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Best New Choreographer – SYTYCD Season 5 “EmMandy” Awards

In our ongoing series of choreography “EmMandy” Awards, here’s the award for “Best New Choreographer” from So You Think You Can Dance season 5 (winner is in Bold). Take a look at the other SYTYCD Season 5 “EmMandy” Awards.

“Best New Choreographer”

  • Stacy Tookey
  • Travis Wall
  • Youri Nelzine and Lilia Babenko (the Russian Folk people)

I picked Stacy because I really see her making history of SYTYCD. Her “Falling Slowly” really should have been on the finale, and both of her pieces deserved much more praise than they were given. I love her style’s fluidity and how she endows each movement with purpose. I also see Travis making a name for himself, but I think most of this is due to his “alumnus” status. Would people be lauding his name as much if he wasn’t a former contestant? The Russian Folk choreographers are mostly on there because I couldn’t remember any other new choreographers. Max had said earlier that the choreography made the dance the “worst of the season”, but I have to disagree. I blame the style of dance for its lack of an enthusiastic reception. The choreography was textbook Russian Folk and I can find nothing that breaks the cardinal rules of choreography (dynamics, energy, force).

August 19, 2009 I Written By

I am a blogger and reality tv lover. I blog here for SYTYCD but mostly the Canada version, since I live in Vancouver BC. I also blog about other reality tv shows on my own blog www.mandysmind.com

Alex da Silva Accused of Raping 4 Female Dance Students

This was quite sad news. It’s being covered a number of places online, but it looks like E! Online broke the story about Alex da Silva being arrested on 8 felony counts:

Alex Da Silva, who up until this past season was So You Think You Can Dance’s go-to salsa, mambo and Argentine tango choreographer, was arrested at his North Hollywood home this morning on a bunch of sex-crime charges involving four different women he tutored.

All told, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office charged the 41-year-old dance instructor with eight felony counts: four counts of forcible rape, two counts of assault with intent to commit rape and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object.

He had some real skills in choreography. It’s just sad that he had to do something so horrible as well.

Here’s some quotes from the Huffington Post from back in April as well although the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office declined to press sexual assault charges against Da Silva due to lack of evidence, pending further investigation.

[Alex da Silva] was arrested Saturday on suspicion of sexually assaulting four of his dance students, police said.

Alex Da Silva, 41, a well-known salsa dancer who teaches at several Los Angeles dance studios, was taken into custody after teaching a class at a Hollywood studio and booked for investigation of sexual assault, Det. John Eum said.

Da Silva, who was being held on $3.8 million bail, is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday.

However, the more frightening part of this whole issue is the following additional quote about Alex da Silva:

Da Silva had been accused in 2003, 2004 and 2005 of sexually assaulting three women, but for unknown reasons prosecutors declined to file charges, Eum said.

Then on March 28, a fourth woman accused Da Silva of luring her to his home, using a ruse to get her into his bedroom and raping her. Detectives went back to interview the previous accusers, found similar accusations of being lured to Da Silva’s bedroom and sexually assaulted by him, and reopened their cases.

“These four women don’t know each other at all, yet their reports read basically the same,” the detective said. He noted that one of the accusers was a minor at the time of the alleged assault.

“We’re almost sure there are probably other victims out there and we hope they’ll come forward,” he said.

How sad is this? I hope that other people will come forward if there are any. I’m still a bit shocked just thinking about it. I’m quite sure we won’t be seeing Alex da Silva on So You Think You Can Dance at least in the near future and honestly I’m glad about that.

I Written By

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