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So You Think You Can Dance’s Chris Koehl featured in a new TV spot: Nice Moves

It was only a matter of time until Chris Koehl of So You Think You Can Dance’s Season 8 – who made it to the Top 14 – popped up. In this case there is a new TV spot coming to the airwaves called: Nice Moves, which stars Chris Loehl, is directed by Chris Applebaum (who has directed music videos fro Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Mariah Carey, Kid Rock and otheres) and choreographed by Fatima (who has worked with Usher, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt and Aaliyah).

As a kick off for their celebration of music & dance here is a behind the scenes sneak peak of the making of Nice Moves, featuring interviews with Chris Applebaum, Fatima and Chris Koehl.

After a routine like this:

Is it really a surprise that we would see Chris pop up so soon?

August 13, 2012 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... =)

Chance to Dance on Ovation Premieres August 17th

In case you missed it previously, we had the chance to attend the auditions of a new show produced by Nigel Lythgoe called Chance to Dance. Since then we’ve decided to cover the full season of Chance to Dance here on Pure SYTYCD.

For those dance fans like us, Chance to Dance premieres on Ovation TV on Friday, August 17th at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET. You can also follow Chance to Dance on Facebook as well. Word is that they’ll be streaming the show on Facebook as well. I’ll try and get more details about the online stream and share that once I get it.

For those who don’t know anything about Chance to Dance, I think this video does a pretty good job showing a short preview of the show:

Also, Allison Holker is a part of Chance to Dance and recorded this video where she offers some really great dance tips:

I’m excited to see how this show comes together. As it says in the top video, the dancers that make it through Chance to Dance will have the opportunity to go on tour with the SYTYCD dancers. Very cool!

August 2, 2012 I Written By

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

Flashback: SYTYCD Canada (and U.S.) Season 2 – Tara-Jean & Everett

Typically, I don’t have time to watch So You Think You Can Dance Canada where the primary judges were: Jean-Marc Généreux and Tré Armstrong. So once in a while a friend of mine would send me a video of another routine from another part of the world that would pique my interest some and then that was all.

So when a friend (and fellow PureSYTYCD blogger) of mine posted a video on my Facebook Timeline I wasn’t entirely too anxious to want to go and see it right away, instead I waited til I had a little bit of time before I decided to look at it.

She sent the video with the following comment:

It’s been so long since we had a really good memorable Broadway number (maybe neil & kent baseball from season 7 or robert & kathryn west side story, but I don’t have any memorable ones from last year!), I’d love to see more numbers with this kind of energy!!

Another friend commented:

I miss the old stage. And as long as Tyce is not directing, I tend to like the broadway, but not love.

So, upon reading the comments I decided to watch the video, and boy… my friend was right… it has been a long time since I have seen a Broadway routine with this much energy.

The theatre routine in question was choreographed by Sean Cheesman who just in the first two weeks of competition for SYTYCD Season 9 choreographed two routines that for some reasons the audience may not have connected well to from the get go. Now that’s interesting… Anyway when I say a “long time” I definitely mean a long time… like Season 2’s Benji Schwimmer and Donyelle Jones:

Ironically both were the second seasons of their respective series and both involve “power couples”. So that got me thinking, I already created a Dance Style Breakdown for SYTYCD U.S. edition, so how did the dancers breakdown of dance style fare in Canada? So I decided to take a look… Below is a quick dance style breakdown over the course of the four seasons that the show was on the air:

DANCE STYLE MALE FEMALE
Contemporary 20 24
Hip Hop 9 5
Ballroom / Latin / Salsa 8 8
Ballet 2 2
Tap 1 0
Jazz 1 2
Break Dancing 1 0
Krump 0 1

Granted, this is still a bit lopsided with Contemporary dancers building the bulk of the group… however, when looking at the individual seasons, two of them (Season 2 and 4) were rather decently balanced. While the other two seasons had an insane number of Contemporary dancers in comparison to everyone else.

The two dancers from SYTYCD Canada Season 2 were tap and contemporary and they did a rather good job of it. At the same time I found it kind of odd that Sean Cheesman would create such a technically challenging and high octane theatre / broadway routine. Yes, for SYTYCD U.S. Sean has only created Jazz related routines… what gives? Sure, Tyce is a decent choreographer and Spencer Liff just got an Emmy nomination for his Broadway routines… but if the above routine is any indication I would love to see him try his hand on Broadway as well. If only because it forces the high octane / technically challenging routines to also depends on characterizations for the dancers.

What do you think?

July 21, 2012 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... =)

SPOILERS!!! Top 20 Rumored Pairings

So rumors have been running rampant with who was going to be paired up with whom… looking at twitter right now there is at least one confirmation:

So Witney and Chehon are paired together, not only that but they are doing the Samba as choreographed by Louis van Amstel.

This brings us to another interesting possibility: there has been a lot of talk over at the idolForums of possible pairings. In fact it went so far as to say that according to a series of DancePlug interview videos the couples would appear to be have been paired up.

NOTE: Keep in mind that this is all pure speculation, whether or not this is true remains to be seen.

First the blatantly obvious: Chehon Wespi-Tschopp (Ballet) & Witney Carson (Latin/Ballroom)

Read more..

July 10, 2012 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... =)

So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 Discussion with Debbie Allen

Time for a great discussion of SYTYCD season 9 with the famous Debbie Allen. Debbie Allen gives you some really big hints on some dancers that make it to Las Vegas, so listen for those comments. I also dig in a little bit with Debbie Allen about how dance has evolved and even ask her what she thinks about a Dancing with the Stars – Contemporary edition. Enjoy!

In case you missed it, be sure to check out my interview with Cat Deeley about SYTYCD 2012 and with Nigel Lythgoe as well.

May 23, 2012 I Written By

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

Mary Murphy Discusses So You Think You Can Dance Season 9

Time for a great discussion of SYTYCD season 9 and ballroom dancing on SYTYCD with Mary Murphy. I think this interview does a good job of showing what Mary Murphy is really like. She’s much more calm and not playing it up for the big cameras. I liked talking with her about ballroom dancing on SYTYCD. Plus, Mary Murphy talks about the change from SYTYCD Top 20 to only 18 dancers making the finale. I also ask her what she thinks about having ballroom dancers “dance for their life” with a partner.

In case you missed it, be sure to check out my interview with Cat Deeley about SYTYCD 2012 and with Nigel Lythgoe as well.

May 21, 2012 I Written By

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

Allison Holker in Chance to Dance on Ovation


Pure SYTYCD got the chance to be able to attend the auditions for a new show on the Ovation TV channel called Chance to Dance. The show is produced by SYTYCD’s own Nigel Lythgoe and also includes Allison Holker.

A Chance to Dance follows Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, two former London Royal Ballet dancers and creators of the renowned BalletBoyz Dance Company, as they search the United States for undiscovered dance talent to form this new dance company. And there isn’t one winner… A Company of Dancers will get A CHANCE TO DANCE.

Pure SYTYCD sent Natalie to cover the Salt Lake City Chance to Dance auditions. Here’s her writeup of the experience along with a number of great pictures from the auditions and a short video outside while the dancers wait for their “Chance to Dance.”

Wake up early. Put your favorite dance clothes on. Look at yourself one last time in the mirror and tell yourself you can do it. Drive out in the middle of nowhere. Wait in line for 2 hours with a clip board waiting to check in. Wait in line for another two hours, stretching and free styling, for the people who decide if you’ll get the chance to dance.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the auditions for a new TV show called ‘A Chance to Dance-An exciting new dance competition series from father-son producing team Nigel & Simon Lythgoe.’ While shows like ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and ‘Dancing With The Stars’ pick one winner, ‘A Chance To Dance’ will find the best of 24 and narrow them down to 8, that will perform as a company.

The judges of this new show are Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, or “The BalletBoyz” as they have become known. They will also be joined by, SYTYCD contestant and all-star, Allison Holker, who I also had the chance to meet at the auditions in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I asked them if they will look more for someone who fits into the group versus a star like they look for in SYTYCD? They responded with the easy, both. They will be looking for someone so stands out in the initial stages of auditions and as things progress closer to the final 8 they will look for those that work well in a group. Another difference is that America will not be sharing their opinion by casting a vote. “We are not a democracy,” was there response to my inquiry.

The judges mentioned that all styles of dance will be a part of the show, but I only witnessed about 30 seconds of auditions and those seconds were ballet and contemporary, being led by Allison Holker. Unlike our other favorite dance show, the contestants did not try out by preparing a solo to perform for the judges. They were all taught choreographed routines practiced in typical company class room fashion.

The different audition style rattled some, bringing them to simply walk out of the auditions in the middle, and leave. Others seemed to really be in their element, keeping up with Allison as she taught the routines quickly, with her telling the rest to keep up. The BalletBoyz sat in front of all the dancers talking with show producers, looking up occasionally to see how things were getting along.

Before they let the dancers in to start the auditions, Allison was seen dancing around the studio going over the upcoming choreography in her jeans and ankle boots, drinking her Starbucks, while The BalletBoyz worked with the production team and camera men to get the camera angles right for filming.

Witnessing a panicked, overbearing crew run around like chickens with their heads cut off, all trying not to be the one to mess up and get in trouble, was certainly a new experience. Everything always looks so simple when you see it on TV. But there is a lot more to it than we see in the final cut.

Keep an eye out for “A Chance to Dance”, set to premiere on August 17, on Ovation. You’re guaranteed to see a lot of amazing dancers, looking for their chance to dance.

Here are some of the other shots from the Chance to Dance auditions in Salt Lake City.

Now for a video showing some of the dancers outside waiting to audition for Chance to Dance:

May 17, 2012 I Written By

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

Dance Showdown! presented by D-trix

You’ve seen So You Think You Can Dance. You’ve seen Dancing with the Stars…but you’ve never seen moves quite like those featured on this new original series from the DanceOn Network: Dance Showdown Presented by D-trix.

Twelve dance-challenged YouTube stars pair off with four professional dancers to train, sweat, fail, and ultimately perform in an epic dance battle to win $25,000 CASH. YOU, the audience, vote for the winner. In the end, only one dancer or troupe can triumph as the ultimate Dancer and go home with cold hard cash!



If you have forgotten, D-trix is Dominic Sandoval from Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance. Since his time on SYTYCD he was a member of the dance crew Quest Crew (with Season 1’s Ryan and Season 3’s Hok Konishi). Quest Crew competed on Randy Jackson presents America’s Best Dance Crew… later Dominic left the crew and joined the judging panel for ABDC in their sixth and seventh seasons thus far.

May 15, 2012 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... =)

Lil C Discusses SYTYCD Season 9 Buckness

The next in my set of interviews with the SYTYCD season 9 Las Vegas week judges is with Lil C. It was an interesting interview. He basically dances as he talks, so you’ll see a lot of camera movement. He reveals the name of one act that makes it to Las Vegas. Plus, he adds a lot of info on how he looks at dancing. Enjoy!

In case you missed it, be sure to check out my interview with Cat Deeley about SYTYCD 2012 and with Nigel Lythgoe as well.

May 10, 2012 I Written By

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

Adam Shankman Discusses SYTYCD Season 9 and His Other Projects

The next in my set of interviews with the SYTYCD season 9 Las Vegas week judges is with Adam Shankman. In it, Adam Shankman discusses SYTYCD season 9 and what differentiates the dancers. He also talks about his other dance projects including: Rock of Ages, Step Up Revolution (4), Glee, and This Is Where I Leave You (non-dance), and an action adventure version of the Nutcracker.

In case you missed it, be sure to check out my interview with Cat Deeley about SYTYCD 2012 and with Nigel Lythgoe as well.

May 7, 2012 I Written By

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