We Have A Winner!

Well, folks - it's official!  Last night produced a winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 8, and I couldn't have been happier about America's selection!

A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Season 8 Winner Melanie Moore - she was deemed the original "beast" of this season, and she showcased insane talent in pretty much every number she danced in.  She not only is a brilliant technician, but she also brings a high level of performance and character awareness to her dancing, and that is a difficult skill to master - especially when you're only nineteen years old.

Source

This post is a tribute to her greatness, so I figured it would only be right to bring some of the numbers of hers that I loved best to all of you.  Dance fans, enjoy!

Melanie & partner Marko - "I Got You" - hiphop routine by Tabitha & Napoleon


Source

Melanie & partner Sasha - "Girl Power" - lyrical jazz routine by Sonya Tayeh


Source

Melanie & partner Neil - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - contemporary routine by Mandy Moore


Source

And what would my blog be if I didn't give a tip of my hat to choreographer (and SYTYCD Season Two Runner Up) Travis Wall for this absolutely breathtaking concept piece?

Melanie & partner Marko - "Turn To Stone" - contemporary (WEEK ONE!!!) routine by Travis Wall


Source

Congratulations again to Melanie Moore on the big win - but also to all of the other Season 8 contestants - this is not the end of the road for you.  All of you possess something so magical and so special and it's now your time to share your light with the world!

And as a closing note, I must express my deepest thanks to Executive Producer, Nigel Lythgoe, and his team of dance soldiers for continuing this amazing program for eight seasons now. As someone who was enrolled in dance classes for fifteen years of her life, I know exactly what dance can do - the joy it can bring, the focus it cultivates, the athleticism and exercise that come as part of the process - dance NEEDS to be a constant in the world today. Kids and adults alike need to be able to get up and DANCE and make the world a better place, and I am so happy to see dance get the credit and attention it deserves.

From showcasing the world's most talented choreographers, to having judges on the panel who actually know how to properly critique a dancer (and consequently prepare them for the real world - professional dance is nothing if not cutthroat), and also creating a national holiday centered around dance (National Dance Day = July 31st, y'all!),  So You Think You Can Dance is a trailblazer in the industry! The show has proven results - contestants on this program book jobs, and as a dancer - that is always the goal.

Hats off to all of you!

Until next time,

Today Is A Great Day

Well, Peeps!  Today is a great day.  Why, you ask?  Well, today is great for two reasons.  The first is that TODAY IS LITTLE SISTER CHICKEN WING'S TWENTY-FOURTH BIRTHDAY!  WOO HOO!!!!

Who doesn't love a good birthday now and then?  So, to celebrate via the blog, I thought I would create a picture montage of the most ridiculous variety in honor of my sister!  Here goes nothing, and a big THANK YOU to FaceInHole.com for being more than a little awesome.

One of our favorite childhood activities? Playing BARBIES!

We have danced in multiple recitals together!

Even though Little Sister CW usually goes for lean men,

and I usually go for men of the stronger variety,

neither of us can deny our love of the Beebs. Just sayin.

We love watching crap TV - Bring on the Wingashians!

We will be each others' maid of honor someday if we don't kill each other first!

And if we do kill each other, hopefully someone won't turn us into Chicken Nuggets!

I hope you enjoyed this ridiculous picture journey, Little Sister Chicken Wing!  I love you and hope you have the best twenty-fourth birthday ever!  I hope this year will be epic and that it will bring only good things your way!

The other reason that today is a good day is because my favorite show, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, is well underway!  Last night was the very first competitive performance show and holy bologna, if that episode was indicative of how this season is going to go - we have our work cut out for us!  Season Eight's bench is STACKED with talent - probably the most talent in one season that has ever been in the history of the show!  Don't believe me?  Check out this AHH-MAZING statue routine, choreographed by Travis Wall (of Season 2), set to a song by Ingrid Michaelson, and danced by Melanie Moore and Marko Germar:


Source

Like I said - AHH-MAZING! Love doesn't even begin to describe it! I can't wait to see how the season progresses and how the dancers develop even further! And that is why today is a great day!

Until next time,

They REALLY Care About Him!

Okay, so I've posted on a topic similar to this before here. It's no secret that I love the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and so it touches me when people come together to honor him. He was the greatest entertainer of all time, in my opinion, and I think that one legacy he left behind was that no matter what you thought about him, you can't deny that he brought people together.

The ridiculously awesome videos that I'm going to share with you in this post are of a group of people who are now quite famous for their hard work and dedication in proving that fact. They've been dubbed the Filipino dancing inmates. Why? Well, because they are made up of 1,500 plus inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines, and they are amazing.

Description of video: A tribute performed by 1,500 CPDRC Inmates on June 27, 2009 in memory of Michael Jackson. Completed in 10 hours after receiving word that the King of Pop passed away. May he always be remembered. "Ben" and "I'll be there" were sung by Michael when he was still younger! "We are the World" was composed and organized by MJ.

Check out Thriller, below.

Source

Then, it was a general tribute to Michael Jackson, seen below.

Source

Then, they took on Dangerous.

Source

Now, they've given us "They Don't Really Care About Us."

Source

The reason why this one is special is because of the three obvious leaders of this group. The head of the operation is Travis Payne, Michael Jackson's longtime primary choreographer. With him are two dancers, Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid, who helped the inmates to learn one of the performances from THIS IS IT.

I think it's fantastic that they were able to do something constructive while in prison, and hey - they have given a great gift to the world. Every video makes you want to move - they hit everything wonderfully!

I definitely think MJ would be proud, and so touched that they chose to honor him through dance. I hope you enjoyed this, and if you know a Michael Jackson fan, send this post their way. I know that they'll enjoy it!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing