So. I haven't really posted in a while....BUT

So. I haven't really posted in a while....BUT HAS ANYONE PLAYED ANY OF THE JUST DANCE GAMES??? Just got Just Dance 3 for Christmas, and its the first Just Dance game I have ever owned. I must say...that I love it! Its so much fun. And i'm sure you guys would agree! There will be more to follow up with this post, but I just had to mention that. :)

My Dancing

I talk a lot about dancing, and how I love to danced. But I never specified. Now this post is going to be all about my dance experiences, the styles of dance I know, and much more. Now you know when I was little, I started dance lessons. But what exactly did I take? Well, in the beginning, they only offered a tap/ballet class for toddlers and little kids. As I grew older, I stuck with tap, but dropped ballet, and moved on to more interesting styles (in my opinion). So along with tap, through the years of dance lessons, I have taken jazz, hip hop, acro, and some what of contemporary.

Tap was one of my major interests. Every year I made sure that I took a tap class, and then something else. But tap opened many opportunities and better prepared my for other dance styles. When I took tap, there were endless possibilities. There were so many rhythms and noises you could make with a tap shoe, and I just got the swing of it naturally. It was easy, but then again challenging. You could speed up or slow down any rhythm, make it louder or softer. It could loop, or stop after one. And you could let your emotions be expressed through the sounds you made. Stomp loud and hard if your angry, or do something really fast with many beats if your excited. But I no longer take tap anymore, but I'm still always tapping my feet away. Anyways, the ability to move my feet fast prepared me for things like jazz and hip hop, where it is a necessity to be quick on your feet.

Jazz. Its complicated, and expressive. You can tell a story with it, from its ups and its down. Its used in musical theatre, which technically could be another style of dance, but its very similar to jazz. There are many steps, leaps, and motions that complete a jazz routine. One moment you could be in the air, then the next your spinning, but wait, then your on the ground! You go all over the place. But its really fun. And you don't have to be extremely flexible to do it, but when you are, all the leaps, and splits, and kicks, look so gracious, and they flow into one another. Its really a sight to see, and one of the best experiences.

Moving on to acro, its from acrobatics. So basically, this dance style has more acrobatics than any other style. When kids do it, they put mats on the stage, but if not, sometimes there are no mats at all. Within the style there are various cartwheels, handstands, rolls, and other dance elements as well. And if a person is really good, like say they took gymnastics, they might even throw in a few handsprings and possibly a flip. But for acro, strength and flexibility are key elements. Those elements are what allow your body to move in a way that is unimaginable. And all these tricks keep an audience occupied, as well as the dancer's skill.

Hip hop. We have all seen it at least once. Weather its someone free styling in the city, or its in a dance recital in your local town, its everywhere. This style includes hard hitting moves that have to be on time, and go along with the music. Hip hop is considered a more tough dance style out of all the others. But more about the actual moves. Now these moves aren't as flow-y and as loose as the previous. If your with a partner, you have to be in sync, and hit every move at the exact moment. Even if you don't have a partner, you should still do the previous. And to go with that, the choreography consists of bunches of stepping, hand motions, and more.

Last but not least of my dancing career, is contemporary. I never actually took a class for it, but I've picked it up along the way from TV and my friends. Contemporary is a lighter jazz, and normally is used to tell a deeper story. The music is expressed through the moves perfectly, and the choreography makes it look like the dancer is floating. With series of jumps, leaps, and lifts, contemporary beats the rest in my favorite dance styles. When I see dancers do contemporary their lines are perfect, they never fail a lift, and their leaps always making them look like they are flying. Its incredible how this dance style is preformed.

Well that's all I have to say for now about my dancing. Hopefully in the future there will be more to come, and I am hoping to have specific posts one ONE type of dance. But I do have a small dance history, but its expanding every minute.

-Meredith the Dancer :)

Ever Heard of the Show So You Think You Can Dance?

In the last post I mentioned the television show So You Think You Can Dance. This show is by far my favorite dance show of them all. This show is basically like American Idol, but with dancing.

Now for those who have never seen the show, this is how it works. In the beginning of the show, they travel around the U.S.A. , stopping in major cities. While in these cities thousands of people audition, and each audition is only thirty seconds long. Not every audition is featured on the show though, but they do select either the really "good" routines, the really "bad" routines, or the most entertaining routines to air on the show. And every routine is judged, by three judges, sometimes more. Normally the judges are Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and guest judge. Usually the guest judge is someone related to the dance world. For example, most of the choreographers judge at least once on the show, and there are always judges. After these people audition, there are three possible outcomes. They could either go straight through to Vegas, have to stay and learn a small dance routine (basically re-auditioning but not their routine), or they are rejected. If rejected, they just go home. If they are asked to stay, they wait for everyone to audition. After everyone has, those who have been asked to stay, take the stage and learn a simple routine that will show their ability to dance. And from there they are either asked to stay or leave.

Now the people that make to Vegas, go to Vegas and go through various stages, learning new styles of dance, and preforming them to the judges. Eventually everything gets narrowed down to like 30 or so people. From their, all of them wait in a room, and are called to the stage one at a time, to be told if they made the top 20 or not. From there the real show begins.

Once the top 2o is chosen, they go to the SYTYCD stage and preform a partner routine each week, on live television. Ranging in a variety of styles of dance, it gives every dancer a challenge when they are out of their element. And once the top 20 begin, its no longer the judge's decision of who goes home. Those watching the show can either, call, text, or go online and vote for their favorite couple. And as the show goes on, occasionally there will routines with everyone in them, or just the girls, or etc. Now when they reach the top ten, everyone left are paired up with allstars, a.k.a dancers from previous seasons. And the show continues until there is a winner.

Not only is this a show, but its on twice a week, on Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays, that's when everyone does their routines. And on Thursdays is when the results are shown, those in the bottom 6 or the people with the least votes, dance for their lives. This is the only time where judges decide who stays and who goes. Not only are there results, but there are also musical guests, and guest dancers as well.

I know this is a lot of information, but why do I love it so much? For one thing, its very entertaining, especially auditions. There are very unique dancers that occasionally pop up, but never make it to Vegas. And when it gets to the top 20, the dancing get more intense then ever. People pulling stunts that are unimaginable. New props used in the dance in ways you would never think of. And the stories that the choreographers create feel so real. You can relate to them most of the time, and even if you can't, the dancers tell the story and live it right there in front of you. I also love the show because it shows me all these new styles of dance that I have never heard of in my life. And along with everything else, the people that are on the show are so skilled, and inspire me to dance more. And work hard at my dancing skills. I enjoy this show so much, and I highly recommend you watch it.

-Meredith the Fan of SYTYCD :)

One of MY Favorite Dancers...

So there are a lot of dancers in the world, but I have a few favorites. So the dancer I am going to talk about is So You Think You Can Dance's Stephen "tWitch" Boss. He came on the show in season 4 (which is where I first saw him), and returned on season 7 as an allstar. And in season 4, he was a runner up. But before I talk about why he is one of my favorites, I will tell you a few facts about tWitch. He is orignally from Montgomery, Alabama, and he is a freestyle dancer. Also he spells twitch with a capitol "W" instead of a capitol "T". Along with SYTYCD, he has appeared in many other shows/movies. So why is he a favorite of mine? Well, for starters he did some amazing routines, choreographed by some of THE best. And not only was he good at just one style of dance, he was good at anything. From an extreme hip hop routine by Nappytabs, to a gentle, yet insane Mia Michaels contemporary routine, there was'nt anything he could'nt do. And he always made it fun to watch. Sometimes adding his own character to the dance, or fitting the part in the choreographer's "story" that lies within the dance. He made everything he danced entertaining to watch. Although he did'nt win, he was still the best in my opinion. Now on SYTYCD you have partners. And out of all the partners he danced with, there were two partners that he danced very well with, and had someof the most memorable routines with. Those two were Kherington Payne, and Alex Wong. And tWitch and Kherington had created the nickname "Twitchington." But both of those people brought out the best dancing I have ever seen before, out of tWitch. Below there are two links to two of his routines (the most memorable ones, with the two people I mentioned above.) So enjoy, and I hope he becomes one of your favorites too.

-Meredith the Fan of Dancing :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgBCh1Wpb9c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FywXpQu3og&NR=1

How Did My World of Dance Start?

Obviously I'm obbsessed with dance. But how did I begin to like it? Its started with dance classes. When I was little, my neighbor had just opened her own dance studio, and asked my mom if I would be interested. So she asked, I said yes, and from that point on I've been in love with it. I must have been four or five when I first started. And I unfortunatly had to stop classes in seventh grade because of sports, school, money, and a few other things as well. It stinks that I can't take classes anymore, but I do what I can. Jumping at any dance activity I can get my hands on. Most recently its been dance summer camps, dance team, and talent shows. Also watching t.v. and youtube videos. But I still get to dance in my room, haha, all the time. Its just the most amazing thing I can do. And it can express so much. It helps me release all those felings bottled up inside. When I'm feeling down, I dance. When I feel like im on top of the world, I dance. When I'm super excited for something, I still dance. There is no end. Dance will never die. And its the one thing I will never lose my passion for. Its one of the two things that truely make me happy. So, yeah, thats how it all began. Me, as a small child, in her cute little leotards, on the dance floor. Who would have thought it would be this great?

Yours Truely,
Meredith the Dancer :)

Whats Gonna Happen on the Blog?

Dancing is a hobby. A passion. An expression of emotion. Dance tells a story. Shares a moment. Shows what words cannot express. Its an extension of ones self. And it's what keeps me alive. This blog is a way of telling anybody who wants to know, about dance. From the simple definition of dance, all the way to the intricate movements presented by dancers. On here I will post anything and everything there is to know about DANCE. For example; where do we see dance today? Or how costumes and music can make a dance even better, and many more things of the sort. To me, dance is everything, and always makes me feel better no matter how down I am feeling. Not only does it do that, but it allows me to express my feelings through the movements of my choreography, and my musical selections. So enjoy this blog, and make the best of it. I hope everyone enjoys what I have to say, and trust me, I've got a lot.

Sincerely,
Meredith the Dancer :)