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Just got home yesterday and watched last week’s shows. That dance took my breath away as well the first time I watched it. And the second. And the third… Wow.</p>
<p>Drove within 15 miles of Wapakoneta on our wknd trip, but DD and I could not persuade DH to take a little detour, just so we could say we’d been there ;)</p>
<p>I love the idea of driving through Wapakoneta! Amazing how SYTYCD has kind of put that place on the map for many (like me) who probably would never, ever have heard of it otherwise.</p>
<p>Calmom, you are correct. It IS very much a source of internal (and often external) conflict when a dancer (or any other performance-oriented craft) is making college decisions. There are so many different options available! I know the professionals that worked with my d on that show she was in during the summer before she began college were NOT shy about encouraging her to NOT major in dance or musical theatre because they did not think she would benefit from that. These were seasoned Broadway professionals and we were very surprised. They encouraged her to pursue her performance career if she so desired, but not to spend her time in college majoring in dance or theatre. But I know other dancers who have done just that and have been blissfully happy and gone on to successful performing careers. </p>
<p>Each person must find the way that is right for them and thank goodness there ARE so many different options available! Including the fantastic exposure for those fortunate few who are chosen for SYTYCD.</p>
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<p>You were fortunate to have the benefit of the advice of seasoned Broadway professionals. I’m sure you realize that. If a kid is the best in their studio or even the best in their state, how do they know if they are good enough? I would venture to say that most studio owners and dance teachers don’t even know whether they are good enough. Most of us would laugh at someone being “the best dancer in Wapakoneta, Ohio.” Most parents in most towns and even smaller cities in the nation would have nowhere to turn for reliable advice as to whether their talented child had a future in performance or not.</p>
<p>“I love the idea of driving through Wapakoneta! Amazing how SYTYCD has kind of put that place on the map for many (like me) who probably would never, ever have heard of it otherwise.”</p>
<p>TRIVIA ALERT (LOL)</p>
<p>Churchmusicmom, Kent is the second famous guy to come from Wapakoneta. Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta on August 5, 1930. He was the first man on the moon. (“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” )</p>
<p>I think I remembering Kent mentioning Neil Armstrong. But back then, they didn’t do “up close and personal” videos of the astronauts with their families, in the home towns, etc!</p>
<p>I did not know that was Neil Armstrong’s home town. how cool!</p>
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<p>I agree that our daughter was indeed fortunate to have their advice…she really appreciated it. It helped validate the decision she had already made to put academic pursuits as her top priority over dance training in college. She attended several professional auditions during her college years in NYC (as I said she did get one “job” and had a blast!), but did so with the attitude of just going to enjoy the experience and not really worrying if she got the job or not. That is just a luxury that those who choose to really pursue a professional dance/performance career just don’t have. </p>
<p>As I said before, I am very grateful that she does not have to face that kind of serendipitous life. And I have all the respect and admiration in the world for those who choose to do it!</p>
<p>Even though this has been my least favorite season of SYTYCD, I am already sad that the last performance show is tomorrow night. I look forward to seeing the creativity of the choreographers and the wonderful performances of the dancers. I hope no one is/will be injured for the last dances. </p>
<p>I wish I had a favorite this year, but I don’t. I remember seasons when I was rooting for more than one person in the finale (like the year of Joshua and Twitch). I hope everyone does well, but don’t really care who wins. </p>
<p>Now, on to next season.What changes would you make? What would you keep the same?</p>
<p>Nigel has mentioned going back to 20 and then introducing the all-stars at the top ten. Two dancers would go home each week.</p>
<p>I like the idea of going back to top 20 dancers for sure. And bringing the allstars in for the last 10 works well for me</p>
<p>I would also go back to the old set. That stage with the lights in back is just AWFUL!!! So distracting for watching dance. I was talking today to a dancer/choreographer and he also pointed out that the old set/stage allowed the choreographers to be a bit more creative.</p>
<p>And please, please get rid of Mia Michaels as a judge!</p>
<p>^^ I second that. And while you’re at it, dump Nigel.</p>
<p>“Nigel has mentioned going back to 20 and then introducing the all-stars at the top ten. Two dancers would go home each week.”</p>
<p>I like that idea–the best of both. I missed people working with a partner for a while, developing that chemistry. On the other hand, I loved, loved, loved seeing the all stars. I hated that there were so many dances that weren’t male-female. (Ok, maybe there weren’t THAT many, but it seemed like it.)</p>
<p>I third that. Get rid of Mia Michaels as a judge. But keep Adam Shankman. I love him.</p>
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<p>I don’t think the professional advising CMM’s daughter meant that she didn’t have a future in performance – just that if she wanted to pursue a career in dance and theater, that she would be better off continuing with auditioning and performing, and that working on stage was a better way to develop her talent than to enroll in a college based program. </p>
<p>My impression over the years has been that CMM’s daughter is an incredibly talented young woman with the definite ability to make it on Broadway-- but also a very brilliant young woman with the smarts to be a brain scientist … and in her case, brain science and a fully funded Ph.D. program has won out. There are a lot of ways to learn and study dance, but you have to attend college to get a degree in neuroscience. </p>
<p>I also would have felt hesitant to go into debt to fund my own daughter through a college education if she had chosen to major in dance – I paid dance studio fees since she was age 4, and honestly am not sure what she could possibly have left to learn in a college-based dance program, given the exposure she had already had to professional-level training and choreography through her teenage years. I would have been delighted to see her to continue to pursue dance… I just would have questioned whether college was the best way to do that. So I’m glad that she made the choice to pursue an academic major, and I didn’t have to confront that issue, even though I really do miss seeing my daughter perform on stage.</p>
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<p>I hear you on this one. My h and I would have supported her either way, but it’s a tough choice to make. It’s just very, very difficult to “make it” as a performer, and I know of at least one young woman who had a pretty successful career as a dancer on Broadway, yet always needed (and got) her parents’ financial help. </p>
<p>The process of deciding among colleges for my daughter was an interesting one. She definitely wanted tough academics and also to continue dance training. That is not all that easy to find, at least that was our experience. The other complicating factor was that she wanted exposure to musical theatre performance opportunities and not just modern/contemporary/ballet which is more typically found at the college level. U Mich and Barnard seemed to be her best options and it came down to her choosing between those two. </p>
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<p>Yes, that was what they were saying. The directors of the shows my daughter was in both wanted her to do subsequent shows with them, but she chose to go to college. I am so glad that she did. She is as well. Though she does have one friend who worked as a dancer on a cruise ship, met and married her husband there (he is a musician), and she and her husband are now doing a 6 month contract together on a ship in Europe. My d and I are both very jealous of this young woman! 
My d has said, kind of jokingly, that if this neuroscience thing does not work out, she would love to get a job as a dancer on a ship.
:)</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong: I DO think that college dance programs are excellent choices for many. Some of my daughter’s friends from her dance studio where they grew up together have gone that route and loved it and have grown tremendously as dancers/performers.</p>
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<p>There are probably lots of dancers who don’t receive that “professional level training and choreography” until they get to a college dance program. There are some great companies in the US, then there are scores and scores of dance studios in strip centers, owned by a lady whose mom was maybe a dance major way back when, where the teachers are college students themselves, or well meaning ladies who danced decades earlier.</p>
<p>I really don’t know if a female dancer can “make it” if her first great training comes in college, but that may be the first opportunity she has.</p>
<p>You make a good point, Missypie. The level of dance training varies tremendously. Also the emphasis given at any particular studio. I know the studio where my daughter received most of her training as a child was one that emphasized variety of styles as well as quality. The ballet training offered there was excellent; however, the studio owner and company director was quick to advise any student who wanted to pursue ballet very seriously as a professional, to go to a studio that emphasized that.</p>
<p>ANY guesses as to who the super famous surprise guest will be who will do *Get Out of Your Mind *with tWitch? First, it’s unthinkable to replace Alex…they should just replay the original. Second, I guess I’m not big enough into dance to be able to name any super famous dancers that the general public would go nuts over.</p>
<p>I’m thinking Lil’ C; just because Nigel said the person was “legendary” (not sure if he qualifies as legendary), but it could be anybody. I just assumed it would be somebody already affiliated with the show.</p>
<p>I’d love it to be Joshua - but I guess he is SYTYCD famous rather than famous famous.</p>