MQ looked great during the daytime but didn't stick around long enough to see the evening events which was a total bummer...would have loved to see her dance again, pro events (go Nik!), am latin and the show. Though while waiting for my DVD (hi chelD - thanks again for coming through for me!) pro and I got a private performance of Max and Beata practicing their showdances. Had a great time at this comp though a bit of a whirlwind with coming and going all in one day - saw ChaChaMama again who also looked great out on the floor with Nik and met Larinda in between events with Cantski. For me, dancing started out a bit sketchy...actually not the dancing so much as my nerves I suppose. By the time scholarship rolled around I was much more comfortable and felt I danced much better. Speaking of dresses, MQ, loved yours! So tell us about the other dresses!!!!
BTW, did anyone see those AMAZING little kids dance? They did the show Sat night and then did their comp on sunday. They should of danced amateur, they would have 100% been in the final. He is only 13 years old!!!!!!! If they stick to it, there are your future US Champions.
Hmmm, hopefully someone will come along with their full names so we know who to keep tabs on (as per "Nik watch"! )
I believe they are John Gaylan and Alexandra Gutkovich from New Jersey. They won the J4 3-dance (out of ~18 couples) and came in 3rd in the J4 5-dance (out of ~20 couples) at Ohio Star Ball 2008. Here are a few of CCP's photos of them from OSB: http://www.pbase.com/anc/image/106384169 http://www.pbase.com/anc/image/106405234 http://www.pbase.com/anc/image/106418147 http://www.pbase.com/anc/image/106418152 I also found this on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHm2fwkwfUw&feature=related Pierre Allaire announced that they will be on Dancing with the Stars this year!
Thats them!! This kid is just amazing. No wonder though because he comes from Val, and is not doing a bad job copying him, even has the same move in Jive lol.
Found another video from MAC 09: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb0BHl-tlR4 Put it in high quality mode; it is shot from overhead (and thus further away) and looks somewhat pixellated in the normal quality mode. OMG, the boy is 13 and the girl is 9???? Amazing.
PRO AMERICAN SMOOTH 1--Vladimir and Vera Kosarev 2--Randy and Viktorja Dias 3--Ilya and Amanda Reyzin 4--Nathan Simler and Lindsay McNeese 5--Adam Maynard and Rachel Nace 6--Rob McGurn and Milena Ponomareva PROFESSIONAL AMERICAN 9-DANCE 1--Ilya and Amanda Reyzin 2--Vladimir and Vera Kosarev 3--Nathan Simler and Lindsay McNeese When we were watching the 9 dance, I pointed out to CCP that if one couple wins all the smooth and comes in 2nd in the rhythm, and the other couple wins all the rhythm and comes in 2nd in the smooth, the rhythm couple wins because there are more rhythm dances. (I have no idea if that is what transpired; they did not announce a break out of placements.)
These are fabulous pictures - mostly taken without flash. Wish I knew he (Andrew Carpenter) was photographing at OSB...
The junior couple is coached primarily by Benito - though he does also send them to other top latin experts like Val and Slavik etc. They were definitely amazing - for being only 12 and 9 years old, they to me showed a level of maturity and professionalism from walk on, to dance, to bows, that you don't even necessarily see on the amateur floor. We definitely have some future champions in our midst...
To be clear, I don't think these were new numbers in the sense that they had never been seen anywhere; they were new as in not repeats of what we saw Friday night. -They did a jive in which Max was dressed in athletic gear and Beata in a cheerleader-ish outfit with Beata written on the back of her skirt and a whistle. -Relax Max. *** The theater arts couple that night, Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian...WOW!!! This guy would toss her in the air with such (perceived) ease--it looked like it was no more difficult for him to toss her into the air than it would be for a normal person to toss a tennis ball--and then he would catch her in all kinds of improbable ways, including no handed. He twirled her like the way a kid would twirl a baton. Super cool. *** Oh, and I shouldn't forget that Benito Garcia and Rick Lake performed. I've seen them perform before, but this was a different number than the last time I saw them. They are a lot of fun to watch.
Yes, unfortunately for the couple that specializes in smooth, that's the way it goes! The rhythm couple definitely has the advantage it seems.
