Saturday, November 17, 2007

SYTYCD News Roundup

Neil Haskell and Lauren Gottlieb are interviewed by Murtz Jaffer at Reality Dish.

LINK


We previously told you about an online interview Australia's TV Week did with Nigel and Mary. Reality Raver at the RealityRavings blog found some more interesting little tidbits in the printed version.

LINK


Read her recap of the season 3 finale show.

But first Cat Deely's dress. A friend, site contributor and style arbiter sms me horrified and described Cat's dress as a toilet brush. I agreed, but also thought it could have been a cross between a kewpie doll, and one of those dolls that sits on top of the toilet to hide the toilet paper in. These are getting harder and harder to find, and will only be available from all good retro antique stores soon.

MORE

I mention this because I'm pleased to announce that Reality Raver has agreed to be the Australian correspondent for BSYTYCD. She will be recapping episodes of the upcoming Australian version of the the show, along with news and features. Welcome RR!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Jaimie And Kameron Interview

This is a long one. Murtz Jaffer continues his series of interviews at Reality Dish. Jaimie Goodwin and Kameron Bink talk about their experience on the show and their plans for the future.

MJ: In a competition where there is only one winner, do you think that the random selection of partners is fair (in the sense that so much of what you are judged on is based on chemistry and who you work with)?

KB: No, I really think that they know exactly how to make it as fair as possible. Because when you go on a job like later on in your career, you're never going to know the person you're dancing with and we all have to be dancers but we all have to be actors at the same time. It's preparing us.

JG: I feel like in the beginning they pair with your partners so that it will be a challenge for you, but they try and pair you with someone that you can grow the most with. You're with that partner for the most amount of time. I think you're judged mainly on that. And then when you split up and you have the random partners, they're judging based on you. By that time, partner-by-partner, you're already just being judged just as an individual. It's kind of cool because I feel like that random selection helps with the whole growing process and I think that's what the people want to see.


MORE



Thursday, November 15, 2007

Interview With Lacey And Hok

Murtz Jaffer's interview with Hok Konishi and Lacey Schwimmer is up. They discuss their relationship at length.

LINK


Tour Update From Jaimie

Jaimie Goodwin has posted to her Myspace blog.



TOUR :-)

Hey everyone! Just writing to say a few things that have been on my mind. Tour's long and tiring but everyday is a day closer to it being over, and now we have ten shows left, I'll be honest..I'm sad.
Many of you have heard about the "drama" I'm sure. Well here's the thing situations occur EVERYDAY and you can choose to make something out of it or let it go. some people get along, others dont. thats just LIFE! the 14 of us have been together for the past 6 months. and 7 girls have lived together on a bus for 3 months. SOOO, If this is the first time anyone has had or heard of an arguement then we should all be REALLY THANKFUL!
Speaking of thankful. We're ALL REALLY thankful to be here. For most of us this has been something we've dreamt about for a long time. And to be living this dream at this point in my life is something i cant thank God or anyone enough for. EVERYNIGHT we get to do what we love, DANCE for thousands and thousands of people. People that aren't there to see someone singing in front of us, but they're there to see US!! That opportunity is rare, and we all know that. Some of us are excited to go home to spend the holidays with our familys and friends and all the people we love. I know I havent spent time with my family or hometown friends in 6 months. So, of course, we're looking forward to homecooked meals, and our beds. We've also got so many new and upcoming opportunties we're really excited about. We're all moving to different places, and starting new chapter of our lives. Things that were brought to us because of this show. So of course, we're anxious to get out there! But I couldnt be more grateful for what I'm doing NOW either. I've met so many people on the show that i'm gonna miss from the first day we leave each other. I love the people I'm with and I LOVE what I'm doing even more, and I know it's the same for the rest of the cast.

So thank you so much for coming to see the show. Thanks for putting us here, and thanks for all the love. :-)

Sending all of mine,
Jaimie



Travis and Ivan Improv

Uploaded by IvanKoumaev


Wednesday, November 14, 2007

PacMan Pushes The Envelope

Phillip Chbeeb continues to grow as an artist.
Uploaded by pacman

Travis & Ivan's Choreography

Denise Wall's Dance Energy performing choreography by Travis Wall and Ivan Koumaev at the NYCDA Nationals.
Uploaded by Ivan Koumaev


Behind The Scenes On Finale Day

Ricky Palomino takes us behind the scenes on finale day back in August.


Videos uploaded by RichardMarcelino


SYTYCD News Roundup

The Australian airing of season 3 of the US version of the show is reaching the finale. An article by Stephen Downie of news.com.au quotes Mary Murphy on the styles of dance featured on the show:

"But no one realises the hip-hop dancer is working just as hard as the ballroom dancer, who is working just as hard as the ballet dancer. They're just different styles," she says.

"Ballerinas who try hip-hop are like, 'whoa, that's not easy'. It forces bodies to move in a whole new way."


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Australia's TV Week also talked to Mary, along with Nigel. Mary again:
In the earlier seasons, you were judging and doing choreography. Now that you're a full-time judge, do you miss the choreography?

Choreographing was really stressful because you don't know who you're going to get. I had a lot of sleepless nights when there was somebody like a Musa [from season two] that didn't know how to count and couldn't follow choreography at all. Of course you want to do the best choreography and you're hoping that the dancers are going to get it, but there's a definite stress level. It's not like you've created the choreography and then you have dancers that can really follow through. A lot of times, you might get somebody who's a B-boy and has never really danced, you know? I miss being creative on the show, but I do love judging too. Now I'm getting to see every single contestant from the very beginning and I really enjoy taking that journey. I think Nigel and I are on the same wavelength and I think we have a dynamic cast as a result of that.


LINK


Back in the states, blogger Catherine Harvey went to the show in Grand Prairie and made the mistake of trying to out-scream a 12 year old girl:
After intermission, i thought i would give the girl a sample of what it was like to sit by a screamer. So every time she would scream, I would scream. Unfortunately, i think it made her scream more, and it made my throat hurt. I just learned to stick my finger in my ear at key times and I was able to enjoy the show.


LINK


Another blogger, Lydia Joyce, thinks the SYTYCD dancers are GOOD, except for one style:
They should just drop ballroom dances from the competition. Ballroom dancers can’t do the other dances (lyrical, contemp, etc.) well enough because they’re way too different, and dancers of the other styles haven’t got a prayer of making a (ballroom) partnership look like anything but a joke in the time limits they have, much less do anything approximating ballroom technique.


She uses some carefully chosen videos to make her case. It's an interesting read for those of us wishing to expand our dance horizons, though I could never go along with dropping ballroom styles from the show. Danny and Anya's Viennese Waltz anyone?

LINK


Here's another horizon-expanding post. Vance at Tapeworthy attended a National Ballet Of Canada performance of West Side Story Suite and other pieces. He posted a highly entertaining review, recommended especially to those of us who might be a bit hesitant to go to the ballet.
The first act was set to the love-it-or-hate-it music of Philip Glass, and while I always assume I won't like his "pretentiously modern" music, I forget that I actually don't mind it. In this case, I absolutely loved hearing it while the large company of dancers performed 3 different modern pieces that was just terrifically amusing and memorable! My favorite was the opening number which opens the stage to a white tiled back wall, harking the imagery of a subway station. Soon enough, individual dancers walk across the stage in every direction, until a moment when a single dancers dances out of the confining pattern of walking chaos, only to be joined by another. At moments, everyone on stage diverts simultaneously in the same manner before returning to their patterned walking chaos. The second piece was a beautiful and intimate ballet between two dancers but to be honest, I was more mesmerized by the line up of dancers in the background, all aligned and moving to the odd twinkling's of the Glass music. Just their walk was funny in a fascinating and amusing way and I loved the neat rhythm of the choreography.


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And finally, readers of BSYTYCD who are familiar with our friend and Danny-and-Travis mega-fan Loralyn, will be relieved to hear this. I have extracted a promise from her that she will not name any of her children "Danvis". The family dog, however, is still in play.


Pasha And Anya Interview

Murtz Jaffer at Reality Dish continues his excellent series of interviews with the tour dancers. Today we hear from the team of Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis:

Murtz Jaffer: I wanted to start with Anya. I think I read something really funny on your bio where it asked you what your favorite hobbies were and you said 'none.' It actually says that. I guess you are so busy with dancing that you don't have time for anything else. I wanted to see if there is anything else that you like (besides dancing)?

Anya Garnis: Oh no. They must have changed it because my answer was like 'I was studying speech and acting' so yeah, I am doing some different things on the side. Dancing is how we work and how we support ourselves, but besides that I have been taking acting classes as well as... (turns to Pasha). What's that face?

Pasha Kovalev: I was messing with Neil while you were answering your question!

AG: Yeah, I have been taking speech classes, working, you know, being from a different country and all. That's my hobby, I guess! (Laughs).


MORE

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Sabra Johnson, Dancewear Model

America's Favorite Dancer in a promo for dancewear maker Lanteri New York.
Uploaded by NYCDA

Jaimie Goodwin's promo for Lanteri New York is here.

Danny And Anya's Contemporary

Let's get back to some dancing. Danny and Anya's Apologize routine was recently added to the show. Here it is from last night in Grand Prairie.
Uploaded by AStar898


Review From Indianapolis

Susanna Foxworthy at Butler University's Dawgnet reviews the show in Indianapolis:

For some reason, to be a top male dancer on this show, you must also be extremely good-looking and have an amazing body that you show off at every opportunity. I posed no arguments to this and thoroughly enjoyed a night of original dances ranging from hip-hop to tango to classical.

On the surface, this tour is designed to be a shock to the senses, an explosion of original movement and color. But underneath, it also has the genius of talented choreographers who have come together to design truly beautiful dances.


MORE


SYTYCD Tour Coverage

Murtz Jaffer of Reality Dish is releasing interviews each day this week with a different pair of dancers on the tour. In his introduction, he states:

When the dancers arrived in Toronto, I spent a few minutes with each pair during the prss hour and interviewed them in detail. I can say in all honesty that I was easily the most prepared in the room...and that I challenge you to find more thorough coverage of the show and tour that has taken North America by storm.

Ahem...


Yesterday's interview was with Sara and Jesus. Today's interview is with Dominic and Shauna.
Murtz Jaffer: So let me start by asking you what your favorite performance was during the season?

Dominic Sandoval: Does it have to be ours, or can it be someone else's?

MJ: It can be someone else's, whatever you like.

DS: I think starting the week off with Lacey and Kameron's contemporary, I think that really set it off for me. It's still one of my favorite routines of the whole season, so I would have to stay with that one. The Mia Michaels one.

Shauna Noland: I would have to say that one of my favorites was Dom and Sabra's rumba. I liked it. I thought it was cute.

DS: I'd have to agree.

SN: Dominic did his cute little walks.

DS: And I had these pants on that showed my booty. You would have liked it too!

SN: It looked nice Dom. It was great!

DS: Got me some votes.

SN: Yeah.


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In an open letter to Nigel Lythgoe, blogger Sivecroi puts into words what most of us felt when we heard he wished to combine tours for So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.
This is going to mean a major increase in the size of the venue and the price of the ticket. I was extremely disappointed when SYTYCD left the intimacy of the theaters and was moved to arenas. The smaller the venue, the closer you can get to the stage. I want to be able to see my favorite dancers perform. I'm not paying to watch ants dart across a stage. Ticket prices right now are fairly reasonable for SYTYCD. Combine these two tours and in order to see my favorite dancers I now have to pay at least double per ticket.

Combining a dance tour with a pop star tour seems like a great idea on paper. But as a fan I would much rather just see the dancers of SYTYCD perform. What they get on the SYTYCD stage is pure talent. I don't want to pay to see American Idol stars in the same way that I don't even want to pay to see Dancing with the Stars on tour. I also don't want to deal with the crazy American Idol fans. I just want to see SYTYCD and deal with those crazy fans.

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This article in the Star-Telegram talks about last night's show in Grand Prairie, and says there is a second show tonight. Huh? Is that true? It's not on the schedule and I've heard nothing about any shows being added.

LINK


Lacey's Mom Speaks Out

Lacey Schwimmer's Mom, Laurie Kaufman, has posted the following to her Myspace blog:

How far is too far?
Current mood: angry
Category: disgusted Life
..> ..>
hello friends and family!
i received a call from lacey on saturday that was so disturbing that i really couldnt believe what she was telling me. through tears and crying, lacey told me about lauren physically abusing her and that she was frightened because 2 people saw lauren abusing lacey and walked by as if nothing was going on! not too add to the already fragile injury that lacey has with her knee, it was almost too much for me to bear as her mother! i couldnt physically protect lacey! so i calmed lacey down and then called a girl named ashley, who is suppose to be in charge of all the dancers! when she answered the phone, i thought i was talking to a 12 year old! i asked her how old she was, and she told me that she didnt want to reveal that to me, which meant she was very young! later on i found out that she is 19! a 19 year old is in charge of all the dancers on tour??!! youve got to be kidding me! after talking to her for about 5 minutes, she said that she had to go a try and fix the issue....i asked her if she would call me back when it was resolved....she told me that i could call her back!!! so then, i called jeff thacker....he is one of the producers on sytycd, and the tour really is his responsibility......

CLICK TO CONTINUE READING
he kept trying to make light of what had happened.....telling me that....and i quote...."girls will be girls!" well i will tell you, i didnt raise my daughter to treat people like lauren did to her....in fact, the way that lacey handled the situation is the way that i raised her....to be a lady! then jeff said i dont have to deal with you or this and hung up the phone!! hanging up on anyone is such a cowardly action....this then led me to believe that jeff would do nothing about this! he never reassured me that laceys safety was important and that i need not worry about lauren doing anything else to my daughter.....he did not even attempt to talk to lauren, he said that it would just make matters worse! really??!! are you kidding me!!! i realized that jeff thacker had no problem solving skills and was embarrassed by getting caught.....thus, hanging up!!! so, my whole family went to extremes to help lacey feel strong enough to go on! we got a lawyer, who is ready to take any legal action against lauren if she gets anywhere close to lacey.....we also have been informed that legally we can get a restraining order against lauren.....we have no problem or hesitation in doing what is necessary to protect lacey. i wasnt going to write anything about this horrific episode, but i had so many of you writing me and having concerns for laceys safety that i thought i would let everyone know exactly what happened! i am not doing this out of spite or anger, only to inform everyone. please keep lacey in your thoughts and prayers....tour should be a great memory and experience for all the dancers....how dare lauren try and take that away from lacey! our family is onto lauren, and will stop at nothing to protect our lacey! thank you all so much for all of your concerns....you have all been so supportive to lacey since the beginning of sytycd.....i never revealed any of this mistreatment that lacey was enduring during sytycd by lauren, we felt it would be better if we just dealt with it quietly, but not now! physical abuse is physical abuse.....and will not be tolerated by my family!!! lacey is such a wonderful young lady....she has made great friends with most of the dancers on the show....but lauren has never been one, and lacey has never wanted anything to do with lauren!!! neither does our family!

take care,
laurie kauffman




Monday, November 12, 2007

Lacey Blog Post

Lacey Schwimmer has posted the following to her Myspace blog. It appears there has been some behind-the-scenes ugliness.

even tho war has took its part....i know i have you...
Current mood: angry


so to sum things up for you i need to send an apology to those wo went to the lexington kentucky show.....i was not myself that evening due to this...in which i know you will all understand.

here it goes!

a few days ago in kentucky, wait lets bring this back.....to the tv show.... i had some problems with one of the girls on the show due to high school drama in which i decided to ignore and let happen.
so during the show would hear the comments comming from the hall the laughter comming from her room, their room. and let it happen because i dont like to get in arguments or yell and scream. so as i wittnessed bad behaivor happen i took a deep breath and ignored my surroundings focusing on you, my friends, my family.
so needless to say the entire duration of the show was not the happiest behind the scenes but all i had dreamed of on camera.
when the show was over i figured the drama would stop people would relax and get out of the competition mode... i guess i was wrong...things continued to drop with this person.

which leads me to a few days ago.

CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

im sitting on a couch with hok and in walks the girl....an hok leaves for a meeting so i quietly pack up my stuff to avoid akward conversation. as im exiting the room she asks if we can talk....for the first time ever. i replied with a calm ,"i do not not to talk to you." she laughs and says "we need to talk" i said "just becasue u had a meeting with the producr you now need to talk to me? i do not want to talk with you." as calm as i could. i then continued to walk through the door when suddenyl she yells while grabbing my arm. i then remove my arm from her strong hands to try and leave without conflict. she then procede to grab my shoulders and push me up against the wall. i then ask her calmly to remove her hands and let go of me then she say" grow the f**k up " i continue to ask her to remove her hands as she shakes me against the wall cussing at me tell me how immature i am . i then decide to shut up and stare at her to let her no im not fighting back. she thens asks" what is wrong with you why are you staring at me." i once again asked her if she would remove her hands before it gets out of hand" then she relpies "NO we are gunna talk" i raised my voice and said " i have nothing to say to you!" she then tried to closed the door while holding me to the wall...luckily the door was locked which gave me a chace to leave the room. in which she runs to get the producer to force me to talk to her. i run to the busses to grab my laptop and headphones to calm down. as im exiting the bus...shaking and crying. she walks in and pushes me to the couch and is yeling cussing and making fun of me..mocking me if you will. i sit up an try to walk out when she grabs me i said..."if you hit me i will PUNCH you" then one of the girls steps in and pushes her off me. i then go back to breathing and not talking as she continues to mock and yell. then 2 dancers walk on the bus and dont do anything.so finally to get away i call my mother on the phone to tell her THIS GIRL is cornering me in the bus so i wont get out. she starts yelling while im on the phone with my mom
security finally escorts me to a secured rom where hok enters as im crying and tryng to calm down then the producer walks in ...then BAM i get an anxiety attack...i bolt out the door trying to get a paperbag to control my breathing then they start chasing me s i run to some plae and i found a bathroom where i sat in the corner of the stall hoping nobody would find me trying to breath and calm down to call my family.
i finaly knew i could be calm and go on with the day after few phones calls from my parents in which they were hung up on and ignored.... so i figure this is a job and i have to deliver so i go to stage for rehersal....do the show...not talking to anyone because everyone thinks im just quiet for no reason...becasue SHE told a story in which i got mad about her wanting to talk to me.
after the show i figured maybe the produce would come up and speak with me maybe a dancer? everyone with the exception of a few people...just went along. which leads me to today.im apologizing to you guys in lexington if i wasnt myself.

being thrown round is a weird especially if you have never had that happen before.

its funy how tv can make certain people look a certain way... but in reality they are monsters.
just letting you guys know and im sorry!

big love
lacey




More From The Girls' Bus

Another one created by Sara and Shauna.


Thanks to Kristin for the tip.




Sara And Jesus Interview

Murtz Jaffer at Reality Dish posted an informative interview with Sara Von Gillern and Jesus Solorio:

MJ: What was your favorite performance because the one that stood out to me was the hip-hop routine to Salt & Pepa's "Push It."

SVG: Oh my god!

MJ: With the outfits and Nigel going crazy about the outfits.

SVG: It was so bad!

MJ: You didn't like it?

SVG: That was my least favorite. Like me coming from a hip-hop background you know what I mean, there's like so much more that we could have done with that whole like early 90's type feel but you know, it was the choreographer's choice.


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Sunday, November 11, 2007

Lauren and Wade

Lauren Gottlieb has been getting great reviews throughout the tour. Her stage presence seems to come across better to live audiences than it did on TV. Here she is in Cincinnati performing Wade Robson's Night Of The Dancing Flame routine with Neil Haskell.
Uploaded by Shannon03us

Wade has a new choreography reel up at his official site.

LINK