`Meet your Top 10!

The Top 10 have now made it through five gruelling rounds of elimination and have survived various dance styles from dancehall, house, hip-hop, quick step, salsa and mambo.

The dancers range in age from 19 to 28 and represent a variety of dance styles including contemporary, ballroom, tap, ballet and hip-hop, and are representing communities across the country;

They are ecstatic to have made it this far…

AMY Gardner, 21, a contemporary dancer from Calgary, Alta.
“It has been a bit of a rollercoaster so far, but the show has taught me to believe in myself and has helped me have more confidence. I’ve made some great friends and worked with some amazing choreographers and it’s been so much fun. I want to thank my fans and supporters, and no matter what happens, I want to show Canada what unique style and versatility I have as an artist.”

AUSTIN Di Iulio, 20, a contemporary dancer from Mississauga, Ont.
“It’s amazing to have all of my efforts over this past year finally pay off. The experience has been surreal so far and I can’t wait to se what is in store. Much love to all my supporters and fans.”

CODY Bonnell, 19, a hip-Hop dancer from Unionville, Ont.
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

EMANUEL Sandhu, 28, a contemporary/ballet dancer from Vancouver, B.C.
“This journey is sometimes scary but also exciting and I’m grateful that I haven’t had to do it alone. I’m the happiest boy in the world right now. Thank you Canada!”

EVERETT Smith, 25, a tap dancer from Glen Morris, Ont.
“Last year I really wanted to make Top 20 and be a part of the show in Season 1, but I feel I wasn’t ready to believe in myself. This year, I wanted to be real from the beginning and lead with my heart. I want to bring tap back and thank everyone who’s always believed in me. No matter how hard the journey may get, believe in yourself and you can overcome anything that gets in your way.”

JAYME RAE Dailey, 21, a contemporary dancer from Montreal, Que.
“Last season I was sitting at home watching the show and I can’t believe I’m part of it now. This has been a great learning experience and I feel it’s the beginning of something amazing in my life. Most importantly, I feel blessed by all the teachers I’ve had and support from my family. They have given me the tools to be able to make it this far and I hope the journey continues.”

KIM Gingras, 23, a hip-hop dancer from Montreal, Que.
“I’m touched by all of the support I’ve received and I wouldn’t be here without it. I am thankful and blessed to be part of this experience and to have worked with amazing choreographers. Over a few short weeks I’ve had the opportunity to grow and learn as a dancer in such a short amount of time and can’t wait for it to continue.”

MELANIE Mah, 19, a contemporary dancer from Richmond Hill, Ont.
“Wow! I can’t believe I made the Top 10! All I have to say is thanks to everyone who has supported me on my journey so far. This has absolutely been the best experience of my life and I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who has pushed me and believed in me as a dancer.”

TARA-JEAN Popowich, 20, a contemporary dancer from Lethbridge, Alta.
“The experience so far has made my life. I want to thank everyone for their support – especially my hometown. Thanks Lethbridge!”

VINCENT Desjardins, 20, a ballroom dancer from Trois-Rivières, Que.
“When I auditioned my goal was to make Top 20, but making Top 10 is more than I could have hoped for. Thanks to my hometown for all your support!.”

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Welcome to all our new students and welcome back to our returning students. It is great to see and feel the excitement of students back in class, meeting new friends, getting a great workout and really feeling the fun and joy of dancing. For me, I really missed dancing as I have been also away from it for a couple of months spending time in Hawaii and trying to get through the first trimester of my pregnancy. I feel so much better on the dance floor physically and mentally and I know everyone feels similarly after a low key holiday season.

Our first outing of 2009 is this Friday, January 23rd at 9:30pm at Plaza Flamingo. Get there a bit early so that you can check your coat and be ready for the lesson from 9:30pm – 10:30pm. Velina and Mark will be teaching the absolute beginners lesson and Evan and I will be teaching the intermediate class. As a special treat our Toronto Dance Salsa Helpers Performance Class will be performing their choreographed routine that they have been working on for the past few months at 11:15pm so come out to support them!

The Sunday Social time has changed to 6-9pm. Every Sunday (excluding long weekends) we dance the Sunday evening away at Empress Walk. Over 100 students and friends come out weekly and it is a ton of fun and very comfortable.

We also have non-salsa classes available at Empress including Zumba which is an amazing fun workout on Wednesdays with Tracie, Belly Dance level 1 and 2 with Ece, Hip Hop with Ece (Sold out), Yoga with Pamela and Pilates with Elizabeth. Check out details on the Class Schedule Page.

I have been asked where students can buy our new Toronto Dance Salsa sloganed T-Shirts. They are available every Sunday at the social. You can also email us and we can try to bring you a shirt to your own class. T-shirts are only $20 taxes included.

That is about all the news for now. See you on Friday at the outing!

The post Welcome back everyone! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

“So How Does ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada’ Work?
Updated Tue. Sep. 9 2008 10:41 AM ET
Lindsay Zier-Vogel, CTV.ca

The show’s about to hit the nation but before Thursday’s premiere, let’s figure out how the show works…

Cross-Canada Auditions

Our cross-Canada audition shows feature the best of the best! So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s stellar roster of judges traveled from Vancouver to Halifax, searching for Canada’s top dancers.

How Does the Audition Process Work?

Before they even have a chance to get on stage the dancers lined up in wee hours of the morning, braving rain and wind and humidity. They nap, eat, bust a move and practice their solos while they wait, greeting old friends and meeting new ones.

The crowds erupt when host Leah Miller calls them into the theatre, and after the initial rush, there are forms to fill out, music to register, dance clothes to slip on and muscles to stretch. Before long, the dancers are finally up on stage, doing what they do best — dancing.

Solos:

After each dancer performs his or her solo for the panel of judges (in his/her own style to his/her own music), three things can happen:

* “It’s a no for me”: If the majority of the judges don’t think dancers can hold their own, they are homeward bound.
* “It’s a yes for choreography”: If the judges aren’t sure about the potential of a dancer, or just want to make sure he/she is versatile and capable of picking up choreography, the judges send him/her on to “Choreography” with Blake McGrath to learn a challenging multi-genre routine.
* “It’s a yes for me!: If the majority of the judges see great potential in a dancer, he/she will receive a “Boarding Pass” to Toronto and head straight to the Finals.

Choreography:

Dancers who are sent on to choreography perform Blake’s routine in front of the judges in small groups. After this performance, two things can happen:

* “It’s a no for me”: If the majority of the judges don’t think dancers can hold their own, their So You Think You Can Dance Canada journey ends for this year.
* “It’s a yes for me”: The strongest, most versatile dancers receive Boarding Passes to the finals.

Finalist Week in Toronto

The top dancers from each city travel to Toronto to compete for a spot in the Live Show’s Top 20.

Competitors are taught routines in several different styles by the two permanent judges, Tré Armstrong and Jean Marc Genereux, and third alternating judges, Luther Brown and Blake McGrath.

* At each stage, the judges vote on whether or not to keep the dancers in the competition.
* If the judges are split, contestants must “Dance for Their Lives” (i.e. perform a solo in their own style).
* After a grueling week, judges choose the Top 20 — ten male and ten female finalists — to participate in the live show.

Top 20 to Canada’s Favourite Dancer

With the Top 20 dancers ready and rarin’ to show Canada what they’ve got, it’s up to Canadians to decide who stays and who goes.

Each week, competitors are assigned different partners and dance styles to perform. From hip-hop, krump and pop-and-lock to salsa, quickstep, ballroom, and jive, the dancers perform group numbers, solos and duets every week.

Leah Miller hosts the evening and there will be three judges each week:

Two permanent judges: Tré Armstrong (a contemporary/funk dancer, choreographer and star of the MTV/Paramount dance film ‘How She Move’) and Jean Marc Genereux (international ballroom champion and guest judge/choreographer on the U.S. version of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’).

The third judge will alternate between a series of guest judges: Paul Becker, Luther Brown, Sean Cheesman, Rex Harrington, Blake McGrath, Mary Murphy and Melissa Williams.

Top 20: The First Five Weeks

The Top 20 Contestants try to impress both the judges and the voting public so they can remain in the competition.

Performance Night:

* Dancers perform duets created by the show’s choreographers in specific styles –contemporary, hip hop, ballroom and jazz, among others.
* The judges offer their take on the couples’ performances and provide feedback.

After Performance Show:

* Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite couple(s).

Results Show:

Dancers open the show with a group number.

* The three couples that received the least number of votes are revealed.
* Dance For Your Life: These bottom six performers are given one last chance to prove themselves as dancers as they each perform a self-choreographed solo in his/her own style.
* One male and one female contestant are removed each week based on the judges’ final decision.

TOP 10: The Remaining Weeks

Once our dancers are narrowed down to the Top 10, it’s up to the public’s votes send one female and one male home each week — ending their dream of becoming Canada’s favourite dancer.

Performance Night:

* Dancers perform duets created by the show’s choreographers in specific styles –contemporary, hip hop, ballroom and jazz, among others.
* Dancers also perform their own solos
* Judges offer their take on the couples’ performances.

After Performance Show:

* Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite couple(s).

Results Show:

The remaining dancers open the show with a group number. Special guest performers will also perform for the live audience

* The male and female with lowest number of votes are revealed and eliminated.
* In this part of the competition, the judges do not have any direct control of the elimination process, and the fate of the dancers is left entirely to the viewers at home.

Season Finale:

After the tough, exhausting months-long competition, one dancer is voted number one and heads home with the highly coveted $100,000 grand prize and the title of Canada’s Favourite Dancer!”

Can’t wait to see what they have done with the show – I’ll keep you updated but feel free to send me your thoughts especially about the salsa routines!

The post So You Think You Can Dance Canada appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Velina and I, who both share the SYTYCD addiction, did a sushi and SYTYCD night. Nothing beats sushi and dancing! What was great about it was the Velina had the previous night’s 2hr show taped and we were able to see all the performances again before the elimination round which was brilliant. You do tend to forget and I find the second time watching you see completely different things.

I have a tendency to always look at the female dancers the first time. But with the second viewing I was able to watch the men, the dancers as a unit, their facial expressions and all the other small details that really make the dance. I guess I shouldn’t have thrown out my VCR because taping the show really makes a difference.

We probably watched the Work-A-Holic Hip Hop routine 4 times – it is such a great routine that gets better and better for me. The samba and the rumba were super hot also and the jailbird hip hop routine was a lot of fun.

So it was no surprise when the bottom three turned out to be the quickstep (which was by far the worst routine), the modern African piece (which had potential to be awesome but they couldn’t get enough power in their movements) and the contemporary routine with Kourtni and Matt.

I thought Kourtni and Matt’s solos were excellent. They were saved and that was great news. Comfort and Thayne were also saved although I think they may be going home very soon. But it was Chelsea and Chris who went home and I think this was the best decision.

Let me know your thoughts…I am still cheering for Will but he needs to get a new partner!

The post So You Think You Can Dance Update appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Leah Miller will host the show. For those who don’t know Leah she is a Much Music host and also has a dance background. According to the ctv.ca website Leah won the title of “Miss Junior Dance of Canada” when she was 13 and danced competitively until the age of 16. Leah also had the privildge of taking dance lessons with choreographer Keith “Tyce” Diorio who is a regular choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance.

As for judges there are 2 permanent judges and then alternating and guest judges.

Judge #1 Tré Armstrong (How She Move)
Judge #2 Jean Marc Genereux (guest choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance US)

Alternating Judge #3 Luther Brown (Hip Hop Choreographer)
Alternating Judge #3 Blake McGrath (was on So You Think You Can Dance Season #1)

Special Guest Judges

Rex Harrington (Ballet dancer)
Paul Becker (film choreographer)
Mary Murphy (SYTYCD judge)

So some great names on the roster – can’t wait to see the Canadian talent!

The post So You Think You Can Dance Canada Details appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Here are some things that you can do to keep yourself developing and growing as a dancer:

– Practice spins, body movement, footwork, shines at home
– Stands on one leg to gain balance while doing chores, waiting for the bus, etc.
– Listen to salsa music and pick up the different instruments, beats, accents
– Take other dance classes and exercise classes to improve flexibility, agility, strength, choreography and more – hip hop, jazz, ballet, belly dancing – everything helps!
– Drum along to the different parts of the salsa beats
– Visualize the dance moves you have just learned before falling asleep at night
– Practice shoulder rolls and shimmies while driving in your car
– Follow a salsa instructional DVD at home
– Read salsa forums and articles to gain more knowledge and info on the dance
– Stretch daily to improve flexibility
– Write down the moves you have learned and how to execute them

These are just a few things you can do while you are away from the dance floor that can help your dancing…anyone have any other tips?

The post How to become a better dancer off the dance floor appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Evan and I, along with Velina and Galin, checked out the movie Sunday evening. We all had very similar opinions. Basically there was a huge disappointment that the movie had almost no dancing. We weren’t expecting the movie to be full of dancing but in the reviews most of the scenes shown were dance related and, as always, dancers love to see dance movies. That is the only reason we went to see the movie. There was almost no dancing and what was shown was the same booty grind/roll move in every scene. There was a one minute scene which had some better moves but it didn’t last long and when compared to such recent dance movies as “Step Up” and “You Got Served”, there is almost no comparison. Check out the final dance scene from Step Up by clicking here. Check out the first scene from You Got Served which had amazing hip hop dancing by clicking here.

Most dance movies are cheesy but if the dancing is entertaining, most of us don’t care. This movie, which had almost no dancing, was particularly cheesy. The plot was obvious, there was very little comedy, good drama or even good romance to keep us interested.

I was excited to read Reshma’s opinion because it does show that one’s opinion is just that: their opinion. We would love to hear what you thought of the movie so don’t hesitate to let us know!

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