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.

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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.

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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......

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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

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.

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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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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.


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

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