** Day 2 **

Had my morning swim in the pool. Not much, just 200m of freestyle and then 200m break stroke. Was gonna do 300 each, but gotta have some in my reserve tank. This is so far the best way to get my day to start with energy.

Next up. Broadway number with Tyce Diorio. We are broken up to groups of 10 again, only this time each couple is called to the judges. Ha, they use our names. It feels nicer not to be just a number, but it also makes it all so personal. They are rejecting real people, not just some numbers.

It is lunch time, but who can eat? Only less than 1/2 people are left, which means more than 1/2 are gone. We haven’t been here for even 24 hrs, but for the sake of the show, it is Day 2.

Before you know it, it is time for foxtrot with Jean-Marc Genereux, who is greater in person than on TV. Fantastic teacher and great character.

3 couples each time are dancing on stage now, it is even more intimidating. You dont have to imagine people are in their underwears, you feel like you are in your undies. So, the number of judges looking on the stage is the same as the number of dancers. Nowhere to hide, no time to think, no place for mistakes, no chance to be missed. In the end, it was no effort wasted. Phew.

By this time, you can see the group sorting itself out in to sub cultures. The contemparies, the ballroomers, the hip hop and breakers and ppl like me, the rest. That include an odd ball from Hawaii, Mark. Maybe it is because we both grew up in the vicinity to the beach and surfing is big in the neighbourhood, we clicked quite well. Also, we both were not afraid of standing out in a weird way.

As if the day has not been hard enough. Now what? While we are still in our ballroom outfit, Cat came up with a box. We need to come up with our own chorey? Interesting concept, but how will my group turn out?

Our group is ok. Got a good mix of styles and therefore characters. In my head, the question is: ‘Do I jump right out and attempt to be the leader figure? or do I lay low and play it safe?’ However, the cameras around us are annoying reminders that it is in the end, a reality show: all our moves are captured and later on edited to become home entertainment for many.

** Day 3 **

One word to describe all this: gruelling. In the line up we are ask to take one step back if any judge thinks we are not good enough. Then another judge may also ask you to take another step back.

Poor Jase, first group up and he now need to dance for his life. It is already bad enough you get judged like. Your reaction gets aired on national television without any filtering (well, in some case, over filtering).

Even though after this round they only cut 4 more dancers, but so many have left, some really good dancers in their own areas, and great characters and just generally good people. Now, there is about like what, 60, 70 max left here.

Now we come to the pinnacle of Vegas Week, the Mia Michael’s experience. It is safe to say that they save the best for last, without any disrespect to other choreographers. What is with the noise she makes? It is great, I get to remember the moves. One thing I can say is that I am glad I had my vitamins. Swimming was ok, stretched my muscles and cleared my head.

To deal with the icon of the show, who is at the same time the dragon lady on the show is never a comfortable thing, neither does she want to make it comfortable for anybody (including herself sometimes so it seems). To me, this dance is the final beast to conquer, whether to make it to the show or not is not on my mind so much as to just nail this piece. Mia asks so much of you that your head is just filled with the story and your heart with the dance. Holistic!

After we performed in groups of 5, another 1/3 went home. We can see only about 40, 50 now. After the survival, I realised it is closer and closer to make to the show, and yet the thing is only going to get harder and harder.

Preface

Why am I doing this? This is the way of coping addictive enslavement, and a way of alleviating pathological fantasizing after watching SYTYCD last season. It (this sickness) started in November, and is still not cured. I have since watched seasons 2 and 3 and Australian season 2.

I am not a particular good writer. I am missing (one of) the most important ingredient → dialogues to make a great story (or to make a story great),. This piece is just a collection of observations and self reflections, mainly a composition of monologue. There are two reasons for this. First is my reservation to put words into the characters, to do that will be almost blaspheme. Second is my personal lack of imagination and creativity. My imagination, stops only so far (or so short). In my head, there are activities and interactions between me and the characters, but somehow there just ain’t no words to be produced. Maybe I can not think outside of the TV box. Therefore I have not inspired into the work more what you can see in the show and/or research online. Or maybe there is the 3rd reason: the lack of time. Life does not allow me to spend much time on this [the inspiration of words].

In the end, I am writing to cope, to vent and to alleviate, not to create a master piece. Just remember, this is for me, not for you.

0 Prologue

Being on working holiday is a great thing, especially the agreement between the 2 countries just happened few months earlier. This is my 4th week in the Colorado Keystone ski resort. Being a chef at night, shredding the white stuff during the day. It is a life that I have no complaint for. Think it was a Tuesday night when I was just minding my own business at the bar during my break, then came some screaming kids about some audition with a brochure in their hands. What caught my attention was the bright blue writing of So You Think You Can Dance. So You Think You Can Dance??? I am all ears now. However, there was just too much giggling and laughing, so I got no useful information from earsdropping. The shift ended in the usual chaos, and I went back to my dorm and quickly googled out the audition dates.

• Dallas     Jan 17-19
• Charleston Jan 31- Feb 2,
• Salt Lake City Feb 4-7
• Washington D.C.  Feb 21-23
• Los Angeles March 6-8

I should finish things up in the kitchen here by mid Feb, hopefully can go to Washington D.C. Which can give me a 2nd chance in L.A. However, if I get my ticket to Vegas at Washington D.C., then I got few months to shape up and take some intensives. The calculative self hard at work in thinking.

Have I mentioned that things are big in the USA? cars are big, so the roads are big. the servings in the fast food restaurants are big, so the people are big [guess that explains whey they need big cars also]. and I am looking for my big American break into the show biz.