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New Show on CW – Hellcats features SYTYCD Alumni

I always like hearing about SYTYCD Alumni going on to great projects after the show.

Hellcats is a new show on the CW that is filming here in Vancouver. The pilot was great and including it there has only been two shows that have aired. I noticed last seasons Alex Wong’s brother Jeremy Wong right away, as well as Jeff from SYTYCD Canada.

Check out this clip and see if you can find them:

You can Follow Jeremy on Twitter @thejeremywong.

Another familiar face scheduled for the show is Allie Bertram, runner-up from SYTYCD Canada Season 1:

Cochrane Times Writes:

The 21-year-old dancer, a runner-up on the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, will be on TV screens on the CW Network series Hellcats, set to premiere this September.

Bertram, who hails from the Bearspaw area, will play a member of a college cheerleading squad on the show, which stars Ashley Tisdale and Alyson Michalka, and is set to be the network’s answer to Glee.

The role, as one of the members of the “evil” cheer team from the fictional Memphis Christian University, is the biggest acting role to date for Bertram, who has had a number of smaller roles in TV shows like Supernatural and Being Erica

How exciting is that?

I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of many more past SYTYCD dancers being cast. It is a great show so far and if you haven’t seen it you should check it out on the CW Wednesday evenings.

Aly Michalka plays the lead and she was also in the movie Easy A which I saw last night… oddly enough AS I was leaving Easy A I saw Aly and a few Hellcats co-stars leaving the movie too! She was very sweet and took a photo with me – she said her friends wanted to see Easy A too cute!

September 19, 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

SYTYCDC 3 – Stand Outs and BG Info from Calgary/Halifax Auditions

It surely looks like an incredibly busy week! I am back with more (significant) background information that viewers should know about the stand out dancers from the Calgary & Halifax auditions. Somebody mentioned to me before (I forgot who) that it is so much better if we knew more about the dancers, individually beforehand, so that we have a clearer understanding of why they dance the way they dance, how much training they actually have, and ultimately, who we should vote for. I couldn’t agree more.

CALGARY AUDITIONS

Jo Roy 18 Edmonton > Amazing blend of styles. She has this uniqueness about her that really makes her stand out. Love her technique and she has undeniable talent. I would like to see her krump it out!

Kevin Howe 21 Ottawa, ON > Auditioned in Season 1 but cut in Ballroom round during Finals. He is obviously a competition dancer and is very technically trained. He seems to be quite popular in the dance world (Canadian one, at least) already.

Jera Wolfe 19 NS > SO AMAZING. My new favourite already. 😀 Has an amazing repetoire of styles to dance from. He blends styles almost effortlessly. I believe he will be a sure in for the Top 20. He is auditioning with one of his own pieces in the video below (in which he looks like an amazing dancing vampire HAHA):

Julia Harnett 25 Calgary > Auditioned with partner Rufino Rodriguez (23). Her ethnicity is already of interest to me. She is trained in ballet AND ballroom – she will definitely be a force to  be reckoned with, if she makes the Top 20, in which I believe she will.

HALIFAX AUDITIONS (“Haligonians” … Teehee!)

Yuliya Zavadska & Sharone Lewit ? Vaughan ON > Love that they’re showing how multicultural and welcoming Canada is. I don’t live far from Vaughan at all, but I’ve never heard of this duo. The Internet has a lot of search results for Yuliya though. She seems to be very good. Top 20 material, if they wanted a ballroom girl.

Alexandra Crenian ? Mississauga ON > Now, her audition wasn’t shown, but she was briefly shown during the “shaking/nervous” scene and also when they showed who made it to the Finals. She is Miles Faber (SYTYCDC 1)’s girlfriend. I’m not kidding. She’s a gorgeous and talented one. I briefly ‘met’ her at the iDance 2010 convention in Mississauga and she says she teaches in Mississauga most of the time. She was Miles’ assistant and this girl is amazing at hip-hop. I think she will be a part of the Top 20, TBH!

Curtis Jean 21 Halifax > At first, I thought he was a bit underrated. Yes, not overrated. And then I realized his moves were quite sloppy and he acted as if he was superior to everyone else. And then he had some  muscle spasms and pain. And then he quit. And then I was like – okay no more love for this guy. Sorry!

SO THERE WE HAVE IT! Calgary & Halifax auditions! I think they cut out the Saint John auditions this year? Correct me if I’m wrong. I actually missed the Vancouver auditions tonight believing they would air at 9PM, but in reality, they aired at 8PM. Poo. See you all next time! Enjoy!

August 17, 2010 I Written By

Mary Murphy's Blog on Vancouver Auditions

Mary Murphy

The day started out slow, but things rapidly picked up and there have been some amazing dancers and guys doing things I haven’t seen before, which is very exciting because I’ve travelled the world with So You Think You Can Dance.

I’ve seen six seasons in the U.S., we’re into the third here in Canada and I’ve seen four in Australia and three in Scandinavia, so when I say there’s something new that I haven’t seen before, it’s really exciting for me!

[source]

December 10, 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 Auditions in Vancouver

I had glorious plans to go down early and see who I could talk to and meet at the Vancouver auditions.

Those glorious plans, however, failed. After moving December 1st, [and now a week later still living out of boxes] I just didn’t have the time or motivation to go down that early in the cold…

though I did harass Blake McGrath on twitter and follow the judges tweets to live vicariously through them while they were in my city. I don’t know if I could have been entirely nice to Leah Miller – I just want to tell her how I loathe her…

I really hope to see some Vancouverites make it onto the show… it’s always nice to have some locals to root for…

I think this may be Menina Fortunato’s (who I went to highschool with) sister Sante who auditioned last year (and I think should have made it – maybe this year?)

How many hopefuls recieved a boarding pass? Can’t wait to see the show!

And who will survive Blake Bootcamp?

CTV’s Lindsay Zier-Vogel wrote this:

Aerials out of pirouettes, countless turns, a stage full of flips, explosive jumps and crazy isolations — the solos are full of wild tricks this season and Vancouver hopefuls have brought their A-game, pulling out the most dynamic moves they have.

“It’s Season 3 so we’re really looking for something new and fresh,” judge and audition choreographer Blake McGrath says.

So how are the dancers preparing themselves for such mind-blowing moves?

“I’m a Pilates instructor, so I’m always working on my core,” Vancouver dancer Rachel Wainwright, 29, says. She’s most excited about the turns in her solo — a string of chainé turns, into a pirouette, followed by an attitude turn.

“You really have to focus on pulling up and staying centred and grounded,” she explains.

And having a strong core isn’t just for the more contemporary side of dance. Judge Luther Brown insists b-boys need tons of core strength for his favourite move, head spins.

“I think stalls are overplayed, but I always get mesmerized when someone does crazy headspins!” he says.

Spinning on your head sounds crazy to many of us, but Luther breaks it down: “It’s all about the balance and you’ve got to be able to control your body.

“Your core has to be on fire — it’ll take a whole bunch of sit ups,” he insists.

Isolations

Vancouver hip-hopper Alvin Arfieza, 20, is most proud of the isolations in his solo. “It looks like I’m taking an object and passing it through my body,” he explains, and demonstrates this popping movement.

Arfieza insists it takes hours and hours of concentrated practice to be able to move each muscle separately. “I work in front of a mirror first, and then without the mirror so I know what it feels like,” he explains.

He’s included a lot of isolations in his solo because he likes the rhythmic quality of the movement along with the control it takes to move so specifically.

“It’s like telling a story with your body,” he explains, hoping the judges will appreciate the entertainment value of his moves.

Jean Marc’s reverse rolls

Judge Jean Marc Genereux says the hardest move he ever did when he was competing as a ballroom dancer was reverse rolls in a samba, a movement that has the dancers traveling and covering the stage, while rotating the upper body in large, complete circles.

“The samba is crazy fast so it takes connectivity with your partner. You need to be exactly in synch,” he says, adding humbly that he and his partner and wife, France Mousseau were known for their reverse rolls.

“You have to make sure your frame is amazingly strong and that you’re holding each others’ backs,” he explains. “That frame has to be operational because if it’s not, it’ll be a catastrophe. It’s a lot about dynamics.”

Letting go of the fear factor

Contemporary dancer Moses Layco, 24, admits he doesn’t have any fear when it comes to dancing. He’s a self-taught tumbler and loves filling his solos with as many acrobatic tricks as he can.

“I tend to flip a lot when I panic,” he laughs. To keep himself in tumbling shape, he drives out to North Vancouver to the gymnastics gym.

He can’t wait to show the judging panel his most fabulous trick: “I do a pirouette, at least three turns, but hopefully four, and then I extend my leg and go right into the aerial (hands-free cartwheel).”

Calgary’s Louise Hradsky, 23, says she too is fearless on stage. “I’m an aerial circus artist, so I don’t mind being up high and falling really quickly. I love stunts!”

So what’s the most challenging trick in her solo? “I do a double turn into a jump, but instead of landing the jump on my feet, I land all the way on the ground. It adds a little bit of drama,” she says.

But how do you fall and not hurt yourself? “I think there’s always a risk of hurting yourself,” Hradsky says, admitting that she is currently sporting a huge bruise on her left elbow.

“But if you have good body awareness and a strong centre, then you have control of your limbs and you can be exactly where you need to be.”

She believes the best training for dancing is dancing — especially ballet class. “But I also do a lot of non-dancing to keep myself in shape.”

She heads to the gym often and runs a 10 kilometre route along the sea wall five days a week. “I’ve done a couple of half-marathons too,” she says. “I find the cardio and endurance always helps — I don’t ever get tired on stage!”

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

Tre Armstrong blogs on So You Think You Can Dance Canada Auditions

Tre Armstrong

So far, Vancouver has been the best city for returns — the comebacks. The dancers who are determined to make it into this season’s Top 20.

I like that because they’ve all gotten stronger, but it does make our job as judges more difficult!

And for Montreal

The energy has really picked up over the course of the day. The first couple of groups seemed really nervous, but as soon as they got going, the nervous energy floated away. The b-boys are always good for that — they’re so easy going in Montreal.

I’m really looking for uniqueness in this city — I want to see the next Dario, that totally different look.

I must say, the ballroom is out of this world!

[source]

December 8, 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

Season 3 Auditions Underway across Canada

CTV posted all the details for audtions for Season 3 of SYTYCD Canada

Hopefuls from across the country will audition to see if they can follow in the footsteps of Canada’s two Favourite Dancers — Tara-Jean Popowich from Lethbridge, Alta. and Nico Archambault from Montreal, Que.

And on the judging panel for the first stop on So You Think You Can Dance Canada cross-country auditions are:

  • Jean Marc Genereux
  • Tré Armstrong
  • Luther Brown
  • Mary Murphy
  • And as always, Blake McGrath will be choreographing for Blake Bootcamp. Toronto Auditions happened yesterday and more are coming up.

    Montreal, Que.
    Saturday, November 28
    Palais des Congres, Viger Hall
    201 Avenue Viger Ouest

    Vancouver, B.C.
    Saturday, December 5
    The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
    777 Homer Street
    Registration starts at 8 a.m.

    East Coast City
    Venue and date to be announced.

    Calgary, Alta.
    Venue and date to be announced.

    There are rules and forms and information you must read before you go here

    I will try to pop by the Vancouver Auditions and get some clips for the site 🙂

    November 15, 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