MadJam 2013 Update #6
We’re about to do Rising Star and – FIRE ALARM! FIRE ALARM! FIRE ALARM!
Royston’s like “Okay was that an actual fire alarm? because we don’t want to start danci – OH THERE IT IS AGAIN!”
And the fire alarm goes off a second time followed by an announcement which sounds like “BUH GRGR WALK TO THE PHFFFF BRBUG RRNN” and Royston’s like “First they give us a fire alarm and now she’s going to whisper at us?”
So Louis, because he can, then plays a very LOUD fire alarm and hits the smoke machines a few times. And somehow the entire ballroom and all the practice rooms and the lobby floor and the vendors and the registration table folks – the whole event – stops what they’re doing at the same moment, like it was choreographed, and starts moving outside where it is FREEZING! BITTER COLD! ICY WIND WHIPPING AROUND, and there are clumps of shivering dancers in huddles to keep warm in our skimpy dance clothes and open sandals all over the front drive groups of 20 laughing hugging dancers and then someone says hey wait why are we out here? Look at all those people waiting in the lobby where it’s warm.
So a sea of shivering dancers moves inside all together – we’re good at following – like a school of deep water fish – and back into the lobby we go where we blend into a larger school of fish and all swim back to our practice rooms and the shoe hall and the ballroom.
To warm us up Louis plays five songs about fire and smoke, and during the breaks between divisions more songs about fire and smoke and alarms, and fire and smoke songs for the half hour before Awards … a whole afternoon of songs about fire and smoke.
And then finally a water song at the very end to put out all that fire.
I love Louis he’s hilarious.
RISING STAR
What an audience for Rising Star! WOW was this audience supportive! Cheering, whistling, jumping up and down, the Russian contingent waving flags … rowdy loud crowd all afternoon. I think the fire drill helped.
- Levi Larocco and Melissa Moy to “Arms” (Christina Perri) lovely in white and silver and diamonds, both actually laughing throughout the performance the way couples do when they make a mistake only they didn’t make any mistakes they were just giggling the entire time either from nerves or embarrassment but they did look genuinely relaxed and having a blast. I asked Levi afterwards and he said yeah they have fun doing this routine. What is wrong with them? I thought you’re supposed to be miserable and end up hating each other getting divorced and becoming mortal enemies for life.
- Chris Edwards and Amy Lee to “Hazy” (Rosi Golan and William Fitzsimmons) in soft yellow and gray – these are Marker babies (students of Jason and Annmarie Marker) and man oh man oh man the Markers do SUCH a good job training their community! In body and mind. Their students have such a good attitude and workmanlike approach. And joy. And mutual support for their fellow competitors.
- Frank Blakemore and Faith Musko to “Love Struck” (Vs. Factory) in slashy hot pink and neon yellow (Faith hand-made the costumes)
- Jonathan Regan and Stevie Bliss to “Crazy” (Ray LaMontagne) in green and black, sleeveless on one side, the other a long sleeve unattached to the rest of the top. Very cool.
- Scott Mehlberg and Tatiana Zavyalova to “I Want You Back” (Glee Cast) in matching charcoal gray vests over white shirts (hers a white tank, his a dress shirt) with red belt and tie
- Scott Michielli and Gayle Reed to “More” (usher) she in black netting over a dazzling, sparkling, silver-sequined, rhinestoned major bra, and black jeans with zippers and hardware; he in a white t-shirt under a black leather jacket, also in black jeans with chains and hardware.
- Brian and Pam Bennett to “Bright Lights Big City” in black and teal sparkle
- Billy Marti and Veronica Castilla in an awesome bright orange top slashed and tied in bows maybe 15 slashes worth, down her entire back, with butterfly wings and draping in the front which flew when she spun (which she does a lot of – this girl is fast)
- Tze Ming Wee and Dalena Lee (from Singapore!) to “For Your Entertainment” (Adam Lambert) – she is the skinniest tiniest itty bitty curvy sexy thing she looks like a spoon – in a metallic red, pink, gray and black bikini top and itty bitty bad ass low-rider jeans in the same colors, and the longest coolest eye-lashes with long white feathers at the end of each lash (I actually own a pair of these myself they’re crazy great); he in a matching t-shirt with large slashy shapes in the same metallic colors and matching hipster jeans – total in-your-face attitude outfits and a total in-your-face-attitude routine, loved it loved them.
What a fun division!
CORRECTIONS! CORRECTIONS!
- I forgot to mention an important Classic couple! Rebecca and Kris! I was so excited to see this new routine, and so touched by it, that I got all choked up when they walked onto the floor, put my pen down and didn’t write a thing and then forgot to include them in the list of Classic couples. I LOVE their new routine! Rebecca is a ballerina and this lovely choreography shows off her lines, control, grace, strength and power … and Kris’ too! … “More Than Words” an acoustic remix of this beautiful slow song.
- Brennar is an awesome dancer, so awesome that he danced with Torri last night in Showcase and looked and moved EXACTLY like Benji and I mean exactly you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if you were their own mothers. Brennar is amazing.
Okay no just kidding it really was Benji who danced that mind-blowing amazingly astonishing Showcase with Torri, not Brennar like I said in the last Update. I can’t tell them apart what can I say.
- I watched Ronnie and Laureen’s awesome Showcase routine on dvd and there actually is no one-handed over-the-head lift of Laureen high above Ronnie’s head. I can see why I thought there was – they are so fast and effortless it feels like there are tons of these lifts, like she’s constantly flying through the air above his head. My mind must have invented this image of her sitting up there with that dazzling smile of hers.
Sometimes I read what I wrote the night before and I wonder if I have undiagnosed mental problems.
- Santino tells me “In Advanced strictly, Jérôme has danced with Irina, not with Olga. So 2nd in advanced strictly : Jérôme and Irina!” – Santino is that correct? Cause it was announced again at Sunday Night Awards that Jérôme and Olga won second place.
Any other corrections?