S15.E01: Like No Other

[KoKo]

10 hours ago, TheGenuineBeauty said:

Here are some of my thoughts during Episode 1:

1. I am so sorry but there is something about Sydney that just rubs me off the wrong way. I am sure she's a lovely person in real life but I haven't seen it yet. Also in my opinion she looked sloppy in the pom dance video she submitted.
2. Same thing with Marissa except she's sounds immature and annoying. Also her reaction video to her making Training Camp, even though it was one second it was the weirdest thing.  I guess she has a lot of brothers, plus her boyfriend.  But her being around so many guys was kinda off putting for me. 
3. I like Jada's story. Even though I am not a fan of the sob story segments of the episode, it made me like her more. 
4. Annabelle is the highest scoring rookie? X to doubt. 
5. Kelly is the lowest scoring rookie, and they don't show her pom video? Another X to doubt.
6. During the first night of TC, Marissa dancing was all over the place in my opinion. 
7. I loved Elli and Jada. I think they were powerful without overdoing it. 
8. I don't like that K&J are having doubts about Kelly without actually showing us her making mistakes. From the little screen time she got I thought she was good. We'll see what happens.

Anyways that's it for now. Can't wait for Episode 2.

Spot on.  I'm going to add that I was really impressed with Dani ~so far, she's my fave.  She looked to have great power and her dancing skills appeared very "effortless". 

[CrazyMoon]

The process: they picked their top 20 to invite into camp...then we're back at square 1...review all 20 audition tapes to see where the real work need to begin...and get familiar...so those comments are geared toward what they'll do with the TCC when the girl is directly up close & personal. And I'm sure they referred back to the tapes when deciding if a girl has made enough progress to stay in camp or be cut. 

 

[TUOwl84]

I laughed out loud when Judy critiqued Sheridan for falling out of her turn. Yet when VK does, it is no big deal. 🙄

[MrsEVH]

Did anyone catch Judy accidently calling Alora Rose " Aurora"?

[JarlenaFan2023]

4 hours ago, madmax84 said:

It's free on CMT's site right now

Really? That's neat! Checking now.

[vanillagum]

3 hours ago, Pj3422 said:

Is Cassie the one who looks like a blonde Kristen? (Sorry, vanillagum, I just saw your comment. No, you’re not the only one.)

HAHAHAH it's eerie!

1 hour ago, Tuxcat said:

They chose the top 20 girls - based on their audition videos. Then we see a segment of Kelli and Judy looking again at the same audition videos (after the girls are in TC) and they say things like "Jessica - she's not competition ready" or "Cassie -she seems like she's going to be  one that struggles  "Amelia - she's all over the place."  - "Tori-  doesn't have extension or kicks."  Sooo the obvious question - why did you pick them? Were these the top 20 out of all those applications?

omg mte, i was cracking up. like what? these are supposedly the top 20 out of 1500, shouldn't they be perfect? 

honestly now i'm thinking that they deliberately pick people that they know will have at least a slightly hard time so that cuts will be easier and or more dramatic? because otherwise i just don't get it

1 hour ago, ElenaFR said:

First impressions:

1. Find masks that fit well. Not all that hard.

Sheridan's MASSIVE pink mask with stars on it at the beginning killed me. very effective

Edited November 25, 2020 by vanillagum

[vanillagum]

1 hour ago, WahooLAH99 said:

Yes. I have a friend who’s daughter is a Rockette. She takes the fall semester off to go live in New York. She picked Ohio Sate over other schools because they told her she could still do her program taking semesters off. Other schools told her missing the semester would not work because they only have certain classes in the fall, so she would never be able to finish. So depending on what you app are studying Andrew what school you go to, you could make it work. She also gets paid, so I have no idea why you would put yourself in this hell situation for no pay!

thanks for the insight!! 

and as for no pay, it's easy when your parents can fund you lol

50 minutes ago, KoKo said:

Not a fan of Marissa ~ at all.  She may have "power", but her body language is soooo immature, and YES, s******.  

she may have power, but she looks like she got lost on her way to dance moms. she looks like a tween

[WahooLAH99]

I am sorry this mask thing is ridiculous! If they are in a bubble what is the point of them wearing then walking into the room? Also why is rehearsal at 7 pm? They are just in this hotel all day! They could have rehearsal at a normal time. 
 

Was anyone else distracted by the slow motion zoom in? I thought some of those tops looked horrible. It was like boobs all over the place!

[LaurelleJ]

2 minutes ago, WahooLAH99 said:

I am sorry this mask thing is ridiculous! If they are in a bubble what is the point of them wearing then walking into the room? Also why is rehearsal at 7 pm? They are just in this hotel all day! They could have rehearsal at a normal time. 
 

Was anyone else distracted by the slow motion zoom in? I thought some of those tops looked horrible. It was like boobs all over the place!

I was under the impression that some of the girls had full time 9-5 jobs that they were doing virtually, so a lot of the girls may have been on their laptops all day long. Same for the ones taking summer classes. 

If they were all regularly tested and isolated, then the masks were more of a formality.  

[WahooLAH99]

21 minutes ago, LaurelleJ said:

I was under the impression that some of the girls had full time 9-5 jobs that they were doing virtually, so a lot of the girls may have been on their laptops all day long. Same for the ones taking summer classes. 

If they were all regularly tested and isolated, then the masks were more of a formality.  

Haha, I kind of forgot about on-line jobs. Which is ridiculous because I have been working from home since March! For some reason I just think most of them don’t have jobs. Also a ridiculous thought!

[sATL]

16 hours ago, Megan said:

Actually, whats the point of this season at all, we all know there are no cheerleaders.

One point I see in going though auditions and training camp it prevents complacently and keeps everyone on their toes.  And in DCC shape. To sit out a whole year with just doing the best you can on your own, probably hurts a dancer in the long run. Gotta keep on, getting better and stronger every day.

I'm glad the cheerleaders are able to perform in a limited capacity.

[Itswhatisaid]

6 hours ago, Kitkatkitty said:

Just watched it and I have thoughts!

1. It's very clear that they are not actually socially distancing and only wearing masks as a performance for the cameras, I wish they just made up some BS about testing everyone and nixed the masks- they're distracting 

2. I actually think Marissa looked really good, as good as the other "powerful" dancers they pointed out and I personally think she is cute. However, there is something about her that makes me want to say "bless her heart" and not in a nice way lol

5. For as much as Sydney has experience with being a professional cheerleader you would think she could blend her wig hairline better, sorry not sorry. She also doesn't seem as good as she should be for being a pro bowl cheerleader 🤷‍♀️

 

Yes! To all of this lol. I watched thinking to myself “just cut the crap already and forget about the masks. You’re CLEARLY not social distancing as you should” they all sat in the hotel hallway unmasked. Basically giving a middle finger to everyone’s health & safety.
 

Marissa is obviously young. Her body language says it all. She looked like a kid on Christmas every time the camera showed her face. 

sydney’s wigs are atrocious lmao. I wonder if she and Kat are swapping wigs 🤔. Both need to get it together. Sydney is just not easy on the eye. Her face looks like it was sculpted with  clay. She has very hard features that I can’t get on board with. They’re going to run with the pro bowl thing. It’s all they have to excuse selecting her. 

[TheGenuineBeauty]

2 hours ago, vanillagum said:

thanks for the insight!! 

and as for no pay, it's easy when your parents can fund you lol

she may have power, but she looks like she got lost on her way to dance moms. she looks like a tween

Marissa is a good dancer and I will never take that away from her. She has the power and the technique that the DCC is looking for. Sure she overdoes it sometimes but K and J mostly like that in a girl (for some reason) The problem that I have with her is that she looks too young, she acts too young, and she is too young (move over Maddie, there's a new Shirley Temple in town)

Girls like her and VK make me be in favor of raising the minimum age from 18 to 21 for DCC. But then again, we wouldn't have girls like Holly P. (who's an amazing dancer, way better than Marissa and VK combined even though she did get into that whole debacle) or Lacey (who was mature for her age when she tried out for DCC)

Also I was looking at the little bit of screentime that Kelly got in this episode and besides a wobble at the end pose, in my opinion she was good. Of course not as good as girls like Claire W. Elli, and Jada but up there as one of the best (Dani and Ashlinn were good too) So unless she messed up on one of the 17 routines that they showed K and J, then there is no way that Kelly is considered a maybe.

Also I dug up my list of TCCs that I would pick for the team if I was K and J, based on the audition tapes.

Alora-Rose
Armani
Ashlinn
Claire W.
Dani
Darian
Elli
Jada
Jessica
Kelly
McKenzie

And based on both the audition tapes and Episode 1 this is who I would choose:

Alora-Rose
Armani
Ashlinn
Claire W.
Dani
Darian
Elli
Jada
Kelly
McKenzie
Sheridan

So I kicked out Jessica for Sheridan. Sheridan stood out in this episode and Jessica was somewhat forgettable for me.

Edited November 25, 2020 by TheGenuineBeauty

[Tuxcat]

2 hours ago, WahooLAH99 said:

Was anyone else distracted by the slow motion zoom in? I thought some of those tops looked horrible. It was like boobs all over the place

This annoys me every year. They spend so much time zooming in -  slo-mo hair whooshing and extended boob bouncing ...  I hate that they favor hyper edited crap over actual dancing.

[aeroluv327]

4 hours ago, WahooLAH99 said:

I am sorry this mask thing is ridiculous! If they are in a bubble what is the point of them wearing then walking into the room? Also why is rehearsal at 7 pm? They are just in this hotel all day! They could have rehearsal at a normal time. 
 

 

It's not a true bubble, it's really irritating that they kept calling it that.  A true bubble would have had everyone quarantine from each other (and anyone else) for two weeks before they came together to rehearse.  In that case, they wouldn't have to wear masks or social distance from each other.  But their hotel wing would also be sealed off (nobody outside of the bubble entering, including hotel staff).  Instead, they're doing all of these weird half-measures like wearing masks unless they're dancing (even though when they're dancing they're breathing harder, sending particles into the air...).  It makes no sense.

Edited November 26, 2020 by aeroluv327
correct spelling

[MeeMee2]

Finally got to see the episode. First of all... I adore Jada! She's an amazing dancer and l really like that she wants to be a Veterinarian ( I work in the vet field lol)  I'm glad Kelly mentions her beautiful curly hair and how it falls when she dances. I  truly hope she keeps it and never switches over to a wig or weave. 

Amelia. Bless her little heart.  Adorable but on that ye olde struggle bus.

Marissa reminds me of happy little puppy. Seriously! Thats all I see when she was on screen. A bit too overly excited ...but girl can dance and has  technique. I know people are comparing her to Victoria...but Id rather watch Marissa over Victoria even this early on...

I am highly amused that Ultra Angels was left out from Alora-Rose's segment. It seemed like Ultra Angels and being a Rockette was a huge part of her dance history...but I get the go- go dancing is probably not good for the DCC mold she's trying to fit it.  I want to like her for some reason. I just do.  Hope she cleans it up and stop breaking her poms, even if that was kinda funny. lol 

Claire W and Dani are the total package! Really like both of them!

I'm sorry, but not a fan of Sydney's look at all. I need to see her post rookie makeover. Hopefully they soften her up.  She has such a overall hard look about her.

I'm so happy for Sheridan. I'm glad Kelli made it a point to give her a compliment about her confidence. She really did come back stronger!

 

 

 

[Ms. SW]

4 hours ago, WahooLAH99 said:

Was anyone else distracted by the slow motion zoom in? I thought some of those tops looked horrible. It was like boobs all over the place!

Someone's top was taped in the back with pink tape,,,,,

[aeroluv327]

4 minutes ago, Ms. SW said:

Someone's top was taped in the back with pink tape,,,,,

I noticed that, too, but I think it was a mike pack.  They probably tape them to keep them in place when they dance and use pink tape so it's (usually) not as obvious.

[EvergreenLove]

Holy skeleton, Charlotte. Truly scary.

[GonnahearmeRoar]

8 hours ago, Tuxcat said:

Right and the editing of those segments makes them seem a little dumb. "Most competitive season ever. More than 1500 auditions..."  They chose the top 20 girls - based on their audition videos. Then we see a segment of Kelli and Judy looking again at the same audition videos (after the girls are in TC) and they say things like "Jessica - she's not competition ready" or "Cassie -she seems like she's going to be  one that struggles  "Amelia - she's all over the place."  - "Tori-  doesn't have extension or kicks."  Sooo the obvious question - why did you pick them? Were these the top 20 out of all those applications?

Also just curious, Elli was dancing on a pretty rug in front of her garage. But then the next time they showed Elli in front of her garage the rug was gone.

And, the flowers in the planters are different colors. Maybe it is a three or four door garage? That home looks really nice.

[RyL]

Can't access my old account anymore, but luckily, this one got verified in time for the premiere

My general thoughts during watch-through:

• I actually kind of like the corny theme song bc it's so danged corny (hides)
• take a shot every time they mention something about trying to make the bubble as safe as possible all season long
• Phil showing up on the screen. Clever. I liked it haha; made me smile
• amused that K&J revealed that they haven't seen numbers like this since the 80s; previous seasons were pretty heavy on the "we had thousands/hundreds apply" spiel
• audition tapes were kind of meh when I watched them; if these are their top girls out of all the people who auditioned, I can't imagine how much worse the rest possibly are.
• second whoever the person was who said K&J actually seem excited instead of lowkey tired/fed up; is it authentic? time will tell
• really wish the music matched the dancing; hard to tell the musicality of each girl when it seems like no one is on beat plus the music was pretty bad
• Not a fan of the slo-mo camera. Got awk shots of Darian's back skin folding and bunching while dancing and Amelia's boob bouncing.
• I stg if they dare touch Jada's or anyone's natural hair I'm gonna be pissed; let ppl have their damn curls.
• I'm worried about how Armani's will be managed. I'm concerned she might get a weave and heat treatment, which I hope not bc heat damage is no joke. (Sidenote: I'm still mad about what they did to Brandi Kilby's "stripper" curls years ago. That one season where everyone's curls were straightened made me so mad!!)
• okay power duo! I see you! (about Claire W and Elli) I'm going to enjoy watching them perform when their group goes. Really grabbed my attention and my eyes stayed there.
• office visits will never not be awkward. I kind of hate watching them, esp when the girl is sitting there crying and it's just long awk pause.

My thoughts after:

• editing on point lol; can't wait to see what the rest of this season will cook up for manufactured drama
• camera angles were strange during the dances; it's pretty obvious who the show will force us viewers to focus on based on placement in the trapezoid for dancing in front of the judges
• Why am I getting the feeling that Judy is being fed lines? Stuff she said didn't sound like her own words for some reason, and after she says her little one-liner, it's like the camera can't wait to cut back to Kelli. Heck, Kelli kind of seems like she's staring her down.
• i hope they do keep the format where girls already know the dances going into TC, but I do like watching them learn dances at least in semis, so I hope that returns

Going by just the show, favourites so far are: Darian, Claire W, Elli, Marissa (spunky dancers, but understandably eye-catching because the camera focused on them), Sydney (seems like a fun and goofy girl), Alora-Rose (that shot of her abs got me)

Honestly the longhaired and blonde girls all blended to me and if they hadn't tagged their names, I would have been totally lost on who they were while dancing. Gonna have to rewatch to figure out who is who bc a bunch of them honestly look exactly the same.

Edited November 26, 2020 by RyL

[dccfangirl]

YAYYYY IT'S BACCCKKKKKK

2020 sucks but if they'd cancelled MTT I would have been done.

Thoughts:

1) There was too much of the virtual audition process shown but not as much as I'd feared

2) This show works best when they use real footage - staged conversations between KJ and between the girls don't work at allllllll

3) YAY PHIL

4) IDK why people don't get why the girls are wearing masks - obviously the hotel cleaning staff/chefs etc aren't living in the hotel so they're going home every day and there's still risk of exposure. I honestly think they did as good a job of bubbling as possible but it's not a true bubble because they're pretty impossible. 

5) I feel it's a pretty blendy group. Not many of them stood out to me - even reading people's comments you can see that people are confusing different cheerleaders with each other. 

6) They've done so much work I don't see why  they weren't able to hire a dance floor - seems crazy that they'll spend three weeks dancing on carpet.

7) Two of the girls looked way too stocky compared to the others - can't see them making it. 

8.  really wish they'd show more of the power pom/dcc dances at length (not just hair flips) and the footage of the girls side by side so we can compare technique and mistakes. Ultimately that more or less decides whether the girls make the team.

9) Seems totally bizarre/ implausible that they only spoke to one girl on the first night. 

[SassMouthin]

These were the 20 best applicants (WITH workable looks). That means only 40 real dancers applied. Loved how we jumped straight to rehearsing dances. The process can actually be done in 2 weeks if there wasn't a reality show.

Every trainee danced the routine differently, from head to toe, except for two. Think L'Donna hiding behind her papers. No, they don't need KaShara heaving herself back in to help.

Only 4 trainees danced with full limb extensions with snap, think Bridget. S****** it's not. Has nothing to do with height or age.

Can we have 36 Ellies, please.  Haven't seen someone dance like that since Jenna.

[sATL]

Were the 17 dances totally brand new? 

Wonder if one of the 17 was the field entrance - since at the time they didn't know about the on-field dancing regulations for the NFL season. If so - watch out Judy.... your precise teaching, of that one routine, might get outsourced to a video.

What happened to the returning group leaders - presuming at least one of the 4 returned? I would think they would have taught on the vidoes and/or been available to assist the candidates while they were in their respective conference rooms.

Edited November 26, 2020 by sATL

[Opine]

Finally watched it and SO EXCITED to have it back!  And after watching Ep 1, I can't wait for Ep 2 even though (as someone who reads the board daily year around) I am totally spoiled.  Yes there are made for TV moments and BS but no more than any other year.  One thing I wish CMT would do is label the TCCs constantly for the first few eps.  I get some of them mixed up.  TBS, here are my TCC comments:

1.  Armani - LOVE HER.  That girl is precious and her smile is real and darling.  The look and the dancing are good but that smile makes her my top choice.

2.  Ellie - Love her because she is a bean counter!  We're not all dull.  Am I right, @ByTor?

3.  Dani - That girl can dance.  Love her.  She is a total package girl.

4.  Jada - Same thing as Dani but she killed the backstory category.  Thank you for your candor.

5.  Jessica (I think) Hook em horns girl?  Oh so dull.  So dull.  So blonde girl never been told no conceited.  So cookie cutter. 

6.  Claire W - Dancing was fine, but I am not really seeing the look or spirit yet.  

and last but not least

7.  Dear Marissa - Wins the overacting award hands down!  Yes she can dance, but her prepubescent look and attitude are just grating.  But there she is, just like VK last year, in the front of every damn pic.  

8.  Amelia and Shannan - Have to give them a shout out just because they are Mr. Opine's favs.  He doesn't care about dancing, he likes dark haired girls.  Shannan was his favorite, but then they introduced Amelia.....

Edited November 26, 2020 by Opine

[parrotfeathers]

1 hour ago, Opine said:

Have to give them a shout out just because they are Mr. Opine's favs. 

Sitting here wondering--how did I miss Mr. Opine in the show?   Duh finally got it.

[LazySuzanne]

I was able to watch thanks to a few of you kind folks who helped me out technically 🤗

LOVE Jada!! What a kind and beautiful girl. Excited to see more of Dani she looked so strong and just might be my girl crush for the season. Her and Amelia!! Ellie too! And Shannon!! Ok...all of them are gorgeous! Ha!

[Tdoc72]

On 11/25/2020 at 9:06 AM, LaurelleJ said:

 

6. I was impressed/relieved with the editing. Even with all the changes, still felt like a regular Making the Team episode. 

I missed Kelli turning off the lights and tap-tap-tapping out of the room in her heels while summing up her final thoughts like she usually does at the end of a show. Always made me 🙄.

[Allison Lynn]

14 hours ago, Opine said:

Jessica (I think) Hook em horns girl?  Oh so dull.  So dull.  So blonde girl never been told no conceited.  So cookie cutter.

I felt this way, too - that she seemed like the kind of girl who had never been told no before.

I have to turn the volume off when the DCC:MTT theme song is on, because I get so much contact embarrassment from it.  I just can't listen to it at all.

I found Amelia charming!  I'm not sure why.

[Pau84]

27 minutes ago, Allison Lynn said:

I felt this way, too - that she seemed like the kind of girl who had never been told no before.

I have to turn the volume off when the DCC:MTT theme song is on, because I get so much contact embarrassment from it.  I just can't listen to it at all.

I found Amelia charming!  I'm not sure why.

You found Amelia charming because she looks like Wonder Woman!!!

 

[LaurelleJ]

9 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

I missed Kelli turning off the lights and tap-tap-tapping out of the room in her heels while summing up her final thoughts like she usually does at the end of a show. Always made me 🙄.

hahahahahaha. She turned off the lights in that fake studio right? maybe that's why I didn't notice hehe. 

[MonaMechelle]

On 11/26/2020 at 5:25 AM, dccfangirl said:

9) Seems totally bizarre/ implausible that they only spoke to one girl on the first night. 

If you go back and watch the scene, Michele knocks on a door on the 8th floor (room 8427) but Amelia opens her door on the 9th floor (room 9421). So I think the spoke with multiple girls but only aired the one conversation for whatever reason.

[go4luca]

9 hours ago, Allison Lynn said:

I have to turn the volume off when the DCC:MTT theme song is on, because I get so much contact embarrassment from it.  I just can't listen to it at all.

Right there with you girl.  That singing by Cassadee Pope is full on cringe worthy.

[CrazyInAlabama]

So by chance I turned on the rerun of the first episode, and I'm appalled.    When they're arriving at the Gaylord, just because you're wearing a cloth mask, you should still stay six feet apart, you don't run up, and hug everyone.  

Edited November 28, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kees080]

12 hours ago, MonaMechelle said:

If you go back and watch the scene, Michele knocks on a door on the 8th floor (room 8427) but Amelia opens her door on the 9th floor (room 9421). So I think the spoke with multiple girls but only aired the one conversation for whatever reason.

When K & J were discussing the girls it sounded like they agreed to speak with 3 possibly.  Apparently meeting with Amelia is the most relevant for the 1st episode.  Maybe it will make more sense in the next episode? 

[Gingi1976]

Random observation: where are the mirrors?  There doesn’t seem to be any in the ballroom-dance studio or in the smaller dance rooms.

[M1977G]

Love that Phil got to welcome the ladies to training camp! 

I won't rehash all the bubble and masks discussion, though of course it was on my mind as I watched, but I will say this: At least they put "The Bubble" in quotes on the screen when they first declared it as such when panning over the Gaylord facilities.

I am glad that we got to see every group perform a dance in this episode, even if it was disrupted by the slo-mo closeups that don't show much except facials and performance energy (and flying hair and bouncing boobs). @sATL, they were not new dances, or at least not all new. I recognized the choreo from episode 1 from previous seasons (maybe by Michelle Keyes?). But, they did show a half second of Lexie on film demonstrating the dance at some point when Kelli was explaining that they're coming in knowing dances. So, I think that returning group leaders and 2nds likely did record videos for the dances they were supposed to learn prior to arriving at TC. I kind of would have liked seeing a little clip of TCCs working on learning the choreo from videos like that. I mean, it must have been pretty challenging to learn 17 dances with no expert on hand to watch you and give you corrections. I bet it helped the TCCs a lot when the vets arrived and there were more people on hand to help them clean up small errors. This challenge probably only was compounded by @Gingi1976's point that there do not appear to be any mirrors in the small studios or "the pressure cooker." Mirrors are key to not only cleaning dancers' lines as individual performers but also being able to polish group choreo to be cohesive.

Seems like I'm sharing favorites with a lot of folks here! From episode 1, my favorites are Ellie, Jada, Armani, Dani, and Darian. From the audition videos posted on social media before the season premiered, I'd also add Claire W and McKenzie to my list of favorites, but I don't think they were really featured enough to have caught my eye in the episode alone if I hadn't watched the social media postings beforehand. I hope we get to see more of them! Marissa is a powerful dancer but I really don't like her look. At all. People are comparing her to Victoria here. I am zero kind of VK fan, but I would much rather look at VK, uber pink lipstick and heavy spider lashes and all, any day of the week than Marissa. Very hopeful Marissa and her seemingly 12-year-old face and personality aren't rammed down our throats as one of the most featured TCCs. Amelia is sweet and gorgeous, but she's lost, bless her heart. Cassie also is gorgeous but lacks oomph, and I rolled my eyes when she said she'd sacrificed a lot to be at training camp. She went to USC, and based on the view of her house in the videos, she did have to sacrifice anything to go there.

Can someone please fill me in on the references to Alora-Rose as a go go dancer?!?

[go4luca]

12 hours ago, Gingi1976 said:

Random observation: where are the mirrors?  There doesn’t seem to be any in the ballroom-dance studio or in the smaller dance rooms.

They are on the back wall we don't see.  Otherwise we'd see the crew and gear.

[sATL]

28 minutes ago, M1977G said:

 {snip } ... it must have been pretty challenging to learn 17 dances with no expert on hand to watch you and give you corrections....  {snip}

Was it per the guidelines that the candidates could not seek outside local help with the 17 dances to work on corrections ?

At the level most of the dancers are - it's not uncommon to know a private studio owner or location ( ie large room with mirrors and hard wood) that could open for private sessions - but still in the rules of the local shelter in place orders.

Or again travel to an area that did not have everything closed up. There were/are communities that never made the national news with rising rates.

Also - it's not unreasonable to think a family member or past team mate could have help.

Edited November 28, 2020 by sATL

[M1977G]

I didn't mean to imply they're not allowed to seek feedback from others--I honestly have no idea. What I meant was they don't have DCC feedback from Kelli, Judy, or the vets (unless they have a connection to the team, which sometimes ladies do), in terms of getting corrections and feedback from people who know the choreography by heart. I believe I read earlier that current DCC Kelsey knows one of the TCCs, and she probably could have helped even on Zoom and such, but for TCCs who don't have that connection, I think it would be very tough to learn all the choreo perfectly with attention to all the small details and precise angles and such.

[DCC-UK]

7 hours ago, M1977G said:

I didn't mean to imply they're not allowed to seek feedback from others--I honestly have no idea. What I meant was they don't have DCC feedback from Kelli, Judy, or the vets (unless they have a connection to the team, which sometimes ladies do), in terms of getting corrections and feedback from people who know the choreography by heart. I believe I read earlier that current DCC Kelsey knows one of the TCCs, and she probably could have helped even on Zoom and such, but for TCCs who don't have that connection, I think it would be very tough to learn all the choreo perfectly with attention to all the small details and precise angles and such.

You can get the main bulk of the dance from a video but definitely small details, such as foot placements, head movements and timing, are really hard to get. I’ve always much preferred to get feedback in studio plus with mirrors, you can see what you’re doing wrong and fix it! Sometimes it feels right but when you look in the mirror, it’s way off!

[LynneH]

 

I loved the submitted videos, An intro, a 60 second of their own. For Phase 2 DCC style Pom routine with high kicks and jump split.

I loved the fact that they had learned several dances prior to TCC.  I think this should be the norm from now on.

I loved the fact that they were in a hotel and all together for a few weeks and the team chosen.  I think this should be the norm as well. 

Yes: Jada, Annabelle, Claire W, Armani, Kelly, Elli, and Marissa.  I thought they looked like they were having a lot of fun performing.  Which is what I personally enjoy seeing.  I got to watch the episode for free on CMT.    

I liked Amelias personality, but she definitely struggled with the routines.  

No: Alora, Sydney, Jessica, Claire D, & Tori neither dance wise nor personality.

 

Here's how I ranked each grouping with Yes, Maybe or No

Group 1: Yes:  Dani, Jada. Maybe:  Tori    No: Alora, & Claire D.  weakest of the group

Group 2 - Yes:  Marissa, Annabelle, Cassie & Ashlin     No: Amelia weakest of the group

Group 3 - Yes:  Armani, Kelly, Darian Maybe: Mckenzie     No: : Jessica weakest of the group

Group 4: - Yes: Claire W, Elli, clearly outdanced the Maybe: Shannon, Sheridan     No Sydney weakest of the group

 

[scorpio1031]

23 minutes ago, LynneH said:

I loved the fact that they were in a hotel and all together for a few weeks and the team chosen.  I think this should be the norm as well. 

Great for rookies first moving to Dallas - not great for vets who have an established career, routines, significant others, etc

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I usually just watch the show and that's my entire exposure to the team all year. But of course I ended up in the 2020 training camp spoiler thread after I saw an article a few months ago so I know the big stuff that happens this season. Despite reading that entire thread, I didn't watch any videos of the TCCs so I had no idea who was a good dancer. Watching the first episode and putting names and faces to all the discussion in that thread was kind of surreal but it was nice to see what posters on the forum had been talking about!

On 11/25/2020 at 6:31 AM, Dtowngal5280 said:

Alora - rose (Amelia - not Alora-rose), her whole story about being from California, and living the good sheltered life,  - and then deciding to move to Western Connecticut for boarding school - what was that about?  Does she think being in Connecticut is slummin' it???

Hahaha, I had some similar thoughts after that interview segment. I was also a bit doubtful when she said she'd never seen snow before. She grew up in Dana Point which is a very expensive area of CA. Kids in those kinds of neighborhoods usually get ski week off (rather than one day off from school for President's Day) and Big Bear is a very popular place within driving distance to go skiing/snowboarding so it seemed a bit odd for her to say that. I grew up in southern California and just about everyone I know has seen snow by the time they're in high school, even if it's just a day trip to the mountains. But yeah, moving to suburban Connecticut for boarding school is really "exploring the world."

On 11/25/2020 at 7:43 AM, vanillagum said:

hey said more girls auditioned than ever since the 80s, but it's still not like everyone can just travel to TC, move to a new city, and make it work indefinitely with no money and no job. It's still a deeply privileged process, lol. I imagine lots of people just submitted 'to see what happens.' Like, as we saw from their montage, they had probably 1000 classic bad, no-chance-in-hell auditions to choose from. The TCC videos we saw that seemed unimpressive...no wonder they stood out 

I was rolling my eyes when Kelli bragged about the 1000+ girls who supposedly auditioned. I mean, we've seen how much she exaggerates about that every year and then we see the massive gaps in the numbers on the board so inflating the numbers is an annual tradition at this point. But after seeing most of the videos they chose to share on the show, I was like welp, if you got 1000 audition videos like that, then does it really count? Technically, yes, every video counts as an audition but give me a fucking break. We saw so many joke auditions that were clearly awful but if you want to count those in your "only the most elite girls try out" statement, okay.

On 11/25/2020 at 8:43 AM, Kitkatkitty said:

It's very clear that they are not actually socially distancing and only wearing masks as a performance for the cameras, I wish they just made up some BS about testing everyone and nixed the masks

 

On 11/25/2020 at 5:49 PM, aeroluv327 said:

It's not a true bubble, it's really irritating that they kept calling it that.  A true bubble would have had everyone quarantine from each other (and anyone else) for two weeks before they came together to rehearse.  In that case, they wouldn't have to wear masks or social distance from each other.  But their hotel wing would also be sealed off (nobody outside of the bubble entering, including hotel staff).  Instead, they're doing all of these weird half-measures like wearing masks unless they're dancing (even though when they're dancing they're breathing harder, sending particles into the air...).  It makes no sense.

ITA - for all of the official talking points about the bubble and COVID protocols and masks, within the first few minutes of this episode it was clear that it just that: talk. The alleged bubble and the very selective use of masks made it super obvious that it was all for show and none of it was actually being taken seriously.

On 11/25/2020 at 11:15 AM, WahooLAH99 said:

Yes. I have a friend who’s daughter is a Rockette. She takes the fall semester off to go live in New York. She picked Ohio Sate over other schools because they told her she could still do her program taking semesters off. Other schools told her missing the semester would not work because they only have certain classes in the fall, so she would never be able to finish. So depending on what you are studying and what school you go to, you could make it work. She also gets paid, so I have no idea why you would put yourself in this hell situation for no pay!

Some schools are a lot more flexible about allowing students to take a leave of absence. All schools have procedures in place for it which apply regardless of the circumstances (people use it for all kinds of reasons - to study abroad for a semester or a year, take an internship, or use it due to illness or a family emergency - but you don't actually need an official reason to temporarily withdraw) but unfortunately many of them do not advertise this information very well. My sister's university publicized theirs very well so all the students knew about it. At her school, it was called Planned Educational Leave Program and it was so well known that everyone shortened it to PELP and they would say things like, "Are you going to PELP next quarter?"

On 11/25/2020 at 12:20 PM, TUOwl84 said:

I laughed out loud when Judy critiqued Sheridan for falling out of her turn. Yet when VK does, it is no big deal. 🙄

Hahahaha, I laughed for the exact same reason!

17 hours ago, DCC-UK said:

You can get the main bulk of the dance from a video but definitely small details, such as foot placements, head movements and timing, are really hard to get. I’ve always much preferred to get feedback in studio plus with mirrors, you can see what you’re doing wrong and fix it! Sometimes it feels right but when you look in the mirror, it’s way off!

And it also depends on who teaches the dance in the video. Sometimes they forget to include a small detail like a hand accent. When I was a senior in high school, I learned a dance from the girl who choreographed it (she was also a senior). The next year, the dance coach decided to reuse a small section of the dance for part of a new dance. She had one of the girls who had been on the team the previous year teach that section to the new girls/review it for everyone who learned it the previous year. I was home from college and my sister showed me the new dance they were doing with the recycled section. I told her that she was missing a hip accent on one count. I didn't know if the girl who retaught the dance didn't mention it or if they'd taken it out completely. All I knew was that when I learned it the year before, it was there. To make matters worse, that hip accent was done while they were all in a line facing the back which means that my sister didn't actually see if anyone else was doing it because they were all beside her and her back was to the mirror.

Despite missing initial feedback, I hope that they take a note from this season and realize how much easier it is to have TCCs come in already knowing the choreography so they can work on cleaning things up rather than wasting precious time at training camp teaching the dances. I always wonder how boring it is for the vets to have to go over the old dances that they've done a zillion times.

[go4luca]

17 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

ITA - for all of the official talking points about the bubble and COVID protocols and masks, within the first few minutes of this episode it was clear that it just that: talk. The alleged bubble and the very selective use of masks made it super obvious that it was all for show and none of it was actually being taken seriously.

YES.  Thank you, thank you for getting it and pointing this out!

[HitItHarder..BAM]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Despite missing initial feedback, I hope that they take a note from this season and realize how much easier it is to have TCCs come in already knowing the choreography so they can work on cleaning things up rather than wasting precious time at training camp teaching the dances. I always wonder how boring it is for the vets to have to go over the old dances that they've done a zillion times.

So, I'm not a dancer, and I can only imagine how boring repeatedly cleaning the same dances would be. But would cleaning dances they already know be more bearable/necessary because they likely haven't performed these routines since their last home game (in January)?

I also wonder from a confidence perspective if the vets don't mind relearning dances during training camp because they know that they already know the dances? For dancers with memory issues, it's a chance to practice and perfect old material. For dancers who don't seem to struggle, it's at least a few routines that they won't have to worry about because they know they can perform the dances well. Although maybe being able to avoid long filming nights would be better than a confidence boost. 

Edited November 30, 2020 by HitItHarder..BAM
Clearer wording (I hope!)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was shaking my head over the fact that Kelli and Judy made sure to decorate the walls of the "dance studio" at the hotel with those giant DCC pictures (which I'm sure cost a decent amount of time and money to install) but they couldn't be arsed to rent a dance floor which means the girls have to turn on carpet for the entire training camp (which is bad for your knees and ankles).

43 minutes ago, HitItHarder..BAM said:

So, I'm not a dancer, and I can only imagine how boring repeatedly cleaning the same dances would be. But would cleaning dances they already know be more bearable/necessary because they likely haven't performed these routines since their last home game (in January)?

I also wonder from a confidence perspective if the vets don't mind relearning dances during training camp because they know that they already know the dances? For dancers with memory issues, it's a chance to practice and perfect old material. For dancers who don't seem to struggle, it's at least a few routines that they won't have to worry about because they know they can perform the dances well. Although maybe being able to avoid long filming nights would be better than a confidence boost. 

I was on the dance team and the show choir (the oldish version of Glee) in high school. In both, it was normal to recycle a few things from the previous year. The most common practice was using something from the previous school year at the beginning of the new school year when we were rebuilding our repertoire, and then once we had learned more new stuff, we would drop the older dances. In other instances, we would reuse very small sections of choreography from an old dance in a new dance (usually 8-16 counts) at the beginning of the year. I didn't mind reusing older material but I always felt it was a waste of time for me to have to spend three hours at rehearsal when I already knew the entire dance. It's been years since I was in high school and I still remember those routines, so back then when the choreography was even fresher in my mind I hated that I could have spent our three hour rehearsal block doing something else.

[Teriyaki Terror]

Most hated/Annoying DCC/TTC by season. I don't agree with all of these, I am basing them on what I've read on this board. 🙂

1.) Meagan Flaherty

2.) Meagan Flaherty

3.) Cassie Trammel

4.) Cassie Trammel

5.) Cassie Trammel

6.) Cassie Trammel

7.) Cassie Trammel

8.) Chelsey Chaney  

9.) Breelan Statham

10.) Kat Rogers

11.) Heather Hamilton

12.) Jenna Jackson

13.) Victoria Kalina

14.) Meredith Madden

15.) Marissa ??

[CrazyMoon]

23 hours ago, Teriyaki Terror said:

15.) Marissa ??

Garrison.

You're not wrong in these choices, other than we really haven't given Marissa any kind of chance 

[go4luca]

14 minutes ago, CrazyMoon said:

Garrison.

You're not wrong in these choices, other than we really haven't given Marissa any kind of chance 

I probably sound like a witch with a "B", but I don't plan to.  There is nothing about this girl I like.