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SYTYCD Canada Top 18 Results Show – Down to 16

Tonight we said good-bye to another pair of dancers on SYTYCD Canada.

The opening number
Last night Leah Miller was raving about the opening number tonight and I have to say, it was good, but she really over-sold it. There was tango, there was ribbon acrobatics in the air, it was very cool, but not jaw-dropping.

CTV describes it:

The choreographer of “Jersey Boys” and “Memphis,” Sergio Trujillo, created this incredibly dramatic Argentinean tango number that saw the dancers suspended and spinning from the red fabric.

For the music lovers it was from the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack:El Tango de Roxanne by Ewan McGregor , Jose Feliciano and Jacek Koman

Results
Geisha & Adam – no safe
Jordan & – safe
Shelaina & JP – safe
Francois & Yulia- not safe
Melissa & Joey – safe
Shane & Lindsey – safe
Denitsa & Matt – safe
Carlena & Kevin – safe
Teya & Boneless – not safe

I have to say, I was really unsure about my power rankings last night, but seems I was right on target – yay me!

Solo’s

Geisha – Unknown song
She did well, nothing mind-blowing, in fact, I felt it was pretty average and she may be the one to go!

Yulia – Tuttie Frutti – Little Richard
She did well. She always does in her style, but I feel like doing well in your genre will only take you so far. After Leah said she looked nice and she said, “I made it” (referring to her dress) I don’t know Yulia just rubs me the wrong way.

Teya – Party ROck Anthem – LMFAO
I actually liked her solo, it was old-school hip-hop, very cute, but not very complex. Super fun though!

Adam – Dancing Machine – Jackson 5 (I think, based on lyric search)
Lot’s of rolls and flips. Overall entertaining.

Francois – Uknown Song
Like Yulia, he is very good in his style, but comes across a bit cocky in coversation and attitude.

Boneless – Teach me how to Dougie – Cali Swag District
Like Teya, very entertaining. He did popping and some fun moves.

In the end
Teya and Boneless went home. Judges said it was unanimous for Teya but not for Boneless. Carlena lost it, like shaking violently as she cried, when they announced Teya. Leah Miller said he whiney sympathetic goodbye.

Music for the “look back” video montage:
Life After you – Daughtrey

Now we are down to 16 dancers who will perform next Monday, August 1, 2011.

July 26, 2011 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

SYTYCD Canada Top 18 Performance Show

Tonight the Top 18 dancers performed with new partners. The change up worked well, I think, and allowed dancers to shine and showcase their talents for viewers.

Judges:Jean-Marc, Tre Armstrong, Luther Brown, Mary Murphy, Nico Archambault.

Here is a summary with some thoughts about the evenings show. At the bottom I attempt to power rank, though I am not feeling entirely confident on my rankings this week so PLEASE feel free to comment.

Christian & Jordan
Paso Doble – Francis Lafreniere & Natalli Reznik
La Crimrosa Dominae (Firebender) – Serge Colbert / Jeffrey Fayman, Yoav Goren – Immediate Music


It was an end of the world theme and was very powerful. I love choreographers/past contestants Francis and Natalli. Jordan is my favourite and I was worried for her being in this routine, but they pulled it off amazingly. The Flip & Drag was stunning and the lift and split at the end – wow!

Matt & Denitsa
Contemporary – Sabrina Matthews
Can’t Breathe – Can't Breathe - Joy (Deluxe Edition) Fefe Dobson ft Orianthi


This was emotional and well done, but not as powerful as most of Sabrina’s routines. I really loved the spin lift and thought the pair were well matched. I usually fast forward through Jean-Marc’s comments but forgot to on this one and had to witness him talking about “Dreams” of Denitsa – he is so pervy… reminded me to remember to fast forward his comments the rest of the show!

Carlena & Kevin
Hip Hop – ShoTyme
Clear – Clear! - Clear! Kardinal Offishal


This was fast and hard hitting, but it was also out of sync and noticably so because of the hard hits. Carlena was obviously better as it is her genre, but Kevin did well overall. He had fake tattoos on his arms and it was a nice edgey look for him.

Lyndsy & Shane
Disco – Melissa Williams
Shake Your Groove Thing – Shake Your Groove Thing - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Peaches & Herb Peaches & Herb


This was amazing! I usually enjoy the fast disco routines, but this one was out of this world! I loved her look, especially her eye shadow, and the way they moved around the dance floor, was fun and precise and – just fantastic!

Adam & Geisha
Jazz – Blake McGrath
Who’s That Chick – Who's That Chick? (feat. Rihanna) [Single Version] - Who's That Chick? (feat. Rihanna) [Single Version] - Single David Guetta and Rihanna


This routine was fun! It didn’t look difficult, but the judges made a point to say it was. The costumes were bright and fun, neon and even glowing – they took the lights out and the black light colours of their clothes and body painted glowed.

Yulia & Francois
Mambo – Gustavo Vargas,
Mambo Gazon – Mambo Gozon - Mambo Birdland Tito Puente


The outfits were hot, the moves were sexy and overall this was a spicy routine. I did notice the tough lift they were practicing in rehearsal clip did not happen in the routine, which makes me feel like they couldn’t get it and had to make the routine “easier” I don’t know much about Mambo but this was pretty hot!

JP & Shelaina
Bollywood – Longinus Fernandes
Baawre (Lucky By Chance) – Baawre - Luck By Chance Loy Mendonsa & Shankar Mahadevan


This was a pretty amazing puppet style Bollywood routine. They were in sync, they had the look and did wonderfully. There was a slight wardrobe issue where Shelaina got caught up in her skirt, but she recovered well and kept smiling.

Boneless & Teya
Crump – Lil C
Get Krazy – Buckmouth


This was hard hitting, but not hard enough. Crump is rough and these guys were too soft. Not only that, but the song was kind of rough and tough to follow – it felt scattered.

Joey & Melissa
Contemporary – Mandy Moore
I Wanna Dance With Somebody – I Wanna Dance With Somebody - 14 Side Project


This was beautiful. The story was about being swept off your feet and Melissa was literally swept off her feet, floating through the air. It was emotional and absolutely peaceful! Love Mandy Moore, Love Joey and now I love Melissa.

Top 3
-Joey & Melissa
-Lindsey & Shane
-JP & Shelaina

Middle 3
-Carlena & Kevin
-Christian & Jordan
-Matt & Denitsa

Bottom 3
-Adam & Geisha
-Yulia & Frencois
-Boneless & Teya

We will see. I really don’t know this week

What do you think?Stay Tuned for Results tomorrow, Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 8pm Local time on CTV. I will post the results here tomorrow night.

July 25, 2011 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

Power Rankings SYTYCD Canada Top 12 – More of a Summary this week

Sorry I am late posting I am going out of town tomorrow… which means… I won’t ge tto see results show tomorrow. I will post a discussion post and on Monday when I get a chance to watch results I will do post on it.

ok, let’s get started – I won’t actually power rank tonight simply because I have to pack and head out of town early! SO here is tonight’s summary

Judges:
Jean-Marc, Tre, Blake, Luther and Mary Murphy!

Denys & Janick
Paso Doble – Nattali & Francis
Espana Cani – Manhattan Pops Orchestra – España
1-877-977-46 01

It was powerful and strong, which is what I expected from Denys but was impressed with from Janick. I don’t know much about the dance, but Mary Murphy does and she was hooting and hollering – so I think it was good. Luther called Denys the strongest ballroom dancer ever on the show! Blake said Denys was his fave dancer on the show period.

Jeff & Danielle
Contemporary – Stacey Tookey
Elephant in the Room – Richard Walters – Elephant
1-877-977-46 02

As always Stacey Tookey choreographs a stunning piece. Both danced it beautifully. They got rave reviews from the judges and I can tell this week will be tough! Great jumps and spins and there was one where they went into each other like it would be a crash or a lift but they jerked to each side and joined as one – amazing!

Edgar & Charlene
Salsa – Gustavo Vargas
La Voz del Caribe – Eddie Palmieri – La
1-877-977-46 03

It was spicy, hot. Both brought it – I just hope the voters call in. Edgar has been in the bottom too often. Now however, we have all fantastic dancers so it will be even tougher. They both did AMAZING lifts, spins flips and tricks BUT their last big move did NOT happen and it was pretty obvious… also in the middle her shoe was caught in dress, but she fixed it and went right into her leap – well done!

Mackenize & Amanda
Adro-Jazz – Sean Cheesman
Drumming Circle – Professional Trance – Drumming
1-877-977-46 04

It was, as Sean’s pieces often are, interesting and dynamic. Amanda truly is all legs and arms – but it made the spins around all the more amazing. They worked well together although there were a few moments of slight hiccps, Mackenzie shoed amazing strength lifting her upside down. It was fast and energizing. Loved the body slide at the end. Tre called it animalistic which was a great description!

Claudia & Jonathan
Hip Hop – ShoTyme
The One – Mary J Blige ft Drake – The
1-877-977-46 05

I think I’ve made it clear that I feel Claudia is not very cersatile or tlaented outside of her genre. That being said, she brought it tonight. I almost believed it. Jonathan outshined her in my opinion BUT she really got it better than I expected.

Nathalie & Sebastian
Disco – Maria Torres
You Should be dancing – BeeGees – You
1-877-977-46 06

There were some nice lifts. Disco is togh. I think they did well. I really love Sebastian! It is going to be tough to see someone go home – but it will happen tomorrow night (and I am so sad to miss it)

Who do you think the bottom 3 are?

Who is going home?

September 29, 2010 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

SYTYCD Canada Alumni return to Choreograph and Assist Top 20

CTV posts:

SYTYCDC alumni returned to the Top 20 show to choreograph and work as choreographic assistants. They chatted about what it’s like being on the other side…

Season 1’s Natalli Reznik and Francis Lafrenière: Paso doblé choreographers

Natalli: Francis and I wanted to go a little dark and extreme with this routine. It’s a big battle about who is in control. Really, it’s all about passion.

Francis: I’m really proud of this piece. I love the opening, where the man paints on a frame and the woman reacts to it all.

Natalli: The piece is very passionate and we both wanted the dancers to understand the essence of the paso doblé and really embody their characters. It was tough in the beginning because they’re both ballet dancers, so they dance with their energy up, where in the paso, you need to get really grounded.

Francis: It was a challenge for us to figure out how to teach ballet dancers the paso as much as it was a challenge for them to learn it. Mostly, it was the posture that was difficult to master. The hips have to be over the balls of the feet – it’s hard to maintain over the course of a whole routine. You feel off balance the whole time.

Natalli: I loved performing the paso (in Season 1). Dancing with Francis is magical. He’s a very powerful dancer and I think we have the same intensity. He doesn’t scare me, he challenges me and I think I challenge him back.

Francis: You have to dance strong when you dance the paso. Strong and heavy.

Natalli: Even more than the technique and the steps, for me, paso doblé is a feeling. The dance is about struggle. It’s about overcoming and showing your passion.

Season 2’s Danny Lawn: Choreographic assistant for Stacey Tookey’s Top 20 contemporary duet

Danny: It’s so surreal being back here! I’ve missed everyone – the choreographers, the crew, everything about the show!

It’s such a relief being on the other side of things. I was watching the dry run and I could just sit and enjoy all of the dances.

Working with Stacey is totally a dream job. I wanted to work with her so badly on the show last year, but I didn’t. I got cut right before her group number – it was the worst! In rehearsals for the duet, she’d be giving notes and I’d be taking them all in, and then I’d have to remind myself that I wasn’t even going to be performing!

Being on the creative side with her is just so great. She’s so brilliant. The whole creation process is just so wonderful. She’d say things like, “I’m feeling something that moves this way and is circular, with this sort of intent behind it,” and we’d try things and she’d shape it until it was what she wanted. We were really part of the process.

The dancers are in a position that any little bit that can help and make it easier for them (we will try to give them). It feels so good to give back.

Season 2’s Natalie Lyons: Choreographic assistant for Lil’ C’s Top 20 krump duet

Natalie: It was such an honour that Lil’ C asked me to come from L.A. to work with him and so great to be back here, seeing everyone from last year. It’s been a great experience looking at it from a different perspective.

You don’t have to stress as much, which is nice and I just love watching the dancers in rehearsal and helping them out as much as I can. It’s easier to help them knowing how it feels to be in their shoes.

[Source]

September 5, 2010 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

Power Rankings for SYTYCD Canada Top 20

Last week I failed at my rankings, then again, most agree Canada failed at voting, but I digress. Here are my thoughts based on tonight’s performances.

Please feel free to comment if you agree, disagree or have anything to add or say.

********** TOP 3 **********

1. Amanda & Denys – Contemporary – Sabrina Matthews
Perfect – Hedley
1-877-977-4602

I liked the story, A girl finds out she is terminaly ill, and her boyfriend feels bad he cant help her. Sabrina Matthews created a master piece. I got goosebmps and that usually equals a Top 3 rankings. There was beautiful movement and it was emotionally moving. I loved it! Well danced!

2. Jeff & Charlene – Contemporary – Stacey Tookey
Breathing – Alisa Turner
1-877-977-4606

Based on a real story from a letter from a depressed person who used her daughter to pull through. Stacey is amazing. Goosebumps and you know what that means.. Top 3 ranking… It was in their genre so it had to be wonderful. Very beautiful!

3. Kloe & Jonathan – Jazz – Blake McGrath
California Gurls – Katy Perry ft Snoop Dogg
1-877-977-4610

Very fun theme, sexy and hot… perfect song choice. Thank goodness she took off those heels – yikes! Blake’s choreo is always hot and quite precise. This had some great moments but was mostly just fun to watch. I think people will vote for it because of that reason. I had no idea Kloe had a bad ankle she pulled through that routine without me noticing which is why I put this 3rd and not 4th.

********** MIDDLE **********

4. Nathalie & Mackenzie – Hip Hop – Sho-Tyme
All I do is Win – DJ Khaled ft T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross
1-877-977-4604

I love hip hop overall and these two did a good job, Mackenzie is pretty to look at so that helps. There were some very fast moments that could have been a little but more precise but I enjoyed watching it. I was stuck between my top 3 & 4 to be honest. Kloe dancing through a bad ankle is what put them above this routine, barely.

5. Sebastian & Danielle – Theatre – Sean Cheesman
No Good Deed – Idina Menzel – Wicked Soundtrack
1-877-977-4608

Nice twists and lifts. It was very interesting to watch. I enjoyed it a lot. I think people will vote for them.

6. Jesse & Julia – Samba – Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin
Cuban Pete – isweat music
1-877-977-4607

Julia’s favourite of her 5 areas of dance I expected her to nail it and she did. Jesse was a fast learner it seemed, he had me convinced, holy hips! The wardrobe change by her was hot, although her dress started to fall apart she danced through it.

7. Shavar & Janick – Krump – Lil C
Whatever – Buckmouth
1-877-977-4609

Funky outfits, he had a tin can on his junk (as Mia pointed out) Shavar was harder hitting than she was but that wasn’t a surprise, neither hit hard enough for krump though. Still, It was “bucc”. But they were out of synch almost the entire time which kind of made it look a mess for me. Loved Lil C calling himself a Warriogropher.

********** BOTTOM 3 **********

8. Jera & Kirsten – Paso Doble – Francis LeFreniere & Natalli Reznik
Iron Might / Mind Control – Position Music
1-877-977-4603

Dramatic movements, lights outfits, the end spin was amazing but the drop was a bit hard at the end. It was good. Not great. I love these two dancers so I hate putting them in the bottom 3 but based on tonight that is where they fall… I don’t see them going home though.

9. Claudia & Yonni – Foxtrot – Danny Quillam
Telephone – Lady Gaga ft Beyonce
1-877-977-4605

Modern music with a not-so-modern dance style, hot outfits, felt a bit slow for the music until the steps around the stage. Mixed results from the judges. I wasn’t feeling it personally but can see the artistic, uniqueness about it. A juxtaposition between tradition and modern… very interesting.

10. Bree & Edgar – Dancehall – Jaeblaze
Clarks (feat Popcaan and Gaza Slim) – Vybz Kartel
1-877-977-4601

Smooth, he is harder hitting than she (hip hop background, vs contemporary) I wasn’t a fan overall. There were moments of good but also moments of random nothing. Luther said it was good dancehall, what do I know about it? Just average for me.

I really have a tough time ranking these dancers… Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

August 30, 2010 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

SYTYCD Canada Twitter Round Up

I know there are frequently twitter round-up’s posted but I wanted to start by sharing the SYTYCD Canada Twitter Accounts. If you know of any other’s let us know and we will update them.

Official SYTYCD Canada Twitter.

Judges & Choreographers
Muther Brown
Tre Armstrong
Blake McGrath
Mary Murphy
Stacey Tookery

Season 1
Natalli Reznik
Miles Faber
Vincent Noiseux
Kyle Mylrea

Season 2
Melanie Mah
Cody Bonnell
Nicholas Begin.
Natalie Lyons
Everett Smith
Kim Gingras
Amy Gardner
Jayme Rae
Danny Lawn
Taylor James
Daniel Dory

Other
Blue Print Cru

Who am I missing?

See all SYTYCD Twitter Accounts here.

*Thanks Nate for updates

August 15, 2010 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

SYTYCD Canada Calendar

Across Canada your favourite dancers are appearing…..

Jan. 23-24
Vancouver, B.C.: iDance Convention
Sheraton Vancouver Guilford

Faculty includes: Tara-Jean Popowich, Vincent Desjardins, Kim Gingras with Brandon Bryant and Evan Kasprzak from the U.S.’s SYTYCD.

Jan. 23-24
Regina, Sask.: iDance Convention
Delta Regina

Faculty includes: Jayme Rae Dailey, Austin Di Iulio, Natalli Reznik, Cody Bonnell and Amy Gardner

Jan. 30-31
Montreal: iDance Convention
Cowne Plaza Hotel Airport

Faculty includes: Tara-Jean Popowich, Vincent Desjardins, Jayme Rae Dailey, Arassay Reyes with Alex Wong from the U.S.’s SYTYCD.

Jan. 30-31
Edmonton: iDance Convention
Radisson Edmonton South

Faculty includes: Kim Gingras, Natalli Reznik, Francis Lafrenière with Brandon Bryant and Evan Kasprzak from the U.S.’s SYTYCD.

Feb. 4
Belleville, Ont.: Habitat for Humanity PhilanthroPARTY, a fundraiser for Haiti
The Empire Theatre and Centre for the Performing Arts
Performances by Cody Bonnell and Melanie Mah

Feb. 5-7
Calgary: Calgary International Salsa Conference
Hyatt Regency Calgary

Workshop with Tara-Jean Popowich

Feb. 6-7
Montreal: Raise the Bar 6 dance convention
Faculty includes: Luther Brown and Kim Gingras (with Blueprint dance company)

Feb. 6-7
Winnipeg: iDance Convention
Faculty includes: Tara-Jean Popowich, Vincent Desjardins, Jayme Rae Dailey, Natalli Reznik and Brandon Bryant from the U.S.’s SYTYCD.

Feb. 13-14
Calgary: iDance Convention

Faculty includes: Tara-Jean Popowich, Vincent Desjardins, Jayme Rae Dailey, Miles Faber and Brandon Bryant from the U.S.’s SYTYCD.

Feb. 27-28
Barrie, Ont.: DARK Danse presents “Just the Beginning”
Faculty includes: Miles Faber and Jenna-Lynn Higgins

All events are subject to change.

January 24, 2010 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

So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 1 winner and finalist Nico & Natalli dance with Janet Jackson on AMA's

The quality on television was not great to start the American Music Awards, I thought it was just my t.v. but seems it was everyone. Anyhow, here is a video from youtube of the opening act to the AMA’s. Janet Jackson did great but two of her dancers, who we all know and love, stood out to me most… Nico & Natalli. Lot’s of close-up’s and close-to-Janet moves… love it!

November 23, 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

So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 1 contestents on American Music Awards with Janet Jackson

The  American Music Awards air November 22, 2009.

 

So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 1 winner Nico Archambault along with finalist Natalli Reznik will share the stage dancing with the iconic Janet Jackson.

It’s going to be an action packed show with tons of great features, but as a Canadian SYTYCD fan, this news was very exciting.

Read More Here

Be sure to tune in and see.

November 22, 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

So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 1 Contestents Nico and Natalli will get on stage with Janet Jackson

CTV Posted this Friday:

For most dancers, performing with Janet Jackson is at the top of their list of ultimate dream jobs, but for So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 1’s winner Nico Archambault and finalist Natalli Reznik, it’s a dream come true.

On November 22nd, Nico and Natalli will join Jackson on stage at the 2009 American Music Awards, performing a high-energy, five song mash-up routine.

“It’s such a great experience,” Nico says on his way to rehearsal in Los Angeles. “It’s the best you can get. It’s the top gig and it’s so much fun.”

Natalli agrees: “It’s amazing. It’s been really, really exciting,” she gushes.

Getting the call

Nico got the call from Jackson’s choreographer, Gil Duldulao, who choreographed the Michael Jackson tribute number on Season 2’s Top 20 show. “He called me on my birthday, on October 18th. It was amazing. It was the best gift ever!” Nico says.

And even the ever-confident, cool-as-a-cucumber Nico almost couldn’t believe it. “When I hung up, I was like, ‘Was that real? Did I really just get that call?'”

Though he had met Duldulao before, they had all just worked together on the set for judge and choreographer Blake McGrath’s video shoot. Natalli was also in the video.

“It was after we finished taping that Gil texted me and said, ‘Do you want to audition for Janet?'” Natalli remembers. “At first I thought he was kidding, or just being funny, but I said yes, of course.”

Natalli first saw the video for Jackson’s ‘All Night, Don’t Stop,’ when she was dancing with Cirque du Soleil and immediately knew that was what she wanted to do with her dance career. “When I saw that, I was so inspired and it stayed with me.”

Meeting Janet

Natalli admits she got giddy and giggly when she first met Jackson. “I was talking so much. I couldn’t stop,” she laughs.

When she first got to L.A., Natalli’s suitcase was delayed and she had to head to rehearsal without any dance clothes. “Janet brought me running shoes to rehearsal. That’s Janet — that’s how sweet she is.”

“I’ve never been a groupie of anyone in my life, so it wasn’t like I stopped breathing or passed out or anything,” Nico says with his signature calm, but admits the first time Janet joined them in rehearsal he had to take a moment. “I had to just say to myself, ‘Janet’s in the studio right now. Janet Jackson!'” And even though she is one of the biggest stars in the industry, Nico says she is approachable and friendly and makes sure she fosters ‘a really good vibe’ in the rehearsal studio.

“At one point, Janet was working on a routine and the dancers were having a break and I was sitting there, thinking to myself, ‘I have a really great job. Here I am, witnessing Janet learning her routine and I’m part of it. Wow.'”

The Jackson experience

Though the hours are long and the rehearsals grueling, Natalli insists the days go by quickly: “We work hard, but it’s so much fun.”

She notes that choreographer Duldulao is meticulous. “All the hand movements are precise and everybody needs to be the same,” she explains.

The dancers have even learned some of Jackson’s older choreography. “‘If’ is such a legend. Everybody who was a dancer growing up watched it off TV and copied it in their living rooms and stuff. It’s like ‘Thriller’ — it’s just one of those legendary dances and it’s so amazing that I’m doing it now,” Natalli says.

Nico isn’t just taking in this experience as a dancer, but also as a choreographer. “I’m observing all the time and taking it all in, especially about the way the space is used. It gives it a whole different dimension,” he says.

Nico says working spatially is one of the hardest things to learn as a choreographer – “You can’t practice it until you have a group of dancers to put your work on. You really need bodies in the space.”

The movement quality

Nico calls the movement “a mix of everything” — street jazz with some hip-hop influences and Natalli adds that there is also a lot of intricate arm movement.

“It’s precise and there’s a lot happening all the time — it’s very quick and there’s a lot of musicality in her work. The choreography is just so Janet!”

With all of the specific arm and head movements, Natalli says you have to be really strong to execute the sharp movement. “‘Use your hands like blades,’ is what Gil always says to us,” she says.

Future plans

Though Natalli hasn’t had a lot of time to explore L.A. yet, she’s enjoyed the food and the shopping. “And it’s so sunny and hot!” she says. She is planning on getting herself an apartment in California so she is able to work in L.A. and Toronto.

“I’ve wanted to live here for 10 years and all of a sudden, it’s all happening,” she beams.

Nico, on the other hand, isn’t a huge fan of the city. “I love what’s happening here — the dancing and what I get to do here, but as a city, it’s not really my thing. If I’m going to be in a city, I’d prefer Montreal or New York,” he says.

But don’t count on Nico settling into any one city any time soon. “I like my gypsy lifestyle right now. I just want to be a dancer, so wherever there’s a project that appeals to me that looks really interesting then I’ll go and I’ll do it.

“My whole point is to keep learning and I’m really learning from the best right now.”

TUNE IN SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22 for AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS ON ABC

November 21, 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