Posts Tagged ‘finalists’
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Pauline and Peter Discuss Time as Finalists on SYTYCD
When it was time for America to vote for their favorite dancers, Pauline Mata and Peter Sabasino found themselves in the bottom three couples and were ultimately sent home. The morning after their elimination, Peter and Pauline opened up about performing their solos, dancing the dreaded Quickstep, and their plans for the future.
After all three tap dancers were sent home in two weeks, people are beginning to wonder if 30 seconds is ample enough time to perform a solo, especially in the tap genre. Peter feels that 30 seconds is a short time to show all of your best moves without coming across as desperate, so he suggested 45 seconds to one minute as a more practical length for solos.
On the performance show, Peter revealed that he volunteers with SPIN (Special People in the Northeast), and organization that helps people with disabilities get jobs. Every year they put on a talent show and Peter goes there two to three times a week to teach them a dance and rehearse with them. “I absolutely love it and they put on an amazing show,” Peter said. “It’s just so great, because every time I go in there, I’m always greeted with a smile and a hug. It’s a really good feeling and I love it.”
Season 6 was the first season with tap dancers in the Top 20, and with all three eliminated in the last two weeks, is So You Think You Can Dance the right venue for tappers? Peter sure thinks so. “I definitely thing So You Think You Can Dance needs more of it. I’m just proud that the three of us, Bianca, Phillip and myself, got to represent tap the way that it needed to be represented.” He also doesn’t think that the early elimination of tap dancers this season should discourage tappers from auditioning for the show in the future. “I definitely hope that I inspired tappers to audition for the show because if I can make it, any other tapper can make it. All it takes is a little bit of belief in yourself.”
Last week, Phillip mentioned that he’d like to see tap as a style that dancers can pick from the hat on the show. Peter agrees. “I think it would be nice if maybe one season attempted to have the other dancers learn tap. I understand where the judges are coming from when they say that you can’t teach everyone to tap in the amount of time that we have. But, I believe that you can teach somebody to do a Time Step or you can teach somebody to do a Maxie Ford in the amount of time that we have. So I think dancers that are tap dancers are at a little bit of an unfair disadvantage, but at the same time, you have to look at it from where the judges are coming from also.”
Season after season, the Quickstep has been known as the “kiss of death” on SYTYCD, but drawing the style didn’t discourage Peter. “I was actually really excited when I got the Quickstep because it was a new style of dance that I’ve never learned how to do. I know that it’s called the ‘kiss of death,’ but when you go into it, you really can’t look at it like that. You just have to look at it as it’s a new style of dance that I’ve never done before and I just have to really try in the amount of time that I have to master that and to give them the finished product that they need to make it look good.”
As for now, Peter is keeping his options open on what he’s going to do next. “I’m just going to keep my options open because I don’t want to commit to one thing and overlook other opportunities that are going to come to me, because I think that would be unfair to myself.” That doesn’t mean Peter hasn’t thought ahead. He’s decided, “One thing that I would love to do is maybe start my own tap show because I feel as though there aren’t any shows anymore that are primarily tap based…I would like to definitely start my own tap show.”
Pauline has been on a roller coaster ride this season. After being cut at the end of Season 5 auditions, Pauline came back for Season 6 auditions. On the last day of auditions, Pauline sprained her ankle and ended up on crutches. “I actually thought that I was going to get cut and I didn’t think they would take me,” Pauline stated. “When they did, that was like another shock. So then I had Billy as a partner, and then having him gone was stressful. But when I found out who the replacement was, I was actually excited because I actually knew [Brandon Dumlao] from the previous season and this past season. And then having him gone and then having Peter come in and step in as a partner, it was…stressful.” Despite the ups and downs, Pauline remains optimistic. “Things happen for a reason and God has his plan for everyone.”
Pauline was a little nervous heading into Wednesday’s results show. “It’s hard for the audience and America to relate to the Quickstep and in the past seasons, every Quickstep that I’ve seen has either landed in the bottom…It was a shocker to both of us because it wasn’t a train wreck like Mary said. It’s kind of hard to relate to people with the Quickstep because if they’ve never done the Quickstep, then they don’t really know how hard it is to do it.” Despite it being a difficult style, Pauline had fun with it. “Coming into the rehearsal, our choreographer started teaching us and it wasn’t bad at all. The whole movement was just really fun and just really energetic. I didn’t feel like there’s one dull moment in that rehearsal, but I did feel some sort of dread in it, some sort of like, ‘Oh, no, this is the Quickstep. This is what everyone doesn’t want to draw out of the hat.’”
In the weeks that Pauline has been on the show, she’s grown a lot as a dancer and as a person. She explained, “I would say that I’ve grown in many different areas. I’ve opened my arms so big that I’ve actually grown in my dancing because there’s no such thing as a perfect dancer. And you can always grow no matter what happens. I think just being here for the month that I’ve been here, I’ve just grown so much as a person and as a dancer, just learning new styles, trying new things and at the same time meeting new people and finding out who I really am from this.”
During the Top 18 week, Pauline got to dance in her style, jazz, to a Wade Robson piece. “I think that one was actually my favorite dance that I did while I was on this experience. It was so creative and the concept was so good…Just working with Wade, it was considered jazz, but I don’t think jazz. If I would have to put a card in the hat, it would be ‘Wade’ because Wade’s choreography and Wade’s style has no actual name for it. I would call it Wade because he’s just so different and his stuff is very unique.”
When Pauline was asked what lesson she learned by being on the show that people that aren’t on the show wouldn’t know, she quoted the producer saying, “‘You can’t expect what is expected.’ So basically you can’t expect anything because everything is going to twist and turn and be really shocking in the end.” Pauline thinking she was going to be eliminated after injuring her ankle is an example of that.”
What’s next for Miss Mata? “I’m going to go back and teach at the studio that I grew up at, so that should be fun…I want to tour teaching in other countries and around the U.S.” While on So You Think You Can Dance, Pauline found a new interest. “I was working with wardrobe and they were putting stuff on me. I’ve always had this fashion sense in me that I wanted to be a fashion designer…I can get into that industry and be creative with the costumes because it was really fun.” Well, whatever the pint-sized jazz dancer decides to do, we’re sure she’ll excel!
Congrats to Peter Sabasino and Pauline Mata on their journey! Learn more about them and the remaining contestants in the Top 20 contestants section.
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Top 20 Finalists for Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance Revealed! Individual Photos Added!
New: See the Profiles of the Top 20 Finalists
After thousands of auditions across the country and the grueling callbacks in Las Vegas, the judges of summer’s No. 1 series, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, announced Season Five’s Top 20 finalists tonight. The top girls include Randi Evans, Karla Garcia, Caitlin Kinney, Asuka Kondoh, Janette Manrara, Jeanine Mason, Kayla Radomski, Melissa Sandvig, Paris Torres and Ashley Valerio; and the top guys are Kupono Aweau, Tony Bellissimo, Brandon Bryant, Phillip Chbeeb, Jason Glover, Vitolio Jeune, Max Kapitannikov, Evan Kasprzak, Ade Obayomi and Jonathan Platero. See individual photos and bios below.
The competition truly begins Wednesday, June 10 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) as the Top 20 finalists dance for the judges’ praise and America’s votes on the season’s first performance show. The Top 20 are paired into 10 couples who will each work with a world-renowned choreographer to compose a dance routine representing their assigned genre. After each Wednesday performance show, the phone lines will open and the fate of these 20 finalists – one of whom will be the named America’s Favorite Dancer – will be left up to the voting fans.
On the live results shows beginning Thursday, June 11 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live PT/tape-delayed), the three couples with the lowest number of votes will be announced. Each week the six contestants comprising the bottom three couples are given a chance to perform solo routines in the hopes of convincing the judges to keep them in the competition. The judges then decide which dancers stay and which two are eliminated. If a couple is split apart, the two individual dancers who remain become a couple the following week.
Thursdays will also feature live performances by today’s hottest music stars and dance acts. On Thursday, June 11 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) Sean Kingston will perform his new hit single, “Fire Burning on the Dance Floor,” from his upcoming sophomore album, “Tomorrow,” live from the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE stage.
The Top 20 finalists scheduled to perform Wednesday, June 10 (8:00–10:00 PM ET/PT) are:
Girls
Randi Evans
Dance Specialty: Jazz
Hometown: Orem, UT
Currently Resides: Springville, UT
Age: 23
Evans began dancing at an early age and performed in the closing ceremonies at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. She currently attends Utah Valley University where she is majoring in elementary education.Karla Garcia
Dance Specialty: Jazz/Contemporary
Hometown: Oxon Hill, MD
Currently Resides: Brooklyn, NY
Age: 23
Garcia is a graduate of New York University. Her early dance experience included learning traditional Filipino folk dancing. Garcia performed on Broadway in “Hot Feet,” danced in the ensemble of the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” and went on to tour with “Wicked.” She is a member of “Boogie Bots Crew.”Caitlin Kinney
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Annapolis, MD
Currently Resides: Annapolis, MD
Age: 21
Kinney graduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts in 2005. She danced at North Carolina Dance Theatre as an apprentice for two years and is an experienced gymnast. After beginning as a competitive gymnast, Kinney found her way to dance though an acrobatics program at “C&C Dance Company”. After graduating from Baltimore School for the Arts in 2005, she then joined North Carolina Dance Theater, first as an apprentice then later as a second company member.Asuka Kondoh
Dance Specialty: Latin Ballroom
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Currently Resides: Irvine, CA
Age: 25
Kondoh loves swimming, golf and tennis and has played piano for 13 years. She is a graduate of University of California, Irvine, and has worked as a Latin Ballroom instructor for the last two years.Janette Manrara
Dance Specialty: Salsa
Hometown: Miami, FL
Currently Resides: Hialeah, FL
Age: 25
Manrara began performing in musical theater at age 12, and started her formal dance training at 19, studying Ballroom, Ballet, Pointe, Jazz and Hip Hop. She currently attends Florida International University.Jeanine Mason
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Miami, FL
Currently Resides: Pinecrest, FL
Age: 18
A recent graduate of the Ransom Everglades School, Mason plans to attend the University of California, Los Angeles in the fall. She began her dance training in Ballet and Lyrical and then went on to study Jazz, Acrobatics, Hip Hop, Modern and Contemporary.Kayla Radomski
Dance Specialty: Jazz/Contemporary
Hometown: Aurora, CO
Currently Resides: Aurora, CO
Age: 18
Radomski has been dancing for most of her life, and participating in SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE is one of her most rewarding experiences. She is grateful to her amazing mother who has supported her love of dance for so many years. Radomski also enjoys acting and singing.Melissa Sandvig
Dance Specialty: Ballet
Hometown: Los Alamitos, CA
Currently Resides: Los Alamitos, CA
Age: 29
Sandvig has been dancing for most of her life. She has danced with the Milwaukee Ballet Company, LA Opera, Long Beach Ballet and Helios Dance Theater. A highlight for Sandvig was performing “Le Coeur Illumine” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.Paris Torres
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Issaquah, WA
Currently Resides: Issaquah, WA
Age: 19
Torres is a graduate of Skyline High School. She began dancing when she was 6 years old and now teaches at a studio near her home. She was also a Miss Washington Teen pageant winner, and was a Seattle Storm and Seattle Sonic Jr. dancer from 2000-2003.Ashley Valerio
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Mesa, AZ
Currently Resides: North Hollywood, CA
Age: 22
Valerio has been dancing for most of her life. She is a graduate of Mountain View High School.Guys
Kupono Aweau
Dance Specialty: Lyrical/Contemporary
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Currently Resides: Kailua, HI
Age: 23
Aweau graduated from the Kamehameha Schools and has been dancing since he was 16 years old. He loves his home state of Hawaii, and is an avid collector of home furnishings.Tony Bellissimo
Dance Specialty: Hip Hop
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Currently Resides: Buffalo, NY
Age: 20
Bellissimo has been dancing for most of his life. He is a graduate of Frontier High School, and played on the school’s soccer, football and lacrosse teams. He likes to write short stories and poems, and his favorite professional dancer is Barry Lather. He finds inspiration working with children in a local pre-school and mentoring young kids between the ages of 6-12 in an after school program.Brandon Bryant
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Miami, FL
Currently Resides: Salt Lake City, UT
Age: 19
Bryant began dancing ballet at age 10. He is a graduate of Coral Reef Senior High School and now attends Miami Dade College. His most memorable dance experience was performing for Madonna at her daughter’s birthday party.Phillip Chbeeb
Dance Specialty: Popping
Hometown: Houston, TX
Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA
Age: 20
Chbeeb has had no formal dance training, but began dancing when he was 15 years old. At age 16, he founded the Marvelous Motion Studio in Houston. He is currently an engineering physics major at Loyola Marymount University.Jason Glover
Dance Specialty: Lyrical/Contemporary
Hometown: Fresno, CA
Currently Resides: Fresno, CA
Age: 21
Glover began dancing at age 12, studying Tap and Hip Hop. He is a graduate of Bullard High School, and his favorite dancer is Michael Jackson. Tapping onstage with Gregory Hines, in one of his last shows, changed Jason’s life.Vitolio Jeune
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Pétionville, Haiti
Currently Resides: Miami, FL
Age: 26
Jeune began dancing at age 18, and is a graduate of Florida’s New World School of the Arts. He loves motorcycles, and his favorite dancer is Desmond Richardson.Max Kapitannikov
Dance Specialty: Latin Ballroom
Hometown: Moscow, Russia
Currently Resides: Brooklyn, NY
Age: 26
Kapitannikov has been dancing for as long as he can remember. He comes from a dancing family, and his mother is a ballet teacher. He also enjoys sculpting and playing the guitar. He attended the Manhattan Comprehensive High School.Evan Kasprzak
Dance Specialty: Broadway
Hometown: West Bloomfield, MI
Currently Resides: West Bloomfield, MI
Age: 21
Kasprzak graduated from Wylie E. Groves High School and currently attends Illinois Wesleyan University. He has been dancing since he was 6 years old, and his most memorable dance experience was performing in a Gregory Hines tribute with Hines’ family in the audience.Ade Obayomi
Dance Specialty: Contemporary
Hometown: Chandler, AZ
Currently Resides: Orange County, CA
Age: 20
Obayomi has been dancing since he was 6 years old. He is a graduate of Corona Del Sol High School and currently attends Chapman University. A dance highlight for him was performing at Radio City Music Hall.Jonathan Platero
Dance Specialty: Salsa
Hometown: Sanford, FL
Currently Resides: New York, NY
Age: 21
Platero was a gymnast before he began dancing at age 16. He is a graduate of Seminole High School, was a World Salsa finalist in 2006-2007 and performed as a dancer and acrobat in “High School Musical.”
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