Laurieann Gibson's Born to Dance continued this week with a live television performance challenge. At this point in the competition, 12 dancers remained to compete: Hennessy, Andrea, Theresa S., Kaleila, Jahleeka ("Jelly"), Quiana ("Ice"), LaTonya, Lydia, Kristen, Kristina (K.C.), Jessica and Keisha.
Born to Dance - Day 1, Learning the Routine
On the first day, the 12 dancers spent time in the studio with Laurieann and her assistants, Richy and Peanut. The dancers learned a jazz routine to be performed live for the studio audience at The Mo'Nique Show the next day. Based on their rehearsals and styles, the choreographers split them into four groups.
Group 1 consisted of Kaleila, Kristina and Jahleeka. Group 2 was Hennessy, Andrea and Quiana. In Group 3 were LaTonya, Theresa and Lydia, and Group 4 included Jessica, Keisha and Kristen.
After starting the routine as one group, each individual group would get a chance to perform for the audience. The audience would then vote for the group they liked the best, which Laurieann would take into consideration when making her cuts for the week.
Born to Dance - Day 2, Final Rehearsal and Performance
In the morning, the dancers had a final rehearsal in the studio with Richy and Peanut. They made some choreography changes, giving each dancer a chance to do something different to highlight their abilities. This started with Richy taking out a jump for Jahleeka (the largest dancer), causing Kaleila to comment that Jelly was getting special treatment.
At the television studio, the dancers were put into hair and makeup and warmed up on their own. While Laurieann was in makeup (she was one of the guests on the show), some of the show staff took the girls onto the stage to run their placement. They all went onto the stage, following along with the direction that was given; however, Laurieann scolded them for going out to do their staging without their choreographers. She warned them not to do this in the future.
After an interview with Laurieann, Mo'Nique introduced the dancers to her audience. As soon as Group 1 began their portion, a large necklace that Jelly was wearing fell off onto the stage. She was front and center at the time, so it laid in a precarious spot for the rest of the routine. Laurieann had been adamant about "no accessories" throughout the competition, so she was very upset by this. In an interview, Jelly said that she understood the rules and broke them, so she would understand if the necklace sent her home.
The audience's applause seemed to favor Group 1 and Group 4, and Mo'Nique declared Group 1 the winners of the day. Group 2 and 3, especially Hennessy and Theresa, seemed stiff and unsure, and that was perhaps due to the necklace on the stage. Laurieann, Richy and Peanut discussed backstage, and thought that Quiana, Jessica and Lydia did well. They commented that Hennessy and Kaleila were the weakest.
Born to Dance - Day 3, Elimination
As in previous episodes, Laurieann started the elimination with a prayer for all the dancers. She commented that she was not looking for opportunists in this competition; the money that the winner receives will go to fund their dance career, and nothing else.
To begin, Laurieann called out Jahleeka for violating the accessory rule; however, Laurieann said, Jahleeka shined in the performance, leaving her other two group members in the dark. Jahleeka and Kristina were sent to the wall, meaning that they were still in the competition.
Laurieann spoke to Hennessy next, asking her to be honest and tell them whether or not the necklace was a distraction and made her stiff. She said that she was concerned about the necklace, and that it affected her performance. Laurieann told her to push harder, and sent her to the wall.
Other dancers going to the wall were Lydia, LaTonya, Keisha, Quiana, Andrea, Theresa, and Jessica (to whom Laurieann warned, "dance like you know you can").
Going home were Kristen and Kaleila. Laurieann told Kristen that she wanted her to be always in the zone; however, Kristen was still mainly stuck in her own head, and there was not enough time at this point in the competition to help her with that. Laurieann also commented to Kaleila that, while she was in the best group, she only truly performs on the moves that she likes and what is most comfortable to her, and this will not work in a professional career.
Next week, the remaining 10 dancers take on the choreography for a vacuum-cleaner commercial.
Terry Finch - Terry Finch is a dance teacher and choreographer in Central PA with an extensive training and teaching background in many forms of ...
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