Free SYTYCD Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on So You Think You Can Dance sent straight to your email? Join hundreds of other SYTYCD fans who subscribe to Pure SYTYCD for FREE!

A Chance to Dance Episode 2 Pictures


As you know, we’ve been covering A Chance to Dance as well as So You Think You Can Dance lately. I’ve really enjoyed watching A Chance to Dance. It’s a great look at the dance world. Plus, I purchased the Chance to Dance online stream and commercial free watching of the show is great.

I got a bunch of pictures from behind the scenes of A Chance to Dance episode 2. It’s amazing to see how flexible the dancers are. Plus, I love the pictures where the dancers are stretching and warming up. It’s cool to see that snapshot in time. Enjoy!

August 27, 2012 I Written By

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

D.C. and Austin Dancers Given “A Chance to Dance”

Tonight’s episode brought us to Washington D.C. and Austin. After finding 13 talented dancers in Salt Lake, it was interesting to see who was discovered in these two cities, and the differences in dance styles.

As, I think it was Billy, said, in Salt Lake there was a lot of talent and people, but the contestants didn’t have the best technique. Then after the D.C. tryouts, there was great technique, but not a lot of hopefuls showed up. I think that Houston definitely had great talent, technique, and a ton of dancers showed up. Perhaps, they saved the best for last? I do think that they might have been wishing they started in Houston, rather than end there.

At the beginning of the episode, Billy and Michael said they were going to some more unique areas in D.C., and they sure did! The pole dancing was a bit surprising, especially when Billy took the stage. But all I have to say is, dang. That man has seriously got some talent. While pole dancing isn’t usually (or really, ever) my favorite dancing to watch, but I will admit I enjoyed his impromptu dance. If you missed it, here’s a clip:

It was disappointing to see the lack of people that showed up in Washington D.C. I just wonder why that was, and why they chose to go to D.C. in the first place. They did seem to find a few good dancers here though, so it wasn’t a complete failure. It might have been good anyways, so Billy and Michael didn’t have to spend as much time deciding who should stay and who should go.

My favorites from D.C. were Kaitlin, a girl from Vienna, and Chase from Alexandria, Virginia. Chase stood out to me, obviously, because he had to leave early. I’m glad that he was there long enough to impress the judges and inspire them to select him to go on. I was  a bit concerned about his heart condition, and that he recently had surgery, but I guess you just have to trust that the doctors gave him the O.K. Patrick, the hippy-ish guy, stood out to me as well. I enjoyed watching him.

I felt like the second half of the show was more interesting to watch, mainly because I thought there was a lot of great talent there. As soon as they visited the University of Texas dance studio, I knew we were in for a treat. I was instantly impressed with the dancers, and felt like they hit the gold mine.

It was interesting how they called out one dancer to dance at the second studio they visited. His name was Trevor Allen and was from Austin, Texas. However, I’m so glad they did! He had some awesome moves and technique, and I doubt they would have seen that had he just shown up to the auditions. I wasn’t surprised when they asked him to move on before the auditions even started. Hopefully he will make it through to the final 12 dancers who will perform at the gala. I really enjoyed him.

The auditions definitely packed a lot of material into a short amount of time. In some ways, that is good, because the dancers that can perform under pressure were able to shine. But it was unfortunate for those that may not have been showing off their best moves, because it wasn’t the type of dancing they were used to. It was interesting to see the dancers as they showed of their best moves to “Chaine Chaine Chaine”. I thought that was a smart move on the part of Billy and Michael, as it showed who could do a basic task.

I didn’t catch a lot of the names of those that went on tonight, but there’s definitely some to watch for. I loved the group number. It was so creative and fun to watch! Houston was definitely a success, and I feel kind of bad that some of the people didn’t make it through.

Well, the auditions are over and next week we will find out which of the 24 will go home, and which 12 will move on to perform at the Gala for the Dizzy Feet Foundation. I think it’s going to be intense, especially because there are only 22 days left til show time! This preview definitely makes it seem that way:

Who was your favorite dancer from the night?

August 24, 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.

Allison Holker Videos and other A Chance to Dance Videos

One thing that I’ve really loved about A Chance to Dance is seeing Allison Holker in another light. She eats breathes and sleeps dance, but it was also great to see more of her personality as well. A Chance to Dance has published a few videos that highlight Allison Holker.

This video is hilarious as Billy and Michael talk about Allison. I have to admit that her driving does seem scary. Plus, at the end, Allison has the perfect line, “I hope that’s soon.” Watch to see what I mean.

I was like Billy and Michael in this video where Allison introduces them to Flocking. Pretty awesome to watch.

Here’s another fun video with Nigel Lythgoe and his son Simon Lythgoe side by side talking about various types of dancers on the show and in particular, the Hula Hoop girl on A Chance to Dance.

I won’t be surprised if we see the Hula Hoop girl on a reality TV show again soon.

The more videos I watch for A Chance to Dance, the more interested I am to see what Michael and Billy do in future episodes. This Friday’s episode looks like it will be really good:

August 22, 2012 I Written By

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

A Chance to Dance Salt Lake City Pictures

I’m sure that most of you read Katie’s thoughts on the premiere of A Chance to Dance. Any hard core fan of SYTYCD will love the show.

For those trying to pick out some of the dancers on the show, check out some of the pictures from the A Chance to Dance Salt Lake City auditions. Some of the pictures are just incredible since they show how flexible the dancers are. Enjoy!

August 20, 2012 I Written By

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

11 Dancers Move Forward for “A Chance to Dance” From Salt Lake City Auditions

Tonight was the premiere of the new dancing “docu-series” we’ve been talking about: A Chance To Dance. 

Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer and judge on SYTYCD, decided he wanted to create a company of 12 talented dancers from around the country and have them premiere at the Dizzy Feet Foundation gala in New York City. Easy, right? Maybe not — he wanted it done in 28 days. So he contacted the creators of the Ballet Boyz Dance Company, Billy Trevitt and Michael Nunn, to go to different cities to visit dance studios and then hold an open audition in hopes of finding talented, classically trained, dancers to make the final cut.

On the premiere tonight, Billy and Michael landed in Salt Lake City and were picked up by their host, Allison Holker, from season 2 of the SYTYCD, and were welcome by wonderful Utah traffic (which I know far too well) on the way to different dance studios in the surrounding area. At the first one, two girls automatically were given passes to the next stage because they impressed Billy and Michael so much, and everyone else was invited to attend the open audition the next day. They visited a few more studios before calling it a day.

But enough of the re-capping. If you’re reading this, you must have watched the show. So now I’ll just give my thoughts.

The show started off strong. We got right into the audition/scouting stage, which I liked. Most of these dancers were serious about what they were doing, and there weren’t any “spoof” auditions that we often see on dancing and singing shows. It also become obvious very early on that Billy and Michael meant business. I mean, someone left without saying anything, and you could tell it bothered them. I loved the speech they gave at that point — I would have been scared to even attempt to leave! They also didn’t waste time cutting people, which was unfortunate for those that didn’t have much a of a chance to show what they had, but it kept the show moving.

Here is a video from tonight’s episode that has Billy “showing how it’s done”:


Billy and Michael had three fears going into the open audition:

  1. Nobody would show up
  2. Those that showed up wouldn’t be any good
  3. How could they know if someone was really as talented as they appeared after one day

There was definitely a huge turnout of a variety of people — a dance student at BYU, an organic gardner, and a guy in his mid-thirties.

Jaecey, more commonly referred to as the hoola hoop girl, stood out to me right away because of her less-dance like attire, and, of course, her hoola hoops. Unfortunately, turning the first part of the audition, she stood out…but not really in a good way. I commented right away that I felt like she didn’t seem to be picking it up very well, and my thoughts were quickly voiced by Billy and Michael. I definitely agreed with that cut.

I did wonder why they kept around A.J. He definitely had a very cocky persona from the beginning, and he just didn’t seem to be that talented. He blamed it on the nerves, but I think he just wasn’t really wanting to listen. I was relieved when he was cut in the end, especially after he made the comment about saving the girls in his trio toward the end.

The group pieces were pretty cool. I think my favorite was Jen and Jessica, who performed second. They seemed very connected and fluid, and it was a beautiful piece to watch. Another stand out performance was Sarah and Eldon, who went first. I think these two could make it to the end. Here’s the clip of their performance:

In the end, I agreed with most of their choices. I noticed that they focused Sarah quite a bit throughout the entire episode. She had several interviews throughout the episode, and it seemed like Billy and Michael singled her out quite a bit. I wonder if that’s a hint at the future — will she make the final cut? She was a bit emotional, so if she can keep that under control, I think she has a good chance.

They are leaving Salt Lake with 11 dancers, however, only two of those were men. Hopefully D.C. and Austin will prove to have more talented male performers. I didn’t catch all the names of those moving on, but among those 11 are  Sarah, Jen, Jessica, Sydney, Joni, Megan, Chase, Eldon, and Savannah. In the individual pieces earlier on in the episode, I really liked Joni’s performance. Beyond her, Sarah, Jen, Jessica, and Eldon stuck out to me.

Don’t forget to tune in every Friday until September 28th to see more auditions and who makes the final 12. Plus, if you don’t have Ovation TV, remember that you can stream A Chance to Dance online. This is a competition like none other I’ve seen before. I’m excited for the upcoming episodes and to follow the journey of these dancers, and to see who makes it to the final performance. I love that there is more than one winner, and this is giving dancers an opportunity they may not have otherwise had. Just so you want to come back next week, here’s episode 2’s promo:

 

August 17, 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 Online Stream

As I mentioned previously, since many of our readers don’t likely have the OvationTV channel in their homes, A Chance to Dance has an online streaming option through Milyoni that will be available at https://www.facebook.com/OvationTV. It will also be available as video-on-demand and TV Everywhere if you have those.

The show premieres Friday, August 17th at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET. The online stream is available for only $1.00 per episode or $11.99 for a seven-episode bundle and will be shown simultaneously on American TV and Facebook. I think that’s an entertainment industry first for a TV show like this to be shown online and on TV at the same time. Plus, the Facebook viewer will have online access to an exclusive interview with Nigel Lythgoe.

Also, if you saw my previous Chance to Dance post, you’ll want to see Michael and Billy Dancing 2-step at the Broken Spoke in Texas.

This quote from Nigel has me excited to see the full series:

“A CHANCE TO DANCE shows the passion, creativity, blood, sweat and tears that go into creating a new
American dance company,” said Nigel Lythgoe.

August 15, 2012 I Written By

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

New TV Show – A Chance to Dance

As I mentioned previously, we’ll be covering the new show Chance to Dance which premieres this week on Ovation TV. It’s getting close and I’m getting quite excited to see what I think will be chock full of amazing dancing.

I’ve found a number of videos that preview A Chance to Dance and give a good look at the 2 main characters in the show: Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt. Here’s the first video to help you get a feeling for Michael, Billy and the show itself.

This next video has Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt shopping in Texas. I hope that A Chance to Dance has as much humor as this video. It’s awesome. I do need to find the video of Michael and Billy going to the “Broken Spoke” dance hall.

This video has Simon Lythgoe offering some dance tips and comments about the music. You know how we feel about music and dancing. Although, my favorite part of the video was seeing Nigel’s son Simon.

Does anyone else enjoy watching a ballet dancer try and pole dance? Yep, Billy pole dances. He actually does quite well.

One last video that has Billy Trevitt offering dance tips. You can tell that Billy doesn’t hold back with his suggestions. I think that’s a good sign that the show is going to expose another side of the dance world that hasn’t been shown on TV that much.

August 14, 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?