Rehearsal Notes– dancers, I’ve made some notes so you can know you’re on track while listening. 2 tiny changes you’ll see as well. I added one more retrograded A-I motion for D in the first round, and I took away one of the bells at the very last build up. I must have been off by one.
Part 1– Repose
1-5 JB (AH walks)
6-10 AH (JB walks)
11-15 AH (AS walks) 13 is short
16-20 AS (DG walks) 16 is short Continue reading
The battle for the top spot grew even more challenging last night as the dancers had to perform three separate dances, one with a fellow competitor, an All-Star partner, and a solo. Since we were down to the top six, the dancers really brought their game and there were so many excellent dances. Here are some of my favorites from last night.
The choreography of Valerie and Ricky’s Broadway piece had a very difficult component to it regarding the main prop. Their somewhat silly and carefree feeling dance, used a swing which Ricky had to leap through several times throughout the dance. Valerie’s dress was poofy and fun.
Next up was Jessica and Casey who went back in time with their sparkly disco and had the costumes to match. Casey spun Jessica around so many times during the dance it almost made me dizzy just watching them!
Last night SYTYCD was joined by the band Rixton, who performed their hit song Me and My Broken Heart.
After that energetic performance, the All-Star couples began their routines. Jacque and All-Star Will’s contemporary routine was light and airy, with the song to match, 99 Red Balloons by Nena. My absolute favorite dance of the night was Zack with All-Star Fik-Shun. Their hip hop routine was choreographed by Phillip Chbeeb who was inspired by the Rorschach Inkblot Test. The dancer’s movements were completely synchronized to form interesting shapes with their bodies. This routine was accompanied by a song I like listening to Sail (Unlimited Gravity Remix) by AWOLNATION.
Then it was time for the results. The final four dancers are Ricky Ubeda, Jessica Richens, Zack Everhart, and Valerie Rocky. Sadly, we said goodbye to Casey Askew and Jacque LeWarne.
Yesterday in rehearsal, we celebrated Laura Gutierrez’s birthday. We all laughed as her fellow dancers carried her throughout the room to Donna Lewis’ “I love you, always forever.” After starting off on a fun and energetic note, they wasted no time getting into the movement. Lydia taught the dancers new movement before reviewing their work from previous rehearsals. They experimented with different music to give their movements a more distinctive feel.
One of the new sections they learned was inspired by Lydia’s visit to the Blanton Museum, where Frame Dance will be performing September 18th. The section involved using the space in an interactive walking sequence, and is something I will look forward to seeing during the performance.
The dancers combined their previous work and new sections together weaving an intricate larger dance piece. The dancers took their cues from the different components of the music. The music for their next show is composed by Robert Honstein and named An Index of Possibility, which will be performed live at the Blanton Museum in Austin. Don’t forget to mark your calendars, because this is a performance you won’t want to miss!
Septemb
er 18, 2014 5:30pm
Blanton Museum
Austin, TX
Michael Jackson was the theme of the night. The top 8’s reflective, extra-terrestrial group dance was choreographed by the man who was the star’s personal choreographer, Travis Payne.
The judging panel was joined by Jenna Dewan-Tatum, as they kicked off another great episode of So You Think You Can Dance.
We learned that each dancer would get the opportunity to showcase their solos along with their duets with the all-stars.
Casey Askew’s contemporary solo was accompanied by one of my favorite music artists M83.
My overall favorite solo was performed by Jessica Richens. Her contemporary solo was flawlessly liquid.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1792
(Gluten-free and no-bake!) (Plus it has absolutely ZERO added sugar and it can be made in 5 minutes flat!)
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. (It’s best if the coconut butter is not solid, and if you use a frozen banana be sure to thaw so it doesn’t harden the coconut butter.) After blending, taste to see if you’d like to add any sweetener. Scoop into a container or even a little pie pan, and put in the fridge or freezer so it will firm up. This is freezer fudge, so it needs to be kept cold. It makes a small serving, but feel free to double or triple the recipe!
Hi Framers,
Would you take a moment to help us improve the blog? We want to give you the best #framer blog experience, and we want to hear from you. Would you take this anonymous, super short survey? Plus, it’s Friday and online quizzes are fun.
Thank you!!
photo by Lena Silva
J.Boe and L. Gutierrez rehearsing “Divide by Five.”
The top 10 dancers, of course, started the night with a very colorful spark! Dressed in all neon colors, the dancers performed a fun routine choreographed by Jamal Sims. Last night’s guest judge was Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski! We also learned that after each Top 10 dancer performed, we would learn whether they would be safe, or in danger of going home.
First dancer of the night was Bridget Whitman paired with All-Star Brandon Bryant. For the first time in So You Think You Can Dance history a Bollywood Disco dance was performed, and it was choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan. Host Cat Deely revealed that Bridget is in danger of going home. Next up is ballroom dancer Tanisha Belnap with All- Star Ryan Di Lello. While dancing their Argentine tango, the dancers performed impressive footwork. Tanisha seemed right at home with her dancing, and I think it was her best dance of the season. Our dancer from Houston, Emilio Dosal was up next with his partner Jasmine Harper. He was portraying a king, and Jasmine was the king’s pet snake. Emilio really showed of his talent and knowledge of hip hop dance. He is in danger of going home. Valerie Rocky and partner Ade Obayomi performed a very uncertain jazz routine. Valerie’s regular cheery personality was challenged by choreographer Tyce Diorio. The judges remarked that her routine seemed “emotionally inconsistent.” Though she had criticize from the judges, she was safe from elimination. Another dancer that wasn’t at his strongest last night, was Rudy Abreu with All-Star Jenna Johnson. Their cha-cha, featured Jenna more than Rudy, and he definitely let her presence overpower his in the dance. America voted Rudy safe from leaving the show this week.
Another SYTYCD first, is a contemporary ballet duet choreographed by Travis Wall for dancer Jacque LeWarne and previous dancer Chehon Wespi-Tschopp. Jacque slipped back on her pointe shoes for the first time in weeks. Their dance was accompanied by the perfecting lighting, which showed their graceful shadows on the wall. Despite the exquisite performance, Jacque was voted in danger of elimination. Next dancer to hit the stage was Ricky Ubeda with All-Star Lauren Froderman, their ‘party’ themed jazz routine was choreographed by Mandy Moore. His impressive moves, sure did impress voters, because he was safe from elimination. The next dance was a Broadway routine choreographed by SpencerLiff, for dancer Casey Askew and All-Star Kathryn McCormick. The romantic piece was accompanied by the popular Broadway song Maybe This Time by Liza Minnelli from the musical Cabaret. Casey is safe from elimination. One of my favorite performances of the night was Jessica with tWitch with a fun and flirty jazz routine. Last dancer to perform was Zack Everhart with Amy Yakima. Their dance was choreographed by my favorite Sonya Tayeh. The dance told the story of one of Sonya’s friends who passed away, creating a deep and touching performance.
After each dancer had performed, singer Christina Perri took the stage and sang a song I love. Dancing with her were All-Stars Chehon Wespi-Tschop and Kathryn McCormick
We unfortunately had to say goodbye to Emilio and Bridget. (You were right about Emilio!) The All-Star pairings were announced at the end of the show. Jacque with All-Star tWitch, Ricky with All-Star Jaimie, Tanisha with All-Star Nick, Rudy with All-Star Allison, Valerie with All-Star Ryan, Zack with All-Star Makenzie, Casey with All-Star Comfort, and finally Jessica with All-Star Will.
When I first arrived at the studio, I was delighted to meet the Frame Dancers in person. The dancers in rehearsal were Jacquelyne Boe, Alex Soares, Ashley Horn, Danielle Gonzaba, and Shanon Adams. Before dancing, we took the time to have a relaxing check-in, and the dancers shared their favorite Frame related memories. After our sharing and fun walk down memory lane, Lydia Hance led the dancers through an energetic warm up.
Afterwards, they were given an exercise to physically spell a quote through dancing. In each dancer’s way, they expressed the meaning of the words with fluid and also sharp movements, and with grace and emotion. They each spelled “Give me silence, water, hope; give me struggle, iron, volcanoes.” Watching the dancers was a wonderful example of artists working together to create something even greater. Every smaller exercise the dancers worked on was connected to make a larger piece of choreography. I loved having the chance to observe rehearsal, and I am going to continue to do so in the future.
by Rachel Kaminski; photo by Jonathon Hance
