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A Chance to Dance Behind the Scenes Pictures

For those of you who love dance, love Jacob’s Pillow or love Chance to Dance, you’re going to love these behind the scenes photos from Chance to Dance at Jacob’s Pillow. There are some really amazing images. I also always love to see a flavor for what’s happening behind the scenes on a TV show. These pictures provide a little peak into that.

Plus, I just implemented a new way to view galleries of pictures on the site. So, hopefully you enjoy browsing the pictures using that new feature as well.

Enjoy!

September 25, 2012 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

Bonnie Story: Emmy Award Winner and Mother of a Chance to Dance’s Bayli Baker

One of the contestants on A Chance to Dance has some famous family members.

Some of you might remember Kelli Baker from Season Four of So You Think You Can Dance. If you keep up with Emmy winners, the name Bonnie Story might ring a bell.

Well, Bayli Baker is the sister of Kelli and daughter of Bonnie. This family obviously has a lot of talent. Both Kelli and Bayli were dancers in High School Musical. And Bonnie? Well, she won an Emmy for her choreography in High School Musical’s 1, 2, and 3.

Bonnie Story is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and five children. While she is best-known for the incredible dance scenes in the High School Musicals, she has a very impressive resume. In 2002, she was a co-choreographer for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City’s opening and closing ceremonies. I remember being absolutely mesmerized by those performances — my roommate from my freshman year of college was actually in them.

She started out as a dancer before taking on choreography — in fact, she started dancing when she was five years old! She often put together performances at her house and would invite everyone in the whole neighborhood. She definitely started out her career early on in life.

As I mentioned, her most well-known work was done with High School Musicals. Bonnie had worked with Kenny Ortega, the director, during the Olympics, and that’s where they first became acquainted. After that, he asked her to help with the choreography, and it took off from there.

In addition, Bonnie has also done choreography for a variety of television shows, movies, and commercials. She is the Associate Artistic Director of Odyssey Dance Theatre, which is also where Eldon Johnson is an instructor. 

In an interview, Bonnie relays how it felt to win an Emmy:

Receiving an Emmy nomination and then actually going home with one was very surreal. It was amazing! I feel honored to have received one. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of the commitment that was given from everyone. There is never a project where you do it on your own. The concepts, music, direction, art direction, the whole crew (I could go on and on) — without their contribution, the Emmy wouldn’t be there. I am grateful for being able to work on a project that made a huge impact on a lot of kids and adults.

I was excited to learn more about Bonnie, seeing as I was a huge fan of the High School Musical trilogy — in fact, I remember when there was a special on the Disney Channel where they taught how to dance to some of the songs. Even though I was in high school, I totally dance a long (though, I’m glad that it was never recorded).

I’m sure it was an added plus to be able to have both her daughters on set during High School Musical. That must have been a lot of fun, and I’m sure the girls were thrilled to be able to be in that project.

Bayli was unfortunately eliminated from A Chance to Dance. I found that to be a shame, because I really thought she was pretty talented. Even though she didn’t make it here, I won’t be surprised if she becomes a successful dancer. Who knows, maybe she will follow in the footsteps of her mother and become a choreographer. Either way, this family sure is full of talent — and there are three more children in it. I wonder if we’ll see them on any dance shows in the future?

September 20, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is a journalism student at Brigham Young University in her senior year. She is originally from Littleton, Colorado, and hopes to move back there after graduation. Reality television is her favorite to watch, and has enjoyed writing about America's Got Talent and A Chance to Dance. She is a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys writing (especially blogs), cooking and sewing (while spending far too much time on Pinterest finding inspiration) and being outside with her husband and son.

A Chance to Dance Week Four Videos

A Chance to Dance’s YouTube page is full of all sorts of great videos this week! I loved the two web exclusive clips that were put up this week.

This first one features Sydney and Shepherd, who both were eliminated last week. They talk about having no regrets from the experience, and plans for the future. I love their upbeat attitudes, because I’m sure they were disappointed not to make it to the final 12.

Everyone has rituals, right? The next video has one of the girls teaching the group a ritual that she used to do with her dance troupe back home.

And finally, a recap of last weeks episode, in case you missed it (or just want to relive it).

September 19, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is a journalism student at Brigham Young University in her senior year. She is originally from Littleton, Colorado, and hopes to move back there after graduation. Reality television is her favorite to watch, and has enjoyed writing about America's Got Talent and A Chance to Dance. She is a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys writing (especially blogs), cooking and sewing (while spending far too much time on Pinterest finding inspiration) and being outside with her husband and son.

So You Think You Can Dance – The Off-Season

Now that Season 9’s So You Think You Can Dance has ended what else is there to talk about? Forget talk about… what else is there to watch… dance-wise?

It would appear that this is the season of the dance reality shows as two past contestants (and SYTYCD mainstays) from Season 2 have branched out to their own shows (A Chance to Dance and All the Right Moves) and new possibilities have popped up for fans of So You Think You Can Dance could sink their teeth into:

First the obvious… the So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour

So You Think You Can Dance’s ninth-season Top 10 finalists will be hitting the road this fall making their way across North America as part of the 2012 live tour, sponsored by Just Dance 4

[…]

The 30-city tour will kick-off October 23 in San Diego and will conclude on December 5th in Hollywood, FL with tickets for all shows going on sale Friday, August 24 beginning at 10AM.

Fall’s hottest ticket will feature this season’s most popular routines as well as original pieces created specifically for the nationwide tour.

[…]

Also for dancers and fans from all walks of life: So You Think You Can Dance Experience (aka SYTYCDX) – the official dance convention

[…] The SYTYCD® Experience is a 2-3 day workshop filled with classes, seminars, mock audition opportunity, and performances! Our weekend will be the most exciting and educational dance event you have ever experienced! This event is for dancers, educators, and enthusiasts 18 & older!

The Experience Includes:
– Classes throughout the weekend
– Seminar Breakouts
– Performances from your favorite SYTYCD Alumni Dancers and other Special Guests
– Solo Showcase Opportunity
– Q and A
– Meet and Greet
– Amazing Scholarship Opportunities
– Optional Mock Audition for the opportunity to perform in the Saturday’s Opening or Closing Number of the Showcase

Also… as featured on So You Think You Can Dance: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers
Featuring the dance talents of:
Christopher “Lil’ C” Toler as Z
Christopher Scott as Copeland
William Wingfield as Katana
Stephen “Twitch” Boss as Dr.E

According to the New York Times

“They lie amongst us, preparing for battle, waiting to rise and change things for good. Some are gifted in ability, others are trained to master it and some, some have it bestowed upon them at birth, but they all must choose.” […] The lines come from the first episode of “The LXD” or “The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers,” a new dance-inspired Web series created by Jon M. Chu, the 30-year-old director of the hit 2008 movie “Step Up 2: The Streets” and the soon to be released “Step Up 3D.”

The series, […] is produced by Mr. Chu and Hieu Ho with Agility Studios and distributed by Paramount Digital Entertainment and is a leap in Web-based original programming for both the companies and Mr. Chu. (An exclusive clip from the first episode of “The LXD” is available at nytimes.com/dance.)

Read more..

I Written By

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)

A Little Bit About Jacob’s Pillow

A majority of the time, A Chance to Dance has taken place at a place called Jacob’s Pillow. For anyone involved or interested in dance, this may be a familiar place. However, for some viewers of the show (myself included), have probably not heard of it before. So I thought it would be fun to learn a little bit more about the place where the magic is happening on A Chance to Dance.

Jacob’s Pillow is located in Becket, Massachusetts. It is a dance school and performance center. As we’ve heard on A Chance to Dance, to be able to dance at Jacob’s Pillow is something many dancers aspire to do. It has a deep history, starting back in 1790 when the Carter family settled there. Behind their farmhouse was a boulder that was shaped liked a pillow. There was a road that was at the bottom of a hill near the farm that looked like a ladder, so it was called Jacob’s ladder. The farm was eventually called “Jacob’s Pillow” “as a combination of the story of Jacob from the Book of Genesis, which tells of Jacob laying his head upon a rock and dreaming of a ladder to heaven and the farm’s proximity to the ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ road,” according to Wikipedia (read more about the history of the farm at that link)

Over the years, many monumental “dance moments” occurred at Jacob’s Pillow, and in 2003 was a declared a national historical landmark by the federal government.

Jacob’s Pillow hosts many events throughout the year, including over 200 free events and over 80,000 visitors are cited as visiting each year. There are three main stages where performances take place.

There is also a dance school at Jacob’s Pillow, and include the following programs in the curriculum: Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary Traditions, Jazz and Musical Theater, and Choreographers’ Lab. The faculty members are also very well known.

It is a place with rich history and a bright future. As I read more about it, I can now see why the dancers were so excited to perform here. As Mikhail Baryshnikov, a Russian American dancer and actor, said, “There is no place quite like Jacob’s Pillow.”

September 15, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is a journalism student at Brigham Young University in her senior year. She is originally from Littleton, Colorado, and hopes to move back there after graduation. Reality television is her favorite to watch, and has enjoyed writing about America's Got Talent and A Chance to Dance. She is a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys writing (especially blogs), cooking and sewing (while spending far too much time on Pinterest finding inspiration) and being outside with her husband and son.

12 Dancers Selected for the Company on Episode Five of A Chance to Dance

Another episode has come and gone, and the gala for the Dizzy Feet Foundation draws closer. In this episode, the reigns were  handed over to David Dorfman, a famous dancer and choreographer, and Allison Holker, a mock/last chance performance was put on, and in the end, the final 12 dancers were selected for the company.

I think the visit from David was well-needed. I can only imagine the amount of stress these dancers must have been feeling at this point. In a moments time, any of them could be sent home, and their dream of joining this company would be over. He really helped loosen them up. Who wouldn’t be loosened up after doing a “silly pelvic walk,” and being accompanied by an accordion?!

Michael and Billy headed to New York City for the day and left the reigns to David and Allison — and with that, left them the ability to send home those felt were not up to par. The Ballet Boyz must really trust these two. I mean, what if they sent home a favorite of theirs?

The duets that David was in charge of were very fun to watch. I think it was nice for some of the dancers to be able to do a little more contemporary style. Shepherd seemed to take to this type of a dance a little better than in the past.

In the end, Allison sent home Kaitlin home, and David sent Chase. When I saw David’s bottom four, I had a feeling it was going to be chase. I’ve always liked him, but I felt like maybe he wasn’t right for the company. Kaitlin seemed pretty disappointed, which is understandable. I think it was hard for some of the girls to really stand out, just because there were so many girls! Here are their exit videos (they always make me sad! I could never be a judge.)


And, as usual, a portion of the show focused on Shepherd. Part of me thinks the show should have been called “Shepherd’s Chance to Dance.” In this next clip, it shows his “midnight practice.” To be honest, I think Shepherd has gone above and beyond. He has obviously had to work very hard to try and compare to the other dancers, because his style is so different from most of the others.

I loved watching the performance toward the end. It’s incredible — especially since the dancers haven’t been practicing together for years…or even months. I’m betting that Billy and Michael weren’t wanting to cut anyone at this point, especially because everyone seemed to work so well together.

In the end, we said good bye to Bayli, Kelly, Chelsea, Sydney, and . . . Shepherd. His time finally came to an end. I had a feeling it was going to, but it was sad to see him go.

Next week will be interesting, now that the stress of eliminations is over. However, with the gala only days away, the dancers are going to be feeling a new kind of stress.

September 14, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is a journalism student at Brigham Young University in her senior year. She is originally from Littleton, Colorado, and hopes to move back there after graduation. Reality television is her favorite to watch, and has enjoyed writing about America's Got Talent and A Chance to Dance. She is a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys writing (especially blogs), cooking and sewing (while spending far too much time on Pinterest finding inspiration) and being outside with her husband and son.

A Chance to Dance Videos from Episode Four

I mentioned the partner act in last weeks episode, and how much I enjoyed it. Here is another clip from that part of the episode, describing how it was an “intimate experience.” For any of these dancers that haven’t done a lot of partner work, I’m sure this wasn’t the most comfortable experience, but obviously, they had to get over that quickly.

Last week was an important week for the dancers — to prove they had what it takes to perform in this company. I loved this clip. The dancers (most, at least) really put their best foot forward.

Emotions were high at Jacob’s Pillow last week. Laura about lost it in this video, as she confessed to the audience that she thought everyone else was better than her. If it’s any consolation to her, she dances better than I ever could!

And here’s another preview for tomorrow night’s episode. I can hardly wait!

September 13, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is a journalism student at Brigham Young University in her senior year. She is originally from Littleton, Colorado, and hopes to move back there after graduation. Reality television is her favorite to watch, and has enjoyed writing about America's Got Talent and A Chance to Dance. She is a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys writing (especially blogs), cooking and sewing (while spending far too much time on Pinterest finding inspiration) and being outside with her husband and son.

A Chance to Dance Jacob’s Pillow Pictures


We’ve got a bunch of A Chance to Dance pictures from Jacob’s Pillow. I love dance pictures, because the capture a specific moment that often is missed when just watching someone dance. I’m sure you’ll enjoy these A Chance to Dance pictures as well. Plus, Jacob’s Pillow is beautiful.

September 11, 2012 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

Shocking Eliminations on A Chance to Dance

In this episode, the inevietable cuts started. It was an instant theme from the very beginning of the episode. Eldon was worried about his boyfriend, Chase. The girls discussed how it didn’t really seem fair to send people home yet (well…what do you expect when there’s only 30 days?). Oh the drama.

Michael and Billy decided to take a step back and instead of choreograph, just observe. Allison stepped in to help the dancers, which gave the boys a chance to take a closer look at the 24 dancers still here. I thought this was smart, because you can’t really concentrate as well on the small things that make a big difference, when you are trying to teach a group of people.

The partner exercise was very showing. Obviously, the dancers who make it to the final 12 have to be able to work with others well. It was painful to watch tonight, at times. Well, to watch Shepherd. He’s been one of my very favorites from the beginning, but I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he isn’t quite cut out for this type of company. Others shined though, especially Eldon and Sarah. If they both make it, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were contenders for the duet portion of the performance.

Here is a clip about Shepherd during the duet exercise. As I mentioned, he had a hard time. But he really does try hard, you can see it in how he acts. I think he is one of the most genuine people on the show, and that’s why it was so hard for me to watch him do poorly.

I really enjoyed the “last chance performance.” It was very solid, and I think that a lot of the dancers really shined in it.

The later half of the show dealt with the eliminations. In my mind, I had a few people I thought would be go home, and a few that would definitely stay. It was interesting to me how Billy and Michael brought them in individually to talk with them. For some, they cut straight to the point and either sent them home or kept them. But for others, I think they weren’t entirely sure when the dancer walked in what their fate would be . I must admit though, it was a bit shocking to me that Sarah almost went home. She really isn’t my favorite dancer, but I feel like she does a good job. Joni is probably my favorite, and we found out, she is also the favorite of Billy and Michael. I’m glad she is succeeding so much.

It was a bit of a shock to see Shepherd stay. I’m not sure exactly what Michael and Billy are thinking, but they must see something in him that would be valuable to the company. When he came out with the news, I wonder how everyone felt. I mean, there were probably some dancers that were more talented, technically, than he was, that got sent home. We will see what happens next time though.

In the end, these were the five that got sent home:
Chase Wise: Obviously, this was a heartbreaking decision for him, for more reason that one. He loves to dance, but he also would be going home, without his partner, Eldon

Cooper Neely: He was starting to get on my nerves,

Marissa Wong: I thought it was kind of sad that her elimination was super short, and wasn’t even included in the main portion of the show — it was in between a couple of commercials!

Savannah Mitchell

Jessica Edmunds

Sadly, Savannah and Jessica never really stood out to me, so I have a hard time commenting about them leaving. Hopefully they will find success in the future.

It was definitely a bittersweet episode, for the viewers, and obviously for the dancers. I think it was particularly hard for Eldon and Chase, since they now are going to be seperated. Here is a little clip that was from the end of the show where Eldon talks about Chase leaving:


And as always, here is the promo for next week:


Don’t forget to tune in every Friday this month for more excitement.

And I’m wondering how everyone feels about Shepherd…feel free to post your thoughts as a comment, or cast a vote in this poll:

September 7, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is a journalism student at Brigham Young University in her senior year. She is originally from Littleton, Colorado, and hopes to move back there after graduation. Reality television is her favorite to watch, and has enjoyed writing about America's Got Talent and A Chance to Dance. She is a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys writing (especially blogs), cooking and sewing (while spending far too much time on Pinterest finding inspiration) and being outside with her husband and son.

A Love Story, Ballerina Marina de Vachone, and more — This Week’s A Chance to Dance Videos

In case you ever miss an episode of A Chance to Dance, Ovation’s YouTube Page often puts up clips throughout the week that highlight the past episode, go behind the scenes, or of something just random and fun. These are always so fun to watch! Here are a few of the ones I found most interesting from the past week:

Ballerina Marine de Vachone dances her way through the day (at home, the bus, and work), and shows that it isn’t crazy, it’s dance! This short promo for the show has a catchy song that Marine dances to, and is really fun to watch! I’m not a dancer at all, but this made me kind of wish I was.

If you’ve been watching the show, you’ll know that two of the contestants are dating — Eldon and Chase. I didn’t realize that after they both auditioned in Salt Lake City, but it definitely has created an interesting dynamic on the show. You can definitely tell they care for each other a lot, and are enjoying being together almost 24/7. Hopefully they both make it to the final 12, or else that could be awkward. This video goes “behind the scenes” of their relationship.

This clip is from last weeks episode, and I must admit…it was painful to watch. It was pretty apparent who the weaker dancers are.

And my final video for tonight, “The Dance Journey.” If you haven’t watched the show so far, this gives a brief synopsis of the show and what has happened so far. It’s short, sweet, and to the point.

Okay, I lied. THIS is my last video. Just a teaser of Friday night’s episode. Poor Shephered…things don’t seem to be going too well for him!


 

September 6, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is a journalism student at Brigham Young University in her senior year. She is originally from Littleton, Colorado, and hopes to move back there after graduation. Reality television is her favorite to watch, and has enjoyed writing about America's Got Talent and A Chance to Dance. She is a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys writing (especially blogs), cooking and sewing (while spending far too much time on Pinterest finding inspiration) and being outside with her husband and son.