January 20, 2011

Live To Dance Semi-Finals Week 2

t is no secret that I love me some Paula and that I love dance shows... SO, for the next few Thursdays I will be giving my opinion on the new Paula Abdul show "Live To Dance".  

The show airs every Wednesday on CBS
White Tree Fine Art
Well last night was the 2nd week of Semi-Finals on Live To Dance. Here is my very opinionated recap!

First up was Jalen. An adorable 9 year-old Break Dancers! 
When I tell you I was AMAZED by this kid, I am not lying. He did headspins, headslides, and oh so much more. You could tell that this kid really rehearses and loves his craft. Plus, he was such a cute personality. 
Judges:  3 Gold Stars

Next Up we had Dance In Flight. While this duo had some really nice tricks and such, the va va voom just wasn't there. They didn't seem like a polished piece of work. I loved the costume change at the beginning but other than that. Not so much.
Judges:  2 Gold, 1 Red Star

The 3rd act of the evening was Twitch. A group a kids (clearly competition kids) from Miami. 
They danced to a pretty cool version of Apologize. For what I have seen on this show, they were great. But here is my beef... I see this stuff every weekend at dance competition! So, were they good? Yes. Were they unique? No. Did they out dance their competition on this show? Yes.
Judges:  3 Gold Stars.

Du-Shaunt Segall was up after Twitch. And let me tell you, where you dance in a lineup makes a difference. This kid was a bit sloppy and didn't seem to have enough "tricks" to surpass the 9 year-old that had opened the show. In addition, he came immediately after a group routine that was great. Now, this kid has never taken dance class and is just 16. If he gets himself into class... He will work. I thought he was better than the Dance in Flight act but the judges...
Judges:  3 Red Stars. 

Dax & Sarah. A couple that were adorable. I loved the black & white effect at the top of the routine and then as the music picked up the screen went to color. (Too bad that has nothing to do with their dancing). I found their routine entertaining and fun. Did I think they were better than the 9yo or Twitch? Nope.
Judges:  2 Gold Stars, 1 Red Star.

White Tree, Fine Art!!
As you may recall they were voted into the Semi-Finals by the public! They came out and worked it. Did I think that the female could have done a few more "ballet" steps en pointe? Sure, but I still loved it. And girl has got some serious leg! They incorporated the silks into their routine which I LOVE!! They danced to one of my favorite songs and well... they are ballet.
Judges:  2 Gold, 1 Red Star. 
REALLY!!! REALLY??? I was very angry with Travis Payne. What in the world was he thinking giving this group a red star? You gave those kids in the group Twitch a gold star and I didn't see them in pointe shoes buddy! UGH!!

Then...
Judges Choice to move on to the Finals:  WHITE TREE, FINE ART! 
Redemption! 

Guess someone knows what they are doing!! 

Stayed tuned for America's Vote moving on to the Finals next week!

January 19, 2011

We'll Be Right Back!

Sorry for no posts lately folks! 

School is beginning, auditions are happening and I thought I needed a J-O-B. So, we will be back tomorrow and then back to regular programming!!


January 13, 2011

Live To Dance Semi-Finals Week 1

It is no secret that I love me some Paula and that I love dance shows... SO, for the next few Thursdays I will be giving my opinion on the new Paula Abdul show "Live To Dance".  
The show airs every Wednesday on CBS. 
Judges Kimberly Wyatt, Paula Abdul & Travis Payne.
Before we move on the the Semi-Finals... 
White Tree, Fine Art is the last member (voted by the public) to join the Top 18!! So excited! 
Ballet Ballet Ballet!
And in a general note about the show:  I DO NOT LIKE the numbers being displayed while the dancers are performing. Why can't they display the number to call while the judges are speaking to them or at the end of the show only? It is very distracting. 

Week One Semi-Finalists:
(in my own personal opinion)

First up was a group from Utah. The Vibe! They were really great. They had some fantastic partnering and staging. My only real complaint was that the camera angles and lighting did not help the dance in any way. They almost made the routine look too busy and hard to focus on the accents. (This is a production issue, not the dancers/choreographers.) 
The Judges:  3 Gold Stars

Next Up was Jittin' Genius. Oh My Goodness! This guy was pretty amazing. Do I think he is the best dance act in the nation? No. Am I amazed by what he does? Absolutely. 
This guy takes the Jitter Bug and fuses it with Hip Hop & Break-dancing! It was one of the coolest styles I have seen in a long time. Very unique. And he was an absolute performer. His lighting was fantastic... note to producers! Less is more!
The Judges:  3 Gold Stars.

Chi-Town's Finest Breakers were adorable. A group of 5 siblings break-dancing together with their father as the choreographer. There are 4 older (between like 9-12) kids and 1 itty bitty girl (she must be 4 or 5). The older kids really had a groove going and the little one plays her part as the cute one. While they were an entertaining act they just were not up to the level of the last two groups. Give these kids a year or two and they will be pros though! 
The Judges:  1 Gold Star, 2 Red Stars

Austin Acevedo from Orlando stole my heart!
This kid has only been taking dance classes for 2 years! 2 years I say!!
His solo began beautifully and then turned sour. He started out with some MAJOR extensions and some really nice turns. Then he broke out into some hip hop-ish style and lost me. I think the choreography was trying to showcase that he could attack more than one style but I think he would have been better served to stay in the lyrical/contemporary style for this piece. It was just too choppy and seemed rushed. 
The Judges:  3 Red Stars

The next act is where you wanna shake Paula. 
Bev & Hap! Adorable dancers in their 80s! Yup, I said 80s! 
They were super cute. Tap dancing away. Bev (as cute as she was) was on her heels for the majority of the routine and it started to hurt my soul. I love that someone of that age is putting it all out their that way but it is fair for an act of really talented dancers to be kept out of competition for them? Probably not. 
The Judges:  1 Gold Star, 2 Red Stars

D'Angelo & Amanda! 
I am not sure what to say about these 2! They Rocked My World!! 
They are super cute and seem to act like "kids" in their interviews but once that music is turned on... they are all PROFESSIONAL! These kids are crazy good. I cannot seem to put into words how awesome I think these kids are! Sure, they had a technical bobble or two but the average eye would never know it!
The Judges:  3 Gold Stars!

So, the way it works is at the end of the show the judges pick one act to move on to the Finals and then the audience votes for the 2nd act moving forward. 
The Judges Pick:  The Vibe
You'll have to wait until next week to see who America chose.
I voted for D'Angelo & Amanda!

January 12, 2011

Invitation Station!

My once a week gush about my upcoming vows!!
This weekend Stud Muffin and I will be tackling the invites! (Now, if you are not an avid Dancing Reader, you need to catch up on a few facts... Stud Muffin is designing all of our stationary for the wedding and I know nothing about paper.) So,  as you can imagine, I am already overwhelmed by this thought. 
Last night we discussed all of the things we were going to need to design and what paper we thought needed to be purchased for the invites. I have some ideas of what I think looks good and Stud Muffin has some really cool ideas. I am hoping that we are not too ambitious. Most of our ideas are going to take some cutting and pasting here at home but that is fine... I think the invites should be fun! 
I am still a bit confused as to what to include in our invite packet. I mean, RSVP of course, but what else? Accommodations? If the reception is in the same venue with the ceremony do you need to include a separate page for that info? I have an extremely detailed wedding website with travel information and such on it... do I need to include those things? These are my immediate worries. 
Then we have the things that are "formal and traditional" that make me crazy! I do not like that extra piece of paper that comes in formal invites. It makes me crazy. It made sense to put it there when things were written in ink and you didn't want to smudge your letter but now? Hmm... I feel it is just a waste of a good tree.The inner envelope? If we have a thing that looks like a folder in the outer envelope do we need an additional envelope on it as well or does the new "folder" count as the inner envelope?
 I WANT MY MOMMY! 
So many questions! I think I may have to phone conference my mother while at the paper store this weekend. Who could forget the last paper store debacle?! Stud Muffin and I have a design and a plan... we leave the store with completely different Save-The-Dates than original design. I am so scared! Who told me it was a good idea to do all this ourselves?!

Sweet 16!

Happy Birthday Lauren!!

Now you can drive yourself to dance with me!!

Lauren & I after dance class at 3D Dance Network. 2003? or 2004? 

January 11, 2011

Live To Dance? Why, Yes, I DO!

Well friends, I have decided to bite the bullet and blog about Live to Dance. You know I have a million opinions about it so I might as well share them. 


Tomorrow, we will find out who the final member of the Top 18 will be. My friends are in the Top 18 and I cannot wait to watch them. I stole this video from one of their YouTube pages... 
(on the show it will just be the boys)


So, after last weeks final decision episode this is what I have to say...
I do not like the judges choice of Kendall Glover. Yes, I think she is beautifully talented dancer but I think that groups are much harder to get clean and precise. A little bobble in a solo, you may never notice. A bobble is a group shows up most of the time. I also think it was crazy not to pick the ballet duo! Crazy! Ballet needs more mainstream attention. It takes so much hard work. You cannot fake it in point shoes people! And did I mention that Kendall Glover is already a seasoned professional? I doubt she needs this show or the cash. In any case, I am sure that the show will be fabulous. I would have liked to see adults who are struggling to work in a profession they love make the show over a child who already has a lovely resume. 

But, does it really matter? Nope. Because I will be cheering on Tap Sounds Underground!  Oh and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the little kids that are "dating"! They are crazy talented! 

More on Live to Dance every Thursday!! 

January 6, 2011

Slowly Back to Normal


I don't really make New Year's resolutions because it just seems like too much pressure. I do, however, make goals for myself. Some to tackle immediately and some that take time. 
Some things on my list:  Wedding, School, Book a Gig, Find a Job, Read a Book that isn't required reading, Write More, Win the Lottery. 
Ya know, I have heard that if you put your goals in writing that you are more likely to finish them. Well... here's to that! I have 5 minutes to go and read something stupid like TMZ! 

How about you? Any resolutions? 

January 5, 2011

Did you score us a Flower Girl?

My once a week gush about my upcoming vows!!

I am having an adult only wedding. Except for one special person. 
The flower girl!
Sweet Pea after her first dance convention! She rocked that Hip Hop class!!
Yup, that's right. Sweet Pea is going to be in my wedding. And I cannot wait. 
She is one of my oldest and dearest friends daughter and I plan on stealing her away someday. 

Before I asked Sweet Pea to be in the wedding, I asked her Mom if she planned on bringing her to Florida. When the answer was yes, I was ecstatic! I couldn't think of a better little person to walk down the aisle. Did I mention she will also be the only girl in the wedding party? 

So, on my last trip to Oklahoma, Stud Muffin and I went to my friends house for dinner and then I asked Sweet Pea if she would like to be in my wedding. Or as Stud Muffin said, "Are you going to score us a flower girl?" It was so much fun. Sweet Pea and her sister danced for us all night long. (That may have had something to do with the fudge I brought them! Sorry Mom.) 

I think Sweet Pea might be more excited about us doing our hair and nails on wedding day than the actual wedding. Plus, her mom said she got new jewelry! Oh the excitement! 

But my most favorite thing Sweet Pea did after I asked her about the wedding was at church on Christmas Eve. She ran back to where my family was sitting and sat with me when I arrived. (loved it!) Then she asked me if after the wedding she was going to go home with her Mommy & Daddy or back to NYC with me & Stud Muffin. When I said she was going back to OK she was not happy with that answer. So... sorry friend but I am stealing your kid as of June 4! 

Love you Sweet Pea!! Cannot wait to pick your dress!!

January 4, 2011

Okie Holiday Fun!

This was our first Christmas as a complete family since The Sailor joined the Navy. So it was bound to be a special one. 

Beware this will be picture heavy with little words. 

I think that the tree at my parents house is gorgeous! 
I love the way the presents always match!!

Stud Muffin and I in front of the tree on Christmas Eve. I was really proud of my target dress!

Gege is just the coolest 90 year old on the planet. 


Every year my Aunt Cindy forces us to take a family photo on Christmas Eve. While we all moan and groan about it, we secretly appreciate this. (Note to self:  next year sit far away from the dog.)

My cousins daughter is the most adorable thing on Earth! She really helped Gege in the present unwrapping! Great practice for Santa tomorrow morning!

Yes, this is The Sailor. Precious right? He is single ladies... you know you love him...

On a regular basis The Sailor says things that make Daddy & the Crazy Lady look like this. 
Yes, he even says those sailor like things on Christmas morning. 
(again, Ladies, he is single!)

Now you know your family is classy when you play Loaded Questions (adult version) on Christmas night. 
Nothing like asking "Who's breast would you most like to see exposed on television?" to your grandparents. 
It was actually A TON of fun! 

We did a little Christmas Light looking in OKC. These were gorgeous!

And nothing sums up an Okie Christmas quite like a day at Bass Pro Shops! 
(I think I hit more ducks than Stud Muffin.)

Tomorrow we will resume regular posting!!
It's Wedding YEAR!!! 

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