Nappytabs urban dancewear and have been working in the dance industry since 1996.

Tabitha and Napoleon grew up on opposite coasts of the United States and met in the early 1990s as students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. They began their dance career together while still in college by choreographing industrial musicals for large corporations with the hip-hop dance company Culture Shock. After moving to Los Angeles in 1999, they started teaching hip-hop classes at the Edge Performing Arts Center. They took additional jobs choreographing for professional sports dance teams and back-up dancing for musical artists. In 2003, they joined the faculty of Monsters of Hip Hop dance convention.

Their work was introduced to mainstream audiences in 2008 when they became supervising choreographers on America's Best Dance Crew and resident choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance. It was on the later show that their lyrical hip-hop choreography style gained exposure. The pair's career progressed to providing creative direction for tours and live events by Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Celine Dion, and Jennifer Lopez. They continued to develop their dancewear line by breaking out of its previously online-only presence and opening a physical store location in 2010.

From television and concerts, their move into theater occurred gradually. In 2010, they directed the JabbaWockeeZ's MÜS.I.C. stage show and began to work with Cirque du Soleil; they choreographed Viva Elvis and were contributing choreographers for Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. They continued to establish themselves in television as choreographers for Madonna's Super Bowl halftime performance. By 2015, they had choreographed several K-pop music videos for artists such as TVXQ, EXO, and BoA. Aside from their choreography, creative direction, and dancewear line, Tabitha and Napoleon continue to teach hip-hop classes at dance studios and on the convention circuit. They have also been involved with charity work for organizations that support the arts.

  1. ^ "Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo". MSAagency.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  2. ^ "Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo". Mass Movement Management Ltd. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Johnson, Zack (August 11, 2012). "Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo Welcome Son London Riley!". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.