fan1999

It’s not the mistakes you make but how you handle the fallout. Being late can happen to anyone - sure, there are consequences and there should be but if Gabby handles the rest of the process like a pro she is more likely to get a good recommendation from Kelly if she wants to tryout somewhere else or even for DCC again. It’s unlikely that she will but you just don’t burn bridges in a small world like dance. All these directors talk.

I get that people hate her or whatever (and this isn’t just directed at this one comment) but you all need to chill. SO MANY non vets have sat in that first row. Even tcc hopefuls who then have not made it. I specifically remember 2 in the last couple of years because they were friends with my daughter and I was paying close attention but I’m sure they were not the only 2. Both did so in the first year they auditioned even when they were total “nobodies”. Also, if you get up to go to the bathroom OR are returning after your solo or after being interviewed and walk into the sitting area just as they are starting another solo, you grab the first seat available until it’s over. That is the most likely reason for VK to be sitting in two different seats in two different pics. I know that doesn’t fit with the belief that she’s rude and selfish but it’s still the most likely. I’m sure there are reasons to not like her so no need to make something out of nothing.

I don't disagree with this but I also think the show plays an unfortunate roll in the decrease in talent as well. As I said in an unrelated post, you can't put women on the team who don't show up and not nearly as many girls show up as they used to. A few years ago I thought it was just a result of women with no chance weeding themself out so they didn't get poked fun of on the show but for the last 4 years I've personally known someone (or plural) at tryouts and from what they have communicated, I think it's just an across the board decline. Look at HTC - they have a massive turnout every year and just about every team in the NFL has a larger turnout than DCC now. The one thing they all have in common is that none of them broadcast a reality show covering the tryout process. I think MOST of the women who tryout do so because it's a long time dream that happens to be a reality show, not the other way around. I think the reality show and accompanying message board and social media hoopla is a major downside for a lot of dancers. Year after year girls and women become more aware of the publicity and criticism heaped on women who just audition and less and less of them want to be subjected to that. If you just want to dance and aren't looking to catapult off your dcc status into something "bigger", the process of auditioning probably holds little appeal. And even if you brave the process and make the team, you are on a much bigger national stage as an individual now than in the past. There will always be the girls who do it anyway and I don't think the turnout will dip anymore than it has but I just don't think you'll see girls like Kelli Q anymore - girls who tryout 5, 6 + years - because it's way too public. Look at Cristi. She's been talking dcc since she was a kid and she molded her whole life till now around trying out. I have no doubt whatsoever that if the process was more private she would keep going or that if the process and been as "public" then (public and private aren't really the right words but that's the best I have right now) as it is now, Kelli Q probably would have quit trying long ago. For sure, most of the girls bring the attention on themselves but I think many of the girls who tryout now don't see it coming or don't think it will happen to them. i could be totally off but it's something I've been thinking on and off for the last couple weeks after I had a conversation with a couple of girls who had previously wanted to tryout for DCC in the next few years. They all dance on pro teams now and dcc was their next step. They were all in agreement that they are moving away from the idea of doing it now and when I asked why they said that they loved dancing on a pro team and the occasional incident of being recognized off the field or the little perks here and there with their employer or local businesses is fun but to have their whole life under a microscope - even after they are done dancing - is not something they want. They just don't want to trade their calm and still pretty private personal lives for that spotlight just to do the same job.

Racism isn't about being colorblind or not. It's about discriminating against someone because you think you are superior to them just because of your race. Someone suggested K&J broke the law by keeping Christina and cutting 2 vets who are poc. Other people were suggesting that qualified vets were cut because they were poc and even offered up Christina not being cut as proof of that. I believe someone even stated that Caucasian women are given more leeway than poc on the team when it comes to meeting standards. There have also been comments made about how few poc made it to tc this year. My original comment was addressing those comments and wasn't to imply that the poc on my city's team shouldn't have made it - it was to showcase that there are a hundred factors that go into the process and to target just one of those factors as "the reason" is unfair to the people making the decision. I used the poc on my city's team as an example specifically because it was the direct opposite of what people are claiming happened with dcc to showcase that the process can help or hurt anyone's chances to make a team and isn't tied to racism. They each struggled far more than any other woman on the team in the area I mentioned (just as Christina seems to struggle with flexibility) but they each had another factor that was far more important to the team than the one they struggled with and that was the fact that a section of the fanbase could relate to her. If there had been a greater number of oriental or AA or Hawaiian or middle eastern women who showed up at tryouts, the women who did make the team very well could have been passed over - or not. No one knows because there are 100's of factors and the prioritization of those factors changes from candidate to candidate. I don't know what Christina's X factor is - but for someone to suggest that K&J are breaking the law by keeping her over the other two vets is baseless.

No, not to the extent (or anywhere close to it) that these women did. If 150 poc had shown up to tryouts the way 150 Caucasian women did, I don't believe the women I mentioned would have made it to training camp. I really feel like you are twisting the point that I was making, which is that these decisions are made for marketing reasons and the public/fans think they understand the process but they usually don't. I don't disagree with the decision to include those 3 women. It's important from every aspect - but you can't blame the organization or the director for who shows up at auditions.

T That's kind of splitting hairs - the process is a product of racism but the organization and actual people who developed it, put it in place and execute it aren't being called racist? They are two sides of the same coin, imo, so I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that. I also didn't say (or mean to imply) that they had a quota or target -other than the natural one imposed by trying to hit all areas of the fanbase while still staying in their budget - it's much more abstract than that and again, doesn't have anything to do with the existence of racism. for all any of us know, they put every poc who showed up and met their criteria into training camp. Either way, they are not targeting, discriminating or limiting anyone because they believe poc are inferior to caucasian women and their decisions aren't in an effort to placate anyone who does think that. They put every single woman on that team for the same reason - because they hope a portion of the fanbase will relate to her. It's the same reason whether the candidate is white or she's black or she's Japanese or Irish or blonde or rail thin or bigger boned or short or tall.

I stated in the sentence that they are part of the team from where I'm from. I edited to say the team from my city so it's more clear. I was giving an example of the vast difference between what the fans think they know and what actually is taking place.

the team has a "look" to maintain because the goal is to make sure that every fan has a woman on the team that they relate to or find attractive or enjoy watching dance. Years ago I heard a pro dance director refer to it as "a girl for every fan". That's not racism, that's a successful marketing tool. NFL cheerleaders are a marketing tool - that is the sole purpose. Like it, don't like it, it's a fact. So when a director is looking at the makeup of a team, she is trying to weigh who is the best dancer vs who is the best ambassador vs who is the best leader vs who will actually fit in that tiny uniform vs who is mature enough to handle the role and follow the rules vs who has the work ethic and dedication required. So all of that plus how many redheads/brunettes/blondes/poc are already on the team is all part of the decision. Then you have to consider who shows up to tryouts - on the team in my city there are usually only a handful of poc who show up to tryouts that have the dance ability required. Last year they took a woman who struggled to keep up dancewise, another who struggled all year to fit into the uniform (and was pulled from the field several times) and one who had a nasty attitude and rolled her eyes at the director all the time. Would they have made it if they were not POC? Doubtful. Even still, comments get made all the time about how few poc are on the team and some believe the team should be 100% people of color because the arena is in an urban setting. Bottom line - you try to keep the general makeup of the team to mirror the makeup of your fanbase but also, you can't put people on the team who don't show up to tryouts. Again, because it's a marketing tool, not a platform for racism. Many of you think you know the ins and outs of Christina's position on the team but none of us do. She may struggle with flexibility but maybe she kills it in every other possible area. Maybe she's #1 on the team in everything else. That matters. Sorry but the idea that people are being accused of racism by others who have never once been the director of a pro team (some have never even been a dancer) and have never even MET the people They are accusing, let alone know them well enough to understand their thought process, infuriates me.

I haven't seen anything either way but I will say that from watching videos of some of the ice angles routines, it seems their style is closer to an NBA style than an NFL style. Some girls can do both, some girls can transition easily and some girls are just trained in a way that makes one or the other very difficult for them while the other style makes them look like a rock star. I think that's why so many AAIA (and Mavs dancers in past years) tryout and get through the first two rounds but die on the field. There is a big difference between making the choreo look powerful in a small setting and making it look powerful (while keeping style in it) on the field of a stadium that seats 90,000+ people. It doesn't mean they are very very talented dancers though.

Or they are aware (which we know they are) of the severe dislike for her so they decided not to put her through any more of it unnecessarily. I've gone back and watched videos from 2 years ago, ones more recent and also her comp convention videos and I just don't see anything but steady improvement. Plus she's 18 and there's a huge leap in style and power for most dancers at that age if they get the right coaching.

It's possible but I think it's just as likely she moves back home. She's super close to her family and has been missing her nephews growing up. She's home now for a visit - she did the same last year after she was cut. Her director from when she was on Shockwave and Pistons is the Director for the Lions now so it wouldn't surprise me if she goes that way either although her style is way more NBA than it is NFL. I don't see her giving up pro dance entirely though.

I totally agree with this and maybe a better way of saying what I did - the decisions don't always make sense and sometimes one vet is cut but the next year there is a vet with similar situation who isn't. There's so much that goes into this process for the vets that reaches far beyond what happens at the actual auditions. In that way they do have an advantage (if they have been a great team member) and maybe those times when it seems like there is no loyalty toward the vet, there's a reason we are not aware of. I would bet it's pretty rare that kelly and Judy go into auditions not knowing which vets are gone, regardless of what they say publicly. If there wasn't a TV show involved, they would probably tell them in their exit interview (end of season interview) that it's time to part ways - many directors do that to let a vet save face.

I know I replied directly to your comment but it was really toward everyone in general who is commenting about her trying out. I can't imagine a scenario where you wouldn't bother trying out no matter what if you are a vet and want to return. If you're cut, you're cut. If you don't show up you aren't on the team either. There are 100's of reasons why she might not been able to work on her weight the last few months. If a parent is dying, you aren't going to the gym every day for hours. If you have mono, you aren't going to the gym for months. If your life has settled back down, why wouldn't you just call your boss and talk it over? The only reason someone wouldn't at least try is if they are worried about what random people on the internet think. Like I said, we have no clue what has transpired between her and Kelly. I do remember her being called in but I also remember thinking she never seemed to look any different after that either.

I said this last year too - a meh or even poor solo is not going to get a vet cut. Not on its own. Not everyone is a soloist - doesn't mean they aren't a talented and dynamic dancer. Not everyone has 20 tricks in their pocket - which is fine because they won't use more than 3 or 4 anyway. It's nice if you have them and it can get you showcased from time to time but other than that, it's not as important as being able to dance DCC choreography. Also, just because you don't feel the energy from a dance on a video doesn't mean there is none. I remember when my daughter was in HS there was a soloist a few years younger than her who won everywhere she went and people gushed on about her. I watched a few videos and thought people were mad because she had blah technique in general but horrible feet specifically, her choreography seemed plain and pretty easy and she was boring to watch. We competed against her studio eventually and I kid you not, the girl was stunning to watch in person. I didn't notice her choreo, her feet or if she did any tricks. She was captivating and drew me into her story and I forgot to even pay attention to the rest. Later I went to show the video to someone and all the same thoughts I had before seeing her in person came flooding back. The video was awful. It took seeing her a few more times in person before I realized her energy, her "it factor" was not translating through the screen. Didn't matter though because the judges were watching her live. And now she dances on an NFL team and, again, people see her live. I've realized since that experience a decade ago that it's pretty common.