Michael Dameski

Michael Dameski is an Australian dancer, actor, and singer born on 7 November 1995. He made his first appearance in competitive dance at age six, entering the 2001 Australian Dance Idol program without any formal training and placing in the top ten. He subsequently trained at the Glenda Yee School of Dance in Casula, New South Wales, and later at Brent Street Studios in Moore Park, New South Wales. Through his studies at Brent Street Studios, Dameski earned the opportunity to represent Australia at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, where he took gold in every category he entered and was named overall Junior World Dancer.

Dameski's competitive achievements continued to accumulate in the years that followed. In 2013 he claimed the Australian Dancer of the Year title at the Showcase Australian Dance Championships, an event founded by Peter Oxford, and subsequently won the U.S. dance title Rainbow Dance in Las Vegas. He also served as a guest at the Zlatno Slavejce, or Golden Nightingale, children's singing festival in Macedonia, where he recorded a song written specifically for him titled One Dance.

His Broadway career spans 2008 to 2014, with his most prominent stage work rooted in Billy Elliot the Musical. In October 2008, Dameski joined the Sydney production of the show as one of five performers rotating in the title role, alongside Joshua Denyer, Rhys Kosakowski, Dayton Tavares, and Joshua Waiss Gates. His final performance in the Australian run took place on 13 June 2009 in Melbourne. He departed Sydney on 20 December 2009 to join the Broadway production, where he remained until 5 September 2010. He then transitioned to the second North American Tour of the production, which opened in Durham, North Carolina, on 30 October 2010, with his last performance as Billy occurring on 29 January 2011. For his work in the role, Dameski was a joint recipient of the Green Room Award in 2008 for Male Artist in a Leading Role and a joint recipient of the Australian Dance Awards in 2009 for Outstanding Performance in a Stage Musical.

Dameski also appeared in Newsies the Musical, traveling with the first national tour in the roles of Tommy Boy and a Citizen of New York. He additionally appeared in the Newsies Broadway Recording shown in theaters.

Beyond the stage, Dameski built a notable television profile. At the start of 2012 he appeared on Young Talent Time as a guest competitor, winning Heat 9 before returning for a subsequent episode. In February 2014 he competed on So You Think You Can Dance Australia, winning the competition on 1 May 2014 and being named Australia's Favourite Dancer for 2014. He was also an original cast member of the Dream Dance Company, established by Marko Panzic. In 2018, Dameski competed on the second season of the American television series World of Dance, finishing as the runner-up while self-choreographing all of his routines. He also made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show during that period. In February 2025, Dameski was featured as the male lead in Lady Gaga's music video for Abracadabra. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.