SYTYCD...

I never understood why exactly the winner of "So You Think You Can Dance" is called "America's Favorite Dancer."  Shouldn't it be "America's Best Dancer" or is that just a silly question?  People audition and make it to "Vegas Week" and sometimes into the Top 20 because of their skills and technique and ability to dance, not because they're well-liked as a person.  I feel like the whole aim of the show is sometimes off, and this season makes me question it even more.  Sometimes I think the show is rigged to give those contestants who have struggled in their lives the chance to "make it" or "be somebody" or something.  That's fine, and reputable, but I've really only seen 2 winners (Sabra from Season 3 and Jeanine from Season 4) who encompass everything; they have "the whole package," if you will.  We'll talk about Season 6, for example.  Jakob Karr.  Need I say more?  Maybe to those of you who don't watch the show (and shame on you for that; the world of dance is under-appreciated, but this show brings to light how important and incredible an art form it truly is... I'm off my soapbox now... kinda), but the winner of Season 6 should not have been between Jakob Karr and Russell Ferguson.  And Russell Ferguson should not have been the winner.  I mean, I'm sure he's a great guy and all of that, but Jakob clearly should have won.  His technique, his humbleness, the way he's always there for his partners, his technique... I could go on for days about him.  Well, maybe not days, but longer than I just did.  Anyway, the winner should have come down to Jakob and either Kathryn or Ellenore.  And I would have been completely satisfied with either of those 3 winning (Ellenore was actually my favorite all season, but that's neither here nor there).

This season, the 7th season, has blown me away.  I questioned the decision to only do a top 10 of contestants and include contestants from past seasons (rightfully dubbed the "All-Stars"), and, not wanting to disappoint, the producers decided upon a top 11 to include Billy Bell (who is just too good).  I feel like they should have also included Ryan Ramirez to make a Top 12, and keep the number of girls and boys equal, but whatever.  I think that the people who vote are blind.  Aside from all the injuries that have happened (which has been ridiculous), I don't understand how some of the contestants made it as far as they did (i.e. Jose and Adechike).  My favorites from the beginning, Lauren and Kent, are still on the show, obviously, and it's going to come down to either of them.  Quote me.

Lauren's solo from the Top 6 Performance show this past Wednesday (the 28th) is posted below for you to see.  I literally yelled in my kitchen while I was watching this.  She is so amazing and if she isn't Top 2, I will be dumbfounded.  I also am going to post her audition solo and her Vegas Week solo.  And I'm going to post the video of a piece she danced with Kent because my heart melted and it was just so perfect.

Top 6 Solo

lauren solo 62 @ Yahoo! Video

Initial Audition


Vegas Week Solo


Contemporary Piece with Kent (Choreographed by the AMAZING Travis Wall)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-2yaqxcVzM
(The embedding for this dance has been disabled by request, which is irritating, so I apologize)

SO YEAH.

I went to DC for the first time EVER 2 weeks ago.  It ruled.  There is a slideshow of some of my favorite photos below (I recently got the Nikon D5000 DSLR camera, and I may or may not have ended up taking 500 pictures in a 4-day time span... I don't hate it!), so feel free to peruse through them. =)

Thanks for reading! =)

Jar of Hearts...

Sounds kind of morbid, no? Well, maybe it is, but I've recently become an avid listener of the song "Jar of Hearts," by Christina Perri, and by "avid listener," I mean that I play it on repeat... a lot.  The sad news about Christina Perri is that her album is yet to be completed, but the good news about her is that she is making one and I just know that it's going to be fabulous.  She has a really dynamic voice, and if you're ever on youtube look her up; she has some self-uploaded vids of her strumming on her guitar and singing songs that she's written in the past, and they shouldn't be ignored. =)

I first heard portions of this song on an episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" (sytycd, for short) 2 weeks ago, and instantly had to look her up. "Jar of Hearts" is her only song on iTunes at the moment, so it's all that's holding me over right now! Here is the video of the piece, choreographed by one of my favorites, Stacey Tookey, and it is beautifully danced by Billy Bell (season 7 contestant) and Kathryn McCormick (season 6 contestant; season 7 all-star):

And here is the whole song:



I feel like I can connect with this song. I've had my heart broken, quite recently in fact, and the culprit played around with that for a little while; I feel empowered after listening to this song, and it helps me not to dwell on my bitter feelings and those of sadness as well. My favorite part of the song is this:

"And it took so long just to feel alright

Remember how to put back the light in my eyes

I wish I would have missed the first time that we kissed

'Cause now you broke all your promises

And now you're back

You don't get to get me back

And who do you think you are

Running around leaving scars

Collecting your jar of hearts

And tearing love apart

You're gonna catch a cold

From the ice inside your soul

Don't come back for me

Don't come back at all..."

It's kind of like a big "FUCK YOU," but I dig it. It makes sense to me. It helps to keep me together. I really am thankful for the world of dance; many of the artists I've been exposed to in the past couple of years have a lot to do with SYTYCD. Choreographers bring to light pressing issues or stories that portray real emotions that allow the audience to connect with it on a deeper level. Artists and creators of all kinds support each other, and I really admire that.

Pic of the Day:

From Casperson Beach in Venice, Florida. June 2010.