Still Dancing with Donny

So many times, after the season has ended, and we’re left weeping in front of the TV with nothing to watch, our favourite dancers hipped and hopped off into the sunset rarely to be heard of again. Unfortunately, the rest of the world has yet to realize the all encompassing power of dance, so many of these insanely talented dancers don’t get much press.

We’ve seen the trailers for the new Fame movie with Kherington; Travis and Dimitri are all over the place (namely as new choreographers on SYTYCD); Lacey and Chelsie wowed the world on Dancing with the Stars… But where did Sabra sashay off to? Where’s Ivan rolling these days. Heidi? Hok?

Well, darlings, slap on those Cha Cha pumps, shimmy into your tutu, and let’s have a look at where they are now, shall we?

Starting with one of my favourites, the incomparable Donyelle:

We first fell in love with Donny back in 2006 during Season 2 when she was paired with Benji. The two together were a force to be reckoned with – and who could forget their first bootylicious performance?

The two went on to thrill the judges and audience alike with some stellar performances that season. Donnyelle ultimately finished in fourth place, with Benji taking the cake (and eating it, too). Since the show, Donyelle has worked with Tyce Diorio on the stage production of Just Another Man, as well as Wayne Brady’s spectactlar Las Vegas show at the Venitian. She also works as a dance instructor in North Hollywood – sharing her passion and infectious love of dance with everyone who enters her studio.

Currently, you can catch Donyelle and her dance crew, Artistry in Motion, on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. From MTV.com:

“Artistry in Motion is a group of ladies on a dancing mission. They are trying to unite the hip-hop and contemporary styles of dancing and turn it into a genre they call “contemp-hop.” The girls hail from all different parts of North America and have combined their individual styles into something special — special enough to get gigs dancing with artists such as Missy Elliot, Black Eyed Peas, Wayne Brady, Lloyd, Ludacris and Gnarls Barkley.

“We wanted to make sure that we pay respect to where the term ‘crew’ originated,” they said, “which is the hip-hop dance community.” To do this, these experienced dancers will utilize their training in hip-hop, contemporary, jazz, ballet and modern styles.”

During the premiere episode, judge L’il Mama defined Artistry in Motion as “the tightest choreography on the show.” They were applauded by all three judges for being an inspiration to “real girls” everywhere and shattering the “dancer’s body stereotype.”

It’s great to see Donyelle doing so well. Be sure and check out America’s Best Dance crew on MTV, Sunday nights at 9 pm ET and vote for Artisty in Motion so we can continue to enjoy such amazing talent!