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Lauren Gottlieb, Mike Vargas and Lauren Valentine Teach Dance Moves

A Chance to Dance put out some really great YouTube videos of amazing dancers doing some great dance moves. Plus, they slow down the video and highlight the keys to doing the dance move the right way. You’re going to really enjoy these videos if you love dance. Plus, I love the first one because I adore Lauren Gottlieb.

Enjoy!

Pivot En Dehor, by Lauren Gottlieb

The Cheat Gainer, by Mike Vargas

The Leap, by Lauren Valentine

Check out the full season of Chance to Dance streamed online in case you missed it.

October 11, 2012 I Written By

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

A Chance to Dance Episode 7 Pictures

As Katie said, the finale of Chance to Dance came way too fast. The finale was a great show with a lot of entertaining dances. We got some pictures from the finale event where they performed. Since it was a DizzyFeet fundraiser, it looks like there were a few other performances that evening as well. Check out the pictures below to see who else was there:

October 4, 2012 I Written By

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

A Chance to Dance Week 7 Videos

This video does a spotlight on Laura, and then shifts its focus to Sarah and Patrick. I like that they focused on Laura a little bit, since she was cut from the tour. She is a sweet girl. It was also nice for Sarah and Patrick to have a bit done on them, since they weren’t selected for the duet piece. Toward the end, Sarah talks about how she was happy for David and Joni, and I felt like that showed how close all these people were. It would have been easy to be bitter about it, but I didn’t get that impression at all from Sarah.

This was such an emotional clip! It’s truly amazing how much a life can be changed in only a month. I loved watching these dancers reflect on their experiences and how it has affected their future. The dancers in this company are good people, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them over the past month. I’m disappointed that the SYTYCD tour won’t be coming anywhere near where I live.

October 3, 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.

The Grand Finale and Shocking Ending to A Chance to Dance

Well, the finale is finally here. That didn’t take long, did it? There’s been a few teasers that something “shocking” will happen, so I was excited/nervous to see what that was. I was thinking some of the dancers weren’t going to be able to dance in the gala (that would have been terrible). Luckily, that wasn’t it.

Overall, I thought the gala performance was beautiful. It was such an interesting combination of different dance styles, and all of the dancers really blended together well. Here is the full performance from tonight’s episode:

I was happy to see that Eldon was doing better from last week’s episode. His fate seemed up in the air, but he definitely did a great job.Here is one of his greatest moments:

And here is another one of my favorite clips from last night. This is David’s solo from the night, and I thought it was incredible.

Overall, this has been a great journey. Can you believe they put together this performance in just a month? I sure can’t. When I was in high school, I was in a show choir, and it took us a month to learn simple steps (then again…we definitely weren’t professional dancers — I’d never really danced until I was in it!) I felt so bad for Tanisha though, but she held it together so well. Not a lot of people would have been able to keep their emotions in, and pull it off some graciously.

I loved seeing everyone in the dressing room, the energy in there was so high. I’m sure they were all going on adrenaline. It was obvious that all of the dancers had grown close throughout this whole experience.

So the big shocker was revealed toward the end of the episode. Only eight of the twelve dancers would be in the opening act for the SYTYCD tour. I’m still trying to figure out why that is. You could see the hearts breaking of the dancers — both those that stayed and those that got let go. I think Laura’s was the saddest to watch. She looked so sad, and understandably so.

In the end, the ones that wouldn’t be going on the tour were Laura, Michelle, Jen, and Courtney.

This will be one of the last posts on a Chance to Dance I’ll be doing, and I have to say, I’m a little bit sad. I’ve grown attached to these dancers, and have looked forward to watching the show. I think this stroke of genius from Nigel Lythgoe has changed the lives for everyone that was on the show, whether or not they made it to the gala. Here are some final thoughts from the Ballet Boyz:

September 28, 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 Episode 6 Pictures


Some more great behind the scenes pictures from A Chance to Dance. Plus, I love the picture where the Ballet Boyz are doing the lifts. They still have it. Look how well they can balance in a lift. Amazing!

Eldon’s picture makes me sad to see him laying down injured like that. Must have been really hard for him. Enjoy the pictures!

September 27, 2012 I Written By

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

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?

Duel for the Duet and A Devastating Injury – A Chance to Dance Week 6

It’s down to the final few days before the Gala, and the final 12 left Jacob’s Pillow for New York in episode six.

Even though the stress of even making the company is passed, the dancers face a new sort of competition this week: Who will perform the coveted duet.

Before I get into that, I have to say, I’m so glad David Dorfman is coming back. I truly think he adds so much…spirit to the company. He takes them out of their comfort zone and introduces them to new styles. Michelle (I believe) talked about how he was having them do things she never did before, but how she liked them. It causes them to grow. And I think that is so important as well.

It was interesting how David pointed out that he usually has months (years, even) to work with companies, which once again emphasized the unique premise of this show. If you think about it, it’s incredible. These dancers have been together for less than a month. Yes, they probably won’t have the most polished, perfect performance, but really

And on Patrick — yes, I was a little surprised that he made it to the final. However, I decided that I like him. He seems so genuine. Another thing I like about this show is that it gave some people an opportunity they may not have had otherwise. I mean, look at Shepherd. I doubt he would have ever done some of the things he did at Jacob’s Pillow elsewhere. And I feel like with some of the dancers who did make the final company, such as Patrick, this was something that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. This doesn’t have to do with tonight’s episode, but I loved it. Patrick cuts his long hair:

Okay, enough my random musings. On to the duets. I’m going to post each of them, in case you missed it, and throw in my commentary. Two of my favorite female dancers, Sarah and Joni, were up for the spot, so I was excited about that.

So first off, Sarah and Patrick. Obviously they are at a disadvantage because they haven’t had as much experience dancing together. And I think that does show in their tryout. And I feel bad for Sarah, because it is hard to all the sudden not have the partner that you’ve grown to be comfortable with. But I think that emphasizes what Billy and Michael have been saying all along — they wanted dancers that can adapt, and work well with others. And in the end, I think they did a good job. In all honesty, I think I enjoyed it more than the other, but maybe that’s because I felt bad for Sarah.

David and Joni were absolutely flawless. They mesh together extremely well, and it was beautiful to watch. I think that everyone watching was in awe as well.


And last, but not least, the most heart wrenching part of the whole show (at least, I think it was). To see Eldon hurt so badly, after he has worked so hard to get where he is….Wow. Just re-watching this clip makes me tear up. I hope there is a way he can be the performance, but mostly, I hope this doesn’t ruin his career.

So next week is the season finale. It should be a pretty good episode (but aren’t all of them?) I can’t wait to see what the “big shocker” is. It sounds like it is supposed to be disappointing for everyone…maybe the gala was cancelled? Who knows. Don’t forget to tune in!

September 22, 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?