Dance life

I knew Tara Jean would win, I think it was pretty obvious considering the judges comments last week that echoed the ones Jeanine got before she won last season’s American SYTYCD.  I was so sure she’d win I was thinking of starting her tribute blog early and I began mentally thinking of which videos to post and what to say.  As soon as Tara Jean’s name was announced I forgot all that and I was just pissed.  

I wanted Jayme Rae to win, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen because the judges said the same things to my favorite from SYTYCD’s American show last season, Kayla. The judges agreed that not only was Jayme Rae the best girl in the competition, but that she was technically the best dancer of the entire show.  It’s because of compliments like that that assured me Jayme Rae wouldn’t win.  The best dancers never win, it’s always the people with the best personality that take the title.  Examples of annoying people who beat better dancers because of their personality: Evan (third) who beat Kayla (fourth), Benji (winner) who beat Travis (runner up) and now Tara Jean and Jayme Rae.

The judges said that Tara Jean “peaked at the right time” and that she was “the underdog,” which were the same exact things Jeanine heard before she was crowned the winner.  

I knew Tara Jean would win, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up for Jayme Rae, but the one thing I wanted, and the thing I think should have happened, was to have both girls in the top two, something that has never happened in SYTYCD history. Jayme would have gotten runner up and won a car, Tara Jean would have gotten the stupid title, and everything would have been acceptable.  Of course Vincent has to creep up there and steal second place leaving poor Jayme Rae with nothing.  

I know Jayme Rae will come back and choreograph like only the best contestants do because she has too much talent to just disappear from the limelight.  She was the best contestant on the show, the only reason Tara Jean beat her was because she didn’t show her personality enough.  Every episode Tara Jean was smiley and happy and laughing and saying funny things that the audience loved.  She was never in the bottom, ever, and I’d just like to know where all her fans are from, cause they’re not here in Montreal.  

I’ll admit that she’s had some good dances, the tap number and the piece where she was insane were really good, and even though I’m not her biggest fan I’ll admit that she is a good dancer and that she rightfully earned her title.  It’s a contest and she knew had to appeal to her audience. Here are her two best pieces, in my opinion, but posting them is just reminding me that she won and upsetting me more. Gah!

Congrats Tara Jean but Jayme Rae you’re my favorite dancer at least!  

My neck is stiff, my back is hurting, my legs are sore, and my feet feel swollen.  That’s right; I just got back from the weekend dance convention, Coastal Dance Rage with some of the most popular former dancers and choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance. 

Our first class was with Nico, Canada’s first SYTYCD winner, and he taught us contemporary jazz.  In all honesty I remember liking him and enjoying his dance, but I can’t remember much about his class because it was at eight in the morning and we’ve learned almost ten dances since then.  I loved Nico, and voted for him all the time last season, but he never had the same friendly and lovable personality some of the other dancers/choreographers had so he’s easy to forget sometimes. 

Blake is unforgettable on the other hand.  His dance, and the song we danced to, keep replaying in my mind.  He has an in your face attitude, and he can come off a bit strong sometimes, but if your keep trying, you’ll get it.  Blake walked into the room, got on stage and started teaching.  Even though it was fast, and hard to keep up with, in the end his dance was our favorite.  As soon as the song came on, I took the night by Chelley, we all just got it.  

Bobby Newberry, our next choreographer, has a very similar style, only his choreography was a lot more intricate.  After struggling for a while most of us managed to get the gist of it, and it ended up being a really fun class as soon as we stopped thinking bout the details and just had fun.

Shannon, Blake’s sister, was our contemporary teacher, and she likes to throw her head around a lot.  The entire ballroom seemed to be in pain the day after her intense head rolling choreography, but asides from the pain it was a really great piece.  I loved doing it, even though I knew I looked like an idiot it just felt nice to throw myself around and be emotional because it’s something I don’t do a lot.  

Twitch, runner up in season four’s SYTYCD was the best teacher of the weekend, and I’m so happy to see that his personality is just as personable and genuine as it appeared on TV.  He went really slowly with us, and broke each movement down, so we could get his hip hop routine even if (like me) we weren’t very gangster. 

Benji on the other hand…the winner of season two’s American SYTYCD, was my least favorite teacher.  He had great personality on the show, and even though I didn’t like him and was upset he won, I respect his dancing and I knew he won because of his great personality. He has a great personality, and every time he wasn’t teaching he was funny, and nice, and charming, but as soon as he started teaching he was harsh and aggressive and too fast, especially since the style he was teaching was completely unfamiliar to all of us.

Francisco, an amazing ballet dancer, taught us ballet the second day.  I feel a little bad for him because people don’t want to be doing ballet in a convention, but he’s an unbelievable dancer and I’ll never forget his tour jete. 

Asides from the celebrity teachers we had a few famous assistants in a few of our class, including Cody and Taylor, two of the dancers from this season’s Canadian version of SYTYCD who’d been eliminated.  There was also Melanie M who’d been eliminated just last week from the show assisting too, but she never assisted any of our classes. 

Even though I’m in a lot of pain the weekend was unbelievably fun and it’s worth the stiff neck.   

What is dancing? When you’re a dancer you sometimes forget.  For everyone else in the world dancing is when they let loose and shake it.  For me it was dancing along to ‘Hey Mickey’ at the end credits of ‘Bring It On.’ If you ask a dancer what dancing is it’s a sport, a passion, but it’s choreographed moves, pointed toes, tight abs, flat backs, turn out, and jumps and turns.  Dance becomes technique for a dancer. What dance really is, what I sometimes forget, is that dance is freedom.  It’s closing your eyes and not thinking about what you look like for a second and just moving.  I feel fit, I feel beautiful, and I feel happy and all it takes is a few seconds and a good song.  That’s what dance is.

Jamye Rae is my favorite dancer on the show and this week she made it into the top six!  Next week the final four are chosen and I hope everyone votes for her so she makes it in because she deserves it!

I’ve already posted a blog about Jamye Rae and her partner Daniel’s afro jazz dance, but here are two more of her great dances.

The first video is her and Daniel’s Dance Hall.  I loved this routine because it really showed of her hip hop side, and she looked freakin’ good.  I love the grinding halfway through the dance and dutty winds they did right after, but my favorite part is the pelvic thrust at the end!

This next video is the second routine from last Tuesday’s episode.  Jamye Rae and Everett’s routine was Jazz Funk choreographed by Nico Archambault and Wynn Holmes, and it was the best routine of the night.  In this routine Jamye Rae played a sexy bad ass chick and Everett was the nerdy guy falling for her.   The music in the dance is amazing.  It got me into the routine and went perfectly with the dance.  Everett and Jayme Rae play their characters well, and they both just make me smile. I love the thumb bite, it reminds me of Nico’s lip bite from season one. The dance is so good, I love watching it every time!