Canada’s Top 4 dancing towards finish line

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This article was published 23/10/2010 (5808 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After months of gruelling competition, difficult routines and stressful eliminations, So You Think You Can Dance Canada has narrowed the field to the Top 4 dancers. Only Amanda Cleghorn, Jeff Mortensen, Janick Arseneau and Denys Drozdyuk remain, and Wednesday night’s performances will determine who will win the title of Canada’s favourite dancer.

The Top 4 spoke with reporters this week about the tough competition and where they see themselves after So You Think You Can Dance Canada is over.

 

Q: What was your most difficult moment from SYTYCDC?

Jeff: The most difficult thing on the show was probably getting used to the schedule. Canada doesn’t see that we’re actually dancing seven days a week and we’re dancing all day. We have 51/2 hours with our choreographer, and the rest of it, we’re dancing all the time in our gym — any space we have in our rooms and we’re constantly rehearsing.

Denys: The most difficult day was last Saturday, where we had rehearsals on stage and we had to rehearse for two numbers and a solo. Usually, we have breaks, because there are more people, but now that there are just four of us, they constantly shift us from one room to another. That was pretty difficult. I’ll remember that Saturday for a long time.

Amanda: I definitely agree with Jeff and Denys: The most difficult part is probably the schedule. We have to dance a lot over the course of the season. The most difficult was probably this week, learning all the dances. But it’s a good challenge and we’re up for anything. It’s been hard, but in an amazing way.

Janick: For me, it’s hard to stay focused and stay sane. Like they say, we’re working hard on not a lot of sleep. It’s staying sane and staying true to myself and not being influenced by other people’s great talent.

Q: What kinds of opportunities do you think this show will give you?

Amanda: This show will give me so much. For auditions and everything, it pushes me more to just go out there and audition for everything. Working with the choreographers, (I hope) I can work with them again in future experiences. This show just gives you everything; it gives you a platform for your dance career and everything you need in order to be successful. It’s just an amazing experience.

Denys: I think it’s a great opportunity — a great networking opportunity to get to know different professionals from all kinds of fields. It gives you a lot of opportunities in the future; if you need work, you can contact them. It’s nice.

Janick: Being on the show, you get a lot of exposure and a lot of people see you, so you get to show your talent and you get to learn and grow a lot. You learn to work as a professional.

Jeff: When you’re in the show, you live in this little media bubble where you don’t get to see where your face is, period. Then you get into the outside world: We went to the (American) So You Think You Can Dance tour last night and everyone recognized us. It was kind of the craziest thing. In terms of career, I have a lot of friends from past seasons and they walk into an audition and the judges know their names by heart. They don’t even have to look at their resumés. So when you’re on a show like this and get exposure, people know you by your first name and that’s something that not every dancer has. It’s definitely a career-building show.

 

Q: What would your dream job be?

Amanda: I’m the kind of person (who wants) to do everything. I don’t want to do just one thing, so it’s really hard for me to choose. I would love to be on Broadway. I would love to be in movies and music videos — whatever I can do. Ultimately, my whole goal is that I want to be a triple threat, so whatever I can do leading up to that is amazing, but my overall goal is to sing, act and dance.

Denys: My dream job is what I’m doing right now. I don’t think that the future will be some point where I will say, “This is what I wanted!” The dancer’s life is just going from one thing to another on a travelling path, so as long as I’m dancing and living on stage, then I’m happy.

Janick: I’ve only been dancing professionally for two years, so I haven’t had the chance to experience a lot of things. That being said, I can’t choose a career, because I haven’t seen what every branch of the dance world is. I’m only 20 and I’m still young, so right now my main goal is to experience everything I can: music videos, tours, maybe even Broadway. So who knows?

Jeff: I’ve worked with Cirque du Soleil for a year and toured with my Ukrainian company, as well, so I have had a bit of professional experience before coming on the show, as well. Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to work for Cirque du Soleil. I think this show has only made me a stronger performer, and I would love to get into aerial arts, because I was also a gymnast. To have that background, I would like to continue to grow in that direction, but I try not to make plans. So often, plans change, so you need to keep your options open, because you never know what’s coming.

 

— Postmedia News