[edit] Career
Thumbtzen began to train in ballet dance at the age of eight, and moved to New York when she was thirteen on a ballet scholarship, where she studied at Juilliard in the school of American Ballet, a training camp for choreographer George Balanchine of the New York City Ballet Company.
Tatiana is of African-American, Cherokee Indian, Cuban, & Irish heritage. Tatiana's family name is of German decent.
She stated in an interview that through dance, she acquired a contract for modelling, and by age nineteen, she had gone to Japan to start her career as a model. Once returning to New York, Thumbtzen began working on a Harry Belafonte Production film, Beat Street, before moving to Los Angeles at the end of 1986 to begin working on commercials and print-work. She claims that one of her first print work jobs was a campaign for Billy Dean Williams for LA Eyewear.
Thumbtzen, applied with few other jobs, landed the job of acting in Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" music video after being picked by him in the audition. Filming began around the end of 1987 to the start of 1988, which was said to be the beginning of Thumbtzen's career. Thumbtzen kissed Jackson on stage, being the first kiss in public for Jackson.[2][2][3] She claims she was fired soon after at the encouragement of his "entourage" and family for taking advantage of the star by kissing him,[4] and was replaced with Sheryl Crow.
Thumbtzen also appeared in the opening credits of the television series "A Different World".
