SYTYCD - Season 3, Week 3 - Spoilers

[Beto]

9pm tonight on FOX! :D

From TV Guide's listings:

The first round of callbacks in Las Vegas. Hopeful hoofers show off their skills in ballroom, ballet, salsa, jive, hip-hop and krumping. Professional choreographers Dan Karaty, Wade Robson, Mia Michaels and Shane Sparks mentor the dancers, and help decide who will return for the next round.

If anyone missed last week's Atlanta auditions, it'll repeat at 8pm tonight before the Las Vegas callbacks.

[DancingJew]

Its going to be one exciting night! The Top 20 I believe is picked tomorrow as well. Can't wait!

[latingal]

Welcome to DF DancingJew!

[DancingJew]

Welcome to DF DancingJew!

Thanks latingal! I've been here for 30 minutes, and I love it. This is a great place for dancers to hang out.

[latingal]

Thanks latingal! I've been here for 30 minutes, and I love it. This is a great place for dancers to hang out.

Yep you'll meet lot's of our members here that discuss/inform/debate everything from Blackpool to flesh colored elastic for costumes. It's a great place for meeting the similarly obssessed. Again welcome and hope to see you posting around the boards.

And now back to our regularly scheduled discussion on SYTYCD....

[SPratt74]

Its going to be one exciting night! The Top 20 I believe is picked tomorrow as well. Can't wait!

Welcome! Yeah tonight should be fun. I'm looking forward to it. ;)

[Merrylegs]

Dang it!!!!! I missed the first 40 minutes! I need an alarm clock or something....

[Beto]

Dang it!!!!! I missed the first 40 minutes! I need an alarm clock or something....
:headwall:

Note to self: Send Merrylegs a PM tomorrow as a reminder. Oh and next Wednesday too since it'll be on from 8-10pm and then from 9-10pm the following night.

[SPratt74]

I saw it! I don't know if I could do Hip Hop. Man... that looks tough, but it's still cool. And I still don't get Contemporary, but I could probably catch onto it. I give those people credit for getting this far. ;)

[Merrylegs]

:headwall:

Note to self: Send Merrylegs a PM tomorrow as a reminder. Oh and next Wednesday too since it'll be on from 8-10pm and then from 9-10pm the following night.

Yes, please! However, I think I have plans to go out tomorrow night so I may not be home.

Thanks. :D

[Merrylegs]

I have to say I am in awe of the amazing bodies on the dancers. Wow wow woo woo!

The woman who stretched out using the large rubber band blew my mind. She must not have hip bones. Isn't there a thread somewhere on this forum about this?

I totally dig Hawk and Twitch!

I loved the contemporary/lyrical number--but only when done well by the peeps trained in those styles. A lot of the hip hop dancers were too hard edged.

Overall, I love this show!

[Beto]

I saw it! I don't know if I could do Hip Hop. Man... that looks tough, but it's still cool. And I still don't get Contemporary, but I could probably catch onto it. I give those people credit for getting this far. ;)
Hip hop can be tough. I took lessons pretty much every weekend for a year and really enjoyed it. It's something I'd like to get back into when I can find a class schedule that works for me.

Contemporary interests me. What is its foundation anyway? Ballet and jazz? Mixed together? I know that Mia Michaels had Heidi crying last year when teaching her the choreography for "Calling You" (her dance with Travis) and I'm guessing it had something to do with Heidi not quite grasping it or getting it right away.

Yes, please! However, I think I have plans to go out tomorrow night so I may not be home.

Thanks. :D
What, you can't be home by 9pm? Or set the VCR? ;) I'll PM you anyway. :D

[SPratt74]

Hip hop can be tough. I took lessons pretty much every weekend for a year and really enjoyed it. It's something I'd like to get back into when I can find a class schedule that works for me.

Contemporary interests me. What is its foundation anyway? Ballet and jazz? Mixed together? I know that Mia Michaels had Heidi crying last year when teaching her the choreography for "Calling You" (her dance with Travis) and I'm guessing it had something to do with Heidi not quite grasping it or getting it right away.


I don't know anything about Contemporary. But I do think it looks a little bit like Ballet and possibly Jazz now that you have said that. And who is Mia Michaels? Everyone kept saying how they just wanted her compliments etc. tonight. I found that interesting. She must be high up.

And choreography in an hour or so? Goodness. I feel for the dancers! ;)

[and123]

Was anyone else a little nervous that the amputee's prosthesis was gonna come off during those Samba rolls? I was thinking Oh no, he's holding her fake arm....:shock:

Interesting to see how the dancers' personalities and egos clashed when forced to work together as a group, eh?

[chandra]

How'd it look for Lacey?

Doesnt contemporary more closely resemble Modern and Jazz mixed than Jazz and Ballet? Maybe all three, since there are deffinitly elements of Ballet in both Modern and Jazz

[Bradamant]

Isn't contemporary a child of Modern which is in turn Ballet freed from its shackles?

I'll never like Mia. SHe's a big earthy ****** ****. Heh.

So, Pasha is doing well, how about Anna? (I only got half the episode . . .)

IF MY POSTS ARE TO BE EDITED, i WOULD PREFER THEY JUST BE ERASED ENTIRELY RATHER THAN STARRED AS THE ABOVE GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT I WROTE SOMETHING VILE AND/OR FILTHY WHICH I MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT. I don't think this forum is any longer the place for me to be when such a very mild statement earns a rebuke. It's been grand. I do hope you revisit your approach to moderation, though. Goodbye, folks.

[DancingJew]

Contemporary interests me. What is its foundation anyway? Ballet and jazz? Mixed together? I know that Mia Michaels had Heidi crying last year when teaching her the choreography for "Calling You" (her dance with Travis) and I'm guessing it had something to do with Heidi not quite grasping it or getting it right away.

I asked my Dance studio recently what is Contemporary. Contemporary is another word for Lyrical, and Lyrical is a fusion of Jazz and Ballet. Ballet is used for technique such as pointing your toes and having ballance, while Jazz is used for the creative movement and choreography. It's a very emotional dance.

[latingal]

According to Wikipedia, Contemporary draws upon both Modern and PostModern dance styles.

In my experience, Contemporary encompasses more than just the Lyrical style.

And again, in my own experience, Lyrical is a style within Contemporary that is heavily influenced by the lines and technique of ballet, but adds the freedom of movement usually associated with modern dance. It is usually highly interpretive of the music (if you've ever danced modern you know some styles are not!).

[naturallove]

Isn't contemporary a child of Modern which is in turn Ballet freed from its shackles?

I'll never like Mia. SHe's a big earthy ****** ****. Heh.

So, Pasha is doing well, how about Anna? (I only got half the episode . . .)

IF MY POSTS ARE TO BE EDITED, i WOULD PREFER THEY JUST BE ERASED ENTIRELY RATHER THAN STARRED AS THE ABOVE GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT I WROTE SOMETHING VILE AND/OR FILTHY WHICH I MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT. I don't think this forum is any longer the place for me to be when such a very mild statement earns a rebuke. It's been grand. I do hope you revisit your approach to moderation, though. Goodbye, folks.

Bradamnat-I know with some of my posts, I've gotten stars as you have for certain words because they're what spammers search for. So that certainly could be the case with you as well.

[naturallove]

I am in awe of the dancers that could actually get Mia's choreography. All of the choreography that the dancers had to learn looked challenging, but hers was just on a complete other level! I thought the guy whose partner made it through the samba but he didn't was a little graceless on his exit. :(

I do think that the group work demonstrated how dancers egos can definitely collide--and I wonder if we'll get more of that during the season.

[tj]

I'm really curious as to who they were hinting didn't make the final Vegas cuts! It looked like they were hinting that Stanislav's (Faina?) sister didn't make it when they showed a silhouette that looked like her. And the three hip hoppers (Hok, Twitch, and don't-remember-his name) had great solos! It's probably a good sign that they didn't show that much of each solo, I think/hope. Can they let 3+ male hip hop dancers into the top 20? Seems like a lot.

And to Bradamant - yes there's software that automatically edits out words, anything from ***** to ****. It's likely it's not the Mods.

[tj]

I s'pose this would be an appropriate time to start predicting who makes the cuts tonight:

Pasha, Anya, & Lacey, I think are shoo-ins.

At least 2 of those 3 hip hop dancers who had to dance for their lives last night.

The contemporary dancer - guy from Atlanta auditions - who wowed Mia Michaels.

Ones I'm not sure of:
The woman with the prosthetic arm
The gal who's dancing for her mom

plus a whole bunch of dancers that they've only shown brief clips of...

[dancesportgirl21]

I loved last night's show! There was definitely a lot of amazing dancing- I'm really looking forward to see who makes the top 20. Here's some footage of Lacey dancing- not sure how new it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AY8gLw32ys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYD1QqZ0zKk&mode=related&search=

[DancingJew]

I s'pose this would be an appropriate time to start predicting who makes the cuts tonight:

Pasha, Anya, & Lacey, I think are shoo-ins.

At least 2 of those 3 hip hop dancers who had to dance for their lives last night.

The contemporary dancer - guy from Atlanta auditions - who wowed Mia Michaels.

Ones I'm not sure of:
The woman with the prosthetic arm
The gal who's dancing for her mom

plus a whole bunch of dancers that they've only shown brief clips of...

I agree that Pasha and Anya are shoo-ins. I saw just a little clip of them in the final solo round so that means they could be in the top 20. I didn't even see one spec of Lacey but I hope she makes it. Faina looks like she will go through as well, although from the promos it looks like she has a heart attack on stage.

Hok, the guy with the bad Visa from last year, I think is going through first. He is just on fire and he is a judge favorite.

Janet Bombard (The one with the prosthetic arm) impressed me that she could get through the Ballroom. Good Job!

I can't even guess what will happen with Olivia.

Anyone know what happened to Jesus (Contemporary Guy from L.A.) Phillip (Popping Guy from Chicago) and Caitlin (Contemporary Girl from Atlanta)?

[Merrylegs]

What, you can't be home by 9pm? Or set the VCR? ;) I'll PM you anyway. :D

Well, Thursday is the new Friday. :cheers:

[Beto]

Well, Thursday is the new Friday. :cheers:
This is true. It used to be my Happy Hour tonight about...*thinking*... 2 jobs ago. *every* Thursday, as a matter of fact. The good old days... ;)

[Merrylegs]

I'm back and ready to turn on the tv.

It was a relatively tame night out. ;)

[delamusica]

Well, definitely some good representation from ballroom in the top 20 this year! :cool:

[Merrylegs]

Yeah, I'm psyched about the ballroom people.

[dancesportgirl21]

I didn't get to watch! Who's in?

[tj]

Lol, well I was right with my 8 guesses! Did anyone else think that the Lacey "controversy" is only going to build her popularity base? And yeah, the ballroom dancers should do pretty well this year, I think...

And when it was down to Hok vs Twitch, I thought it was pretty obvious that Hok would be selected. Same with Lacey.

It seems like they've already given quite a few of the top 20 a big lead when it comes to popularity/familiarity. Can't see how the ones who got very little face time will possibly make it thru to the later rounds.

Is it going to be the same as last year? The judges pick the bottom four, and we vote to see who continues? And once it hits top 10, then we vote for favs?

[My Ox Is Broken]

I didn't get to watch! Who's in?I posted this at My Ox Is Broken (http://www.myoxisbroken.com/OxArticle.aspx?id=415) --

The Top Twenty are as follows: Anya, Cedric, Ashley, Danny, Faina, Dominic, Jamie, Hok, Jessi, Jesus, Lacey, Jimmy, Lauren, Kameron, Sabra, Neil, Sara, Pasha, Shauna, and Ricky.

Not that I know who most of these people are yet.

[GJB]

I didn't get to watch! Who's in?

From ballroom/latin: Pasha, Anna, Faina, and Lacey. The only non ballroom/latin dancer I can remember by name is Tok. For a while there I didn't think Pasha was going to make it. Mia gave him a beating saying he did lousy in Las Vegas.

[tj]

They really killed Danny by calling him arrogant. If the label sticks, it's going to be trouble for the poor guy.

[wooh]

Think they'll make a pair out of Benji's sister and Travis's brother?

[tj]

I've forgotten - did they pick the initial pairings? All I remember is when it hits top 10, it becomes random, right?

More than a few of the guys appear to be pretty weak when it comes to partner dancing, I think. We'll see...

[vcolfari]

Worst part about tonight's show was

Lacey: "Shut the front door!"

[tuxedosam]

What's the criteria to apply for the show? Aren't Pasha and Anya professional Latin dancers? Don't they teach in NY?! They still qualify to go on the show?
For some reason, I have a gut feeling that Ricky can go pretty far in this competition. He's got that "star" look. As for the girls, Jessie is quite a hottie.

[latingal]

What's the criteria to apply for the show? Aren't Pasha and Anya professional Latin dancers?

I believe that this show is open to professional dancers (there were references to a lot of the dancers teaching dance).

[waltzgirl]

What's the criteria to apply for the show? Aren't Pasha and Anya professional Latin dancers? Don't they teach in NY?! They still qualify to go on the show?
For some reason, I have a gut feeling that Ricky can go pretty far in this competition. He's got that "star" look. As for the girls, Jessie is quite a hottie.


Seems like half the people who auditioned are dance teachers of some kind (even if they shouldn't be). Others have been dancers with professional credits in their various styles. I think the only limitation is age--under 30 only.

[DancingJew]

Is it going to be the same as last year? The judges pick the bottom four, and we vote to see who continues? And once it hits top 10, then we vote for favs?

I believe they did that format First Season. Second Season they had us vote for our favorite couple and then the judges sent home one guy and one girl out of the bottom 6. Once it reached to top 10, people were eliminated by having the least votes.

[Sunshines Partner]

It was great seeing Anna and Pasha on the show. It is very special seeing someone on the show that I actually know.
I have had the opportunity to take lessons with both of them and have danced in competition with Anna.

[anp73ga31]

Think they'll make a pair out of Benji's sister and Travis's brother?

I missed the show because I had a lesson. Both :( and :) follow that statement. lol!

I'm also oblivious....which one is travis's brother?

[LatinDancer006]

Don't know about you but I'm glad the whinning cry-baby chick got eliminated. Don't know what's her name, but she's the one who just picked up dancing again last year and her mother got cancer or something. Frankly I don't believe the story. She cries when she has to work hard...boo hoo.

[tj]

I missed the show because I had a lesson. Both :( and :) follow that statement. lol!

I'm also oblivious....which one is travis's brother?

I think they said that Danny was Travis's adopted brother. They said that he was really arrogant. Shane Sparks was talking to Mia Michaels about sending him home/cutting him even though they acknowledged that he is a brilliant dancer.

[DancingJew]

I'm also oblivious....which one is travis's brother?

Danny is Travis's adopted Brother.

[anp73ga31]

I think they said that Danny was Travis's adopted brother. They said that he was really arrogant. Shane Sparks was talking to Mia Michaels about sending him home/cutting him even though they acknowledged that he is a brilliant dancer.

Really! Man, I missed it! And now that you say that, I remember Travis talking about Danny last season. Interesting...

[SDsalsaguy]

Don't know about you but I'm glad the whinning cry-baby chick got eliminated...She cries when she has to work hard...boo hoo.
Give me a break. With the few seconds edited for a TV clip none of us have any way of knowing if this is at all representative of how she was in Vegas let alone in real life.

[kimV6]

okay so is her name anya or anna (which one's the nickname)? pasha i get can be a nickname for pavel (or i guess), but is SYTYCD or dancesportinfo wrong on this one?

[dance234]

Anya is a diminutive of Anna.

[iluv2Samba]

Anya is a diminutive of Anna.

I find that strange considering the fact that both names have the same length.

[White Chacha]

Um, diminutive doesn't refer to the length of the name ;-) It refers to her being young or "little".

[dance234]

Or to familiarity. You can have a 90-year old "Anya" (no longer "young" or "little") just like you can have a 90-year old "Bobby."

[Sunshines Partner]

From the very first day I meet her (Which happens to be about a week after she got to this Country) till today, Her name has always been Anna.

[anp73ga31]

Lol, well I was right with my 8 guesses! Did anyone else think that the Lacey "controversy" is only going to build her popularity base?

Can someone tell me about the Lacey controversy? I must have missed that too. Sorry! :(

[DancingJew]

Here is the Top 20 List:

Girls:

Anya (Ballroom)
Ashlee (Contemporary)
Faina (Ballroom)
Jamie (Contemporary)
Jessi (Contemporary)
Lacey (Ballroom)
Lauren (Contemporary)
Sabra (Contemporary)
Sara (B-girl)
Shauna (Contemporary)

Guys:

Cedric (Popper)
Danny (Contemporary)
Dominic (B-boy)
Hok (Breaking)
Jesus (Contemporary)
Jimmy (Contemporary)
Kameron (Contemporary)
Neil (Contemporary)
Pasha (Ballroom)
Ricky (Contemporary)

[LucyDiamond]

I think it's lopsided in favor to the contemporary dancers.

[Angelo]

I think it's lopsided in favor to the contemporary dancers.


If I recall from the past two seasons the finalists were also heavily weighted toward the contemporary dancers. Is it judging bias, or is there is something about the contemporary dancers skill set/training that results in their dominant representation in this competiton?

[tj]

Can someone tell me about the Lacey controversy? I must have missed that too. Sorry! :(
Sorry - controversy is probably too strong of a word. I meant that they dramatized whether Lacey or the other gal would get thru. Lacey was supposedly their 10th and final choice for the female dancers. Yeah, right! :wink:

In other words, I find that kinda hard to believe. She's likely one of the favorites right now, both for her versatility and her likely popularity. If anything, she'll probably have a chance of getting some backlash since Benji was so popular, but I think it'll likely be that she's even more popular because of Benji rather than not.

[csrpj]

Here is the Top 20 List:

Girls:

Anya (Ballroom)
Ashlee (Contemporary)
Faina (Ballroom)
Jamie (Contemporary)
Jessi (Contemporary)
Lacey (Ballroom)
Lauren (Contemporary)
Sabra (Contemporary)
Sara (B-boy)
Shauna (Contemporary)

Guys:

Cedric (Popper)
Danny (Contemporary)
Dominic (B-boy)
Hok (Breaking)
Jesus (Contemporary)
Jimmy (Contemporary)
Kameron (Contemporary)
Neil (Contemporary)
Pasha (Ballroom)
Ricky (Contemporary)

correction: Sara (B-girl)

[tj]

Re: contemporary vs the others

Maybe the contemporary dancers have an easier time transitioning to other styles than the others can transition to contemporary? Anyone who's watched the show knows how a lot of the hip hop dancers have had problems with other styles, and I certainly remember some of the ballroom dancers complain about the difficulties with contemporary (Heidi's complaint about the difficulty of that one dance with Travis involving the daisy comes to mind).

So maybe that's why?

[Beto]

Sorry - controversy is probably too strong of a word. I meant that they dramatized whether Lacey or the other gal would get thru. Lacey was supposedly their 10th and final choice for the female dancers. Yeah, right! :wink:

In other words, I find that kinda hard to believe. She's likely one of the favorites right now, both for her versatility and her likely popularity. If anything, she'll probably have a chance of getting some backlash since Benji was so popular, but I think it'll likely be that she's even more popular because of Benji rather than not.
That's the thing though that I think will work against her. She will have to work *really* hard to shake the label of "Benji's sister" to stand out and make it through the comp. She can not sit back and ride his popularity.

Onto the other sibilings...

Faina has it a little bit easier since her brother Stas was cut in the first week and doesn't have that hanging over her.

Danny, Travis' half-brother, is this year's Blake McGrath and I hope to god he loses that cocky I-am-god's-gift-to-dancing attitude. I liked that Shane voiced his dissent over Danny's making it into the top 20.

[LucyDiamond]

I think you're on to something there, tj.

[dancesportgirl21]

Re: contemporary vs the others

Maybe the contemporary dancers have an easier time transitioning to other styles than the others can transition to contemporary? Anyone who's watched the show knows how a lot of the hip hop dancers have had problems with other styles, and I certainly remember some of the ballroom dancers complain about the difficulties with contemporary (Heidi's complaint about the difficulty of that one dance with Travis involving the daisy comes to mind).

So maybe that's why?

I think part of it has to do with the fact that contemporary dancers usually have strong foundations in ballet and jazz. Studios that offer contemporary also usually offer hip hop. They have a wider base to pull from in these primarily solo styles. Also, I think the approach in choreography and grasping it has a lot to do with it (just look at the way Mia Michaels teaches hers).

[victordancer]

Worst part about tonight's show was

Lacey: "Shut the front door!"

What does "Shut the front door" mean? i never heard it before. It didn't seem connected to the moment of being named to the top 20.

[LucyDiamond]

What does "Shut the front door" mean? i never heard it before. It didn't seem connected to the moment of being named to the top 20.
I think it's a variation on "Shut Up" or "Shut the f Up".

[and123]

Yeah, didn't shaggy-haired ballet guy (name is escaping me) from last year say "Shut Up!" when he made the top 20?

[Beto]

I think it's a variation on "Shut Up" or "Shut the f Up".
I think Ben's "shut your damned mouth" last year was a bit funnier, if not exactly appropriate, when he made the top 20.

[LucyDiamond]

I think Ben's "shut your damned mouth" last year was a bit funnier, if not exactly appropriate, when he made the top 20.
Yes, I agree.

Maybe the "Shut the front door" comment had to do with Mormons not swearing? Or, it's the latest phrase used by the young?

[kimV6]

If I recall from the past two seasons the finalists were also heavily weighted toward the contemporary dancers. Is it judging bias, or is there is something about the contemporary dancers skill set/training that results in their dominant representation in this competiton?

it's probably representative of the format of the tryout. unless there is a huge difference between what is televised and the actual tryout (which is a very real possibility, considering this is TV), competitors have to make it through several rounds of various dance styles... it seems to me that "contemporary" dancers would be the kind of dancers that would have trained in a broader spectrum in terms of forms of dance (ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, modern, etc.) and thus would be better suited for the competition... in other words, perhaps they are more adaptable to the various styles, whereas hip-hop and ballroom dancers tend to only train in their own styles (i know if i had to try learn a hip-hop routine and perform it, i would lose instantly). i mean, did you see the montage they showed of pasha doing other styles... he looked so out of place, it was awkward for me to watch it, hehe.
btw did anyone else feel just not impressed by faina last night? her solo was just not sharp at all (dehydration aside).

[LucyDiamond]

Anyway, I thought it was cute and had to chuckle when she said it.

[Angelo]

btw did anyone else feel just not impressed by faina last night? her solo was just not sharp at all (dehydration aside).


I dunno. I thought she looked okay. I like what I've seen from her more than what I have seen from Lacey, though they haven't shown much of Lacey.

[evanluck]

it's probably representative of the format of the tryout. unless there is a huge difference between what is televised and the actual tryout (which is a very real possibility, considering this is TV), competitors have to make it through several rounds of various dance styles... it seems to me that "contemporary" dancers would be the kind of dancers that would have trained in a broader spectrum in terms of forms of dance (ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, modern, etc.) and thus would be better suited for the competition... in other words, perhaps they are more adaptable to the various styles, whereas hip-hop and ballroom dancers tend to only train in their own styles (i know if i had to try learn a hip-hop routine and perform it, i would lose instantly). i mean, did you see the montage they showed of pasha doing other styles... he looked so out of place, it was awkward for me to watch it, hehe.
btw did anyone else feel just not impressed by faina last night? her solo was just not sharp at all (dehydration aside).

Very good points. I also think that the contemporary style incorporates a much broader spectrum of movement. The only adaptation that contemporary dancers need to make for the other styles in the show are partnering and a sense of being into the floor for ballroom and a sense of the "broken" lines in hip-hop. Also I think that picking up choreography quickly is much more a part of a contemporary dancers experience. Hip-hop dancers focus more improvisation or "freestyling" and ballroom dancers will work partnering and movement details of the same choreography for years.

Yeah I also was not that impressed with Faina and it seems odd have three ballroom girls. It might be a bit of nepotism as all three of the "siblings" of former contestants made it into the top 20 (Lacey-Benji, Danny-Travis, Faina-Stanislav).

My personal favorite is Jessi (at least I think that is her name). She has such a wonderful skill of being so present in the moment that any movement she does is absolutely captivating. Her solos I felt had the least amount of "difficult" movement but both of them grabbed my attention and kept were with her the whole time.

[Beto]

My personal favorite is Jessi (at least I think that is her name). She has such a wonderful skill of being so present in the moment that any movement she does is absolutely captivating. Her solos I felt had the least amount of "difficult" movement but both of them grabbed my attention and kept were with her the whole time.
Like Nigel, she had me the moment she whipped out the baby oil in her audition. Her solo Wednesday night, to the same song and sans baby oil, made her my favorite of the girls competing this season. You just can't take your eyes off of her and she's good at communicating a story with her dancing.

[Angelo]

Like Nigel, she had me the moment she whipped out the baby oil in her audition. Her solo Wednesday night, to the same song and sans baby oil, made her my favorite of the girls competing this season. You just can't take your eyes off of her and she's good at communicating a story with her dancing.


Is she the one who hates her job and is getting old at 25?

[Beto]

Is she the one who hates her job and is getting old at 25?
Yep! I loved how the judges responded to that so sarcastically. :D

[DancingJew]

Well I think there was more to the "old" comment expressed by Jessi. My drama teacher once told me that Women and Men who do professional dancing kinda lose there edge against 18-19 year olds when they turn around 30. They just can't keep up sometimes. So I think Jessi was explaining how she might not be able to keep up in a couple of years.

[GJB]

Pasha and Anna's audition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK10vZ4AE1s

Faina's audition (with Stas):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKaILnS7egk

[victordancer]

Yes, I agree.

Maybe the "Shut the front door" comment had to do with Mormons not swearing? Or, it's the latest phrase used by the young?

Tonight my wife and i will be taking a west coast swing workshop with Benji and Heidi here on Long Island, New York and i will try to ask benji what he thinks his sister meant. I also thought it had something to do with mormons not swearing but it still didn't make sense.

[SDsalsaguy]

It does have to do with not swearing, and it does make sense if you recognize the word substitutions involved. (And that's all I'm saying!)

[wooh]

Maybe the "Shut the front door" comment had to do with Mormons not swearing?

Most likely. Like when I say "Fudge!" or "WaltzTangoFoxtrot!"

[LucyDiamond]

Or, when I say Fire Truck...

[jennyisdancing]

Tonight my wife and i will be taking a west coast swing workshop with Benji and Heidi here on Long Island, New York and i will try to ask benji what he thinks his sister meant. I also thought it had something to do with mormons not swearing but it still didn't make sense.

Cool...I hope you plan to post a recap of the workshop. I've taken workshops with them also and they are amazing teachers.

[victordancer]

Cool...I hope you plan to post a recap of the workshop. I've taken workshops with them also and they are amazing teachers.

With respect to "shut the front door" i asked Benji at the workshop we attended last night what it meant and he said that it is the PG version of "shut the hell up" as most of th DFers who have commented thought it was. At the end of the workshop he also asked that everyone watch SYTYCD and support his sister by voting and keeping swing and ballroom dancing represented in the competition.

We enjoyed the two workshops given by both Benji and Heidi and though the patterns were somewhat basic, their approach to technique, "Dancing out of the Box"(and the slot) along with a focus on syncopations was excellent. They were very approachable, open to questions, engaging, encouraging and very clear about the material presented. Also watching them demonstate the patterns was such a treat as they were so comfortable with one another and made simple patterns look incredible.

We have attended Brigham Young University's Summer Dance Camp for the past 16 years and have studied west cost swing and hustle with Benji's father, Buddy, from 1992 to 2000 when he taught at the camp(he is no longer there) and it was interesting to compare his son's approach to teaching and his personality(his father was alway a very strong personality and a character-if anyone remembers he was holding the electric sign last year during SYTYCD) which was very clearly developed and had his own unique style. It was also interesting to see the amazing transformation of west coast swing from when we were first introduced to it to now-the patterns, the music and the styling-all so much more expressive.

[tj]

Bios are up over on the SYTYCD website. (http://www.fox.com/dance/)

[vcolfari]

I just thought the "shut the front door" comment was an intentionally cute way of saying saying "shut the f up." If she objects to using those words (which is understandable), then say something else like "wow" or "I can't believe it!" If she's trying to avoid inappropriate language, why allude to it?

[bluetango]

I think it's lopsided in favor to the contemporary dancers.

This show is a very interesting experiment. We aren't really just comparing different dancers and seeing who is most versatile. Really we are comparing the different approaches to learning dancing, and schools of dance.

Contemporary dance is taught in dance academies. Some of the top dancers come from schools which focus on arts in general, and thus are required by a specific curriculum to get a broad background, just as in a regular university.

Ballroom dance is taught only at local ballroom schools, or private instructors. These are never very large schools with many different styles of dancing (although most would say ballroom is varied enough to keep everyone's attention). Thus, most ballroom dancers, if they wish for training outside their specialty, need to take the initiative and go to another school for this. It is doubtful that most fulltime competitors have time to go train in something else too (though some definitely do, and with great benefits!).

And then we have "street" or "club" partner dances, like salsa, or west coast swing. These dance styles don't have too many schools dedicated to them, and the competitive community doesn't seem to be as large. These dancers usually don't even get a chance to learn about proper posture, lines, and so forth - because often thats not the point of these dances. Dancers in these genres have to most often rely on workshops and a small number of classes at their local ballroom dance studio.

At the bottom of my list are the rest of the street dancers: b-boys, poppers, breakers, etc. These are some immensely talented people, but have no real formal training in any style, and are almost completely self-taught. As entertaining as they are, they have no real chance of winning this competition (of course, unless they have training in the other styles).


My list is only meant to compare the ways these kinds of dancers are trained, and to elucidate that the show is definitely heavily biased towards versitile dancers who learn in dance schools with a rigorous and varied curriculum. Thus really only contemporary dancers (I'm putting modern/ballet/hip-hop in here....) have the greatest chance of winning, followed by ballroom dancers. No one else has even a shadow of a chance in my opinion.

On a side note - I think what ballroom dancers have most trouble with is Mia Michael fluid, 'postureless', organic choreography. Its almost the anti-ballroom which is way too straight and rigid compared to her stuff. Throwing your body around in the way she choreographs is exactly what ballroom dancers train so hard not to do.

[GJB]

I just thought the "shut the front door" comment was an intentionally cute way of saying saying "shut the f up." If she objects to using those words (which is understandable), then say something else like "wow" or "I can't believe it!" If she's trying to avoid inappropriate language, why allude to it?

I thought it seemed like it slipped out before she could catch herself.

[victordancer]

This show is a very interesting experiment. We aren't really just comparing different dancers and seeing who is most versatile. Really we are comparing the different approaches to learning dancing, and schools of dance.

Contemporary dance is taught in dance academies. Some of the top dancers come from schools which focus on arts in general, and thus are required by a specific curriculum to get a broad background, just as in a regular university.

Ballroom dance is taught only at local ballroom schools, or private instructors. These are never very large schools with many different styles of dancing (although most would say ballroom is varied enough to keep everyone's attention). Thus, most ballroom dancers, if they wish for training outside their specialty, need to take the initiative and go to another school for this. It is doubtful that most fulltime competitors have time to go train in something else too (though some definitely do, and with great benefits!).

And then we have "street" or "club" partner dances, like salsa, or west coast swing. These dance styles don't have too many schools dedicated to them, and the competitive community doesn't seem to be as large. These dancers usually don't even get a chance to learn about proper posture, lines, and so forth - because often thats not the point of these dances. Dancers in these genres have to most often rely on workshops and a small number of classes at their local ballroom dance studio.

At the bottom of my list are the rest of the street dancers: b-boys, poppers, breakers, etc. These are some immensely talented people, but have no real formal training in any style, and are almost completely self-taught. As entertaining as they are, they have no real chance of winning this competition (of course, unless they have training in the other styles).


My list is only meant to compare the ways these kinds of dancers are trained, and to elucidate that the show is definitely heavily biased towards versitile dancers who learn in dance schools with a rigorous and varied curriculum. Thus really only contemporary dancers (I'm putting modern/ballet/hip-hop in here....) have the greatest chance of winning, followed by ballroom dancers. No one else has even a shadow of a chance in my opinion.

On a side note - I think what ballroom dancers have most trouble with is Mia Michael fluid, 'postureless', organic choreography. Its almost the anti-ballroom which is way too straight and rigid compared to her stuff. Throwing your body around in the way she choreographs is exactly what ballroom dancers train so hard not to do.

All true but then along comes someone like Benji(west coast swing dancer) who has talent and appeal to the audience who do the voting. We will probably see in the first two weeks whether any of the ballroom dancers or street dancers have enough appeal to keep them in the mix for the weeks to come. I also think that mia micheals was way too biased last year in favor of her own style of dance and tried too hard to make herself a force in the competition.

[GJB]

Seems like Mia has already show her bias this year.

[SPratt74]

This show is a very interesting experiment. We aren't really just comparing different dancers and seeing who is most versatile. Really we are comparing the different approaches to learning dancing, and schools of dance.

Contemporary dance is taught in dance academies. Some of the top dancers come from schools which focus on arts in general, and thus are required by a specific curriculum to get a broad background, just as in a regular university.

Ballroom dance is taught only at local ballroom schools, or private instructors. These are never very large schools with many different styles of dancing (although most would say ballroom is varied enough to keep everyone's attention). Thus, most ballroom dancers, if they wish for training outside their specialty, need to take the initiative and go to another school for this. It is doubtful that most fulltime competitors have time to go train in something else too (though some definitely do, and with great benefits!).

And then we have "street" or "club" partner dances, like salsa, or west coast swing. These dance styles don't have too many schools dedicated to them, and the competitive community doesn't seem to be as large. These dancers usually don't even get a chance to learn about proper posture, lines, and so forth - because often thats not the point of these dances. Dancers in these genres have to most often rely on workshops and a small number of classes at their local ballroom dance studio.

At the bottom of my list are the rest of the street dancers: b-boys, poppers, breakers, etc. These are some immensely talented people, but have no real formal training in any style, and are almost completely self-taught. As entertaining as they are, they have no real chance of winning this competition (of course, unless they have training in the other styles).


My list is only meant to compare the ways these kinds of dancers are trained, and to elucidate that the show is definitely heavily biased towards versitile dancers who learn in dance schools with a rigorous and varied curriculum. Thus really only contemporary dancers (I'm putting modern/ballet/hip-hop in here....) have the greatest chance of winning, followed by ballroom dancers. No one else has even a shadow of a chance in my opinion.

On a side note - I think what ballroom dancers have most trouble with is Mia Michael fluid, 'postureless', organic choreography. Its almost the anti-ballroom which is way too straight and rigid compared to her stuff. Throwing your body around in the way she choreographs is exactly what ballroom dancers train so hard not to do.

This is a very informative post. Thank you! ;)

[chandra]

Dunno, Ive heard its a California thing, all though y'all might know that better than me. There is a group of female pro californian westies who use the phrase alot... Ive never heard lacey say it, cause I don't know her at all, but Ive heard others use the same phrase.

[DancingJew]

Seems like Mia has already show her bias this year.

Yeah, seems like it. Doesn't mean that some of the Contemporary Dancers will be struggling to learn other styles. Travis had some trouble with Hip-Hop last season, Joy could not learn the Samba, Erin struggled during the Paso Doble, Jaymz and Jessica were told by Nigel they did a bad Hip-Hop routine, Natalie had trouble with Hip-Hop, etc.

[marianya]

Is it just me or are there a lot of siblings this season? Faina (Stanislav), Lacey (Benji) and Danny (Travis). And there seem to be an awful lot of breakers and hiphop this year....

[Beto]

Is it just me or are there a lot of siblings this season? Faina (Stanislav), Lacey (Benji) and Danny (Travis). And there seem to be an awful lot of breakers and hiphop this year....
Yes this is the year of the siblings. But I completely disagree with there being a lot of bboys/bgirls, breakers and poppers this year. There are only 4, 1 girl and 3 guys.

[bluetango]

All true but then along comes someone like Benji(west coast swing dancer) who has talent and appeal to the audience who do the voting. We will probably see in the first two weeks whether any of the ballroom dancers or street dancers have enough appeal to keep them in the mix for the weeks to come. I also think that mia micheals was way too biased last year in favor of her own style of dance and tried too hard to make herself a force in the competition.

Well Benji has definitely trained in some other styles I think. And even if he hasn't, I think he, although a partner dancer, has approached a lot of his dancing like a street dancer (self taught in hip hop etc.) Thus he combined a sort of best of both worlds approach. Oh yeah, and he's insanely talented and a fantastic performer. No wonder he sailed through. I think the contemporary dancers with a good stage presence have an easier time with the competition, but that doesn't mean they have what it takes to win :-)

Though it was a tough one between Benji and Travis - both equally talented and accomplished I think....

[tj]

Is it just me or are there a lot of siblings this season? Faina (Stanislav), Lacey (Benji) and Danny (Travis). And there seem to be an awful lot of breakers and hiphop this year....

Add Jamie who apparently used to be Travis' dance partner. (http://www.fox.com/dance/bios/07-goodwin.htm)

[ChaChaMama]

btw did anyone else feel just not impressed by faina last night? her solo was just not sharp at all (dehydration aside).

It's SO hard to draw conclusions on such little snippets of dancing, though, don't you think?

She and Artur Frantsevich won the latin at MAC in 2006 (Eugene and Maria and Val and Val obviously not in attendance, but most of the other top NE couples were) and came in 5th in the World Class Latin at Spring Fling/Regionals that same year, just ahead of 6th place Dmitri Chaplain and Heidi Groskreutz, both of whom did quite respectably last season. She clearly has the goods when it comes to latin!

ChaChaMama

[kimV6]

It's SO hard to draw conclusions on such little snippets of dancing, though, don't you think?

She and Artur Frantsevich won the latin at MAC in 2006 (Eugene and Maria and Val and Val obviously not in attendance, but most of the other top NE couples were) and came in 5th in the World Class Latin at Spring Fling/Regionals that same year, just ahead of 6th place Dmitri Chaplain and Heidi Groskreutz, both of whom did quite respectably last season. She clearly has the goods when it comes to latin!

ChaChaMama

yea i saw that on dancesportinfo, so i understand that she has solid credentials. and by no means do i think that i am anywhere close to a fraction of the level she is at (considering i also don't do latin, hehe). but from every segment they've shown her in (especially her audition and solo), i just didn't see any of the sharpness or clarity that i've come to expect from top level latin. whereas i can see it with anya and pasha.

[Sunshines Partner]

yea i saw that on dancesportinfo, so i understand that she has solid credentials. and by no means do i think that i am anywhere close to a fraction of the level she is at (considering i also don't do latin, hehe). but from every segment they've shown her in (especially her audition and solo), i just didn't see any of the sharpness or clarity that i've come to expect from top level latin. whereas i can see it with anya and pasha.
Anna and Pash are much higher level then any of the Ballroom or Latin dancers on the show from any season.

[tuftufwang]

Anna and Pash are much higher level then any of the Ballroom or Latin dancers on the show from any season.

Anna and Pasha are definitely in a different league. Very excited to see how they would do on the show!

[kimV6]

Anna and Pash are much higher level then any of the Ballroom or Latin dancers on the show from any season.

Anna and Pasha are definitely in a different league. Very excited to see how they would do on the show!

i was actually very curious when i found out they were going to be on the show. like what's their motivation? i would think that being 5th in the U.S. is validation enough... but is there any larger reason other than winning the competition for them to be on the show? to me it'd be like christina aguilera going on american idol.
as for the actual results, anya definitely has a better chance than pasha, i think.

[tuftufwang]

i was actually very curious when i found out they were going to be on the show. like what's their motivation? i would think that being 5th in the U.S. is validation enough... but is there any larger reason other than winning the competition for them to be on the show? to me it'd be like christina aguilera going on american idol.
as for the actual results, anya definitely has a better chance than pasha, i think.

A $100,000 would go a long way for any dancer I think! We all know how expensive private coaching can get. Not to mention travel expenses, costumes, shoes, etc. I am guessing that for Pasha and Anya (or Anna), they don't really need validation from SYTYCD after coming in as 2nd at the Blackpool Pro LatinRS division (in 2005 I think) but this is certainly a good way to get more exposure and a shot at earning some much needed "scholarship". I believe this show will help them get more opportunities to do shows or coaching.

[SDsalsaguy]

A $100,000 would go a long way for any dancer I think! We all know how expensive private coaching can get. Not to mention travel expenses, costumes, shoes, etc. I am guessing that for Pasha and Anya (or Anna), they don't really need validation from SYTYCD after coming in as 2nd at the Blackpool Pro LatinRS division (in 2005 I think) but this is certainly a good way to get more exposure and a shot at earning some much needed "scholarship". I believe this show will help them get more opportunities to do shows or coaching.
Wrong Anna TufTuf, that was Anna Trebunskaya with Jonathan Roberts, not Anna Garnis with Pasha Kovalev. (The confusion probably comes from the fact that Anna T's new partner is also a Pasha.)

[tj]

One thing to mention - the show is a glorified popularity contest, and thusly, the best dancer(s) might not do well in the voting. Benji's personality & life story certainly helped him last year.

[tuftufwang]

Wrong Anna TufTuf, that was Anna Trebunskaya with Jonathan Roberts, not Anna Garnis with Pasha Kovalev. (The confusion probably comes from the fact that Anna T's new partner is also a Pasha.)

No, I'm pretty sure I'm right cos I just checked their results on dancesportinfo (unless their reporting is wrong). In fact, there was some discussion about Anna and Kovalev's results in Blackpool this year, which was a general sense of disbelief that they didn't make the first cut in Pro Latin but were RS Star Finalist in 2005.

[kimV6]

haha, i just realized why both their names were familiar to me when i first saw them on SYTYCD and why i liked their style... the first competition tape i own/saw was OSB 2005... where they placed 5th. just thought i'd share the serendipity :)

[Beto]

One thing to mention - the show is a glorified popularity contest, and thusly, the best dancer(s) might not do well in the voting. Benji's personality & life story certainly helped him last year.
I'm glad someone spoke up and mentioned this. Thanks, tj. The consensus seems to be that last year's "best technical dancer" was Travis Wall. But in terms of a winning personality plus technique, the vote swung towards Benji.

So for you people who are new to the show, do not be surprised if the best technical dancer doesn't win. It's a popularity contest, just like Dancing with the Stars is.

[dancedude314]

One thing to mention - the show is a glorified popularity contest, and thusly, the best dancer(s) might not do well in the voting. Benji's personality & life story certainly helped him last year.

Because, as we all know, Benji was soooo unqualified.

Give me a break. There are youtube videos of Benji dancing with Heidi at exhibitions of one form or another as far back as when he was 8 years old. He was also the US West Coast Swing champion. But I'm sure most people here know this, and can fill in any details I left out.

[naturallove]

I'm glad someone spoke up and mentioned this. Thanks, tj. The consensus seems to be that last year's "best technical dancer" was Travis Wall. But in terms of a winning personality plus technique, the vote swung towards Benji.

So for you people who are new to the show, do not be surprised if the best technical dancer doesn't win. It's a popularity contest, just like Dancing with the Stars is.

I'd agree--but unlike say, American Idol, the judges do a much better job of putting gifted contestants through. I can't remember anyone in the top 10 last season who was not an amazing dancer! Donyelle, Travis, Benji, Heidi (although everything she does looks like a cha-cha IMO!) were all awesome!

[tj]

I'd agree--but unlike say, American Idol, the judges do a much better job of putting gifted contestants through. I can't remember anyone in the top 10 last season who was not an amazing dancer! Donyelle, Travis, Benji, Heidi (although everything she does looks like a cha-cha IMO!) were all awesome!

Considering how many people the judges went thru to get the top 20, no wonder they're all so talented.

My main point is that I have a feeling that when it comes to personality/X-factor, Pasha/Anya/Faina might have difficulties due to cultural differences, namely not being native US speakers, and therefore not get votes even if they rightfully deserve it. Stanislav got knocked out really early last season, mostly because he wasn't all that articulate when they asked him why he should stay.

[naturallove]

Considering how many people the judges went thru to get the top 20, no wonder they're all so talented.

My main point is that I have a feeling that when it comes to personality/X-factor, Pasha/Anya/Faina might have difficulties due to cultural differences, namely not being native US speakers, and therefore not get votes even if they rightfully deserve it. Stanislav got knocked out really early last season, mostly because he wasn't all that articulate when they asked him why he should stay.

Hmm...I think they go through a lot more people on AI, but they manage to get these incredibly mediocre to worse singers. I don't know what they're doing on SYTYCD, but they are doing it right!!


I'd agree with you on the cultural factor. Anya is simply amazing, and I hope that will resonate with the viewing audience.

[tj]

Hmm...I think they go through a lot more people on AI, but they manage to get these incredibly mediocre to worse singers. I don't know what they're doing on SYTYCD, but they are doing it right!!

Better screening process, I suppose. It's unfortunate in that we don't get to see some amazing (but one dimensional) dancers move on. I did find some Phillip Chbeeb (the Houston popper who auditioned in Chicago) clips over on YouTube at least.


I'd agree with you on the cultural factor. Anya is simply amazing, and I hope that will resonate with the viewing audience.
What I predict might happen is that she (or any of the ballroom specialists) gets paired up with someone who isn't as good with partner dancing, and they get put in with the bottom couples. And thus, they're at risk early, like Dmitri last season. How many times did his partner get voted out?

[Beto]

Because, as we all know, Benji was soooo unqualified.

Give me a break. There are youtube videos of Benji dancing with Heidi at exhibitions of one form or another as far back as when he was 8 years old. He was also the US West Coast Swing champion. But I'm sure most people here know this, and can fill in any details I left out.
I don't think that was tj's intent. I know Benji's talented and, if my memory serves me correctly, I saw him and Lacey in Palm Springs back over New Year's 2002/2003. I was impressed then and even more impressed when I saw him on the show. He's who I called in to vote for (after my early favorite, Allison, and other favorite, Natalie, were knocked out of the comp).

I'd agree--but unlike say, American Idol, the judges do a much better job of putting gifted contestants through. I can't remember anyone in the top 10 last season who was not an amazing dancer! Donyelle, Travis, Benji, Heidi (although everything she does looks like a cha-cha IMO!) were all awesome!
Natalie, Ivan, Allison...the list goes on. My favorites to win it, from the beginning and in no order were: Heidi, Benji, Allison, Travis, and Natalie. Oh and Heidi is someone I'd danced with before when she was out here as a guest instructor for WCS in 2002.

What I predict might happen is that she (or any of the ballroom specialists) gets paired up with someone who isn't as good with partner dancing, and they get put in with the bottom couples. And thus, they're at risk early, like Dmitri last season. How many times did his partner get voted out?
Which unfortunately made Dmitri the "partner killer". I think 3 times (in a row?) his partner would get sent home. Not helping was the fact that Dmitri wasn't good enough in other styles.

[DancingJew]

Which unfortunately made Dmitri the "partner killer". I think 3 times (in a row?) his partner would get sent home. Not helping was the fact that Dmitri wasn't good enough in other styles.

Dmitry lost Joy during the top 18 with a Samba, lost Aleksandra during the top 16 with a Waltz, and lost Ashlee during the Top 12 with a Pop routine.

Speaking of Pop, what is Pop anyways? Is it Hip-Hop and Jazz combined?

[Beto]

Dmitry lost Joy during the top 18 with a Samba, lost Aleksandra during the top 16 with a Waltz, and lost Ashlee during the Top 12 with a Pop routine.

Speaking of Pop, what is Pop anyways? Is it Hip-Hop and Jazz combined?
The judges argued over that one. I think Brian Friedman said some things about Dan's choreography that basically said the dancers did the best they could given the material that they had to work with (ouch!)

http://www.tv.com/so-you-think-you-can-dance/top-12/episode/811338/recap.html

[DancingWaterLily]

(hi i am new)... thought some would like the list of ballroom/partner dancers on SYTYCD:

Anya Garnis
Faina Savich
Lacey Schwimmer
Pasha Kovalev

[tj]

Welcome to DF!

[dancedude314]

Dmitry lost Joy during the top 18 with a Samba, lost Aleksandra during the top 16 with a Waltz, and lost Ashlee during the Top 12 with a Pop routine.


I absolutely fell in love however with the contemporary routine that Ashlee and Dimitry did to "Dance Dance" by Fallout Boy. I'm guessing few people will agree with me, but I thought it was one of the most interesting pieces in the whole competition.

[DancingJew]

I absolutely fell in love however with the contemporary routine that Ashlee and Dimitry did to "Dance Dance" by Fallout Boy. I'm guessing few people will agree with me, but I thought it was one of the most interesting pieces in the whole competition.

I completely agree! Brian Friedman had a great storyline for it, and Ashlee and Dmitry did awesome with it. It was definitly a highlight of the whole season.