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I am thinking for some of these poor kids the teacher is just taking their money knowing they won't get anywhere. What teacher is going to tell the parents their kids just does not seem to have the talent?

I had a friend who had violin lessons for a year and half and did not know how to play since her teacher just kept giving her lectures. It was only until she swithced teachers did she actually learn anything.

Kat McPhee is the girl in the blue dress in my sig.




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Well, next week the real fun begins. The real fun as in, we actually get to watch some good dancers

I hate the audition stage. I don't give a shit about the bad dancers - it's not like American Idol where it's funny. It's not funny. It's just sad. I watch the show to be amazed at the skill these people show, not to watch a bunch of bad people make fools of themselves.

And whatever happened to the recovering alcoholic guy? They introduced him, made a big deal, and then never mentioned him again?

Urg - frustrated.

I don't like it that people are with permanent partners this year. That was half the fun last season

On the other hand, I do like the new voting system. It sucked last season, when if one person out of a couple sucked and the other was brilliant, that meant that both would end up going. Now, with a bottom two couples, and the people from the couples doing solo acts to see if they stay or go.... it's more likely that bad people will go, and good people will stay.

As for the couples..... The girl from the very last couple was good - Natalie.

The very first couple were both good - that was the performance I enjoyed the most.

The problem with the couple that did the broadway routine, for me at least, was that the girl was so much more physically developed than the guy, and while the way they dressed her may have worked for Melody last year, it didn't flatter the girl this year. She looked like a drag queen. She also kept bending her legs and leaning forward when she didn't need to - I can only assume so that she was shorter than the guy? It make her look a bit awkward, and from what they showed of her audition, and the few parts of the show where she wasn't doing that, she is not an awkward girl.


As for Nicks encore performance - what the heck happened to him? His extensions were short, his line was off, and his leaps were low and jerky If he were competing against himself, and how he danced in last years show, he would've lost. I would've thought that he would have improved in the meantime....


I don't have any favorites yet, though I do have a leaning towards the girl in the first couple. It's wonderful to see a girl who is, as she says, "a bit thicker than most dancers" and see that she can dance as well as, if not better than, some of the ultra skinny dancers there.

More from me later. I'll do a write up while watching my recording, and talk about each dance as I see it.

The couples -

I really actually enjoyed Benji and Donyelle doing hip hop together. He does look a bit like a little boy next to all her curviness, but you could tell that they really enjoyed dancing together. The connection between the two was fantastic. I did not expect Benji to be able to do hip hop, and to see him do it as well as he did was fantastic. The moves were dirty, as they should've been, and the two looked like they were having a great time doing it. I didn't much like the choreography, but that has nothing to do with how well they danced it. My favorite couple of the night.
Overall, it was fun and they did a surprisingly good job.


Ivan and Allison -doing salsa. They were interesting. Ivan looks like a sweet guy, but definitely resembles the pole they were saying he was dancing like. Allison is amazing, especially considering this is not her style of dance, and the fact that she's never partnered with anyone. Basically, Ivan ust had to let her do her thing and hope that she would carry him through. He looked very awkward, and half the time it looked like she was leading him. The moves were very awkward and stilted at times. She was one of the girls I most enjoyed watching. Him, I didn't even remember until I put the show on again this morning.
Overall, a good performance. Not great, but it was good.


Jason and Aleksandra doing contemporary - They surprised me, especially him. Being a hip hopper, I didn't expect him to do so well with contemporary. The only real problem I saw, was that he didn't know what to do with his hands. The majority of the time he had them in a sort of stiff chopping position, as you would see with someone doing a karate chop He was, however, graceful and not awkward moving for most of the dance - especially difficult during the more African Dance Style moves, which he did very very well. Alexandra tried, and did a passable job. I've got to admit, I expected more from her. She looked very tired at the end, the smile more pasted on than anything else, but she never lost grace, despite loosing energy. I spent more time watching him than her.
Overall, it wasn't a brilliant performance, but it's nothing to be ashamed of either.


Jamyz and Jessica doing disco - oi vey. She's having a very difficult time getting her posture a bit dirtier, and god help her with that hip shake. The only time she looked really comfotable was when he was carrying her. Her facial expressions were fantastic, however. James was very good. I didn't really notice him, yet they took up the whole stage - good sign of a good partner. He looked a bit awkward shaking his hips, but I only notice that on third watching, so it's not obvious.
Overall, it was just ok.


Stanislav and Erin doing the Pasa Doble - He was, of course, very good. Not as good as Artem, last year, but good. She was awkward, but my goodness did she ever get that ultra-curvered back posture down. That posture hurts if you have to hold it for any length of time, let alone dance with it. That right there made me appreciate her a lot. She also did quite well with her hands, which in this type of dance is very important. She didn't really get the sexyness factor down except when she was doing slower moves, and you could see her deliberately step into each move, rather than flowing into them. Him, again, didn't really notice him, yet he took up the whole stage. Very well done on his part.
Overall, it was between ok and good. He was good and she was ok


Dimitry and Joy doing hip-hop. They did every move without looking ridiculous doing it, but somehow you never forgot they were so very very formally trained. Compared to the first couple especially. Benji and Donyelle got the dirtyness factor down - these guys were just doing choreography. Doing it well, yes, but unfortunately, they were doing it clean. She got a bit more into it than him. Best part of the show was the very last move - that was great.
Overall - done perfectly, but with no soul.


Ryan and Heidi doing the Viennese Waltz. He's a ballet dancer with those hands? With those hands?! She had better hands than him, and she hasn't been trained in ballet. I know I'm thinking to much about it, but it was the most obvious symptom of his line being completely off for almost the whole dance. His butt was sticking out, his lower half was falling behind his upper half, he was throwing himself into moves that should've been flowed into because he was falling behind, but then he would lose his line again and fall even more behind and lose even more grace. The only time he looked good was when he was standing still. It was terrible. If they hadn't said he was a ballet dancer, I would never have believed it.
She was fantastic, if you could notice it with his bumbling around the stage. Every line on her was perfect, her hands were gorgeous - she was probably one of the best female dancers of the night. I feel very sorry for her right now.
Overall, it was a trainwreck. He looked that much worse for her looking so graceful.


Ben and Ashlee doing 80's disco. Considering she's never partnered or had formal training, she did ok. She did look, however, like a little kid who learned some choreography. Very good for never having any formal training, but compared to the other female dancers, she can't even begin to compare. Ben was great. He definitely knows what he's doing with his body, at least when he's dancing on his own. Though, he has no idea what he's doing with that hair
Overall - definitely one of the worst shows of the night.


Travis and Martha doing broadway. Ok, these two were definitely the best dancers of the show, hands down. I just can't get over how awkward they looked together. It was completely due to the costuming as well, cause they didn't look like that in rehearsals.
Overall, best dancing of the night, but it was so difficult to get past her drag-queen costuming to see it.


Musa and Natalie doing mambo. She was just plain fun. She looks so much like Brittany Murphy it's almost scary. Holy crap can she move though. She still was leading him however - don't think she ever got over that. When he actually did any dancing, he did look good, but much of the dance had him standing in one place. The choreographer was at fault there, for not having enough confidence in Musa to do more.
Overall, they had so much fun and the dance was so sexy, I can't really place it in tonights shows. I'm sure there were other dancers who were much better, but these two make me forget all about any couple other than Donyelle and Benji, and Travis and Martha.



So, who do I think should go home?

From the guys, either Ivan or Ryan. Probably Ryan.

From the girls, Erin or Ashlee. Probably Ashlee.

Completely the wrong people kicked off. The only couple that was in the bottom three that deserved to be there was Ivan and Allison. Ivan sucked, and I don't believe he'll get better in an area outside of hip hop. Stanislav was better and more versatile than him by far. Silly choice of men to go, and silly voting by the public that put them in the bottom three.

I figured that Erin would be gone when I saw what the bottom three were, even though she and her partner did not deserve to be in the bottom three. I was also looking forward to seeing a new couple formed, but they got rid of one couple altogether, so that's not going to happen

Ryan and Heidi and Ben and Ashlee should've been the other couples in the bottom three other than Ivan and Allison. Ryan and Ashlee should've been the people to go.

Very disappointing.


Oh, and horrible perfomance by Nelly Furtado. Is that seriously the number one song on the charts right now? Makes me glad I don't listen to the radio.

I turned this on for a few minutes and got to see last years winner dance. Pretty dang neat but I don't think I'm gonna subscribe full time to this one.

I do love your organization and dedication to these shows Stella

Been meaning to mention that I caught the "Too Much Booty" dance at a friends house and absolutely LOVED them. Phenomenal choreography pulled off with tremendous style and charisma. And have had that stupid song stuck in my head since.

I think I watched an episode on one of the nights before the Gathering. Don't remember much of what happened, but didn't want you to think I was bailing on ya, Stellie. I'll try to remember this week's episode.




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Bumpity !!!
New season starts tonight!!