Big Break In Vegas
Alicia Vela-Bailey, another talented product of Marcelo Pacleb’s 24/7 Danceforce program, lands a job in the wildly popular Pussycat Dolls revue, while branching out with stunt roles in two films
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With Kristanna Loken
Stardom.
“I love to travel and my passion is dance, so my dream job would be to go on a tour with some singing group and dance for them and travel the world,” says Vela-Bailey. “Movies pay more, but my passion is dancing.”
Even if you’ve never seen her on stage, chances are you may have seen her face. Her modeling resume includes print ads and runway work for companies such as Panasonic, Paul Mitchell, Louis Vuitton, Body & Soul, BeBe and Whalers Village. She has also been in commercials for Toyota and Jeans Warehouse, and in a music video for Coolio.
At 5’9” and 123 pounds, Vela-Bailey shows off an enviable lean body, but believe it or not, she doesn’t workout.
Vela-Bailey as a blonde
“Dancing is my cardio and I might go to a gymnastic place every now and then just to fool around, but I really don’t work out,” she says. “I hate to say it, but I’m almost lazy to a point. When it comes down to having to do work, I’ll get my work done, but I love to just relax, lounge around and watch TV and movies.
“I also love to snack. I love to eat. I’m one of those people who, if I’m bored, I’ll be watching TV and finding something to snack on.”
Her favorite snacks: Caramacs, pickles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and microwavable chicken noodle soup with cheese and crackers and a slice of deli meat.
“And I always have li hing mui,” she adds. “I have my stash up here with me and I add it to my fruits, everything.”
Vela-Bailey may love to dance, however, her boyfriend of five years, David Kalakaua Low, ironically doesn’t.
“Oh no, he’s not a dancer, he’s a skater,” she says about Low, who works as a mechanic at Windward Dodge. “For me, I tend not to want somebody who dances. Dance is my thing, and I want to have that to myself. I guess I would rather have somebody who doesn’t do the same stuff that I do.”
Despite her move to Los Angeles three months ago, and now a move to Las Vegas, Low, better known as Kala, and Vela-Bailey have decided to maintain a long-distance relationship. The pair attended Kalaheo together, but didn’t start dating until after high school.
“It’s hard,” she admits. “But he’s great. He even came to visit me in Hong Kong when I was doing Ultraviolet.”
Vela-Bailey, who is a Caucasian mix on her mother’s side and Spanish-Mayan Indian on her father’s, was born in Oakland, Calif., and moved to Kailua with her family at age 3.
Her sister Nicole remains in Hawaii. Her mom, Cecelia, now lives in Florida. And her youngest sister Marissa is in Los Angeles studying fashion design.
Vela-Bailey is front and center in this Kalaheo High School
production
Her father, Carlos Armando Vela, died in October 2003 after a car accident on the Pali Highway. Vela was the owner of Jasmine Gardening, and a magician performing as Aloha Magic of Carlos Armando.
“It was on the Pali, and the lights went out so a cop had to go out there and check it, and they found my dad’s car,” recalls Vela-Bailey. “He was coming back (to Kailua) from a magician performance, and it was real late at night, and I think he fell asleep at the wheel, and he had some alcohol in him. A pole fell on his head and he was in critical condition after that.
“It’s just weird because before him I’d never really experienced a death in the family. It was hard, but it forces you to look at the good in life and to just keep going and try your best. I remember I would hear people say how my dad would always brag about me, but I didn’t know that. I never knew how proud he was of me until he was gone, and now I’m, like, I’m going to do this for you, Daddy.”
Vela-Bailey, who describes herself as happy and a little goofy, credits her success to her Hawaii upbringing.
“It’s the aloha spirit, having the right attitude and just being happy,” she says. “I hear people from L.A. say that a lot of people from Hawaii have a great attitude with everything, and I just try to bring positivity to every job I go to.
With Michelle Rodriguez on the set of
Bloodrayne
“I’ve been going on a lot of auditions, and it’s hard sometimes because you might not be what they’re looking for, even if you’re an amazing dancer. You just might be too tall or too short.
“That’s the most-challenging thing, going to auditions where they typecast. You go there and you’re all ready to perform or do whatever you have to do, and they just line you up and look at you and tell you no, no, no. In a way it’s good, because then if you’re not what they’re looking for, then you don’t have to waste your time. But in a way it’s kind of irritating.”
Vela-Bailey plans to continue dancing and acting, and is willing to go wherever it takes her. But eventually, she plans to move back to Kailua.
“When it’s time to raise a family, I want to do it in Hawaii,” she says. “Right now I’m concentrating on work and doing as much as I can. But when I’m ready to settle down, I totally want to do it in Hawaii.
“If I could have my dream home, I would live in Lanikai. I love Lanikai!”
For now, Vela-Bailey is preparing for her new role as a Pussycat Doll, joining island- born beauty Nicole Scherzinger, the group’s lead singer.
The Pussycat Dolls is the brainchild of choreographer Robin Antin, and was born in a tiny dance studio in the L.A. garage of actress Christina Applegate.
A future Pussycat
Doll
They first debuted in 1995 at Sunset Strip’s renowned Viper Room, owned by Johnny Depp. There they became the Thursday night opening act for the next six years.
Then in 2000, Gwen Stefani stopped by the show and offered to do a guest spot, followed by other celebrities such as Christina Aguilera. Then in 2002, the group moved to The Roxy, doing two shows a week for seven weeks, and every show was sold out.
Over the years, the group has had an evolving lineup and many guest performers, including Brittany Murphy, Charlize Theron, Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson.
In April 2005, The Pussycat Dolls moved in to the Vegas strip, and in September released their debut album, including their No. 1 hit Don’t Cha.
So what exactly is a Pussycat Doll? Well, as Scherzinger says on their website (www.pcdmusic.com), “A Pussycat Doll is fearless but also vulnerable. We’re strong but we like to play too. The line in Don’t Cha - don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me - is meant to be empowering. The Pussycat Dolls are not just about being hot, but also about saying something with real feeling.”
Sounds like a role perfectly suited for Alicia Vela-Bailey.
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