Citation :Surrey North Delta Leader
She can dance
By Alex Browne - Surrey North Delta Leader
Published: November 16, 2008 8:00 AM
Arassay Reyes dances with Nico Archambault in the Nov. 5 episode of So You Think You Can Dance Canada.
She went into the show nervous, only months after moving to Canada from her native Cuba.
But week after week South Surrey's Arassay Reyes, 21, has done her adopted community proud on the first season of CTV's So You Think You Can Dance Canada – dancing up a storm, even in styles outside her area of expertise in Latin and contemporary dance, and remaining safe in each elimination round.
Last week she became one of the show's Top 10 – whittled down over the course of five weeks from the original line-up of 20 competitors.
This week the competition moved into even higher gear as dancers began changing partners and performing solos as well as duets. Reyes, who to this point has been partnered with Nico Archambault of Montreal was teamed for the first time with Vincent Noiseux of Saint Jean sur Richelieu, Que., for a disco number that wowed judges Wednesday night.
And she has been consistently among the top dancers in fan blogs and forums on the So You Think You Can Dance Canada website.
Off-stage Reyes remained calm and philosophical about her progress on the show.
"We have been working so hard, training, preparing and learning choreography," she said. "But there are so many amazing dancers, you have to be prepared for whatever happens. Before we came here we heard it was going to be hard and intense each week, so you have to be prepared for that."
Reyes said her favourite part of doing the show has been meeting all the people involved in the production, but particularly the other dancers.
"There are many, many good dancers, but we all work together, all help each other," she said. "For me it has been very hard work, and I am so happy to make the cut, to be in the Top 10. I will work hard, with all my heart, to be on stage."
On stage is where she feels she belongs, Reyes said, and her experience in So You Think You Can Dance Canada only confirms it.
Born in Havana, Reyes been dancing since she was 10 years old. Her professional career began five years ago when she began studying at the Cuban National School of the Arts, which later led to a place in the National Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba.
Just over six months ago she made the decision to join her father in B.C. – where he has been living for five years – leaving behind her mother, grandparents and cousins.
Shortly after she arrived she won a place in Grupo America, a Vancouver-based Latin dance company, and when her father heard that auditions were being held in Vancouver for the Canadian version of So You Think You Can Dance, he encouraged her to try out.
She succeeded in being chosen as one of the 20 finalists out of a field of close to 10,000 auditionees across Canada.
And although her mother can't see the show, Reyes calls her with daily updates, she said.
There are differences between what Reyes can accomplish in Canada and what she could have done in Cuba, she said.
"In Cuba there is support for learning," she said.
"You can learn and grow as a dancer, but you don't have the support to being on stage and being in a big show. In Canada I can show what I have learned."
Whatever happens with the television show, Reyes vows to continue growing and working as a dancer in her new home.
"I'm going to keep working in anything; going to keep performing," she said.
"I really want to be on stage, maybe for my whole life. I want to dance with children, with professional people; everybody."
Although Reyes admits that singing is not her strong suit, she doesn't rule out auditioning for musical theatre shows.
"Any different performing I can do, I want to do."
And no matter what the final result of the contest is, Reyes remains grateful for the support she has received from Vancouver and the rest of B.C. – and particularly from her adopted community.
"I want to thank everybody at home in Surrey for their support and for backing me to be in the Top 10," she said.
source:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/ ... 87989.html
Arassay Reyes
Re: Arassay Reyes
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lrMjrp0I20[/youtube]