Tag: Allison Holker

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A CHANCE TO DANCE Premieres on Ovation this Friday, August 17

Reminder: A CHANCE TO DANCE, a new show on Ovation TV, where dancers throughout the US audition for and learn a routine created by Britain’s Ballet Boyz to be performed with the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE TOUR, premieres this Friday evening. The network sent me an advance preview and I really think this one will be better than many of the current shows — a big reason being that it seems to be more focused on – hello- dance. Most of the footage – at least what I was sent – is of Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt — the Ballet Boyz, both of whom danced with the Royal Ballet — actually rehearsing the dancers. They talk a lot about the choreography, about what they want from the performance, about what makes a dancer captivate the audience, about all the aspects of a show that really make a performance work, including, very importantly, the right music. Trevitt says at one point that great music can save bad choreography but the reverse is not true, which I found interesting…

At one point, one of the men (I think it’s Trevitt again) tells a dancer he’s focusing too much on technique, not enough on performance, which of course I love! As they rehearse the dancers, they’ll call out the name of the ballet steps, giving the audience insight into the dance, into this rarefied world. The backstage melodramatics, at least from what I was shown, seem minimal.

Here are a few clips.

Meet the choreographers here:

One on Trevitt’s dance tips:

Allison Holker’s dance tips (you’ll remember her from SYTYCD)

And a couple funny ones — Trevitt learning to pole dance:

And the two Brits in a Texas road-side shop trying to find clothes that will allow them to fit in with the locals, and a place to go dancing:

For more info on finding your local Ovation station, go here.

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE WEEK 6 – THE SEASON OF INJURIES CONTINUES

Ok, where is Billy?

Cat announces that this is the 150th episode, so they have a giant birthday cake. Wow has the show really been on for five years?

Kenny Ortega is joining as a judge tonight.

Argh! So, Billy has hurt his knee and, though the doctor says he’s okay to dance, he doesn’t feel he can. He’ll be in the bottom three tomorrow night.

First on are Lauren and Twitch in a Tabitha Napoleon hip hop. This was fun. Loved those somersaults – wow, what form she has! She really had the attitude down, and you can tell she worked really really hard. Every movement was right on the beat, was totally sharp. She actually stood out to me more than Twitch, which is saying a lot with a hip hop routine.

Next are Jose and Allison in a contemporary routine by Sonya Tayeh. Wow, Allison! She is really blowing me away. That was SO Sonya Tayeh; she did that perfectly.

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE WEEK 5, OR POST ALEX, SOB!

 

Photo from Jonathan (which Alex posted on Twitter).

Uh-oh, where’s Ashley? Oh, another injury – a rib problem. So, she’ll be in the bottom three tomorrow night, could suffer same fate as Alex.

First on is Lauren dancing a Tahitian dance with Mark Kanemura. Wow, fun costumes. And music! At first I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, and then I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. It was repetitive movement — knees shaking for the man, hip shaking both side to side and front to back for her. It looked simple but that kind of movement takes precision and concentration to pull off because it is so repetitive and so fast. It’s the type of movement that could look really sloppy if you lose your concentration, you know? Mia says Lauren looked like a “duck in heat.” Hmmm.

Next, Adechike and Anya dance salsa. Wow, some really difficult lifts – I think this is the first overhead one we’ve seen this season, and perhaps even on the show? I mean that was a full-out overhead lift, like you see in classical ballet. And that opening throw and catch with a double twist in the air. It was really exciting to me, but I think the tricks kind of took over and made it difficult for Adechike to concentrate on getting his basic movement right. He was fine and he did all of those crazy tricks right and well, but the hips weren’t all there. It just wasn’t the sexy salsa I’m used to in competitions and in clubs.

Next, Jose and Courtney do a Broadway routine. Well, he did a jump in the air with a multiple turn that was exciting. But that was all to me, unfortunately. He just didn’t have the polish, there was no pizzazz with those jazz hands, the line wasn’t there – his barrel turn was just not a proper barrel turn at all. I mean, he looked like a regular person dancing that. As the judges said, it just showed how little dance training he has.

Now, Robert and Allison do a contemporary routine. Wow, well that’s the first time Allison has really blown me away.

Continue reading “SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE WEEK 5, OR POST ALEX, SOB!”

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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE RETURNING 10 CELEBS ANNOUNCED

So You Think You Can Dance has announced its 10 returning star dancers, who’ll partner this coming season’s 10 contestants. They are: Twitch (big smile), Kathryn McCormick, Mark Kanemura (yay), Pasha and Anya (obviously yay), Allison Holker, Lauren Gottlieb, Neil Haskell, Dominic Sandoval, Ade Obayomi, Courtney Galliano, and Comfort Medoke. So obviously no Danny Tidwell. Interesting, there are no final winners, right? And there are several returning star dancers who didn’t make it to the finals.