The hits keep coming for Whitefish dancer-extraordinaire Cody Bingham, and in his case, that’s an extremely good thing.
Cody, 12, who took on national notoriety for the hip-hop moves he busted alongside Justin Bieber at the singer’s concert when he was just 10 years old, will be featured on Nickelodeon’s show, “Lip Sync Battle Shorties,” a program hosted by Nick Cannon pitting talented youngsters against each other in a showcase of lip-sync skills and dancing.
Cody’s episode airs on Friday, Jan. 12, at 5:30 p.m. MST on Nickelodeon, and the dancer will perform the hit “Something Just Like This” by the Chainsmokers.
“It was surreal, he had his own dressing room, that was half graffiti and half super modern, literally split down the room,” Tawnya Bingham, Cody’s mom, said of the week they spent filming the show last August.
Tawnya got a call from a casting director about the role last May, and Cody sent in an audition tape of two songs, which prompted a Skype interview.
The producers loved him.
“About a week or two later, we got a phone call that he was one of three in the nation that got picked to go straight through,” Tawnya said. “The executive producers absolutely love him, they told us he didn’t have to go back to LA to audition in person like the other kids.”
Cody was also featured during the Dec. 17 live performance of “A Christmas Story!” on Fox. During the show, Cody had a key role in a live commercial for the movie, “The Greatest Showman,” featuring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, and Zendaya.
They practiced for four days straight with hundreds of dancers, Tawnya said, and the live commercial was a thrill.
Still in public school in Whitefish, Cody continues to balance life and work aspirations, his mom said, and that’s led to turning down a lot of auditions. Tawnya said her son has plans to attend acting classes in Whitefish to become a true “triple threat” in the entertainment industry.
Until then, he’s enjoying his success while “still just being a kid.”
“He’s pretty excited about everything,” Tawnya said.
