Welcome to Pure So You Think You Can Dance

The title pretty much speaks for itself. For all of us who wished we could’ve been at the Gala, Lyndsey Parker was there and interviewed several dancers on the Red Carpet. It’s a long video with, among others, Adam Shankman, Jeanine, Lacey, Quest Dance Crew, Derek Hough, Mary Murphy, Season 5 dancers Kayla and Melissa with Caitlin and Jason in the background, as well as Ade talking to Katee, Cheryl Burke and Mark Ballas. Enjoy!

Dizzy Feet Gala: Reality Rocks’ Red-Carpet Interviews from Yahoo! Music on Vimeo.

We’ve posted a couple of times before about the Dizzy Feet Gala Benefit to raise money for dancers. I loved the write ups about the event and wish that I could have been there myself. Well, this weekend I finally had a few free moments to catch up on some of the various video footage of the Dizzy Feet event. Here’s just a couple that I enjoyed.

Most of the Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance performances:

A great set of videos on the “red carpet” with the dancers talking about why they are happy to support the Dizzy Feet foundation.

I’m really impressed with what they were able to put together and the number of people that they could get to perform at this event. I’d be interested to know how well the event did at raising money. I personally don’t think that Dizzy Feet foundation is doing enough for those dancers who have no dance experience. Sure, I love that they are supporting those dancers who want higher level training. However, I’d love to see them do more outreach to those who have had little or no formal training. In the future, I hope to possibly partner with Dizzy Feet to be able to address this issue.

I’m really excited to be able to post about the Dizzy Feet Gala. Thanks to Dona whom I know from my work with Pure Derek Hough, I received the following blog post about Katie’s experience at the Dizzy Feet Gala. Sounds like she had a wonderful time. I’m regretting that I didn’t head to LA to be there myself. I guess there’s always next time. Thanks Dona (and it seems like Dona’s friend Dee as well) and Katie for the information about the event.

Dizzy Feet Gala Blog by Katie
What an amazing night tonight was!!!!!! It was filled with high energy, great music, dances and well deserved awards to some inspiring people to continue to give back to this world what it mostly needs; the gift of art and all its creativity through dance!

From memorable dances from the So You think You Can Dance seasons, to the all so entertaining routines from Dancing With The Stars, a collective group of people came together today to celebrate its first Dizzy Feet Foundation gala.

My friend and I were privileged enough to see the works of some brilliant choreographers tonight!! And the seats were amazing! I think you couldn’t go wrong with sitting anywhere really. The structure of the place is done so thoughtfully that wherever you were, you would have a great view!

Derek and Cheryl from DWTS danced a great Cha Cha Cha, getting the audience excited with a great opening number, and making the audience want more. Derek and Cheryl definitely seemed like they were enjoying their night; however later we found out that the dance was put together earlier this morning. I say fantastic job for a time crunch. You wouldn’t have even thought for a second otherwise.
Lacey Schwimmer and Lance Bass also graced the dance floor tonight. Being such huge fans of both Dancing With The Stars, as well as So You Think You Can Dance, we were thrilled to bits when a Travis Wall routine was picked for the night. Jason and Jeanine’s Necklace routine had the room applauding, it was an exact replica of the performance piece shown on the show only a billion times better watching it live.

However, I have to say the standing ovation and the only standing ovation of the night, was from MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew: Quest Crew. I have had the opportunity to watch them perform live a couple of months ago at a benefit concert, and while the routine was the same as before, the atmosphere and the energy in the room was significantly different. In such a wide spread audience of all ages and walks of life, it was tremendous to see the older lady a few rows in front of us stand up and clap for these extremely talented individuals. From a little bit of Hip Hop to a little bit of Pop from Ms. Britney Spears, it seemed that they covered all aspects and types of genres in the musical field in their 3 plus minute routine. It was well deserved and exciting to watch the whole Kodak Theatre stand up and praise them with applause.

Some other highlights of the night included routines from Katee and Joshua doing their “No Air” routine, Mark Ballas and Kristi Yamaguchi doing their jive, and Cheryl and Gilles performing their Tango from Dancing With The Stars.

I have to say some of the routines that definitely stuck with both myself and my guest for the night were those that were Emmy winning performances from the So You Think You Can Dance performers:

Melissa and Ade’s Breast Cancer piece, done beautifully by Tyce Diorio, was also performed for us as well as Mia Michael’s Addiction piece that took our breaths away.

Along with phenomenally breath taking pieces performed by some of our favorite dancers. As Adam Shankman stated “this night was like the Stones for reality TV junkies”. There was talent from a young boy doing Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean routine and performing the Moon Walk, to witnessing what this important foundation is all about. Watching the recipients of the awards given out, I was truly blessed and also deeply saddened that children around the world who could become great simply do not have the resources to do so in their schools and community.

Being apart of something so wonderful was an absolute pleasure and left me wondering what I CAN DO to help. After all, is that what this whole event was all about? Finding a way to help and keep these programs ongoing so that our children and for more generations to come can also experience what I was able to this very night, because of the hard dedication and talent of such amazing individuals that did find an opportunity?

Here’s more information about the Dizzy Feet Foundation: http://www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org/
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get any pictures. It was just really difficult to keep any lighting on (whether from my iPhone or camera) hidden as much as possible or away so as not to disturb the people around me. I didn’t want to be “ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE” LOL

I did however pull out my camera at the last minute and recorded the BH “move” finale where all the dancers came up on stage after what seemed like the first verse. I apologize for any shakiness or anything like that. Here’s my dizzy feet gala video on youtube:

We tried to stick around for a good hour after the show to see if we could catch Derek. We actually ran into Mark while walking around, however there were so many people around, and he was carrying around a suitcase, we figured he had to go or was just in for a short stop from a flight perhaps, and in no way did we want to keep him any longer. Plus, we were both on the hunt for Derek. Unfortunately, it seemed that either he had already left or found some other exit we were not at

This isn’t much, but I sort of just started writing once I got home and wanted to share a little bit with you guys. Awww I wish the night could come back. lol I miss it already! hahahaha

I hope I did it some sort of justice for those who couldn’t go : (Again, I had the most amazing time and I want to just thank Dona and Dee for the tickets.)

Rickey.org just posted some great pictures from the Dizzy Feet event in LA that happened Nov. 29th. It included the 5Alive kids as well as stars from DWTS (including S3’s Lacey) and ABDC (with S1’s Ryan and S3’s Hok and Dominic). Thanks Rickey for posting this, man I wish I could have been there!

DIZZY FEET CELEBRATION OF DANCE

here’s an interview with Qwest, with most of the questions aimed at D-Trix (Dominic) he’s awesome!

dances done included “No Air”, “If It Kills Me”, and “Addiction” as well as Ade and Melissa’s Breast Cancer routine, as well as performances from Cheryl and Derek from DWTS and Lacey’s samba with Lance Bass from S7 of DWTS. Qwest rocked it out, as did the three leading ladies from the Step Up films, as introduced by their male counterparts.

I was doing something entirely different (I promise!) and I found a great video of Wade Robson’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” routine performed by different dancers he worked with on Cirque du Soleil/Criss Angel’s Believe, Ben Susak and Pam Chu. I guess he was working it out before he choreographed the routine on So You Think You Can Dance. Check it out and then, below, I included the video of Katee and Josh performing it for the Top 4 episode of Season 4.

Clearly, I love me some Wade Robson. So here’s a video from when he was on Dancing with the Stars, too. I kinda got addicted to the song while I was watching it (several times). If you’re curious, it’s “Hi”  by PSAAP.

Well, after tonight’s performance on Dancing with the Stars, it looks like Chelsie Hightower will be going home. It’s possible that by some miracle, they’re able to get enough votes, but it’s not looking very good.

In honor of So You Think You Can Dance Alumni, Chelsie Hightower, I thought I might as well do a post dedicated to Chelsie.

First, here’s a pretty cool tribute video to Chelsie and Mark:

Next, check out the most popular dance from last season’s So You Think You Can Dance to a Leona Lewis song called Bleeding Love. The video is really something special to watch.

Then, I would be remiss if I didn’t add in the video of Chelsie Hightower giving cowboy Ty Murray a spray on tan for his Salsa.

UPDATE: Lacey and Steve-O were sent home on Dancing with the Stars.

I’m certain that a lot of fans of So You Think You Can Dance have been following the past So You Think You Can Dance cast to see how they’re doing on Dancing with the Stars. I meant to give more regular updates, but just didn’t find the time.

As you probably already know, Dmitry and Holly were voted off the show a couple weeks ago. I know I was a little bit surprised, although looking back it kind of makes sense that Holly doesn’t have the most passionate following. Men who like Playboy aren’t exactly the target market for Dancing with the Stars and are definitely not the kind of people that pick up the phone and vote. Regardless I’d still really like to see Dmitry back for another season on the show.

This week Chelsie and Lacey are both in the bottom 2. That really doesn’t bode well for either of them. I personally think that it might just be time for Steve-O to go home. Although, he probably does have a few more fans than Ty so it could be a close one. Either way, it’s pretty much a forgone conclusion that both Chelsie and Lacey have lame duck partners and they’re lucky to still be on the show at all.

I’m sure that Chelsie and Lacey are fighting as hard as they can to stay on the show since the farther they make it on the show, the more they get paid. At least if they get paid similar to Shawn Johnson on Dancing with the Stars. Plus, maybe there’s just a little bit of pride for being the last So You Can Dance alumnus still on Dancing with the Stars.

Since I’ve always focused on the music from So You Think You Can Dance, I should also link you to a list of all the Dancing with the Stars 2009 music. They’re still not on par with So You Think You Can Dance, but they have done 100 times better this year than in past years.

I’ve previously talked about the new SYTYCD 5 dances that we can hope to see on So You Think You Can Dance 2009. I also have suggested some new SYTYCD 5 music that they could consider using on So You Think You Can Dance 2009.

The question now is who could be the new judges on So You Think You Can Dance 5.

I wish I could say that Mary Murphy was going to be gone and replaced by someone else. However, I’ve read that her and Nigel will be back for another season.

The first person to top my list of judges on So You Think You Can Dance 2009 is Kenny Ortega. Not only is he the mastermind behind the choreography on High School musical, but he really knows what he is talking about. He has a great way of describing what people are doing well and not doing so well.

I’d love to see Luther Brown make an appearance on So You Think You Can Dance US. I don’t want him there every week, but I enjoyed his feedback on So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

I’d also love to see almost any of the judges from So You Think You Can Dance Australia. Those judges were raw and interesting. Much more so than the SYTYCD US judges.

I don’t want to see any of the supposed “judges” who were on Superstars of Dance. They were a joke and shouldn’t be on television again.

I’d love to have Benji Schwimmer back as a judge, but I hear he might be on So You Think You Can Dance Canada as a full time judge. Dmitry, Chelsie, and Lacey are busing on Dancing with the Stars. How about bringing the too quickly discarded Allison Holker as a judge? That would be really neat.

I just hope that SYTYCD US isn’t submitted to the lame and rather arrogant Blake McGrath as a judge. His choreography is cool, but not as a judge.

Oh yeah, I still think that So You Think You Can Dance should bring in a fan of the show to be a guest judge on one of the shows. Possibly someone who knows the show and has followed it quite extensively. Someone who knows how to write about the show and share impressions of the show. I might know someone who runs a blog called Pure So You Think You Can Dance that would be willing to do it *wink* *wink*

Who would you like to see as new judges on So You Think You Can Dance?

Most people already know that Lacey Schwimmer was on last season’s Dancing with the Stars. In fact, Lacey Schwimmer did really well last year making it to the final 3 with star Lance Bass as her partner. Lacey did an excellent job full of edgy routines and her signature semi-rebellious style.

This year, Lacey Schwimmer will be back again on Dancing with the Stars and this season she’ll be paired with Steve-O. Yes, it is indeed that Steve-O. This should be really interesting to see. I’m sure the producers of the show saw the irony of the “bad girl” being paired with Steve-O. This should be interesting to see what Steve-O is like on the prim and proper ballroom dance floor.

This season of Dancing with the Stars also announced Chelise Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin joining the show as professional dancers. They’ll both be part of a main storyline of couples since they’re dancing with married couple Ty Murray and Jewel respectively. This should be interesting for Chelsie and Dmitry. Of course, who wouldn’t want to watch Dmitry Chaplin dancing beside Jewel? Sounds like a match made in heaven. Plus, I think we’re certain to see more of shirtless Dmitry as well.

Check out my introduction of Chelsie and Dmitry to Dancing with the Stars fans. It’s kind of fun to see the cross over between the 2 shows. Like I heard Nigel say, “these kids have got to work.”

Last week my wife and I were lucky enough to be able to attend the Dancing with the Stars finale live. You can read more about it over on Pure Dancing with the Stars. After the show, I must admit that the person I wanted to meet most wasn’t really a part of Dancing with the Stars. It was someone in the audience supporting his sister Lacey Schwimmer. So, I made a fool of myself and headed over and introduced myself to Benji Schwimmer. Here’s a picture with Benji right after the finale.

Benji Scwhimmer at Dancing with the Stars Finale

Benji also told us that he canceled that week’s choreography with So You Think You Can Dance Canada in order to be there to see his sister perform on the finale of Dancing with the Stars. What a great big brother. I also think that Canada might be seeing a whole lot more of Benji on the show in the future. Canada will be happy about that.

Yes, I was a bit flustered in his presence and forgot to ask him the most relevant question of all: “Would Benji be joining Dancing with the Stars and start competing against his sister?” The rumors have him possibly coming back so ABC has the sibling storyline which may be gone if Julianne ends up leaving. However, I have a feeling that Benji is plenty busy right now and so we probably won’t be seeing him on Dancing with the Stars anytime soon.

Benji did however say that him and the girl he was with were competing at Disneyland the next day in the Swing Dance Championships (if my memory serves me correct). Kind of cool to see him still competing in that competition.

In case Benji finds this post, thanks Benji for being so gracious. It was a real pleasure meeting you.