Cuatro1234 July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 Oh, and I have to say, I thought that one contemporary group routine's choreography (the group with Jim in it) was more interesting than Travis's choreography in Vegas. For what it's worth :) 4 Link to comment
Morgan of Hed July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 RE: Denys's bowing out in consideration of not having his partner sit around for a year while he's on the show and on tour....wasn't this a consideration when he danced on the Canadian show? True, but the Nigel of the Canadian show was Jean-Marc Généreux, so you know he wasn't going to let ballroom take a second seat to anyone. Denys probably figured it was worth the risk, turns out he was right. Link to comment
Aethera July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 Nice to see the behind the scenes stuff from Travis - helps a bit with the context, though I still find him annoying. I don't remember that girl he's talking about, though. I'm rooting for Jim, Jaja, and then mostly the street team. A bunch of "who" when I saw the Stage team. I love the idea of 3 teams - I too will miss the ballroom dancers. Last season, Tanisha was one of my favorites no matter what style she did, and I felt she was booted unfairly early. If they did 3 teams, they could eliminate 2 dancers still, and that way the team thing would actually matter - it's so silly that they're evenly eliminating. It feels like 2 different shows to me right now, which seems stupid. I'm so unclear on the format. I took think the Standing O weight thing couldn't have mattered because I think the street team is just doing street dance styles, no? No lifts in there. 3 Link to comment
threeleftfeet July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 I have no problem with Denys leaving the competition. He's a professional dancer with a career; he made the right choice for his career at this point. I do have a problem with the lack of respect Nigel showed him. As an adult, you graciously accept the decisions of other adults. If I leave my job to work elsewhere, I expect my manager/supervisor to be polite, respectful and wish me well. Deny's actions are no different than my quitting my job - it inconveniences my employer, and means they have to hire someone else. If I heard of someone being treated with petulance and nastiness on departure, I would never work for that individual. I expect people in authority to act with class and maturity. The promos played that "you wasted our time" and cut to Denys frequently to set it up; It was churlish and nasty. What was the purpose? They knew, before those auditions were shown, that Denys was going to pull out. But, they made sure to feature him in all of the auditions and then foreshadow the leavetaking and creatively edit and make it as unpleasant and petulant as possible. The camera angles, cutaways, and staging made it fairly apparent, to my eyes, that they had created that dialogue with a specific effect in mind. If Nigel did indeed respect working dancers with careers, he wouldn't take potshots at someone who is successful and with credibility (actually, if he had any class, he wouldn't take potshots at anyone, but, I've realized that Nigel and class are two very disparate things). I'd actually have used a different arc to establish SYTYCD credibility: hilight Denys in auditions, emphasize how much he had "gained" from a SYTYCD win, and then get all "ooh WOW!" over his having to pull out to continue to be successful - and show the competition wins. Would have promoted SYTYCD as a place to grow ... instead of a place where you get abused and humiliated on national TV. They could even have he and Antonina perform a full-out DanceSport routine to generate excitement about how amazing real ballroom looks ... but what do I know, I enjoy seeing positive not negative on TV. I've seen quotes that professional dancers look down on SYTYCD and that many hesitate to audition as a result. I think Nigel just encouraged every professional, working dancer to NOT audition for the show. Denys quietly moved back into the dance discipline after he won, moving forward in his career and honing his art as a ballroom dancer. He used the money he won to finance his growth as a dancer. He didn't move to LA, become a backup dancer, or try to book appearances. I had actually always wondered what happened to him ... I'm very pleased and proud that he's as accomplished as he is, and that he's achieved all that he has. I'm also very impressed that he's got the dignity and style to not react to the nastiness of Nigel ... well done on Denys's part. But, YMMV. and I apologize for the long post 14 Link to comment
pamplemousse July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 Nigel is a nasty, immature lout. It's kind of funny because the show tried really hard to make Denys look bad, and I guess it succeeded some what (I'm always surprised at how people actually take stuff Nigel says at face value -- lol ok sure Denys screwed over the other ballroom guys by taking a spot that would've gone to one of them -- and believe the extremely phony editing and fake story arcs), but I think it ultimately backfired. It just made Nigel and the show look worse. YOU HAVE WASTED OUR TIME. Lord, what a ridiculous ego that man has. Poor Denys looked absolutely gobsmacked that a national tv show going on 12 seasons would be run by such a childish, petulant egomaniac. I suspect Denys is more used to working with people who act their age and not their shoe size. 1 Link to comment
Bubbles July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 I don't really understand the outrage around Denys. An audition is basically a job interview. Applying and competing for a job does not create a moral obligation to accept the job if offered it. It's not uncommon to apply for a job in good faith and then realize at some point in the process that it's not quite what you thought it was, or maybe isn't a good fit for you or isn't as good as other opportunities available to you. I doubt it was clear the extent of the short shrift ballroom was getting this season until late into Vegas week, and the week is so intense than the dancers hardly have a moment to think and reflect until the last round is over (i.e., right around the point where Denys started to express doubt). Denys is not responsible for the decisions that Nigel and the judges made about other ballroom dancers. They chose not to leave themselves a back-up plan, and it blew up in their faces. I'm glad they went with Jaja over Marie Poppins, who I just don't get. Every time they showed Marie Poppins in a montage of "Team Street ladies killing it at choreography" I thought she looked clumsy and awkward. When Asaf started talking back after his solo, Paula was trying to smooth thing over but Nigel said "let him talk". I think Nigel had tired of Asaf a while before that but was getting outvoted, so he figured this was his opportunity to give him enough rope to hang himself. I keep watching, but I'm not really excited about this season at all. 5 Link to comment
Mason July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 Oh, and I have to say, I thought that one contemporary group routine's choreography (the group with Jim in it) was more interesting than Travis's choreography in Vegas. For what it's worth :) Denys was the other guy in that group. Link to comment
Mason July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) RE: Denys's bowing out in consideration of not having his partner sit around for a year while he's on the show and on tour....wasn't this a consideration when he danced on the Canadian show? That was quite a few years ago. Likely, their joint career wasn't on the trajectory it is now. Edited July 9, 2015 by Mason Link to comment
ToxicUnicorn July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 I'm really excited about Jim K. the ballet dancer. He may very well be my favorite ballet guy ever, and by miles. I don't remember blond ballet guy at all. What was his name and where did we see him? The only person I've loved in ballroom since Pasha in Season 3 has been Paul K. (of Paul-McKenzie in Season 10), and I can't think of very many ballroom pieces which have stood out (in a good way) for many seasons. (I am not counting Argentine tango, for which there have been several nice ones.) All of which is to say, like others upthread, I'm not too broken up about Denys since he was highly unlikely to get a true ballroom routine anyway. Link to comment
rollerblade July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 Argentine Tango isn't Ballroom Ack! How dare you?! lalalalalala *plugs ears* (or rather, eyes) Ok ok, it's not ballroom in the traditional sense, but I'm more than willing to call it so, while boarding the hot tamale train full of squealing piggies.... if they do it like Brandon & Janette. Oh mama! https://youtu.be/p7pPjV5nbz8?t=47s Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 .......I won't beat a dead horse about the Denys stuff, but he should have made his decision sooner. There could have been a dancer cut in an earlier round who may have been able to pull it out, but was sent home instead of him...... It looks to me as though Denys decided to withdraw when Antonina was cut. That is just a gut feeling with no factual information about it. Link to comment
emmapants July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 I don't really understand the outrage around Denys. An audition is basically a job interview. Applying and competing for a job does not create a moral obligation to accept the job if offered it. It's not uncommon to apply for a job in good faith and then realize at some point in the process that it's not quite what you thought it was, or maybe isn't a good fit for you or isn't as good as other opportunities available to you. I doubt it was clear the extent of the short shrift ballroom was getting this season until late into Vegas week, and the week is so intense than the dancers hardly have a moment to think and reflect until the last round is over (i.e., right around the point where Denys started to express doubt). Ok, I guess I will beat the dead horse about Denys, lol. On the one hand, you're absolutely right. However, this isn't a regular audition and you have to know that going in. Especially someone who has been through it before. People quit their jobs just to audition, so it just seems silly to me for Denys to not have taken his career into consideration earlier, and to have been banking on Antonina getting in as well. And of course we just saw the edited version, but he never said to the judges, "Oh my ballroom career..." He said, "Oh the show not doing ballroom" and "oh Antonina got cut". At least that was all we saw. Could be a different story really. I thought it has already been established that the Top 20 were notified by a phone call......not the actual green mile that was aired for us to see. What we were shown as "moving on to the next round" was probably the cuts before "green mile".... maybe Top 30. So, in actuality, Denys really didn't wait to withdraw at green mile but before that point. It is amazing how the show is edited, isn't it? That would make a lot more sense based on how the green mile was edited around. There seemed like a lot of dancers we didn't see get the news. Link to comment
Andie1 July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) Ack! How dare you?! lalalalalala *plugs ears* (or rather, eyes) Ok ok, it's not ballroom in the traditional sense, but I'm more than willing to call it so, while boarding the hot tamale train full of squealing piggies.... if they do it like Brandon & Janette. Oh mama! https://youtu.be/p7pPjV5nbz8?t=47s That's a nice memory.... truly beautiful!!. Ballroom pros will tell you that they don't know Argentine, and they really don't. They tend to infuse the dance with Ballroom Tango, staccato movement, often the head snaps, arrogant demeanor and dance position of Ballroom Tango, which has nothing to do with Argentine. And that's perfectly natural, as a person who was taught Ballroom Tango I see it and it is a whole different attitude. Ballroom Tango is a marching style around the ballroom, Argentine Tango is an intimate conversation without intense fierceness there's more poetry in the connection between the partners . Having said that, I recognize there has been an appealing hybrid developed on SYTYCD and DWTS so it's an interesting mix.. As long as we get Argentine Tango experts like Leonardo and Miriam then I'm good with it. I would never expect Miriam and Leonardo to teach any of the 10 Ballroom dances, so I don't wish to see a Ballroom pro teach Argentine on this show, even though it happens, sort of like when Travis tries to give Ballet choreography..just not the real deal.. BTW that piece is probably one of the best examples of truly great Argentine show dances ever on SYTYCD ..IMHO Edited July 9, 2015 by Andie1 2 Link to comment
Andie1 July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) It looks to me as though Denys decided to withdraw when Antonina was cut. That is just a gut feeling with no factual information about it. Travis did say that Denys wanted to be with Antonina, as a reason in his blog. I can only speculate, but when they cut Antonina that sealed it, since Antonina being a grad of NYU film school would have been perhaps the most interested of the two in pursuing a commercial venture like SYTYCD, since Denys has already been there. I don't know Denys but he seems to have a generous soul and would want the best for the partnership, and with her acting ability that could have been highlighted this season with or without him in the mix. It would be important for them as a partnership to get through the try-outs, after that my guess is Denys would have been willing to back out if Antonina got in. Unfortunately it was just easier to cut her since she doesn't have the show history that he does. To cut Denys would be to negate an entire season of SYTYCDC watchers. So he needed to drop out, and the show was more than willing to see that happen. I will speculate further and say that the show didn't want ballroom at all this season, and when Denys tried out it was "oh crap what are we going to do now?" scenario. I could definitely see the showrunners manipulating: First of all play down the fact that Denys won in another country, don't show Denys and Antonina dancing together, don't talk about Denys' amazing Broadway round but play up the injured kid instead. Exploit the girlfriend/boyfriend relationship, and for heaven's sake keep ballroom out of Vegas. There. A great way for Denys to exit. Shit on the person, not the dance style. Make him the petulant child of dance. Travis can then defend his "we tried to keep ballroom on the show" bs and act like he means it. Edited July 9, 2015 by Andie1 1 Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) I won't beat a dead horse about the Denys stuff, but he should have made his decision sooner. There could have been a dancer cut in an earlier round who may have been able to pull it out, but was sent home instead of him. I have a feeling the straw that broke the camel's back with regards to Denys deciding to withdraw was Antonina's cut from the competition. I don't know for sure but he may have seen the writing on the walls that he would not be able to showcase his talents in Latin Ballroom this season with the new format. (No ballroom round in Vegas and no expert ballroom judge on the panel) From what I have read, Denys had five ballroom routines in the SYTYCD Canada show which he did eventually win. As for Nigel and Co. eliminating another ballroom dancer because they planned to put Denys in the Top 20.......they could have easily called back one of the ballroom dancers if they really did want at least one token ballroom dancer in their Top 20. It is Nigel's show and he can do anything he wants. Why make Denys feel as though it was his fault that the other ballroom dancers did not have a chance to be cast for the show. They have called back other eliminated dancers in the past for one reason or another. They could have easily called back another dancer to take Denys' place. Edited July 9, 2015 by luvthepros Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) ........ Ballroom used to be a benchmark for whether a dancer was good enough to go far in the competition. And it was entertaining to see the contestants stress about it ........ Yes, agree with this totally. It was the ballroom routines that would separate the men from the boys (just a silly expression). It was so wonderful to see a male ballroom dancer elevate his non ballroom partner and make her look good. Pasha anyone? Edited July 9, 2015 by luvthepros 4 Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 That's on the show, though. Denys did not make them place all their eggs in his basket. There have been multiple seasons where injury or contract issues have caused someone who was meant to go through Top 20 to not go through, leading to a replacement. Nigel et al know that they can't assume a dancer they intend for Top 20 will be able to make it on the show, and they had to understand that when they cut Antonina, they would make the choice harder for Denys than it otherwise would be. They should have had the foresight to keep one of their other excellent ballroom choices in play until they knew what Denys was going to do. The voice of reason. This is what I've been trying to say but you said it so much better. Thank you. 2 Link to comment
PhD-Purgatory15 July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) Just to clarify my earlier thoughts on Alexia and Kate, they are both female fodder for Team Stage according to what the show has shown us so far. Kate's Travis connection isn't yet known to the wider audience. She wasn't even referenced by name until the group round in Vegas. I'm not sure Alexia was ever named until she made top 20. Compare that to Gaby and Marrisa who we saw literally every step of the process and Hailee who at least had her initial audition aired. So in this context they are fodder....but as Katheryn or Tiffany Maher have demonstrated, you can be fodder right up until you're not anymore. The fact that Kate's a striking ginger definitely may help her standout next week. A pairing w/ Jim K. wouldn't hurt her chances either... Edited July 9, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15 Link to comment
Caelicola July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 Ok, I guess I will beat the dead horse about Denys, lol. On the one hand, you're absolutely right. However, this isn't a regular audition and you have to know that going in. Especially someone who has been through it before. People quit their jobs just to audition, so it just seems silly to me for Denys to not have taken his career into consideration earlier, and to have been banking on Antonina getting in as well. And of course we just saw the edited version, but he never said to the judges, "Oh my ballroom career..." He said, "Oh the show not doing ballroom" and "oh Antonina got cut". At least that was all we saw. Could be a different story really. Why, oh, why can't I just shut up about this? I must have some sort of compulsion, I swear, and it must be getting pretty boring to read my posts, since they're all very similar, I'm sorry. In any case, this is how I would put it: he went for an audition with his partner; he thought it was one thing, because he had had previous experience that suggested it would be that thing; it turned out to be completely different, and not something that he's particularly interested in or qualified for; it also turned out that his specific qualifications aren't really valued by the people in charge. As long as his partner was there with him, why not go along with it, have a new, exciting experience together, learn new things, be seen by a large audience. When his partner gets sent home, however, he'd end up stuck doing something that isn't what he decided to do with his life, doesn't particularly like what he's decided to do with his life, and leaves his partner in the very annoying, humiliating position of having to wait at home for his return without being able to train and grow herself. He's already done it -and won it- once before, he knows both how rewarding it can be AND how difficult it was, after his return, to get back into the competitive world (they had a couple tough years before starting to climb up the ranks again). And I think he realized that it wasn't even going to be that rewarding, this time around. So I think the two things compounded one another: leave Antonina to twiddle her thumbs to do something that doesn't place much value into what he loves. Change either of those propositions and the outcome probably changes. 2 Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) From Travis' blog: Travis mentioned in his blog that there is one dancer who will not be dancing in their style but all will show what they can do. Would that dancer possibly be Gabby Diaz who is the tapper? Why not allow Gabby to tap? From what Travis says, Gabby is cross trained but she auditioned as a tapper. Maybe I'm reading way to much into that statement, though. Edited July 9, 2015 by luvthepros Link to comment
WhineandCheez July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 I don't understand that if you cannot come back next year if you made it though the Green Mile (Top 20) and then were cut, how can you come back if you WON the whole thing--albeit in another country. Logic does not correlate. 2 Link to comment
pamplemousse July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) Does anyone know if they are even going to do partners? And if they are is it going to be the same partners for several weeks and then all-star partners like previous seasons? And are team stage going to be partnered with each other only and same for team street? Because that could get messy (well, messier). So many questions, so few answers thus far. Edited July 9, 2015 by pamplemousse 1 Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 But if they're only sticking to stage choreography for the Stage team and street choreography for the Street team, there's no Street equivalent of ballroom. It wouldn't be fair to throw partnering at one half of them during Vegas week and not the other half. I understand why they didn't have any ballroom, if they're sticking to this new format. Problem is, it takes skill to partner. Partnering includes lifts and it is dangerous for both partners if one or both of the pair have no clue how to partner. I honestly think it was a dreadful mistake not to have the contestants prove they can partner. Why have the train wrecks on the live shows? Those folks who can not partner should have been weeded out long before Top 20. Sorry, Nigel...I don't think your new format is going to make for good TV. 8 Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 RE: Denys's bowing out in consideration of not having his partner sit around for a year while he's on the show and on tour....wasn't this a consideration when he danced on the Canadian show? My thoughts exactly. I didn't watch the Canadian show but was Antonina on that show too in Denys' season? I have watched all of Denys' routines on the Canadian show on YouTube. OMG....that one armed lift during the Salsa is so amazing for a man small in stature as Denys is. I'm so disappointed I won't get to see him on my TV every week on the US show. 2 Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 .....I'm so unclear on the format. I took think the Standing O weight thing couldn't have mattered because I think the street team is just doing street dance styles, no? No lifts in there. Nigel has said in interviews that once the live shows begin and the Top 20 begin competing, all contestants will be performing all styles, including Latin Ballroom. They will pair dancers from Team Street with dancers from Team Stage. Seems a lot like the old format once they start the live shows. Link to comment
Caelicola July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) I don't understand that if you cannot come back next year if you made it though the Green Mile (Top 20) and then were cut, how can you come back if you WON the whole thing--albeit in another country. Logic does not correlate. I don't particularly agree with opening the show to contestants from other countries' version of the show, but I think the difference is that they would have been exposed to very different audiences. I mean, the hardcore fans look online for clips from other countries' versions, but the general audience, the larger part, doesn't, and has probably very little knowledge of the fact that international versions even exist. That's more true for the Armenian version than the Canadian one, but I still don't think that a significant part of the voting public would have recognized Denys and voted for him out of loyalty. My thoughts exactly. I didn't watch the Canadian show but was Antonina on that show too in Denys' season? Nope, she wasn't, and didn't even try out; but they were at a very different level in their career back then. It's like the difference between an athlete taking a year off when competing at a regional level compared to someone taking a year off when competing at an international level: the stakes are much higher for them now. Edited because the way I had it phrased was appallingly xenophobic. Edited July 9, 2015 by Caelicola 1 Link to comment
Tara Ariano July 9, 2015 Author Share July 9, 2015 In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode! So You Think You Can Dance Finally Has A Wake-Up Cull In Vegas / In what feels like three months into the season, we finally get our Top 20. 2 Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) Travis did say that Denys wanted to be with Antonina, as a reason in his blog. I can only speculate, but when they cut Antonina that sealed it, since Antonina being a grad of NYU film school would have been perhaps the most interested of the two in pursuing a commercial venture like SYTYCD, since Denys has already been there. I don't know Denys but he seems to have a generous soul and would want the best for the partnership, and with her acting ability that could have been highlighted this season with or without him in the mix. It would be important for them as a partnership to get through the try-outs, after that my guess is Denys would have been willing to back out if Antonina got in. Unfortunately it was just easier to cut her since she doesn't have the show history that he does. To cut Denys would be to negate an entire season of SYTYCDC watchers. So he needed to drop out, and the show was more than willing to see that happen. I will speculate further and say that the show didn't want ballroom at all this season, and when Denys tried out it was "oh crap what are we going to do now?" scenario. I could definitely see the showrunners manipulating: First of all play down the fact that Denys won in another country, don't show Denys and Antonina dancing together, don't talk about Denys' amazing Broadway round but play up the injured kid instead. Exploit the girlfriend/boyfriend relationship, and for heaven's sake keep ballroom out of Vegas. There. A great way for Denys to exit. Shit on the person, not the dance style. Make him the petulant child of dance. Travis can then defend his "we tried to keep ballroom on the show" bs and act like he means it. What I'm seeing on this and other forums is Denys has riled up a lot of discussion. More than any other contestant by far! I read disdain for the show in many posts, this one included. I'm in agreement will all of you who would have loved to see Denys compete on the US show. https://youtu.be/p7pPjV5nbz8?t=47s Here are Miriam and Leonardo performing to the same music they choreographed for Jeanette and Brandon. Miriam and Leonardo are stunning. (Yes, that is Michael Flatley as host)..... https://youtu.be/NBBo81MG2k4 Edited July 9, 2015 by luvthepros Link to comment
luvthepros July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 I don't understand that if you cannot come back next year if you made it though the Green Mile (Top 20) and then were cut, how can you come back if you WON the whole thing--albeit in another country. Logic does not correlate. The key phrase is "another country". I believe that is the reason a dancer can audition for our US show. Does anyone know if they are even going to do partners? And if they are is it going to be the same partners for several weeks and then all-star partners like previous seasons? And are team stage going to be partnered with each other only and same for team street? Because that could get messy (well, messier). So many questions, so few answers thus far. I've read that Team Street dancers will be paired with Team Stage dancers. That is all I know, however. I don't know if the pairs will change every week. Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) I kind of saw it coming that Denys would leave the competition. I knew before he went to tell the judges, which is why my reaction on camera was kind of like, “Well, I wish you the best.” We were trying to keep ballroom dancers on the show. His point of view, I guess, was to be with Antonina, but he worded it like we’re not doing as much ballroom, and we are. You still have to do tango and salsa and all of the ballroom styles — you just don’t have to do ballroom in Vegas. If he wanted to leave, that’s great. Please exit the competition and open up a spot. I’m so happy for the person who made it in his place, because he wanted to be there so badly.First I will cut Travis a tiny bit of slack because he is not a producer for the show and making format decisions, but I still have major issues with the two bolded parts. You giys were trying to keep ballroom dancers (PLURAL) on the show? It is not Denys's fault that out of 20 finalists, they chose ONE ballroom dancer. If you really want to keep ballroom dancers on the show then maybe you should have more than 5% of your finalists in that genre. I also can't wait to see what constitutes "all of the ballroom styles" besides salsa amd tango. In one of the interviews with Nigel, he said that there would be different small groups (meaning not the same groups every week) instead of season long partners. I don't know if they are still doing that format though. Plus I never really believe what Nigel says until I actually see it. Edited July 9, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo 2 Link to comment
Pallida July 9, 2015 Share July 9, 2015 (edited) Here's a link to tWitch's commentary on the top 20 episode. The following passage struck me. And I will say that somebody I really miss and hope comes back is Christy — she had pink braided hair. She is one of my favorites. I wish we could’ve had her, but hopefully she’ll come back. The show made a difference for her — even talking to her now, she’s saying, “It changed my life. It changed my perspective on things.” Especially in the street community, if you don’t get something, your pride jumps in, but if you can learn something, it makes your training better. That’s what it’s about. I know I asked if anybody knew who the lady with the pink braids was in a previous episode, and I believe someone else commented on her too. She was shining during group clips of choreography, yet didn't really get much airtime. This makes me wonder if she didn't make it because she didn't fit a desired image (from the producers....) or if something else was going on. ETA: I found the previous while looking for another quote, and then forgot to include it! A few weeks back, tWitch said this in another blog post: There were actually a lot of girls in the highlighted clips who I can’t say by name just yet, but it’s going to be a strong season for the girls. It doesn’t necessarily have to be five girls and five guys on each team this year. We’re not pairing off guy-girl like we did in past seasons. This season, it’s going to be group dances, trios, duets—things like that. Anything goes. Edited July 9, 2015 by Pallida 2 Link to comment
pamplemousse July 10, 2015 Share July 10, 2015 So I'm guessing the audience will be able to vote for the contestants as individuals from the very beginning? Link to comment
WhineandCheez July 10, 2015 Share July 10, 2015 And I will say that somebody I really miss and hope comes back is Christy — she had pink braided hair I mentioned her as being as good as Standing O, and alas, she also was a bigger lady and therefore didn't make it so the Fly Girls could be there for Nigel to salivate over. Christy MAY have been the one punching the wall in one quick clip? I don't know the the show is disorganized, they changed the format structure between the auditions and Vegas Week or is Nigel is being specifically obtuse. Because they have said many versions of what is going to happen starting next week--you dance your own category, you dance all categories, teams, partners. I specifically remember several Street dancers who said this year alone they finally tried out because they would just be doing street--Standing O said that and several male animators. And now they are going to have to go up against the flailing competion kids doing contemporary. Its all befuddling. 2 Link to comment
realdancemom July 10, 2015 Share July 10, 2015 I mentioned her as being as good as Standing O, and alas, she also was a bigger lady and therefore didn't make it so the Fly Girls could be there for Nigel to salivate over. Christy MAY have been the one punching the wall in one quick clip? I don't know the the show is disorganized, they changed the format structure between the auditions and Vegas Week or is Nigel is being specifically obtuse. Because they have said many versions of what is going to happen starting next week--you dance your own category, you dance all categories, teams, partners. I specifically remember several Street dancers who said this year alone they finally tried out because they would just be doing street--Standing O said that and several male animators. And now they are going to have to go up against the flailing competion kids doing contemporary. Its all befuddling. I also thought Christy was good. I liked the bits of her solo that they showed and she seemed to pick up choreography. Yes, Standing O and Christy don't fit the image that Nigel/TPTB wanted. I don't think it was Christy that hit the wall though. There was another bigger girl with just black braids (Christy had pink while Standing O had some lighter streaks in her hair) that you can see glimpses of in the NappyTabs round and I think I've seen her in other rounds too. I think the show is just making up rules as it goes along. That's why I think Denys thought there would be more ballroom. Based on the spoiler, I don't think that person should have been the replacement. There were other people on the team that were better. 1 Link to comment
Shades of Red July 10, 2015 Share July 10, 2015 As much as I would love seeing Denys dance again, I have to say after reading so many comments about his partner and the implications for their careers, I'll agree it was a good choice. I'm going to echo everyone who said there was no need to give him the edit he got. Have some class show. He's not the first person who has had to be replaced. They have replaced people (don't remember names or seasons) because their ballet company wouldn't release them from a contract (male dancer a few years back), someone couldn't get a visa in time, injuries etc etc. It was tacky to throw Denys to the wolves and make it seem as if it was his fault no other ballroom dancer got in. Not too sure what kind of format the show is going to give us this year and honestly I don't think they know either. I'd be willing to bet they will gauge things each week and then make decisions based on ratings and votes for the dancers. It would be nice to see some different styles on this version of the show like House. Any time this was presented on the Canadian version it was terrific and well done. The dancers looked like they were having a great time. I'm getting rather bored of all the contemporary stuff like many others are. If the show is going to change things up as promised, then please, change it up and give other styles a chance and cut out or decrease the contemporary. 3 Link to comment
Zuleikha July 10, 2015 Share July 10, 2015 They have replaced people (don't remember names or seasons) because their ballet company wouldn't release them from a contract (male dancer a few years back), someone couldn't get a visa in time, injuries etc etc. Alex Wong had to drop out at Green Mile because he couldn't get a release from his contract his first time auditioning; Hok had to drop out because he didn't have the correct work visa. The show edited both things as tragedies and embraced both contestants on their return. My guess is that Nigel and the other producers deliberately tried to make Denys the fall guy for lack of ballroom because they realized the new format didn't really leave a space for ballroom dancers, and they'd take heat for it. Also, Nigel's arrogant as heck and I'm sure he's just pissed that a dancer would actually reject the show. That's not Nigel's worldview. The dancers are all supposed to be grateful for whatever crumbs of attention the show bestows on them rather than to evaluate it as just another low-paying potential gig. I am really sad that Alain is the dancer believed to be injured, but I'm excited to see Asaf dance more. I find his solos to be cerebral and creative. I feel an emotional power from them that I've never goten from a b-boy solo before. He'll have so much more time and focused attention to learn choreography that he could perform very differently than in Vegas and, if not, hey some dancers have to be the early cuts.Also, I'm hoping for more solos that incorporate his Judaism like his first audition solo. It's not the smartest strategy because I think the impact is probably lost on the overwhelming majority of the audience, but I never get to see Jewish spirituality represented in dance. 5 Link to comment
crowceilidh July 10, 2015 Share July 10, 2015 it makes me think that Denys would genuinely not have known how little ballroom dancing there would be until he was done the callbacks. Esp if you look at the dances he did to win SYTYCda (Wk 1 tango, wk 2 contemp, wk 3 quickstep, wk 4 house, wk 5 Samba/Capoeira, wk 6 paso doble, wk 7 mambo, wk 8 contemp, wk 9 salsa) - that is a friggin ballroom heavy sched - he was clearly catered to (I didn't mind and I voted my ass off for him, but you can see how he might have thought that he'd at least get to do some ballroom. Also, from what I remember people saying about Donyelle's size in person - there is not much comparison between her and the Queen of Detroit. Donyelle was described as quite surprisingly tiny in real life. 1 Link to comment
Caelicola July 10, 2015 Share July 10, 2015 Also, from what I remember people saying about Donyelle's size in person - there is not much comparison between her and the Queen of Detroit. Donyelle was described as quite surprisingly tiny in real life. Yeah, I think Donyelle was a slightly bigger girl for a dancer, so still quite tiny compared to regular people. She also was well trained, and that helps a lot. As much as I like Standing O and am saddened by the decision not to put her on the show, it isn't really a comparable situation. But if the season ends up not featuring as many duets or partnering skills her exclusion becomes less pragmatic and more esthetic, and that sucks. It would also have been interesting to see the contemporary choreographers forced to change up their creations a bit and not fall back on lifts to make things exciting. 1 Link to comment
realdancemom July 10, 2015 Share July 10, 2015 Yeah, I think Donyelle was a slightly bigger girl for a dancer, so still quite tiny compared to regular people. She also was well trained, and that helps a lot. As much as I like Standing O and am saddened by the decision not to put her on the show, it isn't really a comparable situation. But if the season ends up not featuring as many duets or partnering skills her exclusion becomes less pragmatic and more esthetic, and that sucks. It would also have been interesting to see the contemporary choreographers forced to change up their creations a bit and not fall back on lifts to make things exciting. Donyelle was also partnered with Benji who was used to doing lifts and partnering. But I also think that she and Benji were cast as fodders. Benji mentioned that TPTB gave them hip-hop the first week because they thought a Mormon boy wouldn't be good at that. He said that he had Donyelle help him a lot. I think TPTB didn't realize how popular they would be. It helped because the intro packages were longer then so you can see their personalities. I also think that the dances don't need to be lift heavy. I actually like to watch dances with a lot of side to side dancing where I watch for synchronization. I also remember when Jourdan and Jesse were partnered for one dance, the dance had a chair to help with one of the lifts. So choreographers can always do stuff like that. 2 Link to comment
ToxicUnicorn July 11, 2015 Share July 11, 2015 (Wk 1 tango, wk 2 contemp, wk 3 quickstep, wk 4 house, wk 5 Samba/Capoeira, wk 6 paso doble, wk 7 mambo, wk 8 contemp, wk 9 salsa) Every single time I see the word "Capoeira", I mean, every single time, I think it is this: 1 Link to comment
Cuatro1234 July 11, 2015 Share July 11, 2015 Every single time I see the word "Capoeira", I mean, every single time, I think it is this: This made me laugh so hard!! 1 Link to comment
pamplemousse July 11, 2015 Share July 11, 2015 LOL that is so cute! Every time I see the word capoeira, I think caipirinha and wish it was happy hour. 3 Link to comment
Snow Fairy July 11, 2015 Share July 11, 2015 Last few seasons there was a list of the top 20 dancers and the links to their auditions. Is there no such thing this year, no one made it? I liked to be reminded of their auditions Link to comment
rollerblade July 14, 2015 Share July 14, 2015 Well, the names of the Top 20 is out, so you can easily google "[name] audition" for the videos. Unless you want to be lazy and have someone else compile a list for you. :P Link to comment
Commando Cody July 14, 2015 Share July 14, 2015 What happened to the first white male ballet dancer who auditioned? I thought the was better than the Asian dancer. I don't even remember the black dancer from the auditions. Link to comment
realdancemom July 14, 2015 Share July 14, 2015 What happened to the first white male ballet dancer who auditioned? I thought the was better than the Asian dancer. I don't even remember the black dancer from the auditions. I don't believe the white male ballet dancer was versatile. In Vegas, they showed a part where Travis mentioned that they were disappointed with him during the contemporary round. That probably means that he couldn't do Broadway and jazz since contemporary is closer to ballet than the other two genres. Part of Darion's solo was shown at the beginning of Vegas during the solo rounds. Link to comment
Rahul July 15, 2015 Share July 15, 2015 Well, the names of the Top 20 is out, so you can easily google "[name] audition" for the videos. Unless you want to be lazy and have someone else compile a list for you. :P Yes please! Link to comment
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