Publié : jeu. sept. 11, 2008 6:06 am
Citation :
Best foot forward
Thu, September 11, 2008
Host says Canada's So You Think You Can dancers could put their American counterparts to shame
By LINDSEY WARD, SUN MEDIA
Host Leah Miller leaves her VJ duties to give new TV dance show a boost.
So You Think You Can Dance Canada's hoofers have everything their American counterparts have -- and more -- according to host Leah Miller.
Turns out along with being just as talented as the Southern folks, the dancers competing in the new reality TV competition debuting tomorrow night on CTV are, like, totally hot.
"They're better looking than the American dancers," states Miller, whose perky mug you'd recognize from MuchMusic.
"Wait until you see them -- they're all super cute and sweet."
Miller should know -- she sat in on the show's auditions in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal and Calgary back in the spring. Along with their camera-ready looks, she was impressed with how graciously the Canuck dancers accepted criticism from the judges.
"Canadians are so polite compared to the Americans. They're just like, OK, thanks for the opportunity."
More than 2,500 professional and amateur dancers with backgrounds in everything from ballet and tap to hip-hop, Lindy Hop, contemporary, popping, belly dancing and even parcour ("When people do flips off walls, without the walls," Miller explains) turned up to audition -- and, in some cases, audition again -- for permanent judges Tre Armstrong and Jean Marc Genereux, along with a handful of alternating panelists.
Miller says there were more amazing dancers than there were bad ones, but even those who were dismissed were rather endearing.
"There was a boy in Montreal and his nickname was Fairy. He was a belly dancer and he had all these little bells on his outfit -- my heart went out to him."
Whether Armstrong, an urban mover who starred in dance flick How She Move, or Genereux, a ballroom pro whose choreography with wife France Mousseau was featured on the last season of So You Think You Can Dance, will turn out to be the brutally honest, Nigel Lythgoe sort of judge remains to be seen, but Miller admits Armstrong isn't afraid to speak her mind.
"She would never be mean to someone, but she would do it in a constructive criticism kind of way," she says.
Laying claim to the third judging seat throughout the season are Mississauga-raised SYTYCD Season 1 finalist Blake McGrath, Toronto hip-hopper Luther Brown, ballet man Rex Harrington, choreographers Melissa Williams, Sean Cheesman and Paul Becker along with frequent SYTYCD judge Dan Karaty and last but definitely not least, the U.S. version's Queen of Scream Mary Murphy -- who will undoubtedly be handing out tickets aboard her Hot Tamale Train at some point.
Miller is beyond stoked to be sitting pretty in the hosting spot that British stunner Cat Deeley makes look highly glamourous on the U.S. show.
The 27-year-old blonde -- a child dancer who won the Junior Miss Dance of Canada title at age 13 -- feels confident playing the ringleader on a live TV show after four years of working the mic for MuchOnDemand. She got the job just a week after going through two "nerve-wracking" auditions -- though it felt like forever.
"I couldn't settle for a 'No,' " Miller says. "I wanted it so badly. It's a huge deal."
The perks? Getting to wear fabulous dresses and having her hair and makeup done for the live episodes, says the self-proclaimed girly girl. There is one downfall as well, and that's going to be when she has to bid farewell to the dancers -- who she refers to as "brothers and sisters" -- on the show's elimination episodes each week.
"I'm an emotional girl . . . I cry a lot. I don't know how I'm going to do it," she says. "I watch Cat and she doesn't cry. If you cry, then they cry -- it's like a ripple effect."
And there's bound to be some tears when SYTYCD Canada hits the ground hoofing tomorrow night.
The two-hour premiere features footage from the Toronto auditions, which attracted 950 dancers in June.
On Sunday, the focus turns to tryouts in Vancouver and Halifax, and Wednesday's final audition episode includes coverage from Montreal and Calgary.
Successful contenders will earn an invite to Finals Week in Toronto, where they'll compete for a spot in the Top 20, and a chance to dance for Canada's votes when the show goes live the first week of October.
IF YOU WATCH
What: Series premiere of So You Think You Can Dance Canada
When: Tonight, 8 p.m.
Where: CTV
source:
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Today/Thurs ... 1-sun.html
--Message edité par felix le 2008-09-11 12:07:34--
Best foot forward
Thu, September 11, 2008
Host says Canada's So You Think You Can dancers could put their American counterparts to shame
By LINDSEY WARD, SUN MEDIA
Host Leah Miller leaves her VJ duties to give new TV dance show a boost.
So You Think You Can Dance Canada's hoofers have everything their American counterparts have -- and more -- according to host Leah Miller.
Turns out along with being just as talented as the Southern folks, the dancers competing in the new reality TV competition debuting tomorrow night on CTV are, like, totally hot.
"They're better looking than the American dancers," states Miller, whose perky mug you'd recognize from MuchMusic.
"Wait until you see them -- they're all super cute and sweet."
Miller should know -- she sat in on the show's auditions in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal and Calgary back in the spring. Along with their camera-ready looks, she was impressed with how graciously the Canuck dancers accepted criticism from the judges.
"Canadians are so polite compared to the Americans. They're just like, OK, thanks for the opportunity."
More than 2,500 professional and amateur dancers with backgrounds in everything from ballet and tap to hip-hop, Lindy Hop, contemporary, popping, belly dancing and even parcour ("When people do flips off walls, without the walls," Miller explains) turned up to audition -- and, in some cases, audition again -- for permanent judges Tre Armstrong and Jean Marc Genereux, along with a handful of alternating panelists.
Miller says there were more amazing dancers than there were bad ones, but even those who were dismissed were rather endearing.
"There was a boy in Montreal and his nickname was Fairy. He was a belly dancer and he had all these little bells on his outfit -- my heart went out to him."
Whether Armstrong, an urban mover who starred in dance flick How She Move, or Genereux, a ballroom pro whose choreography with wife France Mousseau was featured on the last season of So You Think You Can Dance, will turn out to be the brutally honest, Nigel Lythgoe sort of judge remains to be seen, but Miller admits Armstrong isn't afraid to speak her mind.
"She would never be mean to someone, but she would do it in a constructive criticism kind of way," she says.
Laying claim to the third judging seat throughout the season are Mississauga-raised SYTYCD Season 1 finalist Blake McGrath, Toronto hip-hopper Luther Brown, ballet man Rex Harrington, choreographers Melissa Williams, Sean Cheesman and Paul Becker along with frequent SYTYCD judge Dan Karaty and last but definitely not least, the U.S. version's Queen of Scream Mary Murphy -- who will undoubtedly be handing out tickets aboard her Hot Tamale Train at some point.
Miller is beyond stoked to be sitting pretty in the hosting spot that British stunner Cat Deeley makes look highly glamourous on the U.S. show.
The 27-year-old blonde -- a child dancer who won the Junior Miss Dance of Canada title at age 13 -- feels confident playing the ringleader on a live TV show after four years of working the mic for MuchOnDemand. She got the job just a week after going through two "nerve-wracking" auditions -- though it felt like forever.
"I couldn't settle for a 'No,' " Miller says. "I wanted it so badly. It's a huge deal."
The perks? Getting to wear fabulous dresses and having her hair and makeup done for the live episodes, says the self-proclaimed girly girl. There is one downfall as well, and that's going to be when she has to bid farewell to the dancers -- who she refers to as "brothers and sisters" -- on the show's elimination episodes each week.
"I'm an emotional girl . . . I cry a lot. I don't know how I'm going to do it," she says. "I watch Cat and she doesn't cry. If you cry, then they cry -- it's like a ripple effect."
And there's bound to be some tears when SYTYCD Canada hits the ground hoofing tomorrow night.
The two-hour premiere features footage from the Toronto auditions, which attracted 950 dancers in June.
On Sunday, the focus turns to tryouts in Vancouver and Halifax, and Wednesday's final audition episode includes coverage from Montreal and Calgary.
Successful contenders will earn an invite to Finals Week in Toronto, where they'll compete for a spot in the Top 20, and a chance to dance for Canada's votes when the show goes live the first week of October.
IF YOU WATCH
What: Series premiere of So You Think You Can Dance Canada
When: Tonight, 8 p.m.
Where: CTV
source:
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Today/Thurs ... 1-sun.html
--Message edité par felix le 2008-09-11 12:07:34--