Eras Tour Performer Guide: Every Taylor Swift Backup Dancer & Vocalist In The Concert Movie

Summary

• Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, featuring a slew of backup dancers and vocalists, is the highest-grossing concert film of all time.
• The backup dancers and vocalists on The Eras Tour play an integral role in the show’s success and deserve the same recognition as Swift does for all their hard work.
• Swift’s backup dancers have diverse backgrounds and impressive resumes, having worked with notable artists like Billie Eilish, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, and more, while her backup vocalists have been with her for several years and boast their own musical accomplishments.

Taylor Swift may be the face of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, but her show also features a slew of background dancers and singers who are integral to the success of the tour and the concert movie. During a hiatus from Swift’s eponymous tour in October 2023, The Eras Tour movie was released in theaters. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie broke box office records and quickly became the highest-grossing concert film of all time.

Plenty of surprise guests have joined Swift onstage on The Eras Tour, but only Swift’s backup dancers and backing vocalists are featured alongside her in The Eras Tour movie. These performers work hard on The Eras Tour and deserve as much recognition as Swift for their work in The Eras Tour movie. Now streaming as Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) on Disney+, the extended cut of the concert movie features four previously cut songs and four bonus acoustic songs, showcasing even more of Swift’s backup dancers and singers’ talents.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)
is now available to stream on Disney+.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’s Backup Dancers

Throughout all 10 eras in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), the singer’s backup dancers appear in different capacities to support her performances and ensure the entire production runs smoothly. Swift has 15 dancers in rotation on The Eras Tour, each of whom serves a different role throughout The Eras Tour movie’s three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Some perform one-on-one with Swift herself, while others function as a group to back the pop star up onstage during various sets.

Amanda Balen

Amanda Balen is a Canadian dancer and the dance captain of The Eras Tour dance troupe. Balen has appeared in films like La La Land, A Star is Born, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and in TV shows like Glee. Prior to working with Swift, Balen also performed alongside Lady Gaga and Cher. The Eras Tour is not her only time working with Taylor Swift either. She is also one of the dancers in Swift’s “Karma” music video with Ice Spice.

Balen has also worked in the industry beyond her role as a dancer. She was an associate producer on The World’s Best, a talent competition that took place in 2019, though the series didn’t continue beyond its first season. Balen worked on another TV special in 2022. She was the dance coordinator for Step Into… The Movies. The special saw professional dancers and singers unite to showcase classic musical scenes for a modern audience. Well received by TV audiences, many wondered if the special would become a more frequent celebration of art, but it did not continue after 2022.

Audrey Douglass

Audrey Douglass is one of the 15 backup dancers who stars in The Eras Tour movie, but this is not her first time appearing on the big and small screens. Before Swift hired her, Douglass worked as a professional dancer on television shows and films such as Glee, Parks and Recreation, La La Land, Ellen, and performed at the Grammys. She also used to be a Rockette in New York City (via Us Weekly). She’s called being a Rockette the hardest job she ever had, but she maintained her spot in the group for three years.

Aside from touring with Swift, Douglass has also been a dancer for Dua Lipa. She’s also appeared as a member of the dance ensemble on Dancing With The Stars. Like Balen, she also appeared in the “Karma” music video for Swift’s remixed version of the song.

Jan Ravnik

Jan Ravnik caught many people’s eye while performing onstage in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. Ravnik’s role in the show is a bit more prominent than some of the other dancers as he appears directly beside Swift in several of the musical numbers. In The Eras Tour movie, Ravnik plays the role of Rebekah Harkness’ husband, Bill, during the onstage reenactment of the true story behind “the last great american dynasty.” It’s also Ravnik’s open shirt that gets the spotlight during the “Lavender Haze” sequence.

He’s also got a spot in the “Karma” music video like the other dancers here. Aside from dancing with Swift, the seasoned dancer has worked with other big names such as Mariah Carey, Paula Abdul, and Bruno Mars throughout his career. Ravnik has also appeared on the talent competition series X Factor and Got Talent.

Kameron Saunders

The Eras Tour is Kameron Saunders’ latest gig in his long and prolific dancing career. Before dancing alongside Swift, Saunders graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and worked with plenty of prestigious dance companies, like Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Saint Louis Ballet, and Missouri Contemporary Ballet. He also appeared as a dancer in the 2022 holiday film Spirited and the 2024 film adaptation of The Color Purple musical.

During the bridge of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” after Swift says, “like we are never getting back together,” she hands Saunders the mic to yell the rest of the iconic line: “LIKE EVER!”

Saunders gets several moments in the spotlight in The Eras Tour movie during performances in the Red and Midnights eras. During the bridge of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” after Swift says, “like we are never getting back together,” she hands Saunders the mic to yell the rest of the iconic line: “LIKE EVER!“ When Swift performs “Bejeweled” during the Midnights era, Saunders performs some solo freestyle choreography as Swift, the crowd, and the rest of the dancers watch in awe.

Kameron Saunders’ brother, Khalen Saunders, used to play for the Kansas City Chiefs alongside Swift’s current boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

Karen Chuang

Before working with Swift, Karen Chuang performed as a dancer alongside artists such as Nicki Minaj, P!NK, and Khalid at their respective concerts. Chuang is represented by the Clear Talent Group, and when she’s not dancing onstage, she’s teaching classes and choreographing routines. She works at dance studios like Entity Contemporary Dance, Hollywood Vibe Dance, and STEEZY Studio.

Like Balen, Chuang has also previously been a dancer for Lady Gaga, and also like many of the other dancers here, has performed as part of the ensemble in several musical television projects out of Los Angeles. In addition to appearing on Glee, she also danced in Grease Live and A Christmas Story Live. Other than the recorded version of The Eras Tour, her highest profile project, however, might actually be for SpongeBob Squarepants. She appears as a dancer in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run.

Kevin Scheitzbach

Although Kevin Scheitzbach typically dances as a duo with his brother, Michael, as FlowXS, the dancer is currently working solo while touring with Swift on the Eras Tour. While he’s on tour, his brother has been leading dance workshops.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Scheitzbach moved to Los Angeles with his brother in 2021 to seek more opportunities in the dancing world, where he’s found immense success. Like Saunders, Scheitzbach also has a solo dance moment during “Bejeweled” in The Eras Tour movie where all eyes are on him. He’s also one of the featured dancers in “Lover” as the sequence couples up some of the dancers.

Before working with Swift, however, some fans of musicals might recognize him from work on the Disney Channel and Disney+. Scheitzbach appears in three of the brand’s projects in recent years: Zombies 2, Spin, and Sneakerella.

Natalie Peterson

Before joining the Eras Tour in 2023 as one of Swift’s backup dancers, Natalie Peterson worked as the assistant choreographer for Karol G’s Bichota Tour and appeared in the singer’s music video for her song “Location.” Like fellow Swift dancer Natalie Reid, Peterson graduated from Chapman University in California with two bachelor’s degrees — one in Dance and the other in Public Relations and Advertising. She then went on to perform in the Moschino fashion film, Lightning Strikes and at the 2021 Billboard Awards.

Peterson’s specialty in dancing is actually Latin Ballroom, something not seen extensively in Swift’s tour. Peterson still actively competes in ballroom dancing competitions and is a dance instructor with Hollywood Connection. She also enjoys choreographing Latin fusion pieces for her students and is a certified fitness instructor, able to wear many hats.

Natalie Reid

Natalie Reid is a dancer from Seattle, Washington, who moved to Los Angeles to attend Chapman University. Reid studied dance under Eras Tour choreographer Mandy Moore at the Edge Performing Arts Center (via City Dance Studios) before joining Swift on The Eras Tour. Reid toured with notable artists like Billie Eilish, Pitbull, and Jennifer Lopez.

During the onstage reenactment of “the last great american dynasty,” Reid plays the song’s real-life subject, Rebekah Harkness.

Reid has also performed on various television shows like So You Think You Can Dance, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and the Emmys. She also played a Rockette in the Hallmark movie A Holiday Spectacular, putting her dancing skills to impressive use.

In The Eras Tour movie, Reid got a moment in the spotlight during the folklore era. During the onstage reenactment of “the last great american dynasty,” Reid plays the song’s real-life subject, Rebekah Harkness.

Raphael Thomas

Originally from St. Andrews, Jamaica, Thomas moved to the United States as a kid and pursued his dream of becoming a dancer. He trained at a few noteworthy dance schools such as The Asbury Park Technical Academy of Dance and The Rock School of Penn. Prior to The Eras Tour, Thomas performed with artists like Mary J Blige, Janet Jackson, and John Legend.

Thomas acts as Swift’s onstage scene partner during her performance of “tolerate it” in the evermore era, sitting across from Swift at the long dining table as she sings all her frustrations at him.

Raphael is one of the more recognizable dancers in The Eras Tour movie, as he plays a special role in several of Swift’s performances on The Eras Tour. In The Eras Tour movie, Thomas acts as Swift’s onstage scene partner during her performance of “tolerate it” in the evermore era, sitting across from Swift at the long dining table as she sings all her frustrations at him. He also serves as her love interest during her performance of “Style” in the 1989 era.

Sam McWilliams

Sam McWilliams turned just 21 while on tour, but Swift’s team has a knack for spotting talent regardless of age. Plus, the backup dancer already had a few dancing credits to his name before he signed on to perform in the Eras Tour. In addition to working on the Wonderful World of Disney’s Holiday Special, McWilliams previously worked with Bebe Rexha and Meghan Trainor and performed on So You Think You Can Dance? and the American Music Awards.

McWilliams is one of the featured dancers during “Lover” in the Eras Tour. One of the highlights for McWilliams so far on the tour was getting to spend time in Amsterdam and explore the city, as he explained in an Instagram post, that’s where his grandparents are from. Like many of the dancers on the tour, McWilliams’ social media gives a behind-the-scenes look at the tour as the dancers share photos from the stage and their downtime at the different stops.

Sydney Moss

Like many of her fellow dancers on The Eras Tour, Sydney Moss made the move to Los Angeles in 2016, and her dancing career has flourished ever since. She is currently working as a backup dancer for Swift on the Eras Tour, but before joining one of the biggest concert tours of all time, Moss performed alongside Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez. Moss also teaches dance at the Radix Dance Convention and Jump Dance Convention.

Moss has also worked with Swift previously. In addition to the Eras Tour and the “Karma” remixed music video, Moss actually appeared in another Swift music video. She is one of the dancers in ME! While the song might not be remembered as one of Swift’s most beloved, the music video is colorful and fun and showcases a lot of talent.

Tamiya Lewis

Tamiya Lewis is a young dancer working with Taylor Swift for the first time on the Eras Tour. Signed to the Clear Talent Group, Lewis is an MVA pro dancer with Velocity Dance Convention, a national touring dance convention and competition. At only 20 years old, Lewis is already teaching classes for the program. In The Eras Tour Movie, Lewis is the one who opens the red box and releases the balloons to kick off the Red era.

What the movie doesn’t show is that the sequence of Lewis opening the red box is actually more extensive. The movie uses it as a transitional means to skip to the next performance, allowing the balloons to cover the screen in some clever editing. In concert, Lewis actually gets to do a more physical routine that’s more akin to mime than dance, hyping up the audience by repeatedly looking in the box and traveling the stage on her own while Swift has a wardrobe change backstage.

Taylor Banks

After graduating from high school in the Midwest, Taylor Banks moved to Los Angeles, where she soon gained recognition for her dancing skills. Before joining Swift on the Eras Tour as a backup dancer, she worked with a number of big names. Banks has performed alongside Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Billie Eilish, Cher, Mariah Carey, Dua Lipa, Ciara, Mario, Muse, and Carrie Underwood.

She’s also worked as one of the professional dancers on the Univision reality competition series Mira Quién Baila. The Spanish language show is similar to Dancing With The Stars in that contestants are paired up with professional dancers to compete. She appeared on the series in 2021. While on the show, she worked with actor Victor Gonzalez.

Tori Evans

Before embarking on The Eras Tour with Swift, Tori Evans studied dance at the University of Arizona in Tucson then moved to Los Angeles to follow her dream. Evans has performed alongside various artists, including Beyoncé, Cardi B, Maroon 5, Ricky Martin, Jason Derulo, Tyga, and Empire of the Sun. Evans also starred in several television series, such as The Masked Singer, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and The Price Is Right.

While those appearances were all for dancing roles, Evans has also dabbled in acting, appearing in the CW series All American: Homecoming. Her husband, TJ Shaw, played a football player in the flagship series All American as well.

Whyley Keolaokalani Yoshimura

Like many other dancers seen in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Whyley Keolaokalani Yoshimura is performing alongside Taylor Swift for the first time on The Eras Tour. Yoshimura is from Hawai’i and has worked with numerous talented singers and performers since pursuing a career as a professional dancer. He has performed as a backup dancer for Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, and more. Because of his lustrous locks, Yoshimura is “the fella over there with the hella good hair” who whips his hair around during “Shake It Off” in The Eras Tour movie.

The dancer also has some professional history with another one of Swift’s Eras Tour dancers. Yoshimura and Chuang have actually known one another for years, having first worked together on another project 15 years ago. As they noted in an Instagram post, this is the first tour they’ve participated in together that has had over 100 shows.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’s Backup Vocalists

Taylor Swift’s backup vocalists are known as the Starlights, and most of them have been working with her for a good chunk of her career. The Starlights are a tight-knit group, so it’s no surprise that Swift brought them back for the Eras Tour. Like the backup dancers, these four background vocalists are significant to the success of every show and are part of what makes watching The Eras Tour movie so enjoyable.

Melanie Nyema

Having toured with Swift since the Red Tour in 2013, Melanie Nyema is one of the two vocal co-captains of the Starlights. Nyema has worked with the pop star for over ten years, after first appearing onstage with Swift at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. Prior to that, Nyema graduated from Southern California University and was a backup singer for Taylor Hicks and Barry Manilow.

When working as a backing singer for other vocalists, Nyema also worked as a dancer, giving her plenty of experience in a large stage show like The Eras Tour. She’s also done some acting work, appearing on television shows like Everybody Hates Chris and Luke Cage. Nyema also continued her working relationship with Taylor Swift by appearing in her short film for the 10 minute version of “All Too Well.”

Kamilah Marshall

Kamilah Marshall is the Starlights’ other vocal co-captain who has also worked with Swift since the Red Tour and been a vocal co-captain since the Reputation Tour. Marshall graduated from high school early to go on tour with the show “Heart Strings,” which featured Nell Carter, Salt N’ Pepa, and Patti LuPone. Since then, she has appeared on numerous late-night television shows and worked on soundtracks for Sex and the City 2 and Hairspray.

Not only did Marshall appear as one of the singers in the movie musical version of Hairspray, but she also appeared in Hairspray Live when it was developed for television. She’s no stranger to high-profile concerts, providing backing vocals for Bette Middler and working on the MTV Video Music Awards in the past. Like Nyema, she also appeared in Swift’s “All Too Well” short film as one of the guests at the party.

Eliotte Nicole Woodford

Swift also hired Eliotte Nicole Woodford to be part of the Starlights back on the Red Tour, and they have been together ever since. Woodford graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where she studied dance. Since then, she has worked as a dancer and singer for plenty of prestigious artists, like Ne-Yo, Toni Braxton, Wayne Brady, and Pitbull, and appeared on Dancing With the Stars.

Like Nyema, Woodford is also a trained dancer, and like Marshall, Woodford also appeared in Hairspray Live. She also appeared in a small role in the Netflix musical adaptation Prom. In addition to her work as a vocalist on tours with big names, she’s also appeared as a vocalist and dancer for acts at the MTV Video Music Awards and been a contributing vocalist on a Ben Folds album. She’s also appeared in advertising campaigns for Nike and Old Navy.

Jeslyn Gorman

According to The Swift Agency, Jeslyn Gorman has been a part of the Starlights since the Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018, making her the group’s newest member. She might not have as long of a history in the entertainment industry as her peers, but she’s been steadily working to make her mark. She appeared in her first commercial (for M&Ms) in 2023 with Maya Rudolph that ran during the Super Bowl.

Before touring with Swift and appearing in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Gorman sang backup for noteworthy artists such as Nick Jonas, Meghan Trainor, Rita Ora, Jennifer Lopez, and Jason Derulo. Gorman also makes her own music as a solo artist.

Sources: Us Weekly, City Dance Studios, The Swift Agency