Curiocity: 'SYTYCD' Stars Talk Tour, What's Next
It amounts to about 10 hours total. Ten hours to learn a new routine, master it and oh yeah, perform it in front of millions of viewers and a live studio audience. No pressure, right?Those days are over for the stars -- and All-Stars -- of the FOX-hit "So You Think You Can Dance." Now they're on to the second leg of the journey: the live 40-city tour spanning from September to November.
And while the routines may be the same from their television debut, injuries, physical (and I'm sure, mental) health can mix things up at the last moment. It's enough to make you tired just watching. And it made me completely expect a run-down, exhausted and drained group prior to my press interview with a few of the stars.
To my pleasant (and complete) surprise, I saw just the opposite –- a crew so full of energy and excitement, I could've sworn their stop in Minneapolis Saturday night at the Target Center was the first show, not the near-30th.
But before I dive into my conversations with the rambunctious dancers, I should backpedal a bit. If you've never watched an episode of "So You Think You Can Dance," let me just say, you're missing out. Perhaps I have such a deep respect and admiration of the show because I currently own a pair of two left feet, but I truly believe this is a show unlike any other on television. You can't group it into the "dance show" category with ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" or MTV's "America's Next Dance Crew" -- nothing against either -- but both are missing the balance of emotions that "SYTYCD" brings to its viewers.
Say what you want about the show, but the fact that a single performance can leave you either in laughter, with tears streaming down your face or completely addicted to a new song due to the lasting memories of incredible choreography, that's some powerful TV.
But I digress.
The point is, these are not only some absurd dancers but in order to survive the show, they must also be incredible people. As we're weekly reminded, it's America's favorite dancer who wins the title -- not just the best. And this year, that honor went to the bubbly, adorable and oh-so-lovable Lauren Froderman.
Lauren didn't walk into the interview, she literally hopped and skipped and then did a little spin leap. The show wasn't for another four-plus hours but Miss Lauren seemed like she was ready to hit the stage immediately.
Beyond being so darling that you want to squeeze her cheeks like an obnoxious elderly aunt, Lauren has a down-to-earth, genuine aura about her that's simply refreshing.
"OK, I love your boots, first off, we have to get that out of the way," she says, to begin the interview.
And then she dives into the details of the tour so far. Sure, she loves being able to hang out with her dance buds every day and yes, meeting the fans is "really cool," but there's also free food on tour.
"That's maybe the best part," she says with a laugh.
She tells me later that she tends to laugh a lot -- even during less-than-appropriate times.
"I think the craziest thing that has happened is when somebody cries when they meet me, because it's moving but I also deal with everything by laughing, so when I see them cry, I start to laugh -- and then they get even more upset because they think I'm laughing at them and then they cry more," she said. "It happened with this one girl and she was like turning red because she was crying so much and I was like, 'Haha, no, I'm sorry, hug me' and it was a crazy moment … and um, OK, done telling my life story."
With that, Lauren turns to her dancing partners waiting in the wings (Kent Boyd and Jose Ruiz) before getting a tad embarrassed with her "and then I found $10" type of ending to the story. It's tough not to smile.
She admits her favorite dances on tour coincidentally both involve one Mr. Boyd -- "Collide" and "My First Kiss" (originally performed on the show by Anya, who's not on tour). Those that saw the first performance of "Collide" may remember an actual kiss that concluded the prom scene choreography -- a kiss that Kent promises was an order from the dance's creator Travis Wall.
"Oh see, you guys all thought that kiss was ad-libbed but it was definitely choreographed," Kent says to me a bit later, with a slight roll to his eyes.
Still, you can't deny the so-cute-you'll-vomit obvious chemistry (both on the dance floor, and off) between these little love birds. So, really, you're not "more than" friends, Lauren?
"No, we're just best of friends. I mean, if people really knew, I'm the meanest to him. I pick on him all the time. I'm like a bully older sister and you know, he's just one of my best friends," she says, constantly looking back at Kent who's smiling and nodding. "We have fun."
Regardless of any romance, life on the road is tons of fun but Lauren says the one thing she misses more than anything is her dog, Appi (short for appetizer).
"Because we have a big chocolate lab and when we brought him home (the little "sausage dog") we thought he was going to be a meal for the lab, but they're actually best of friends," Lauren said.
Jose's up next and agrees, saying being on tour is definitely a change of pace. And though he may feel like he's in the midst of a whirlwind, he said the experience has already had quite an impact.
"I think just the experience of traveling makes you wiser as a person," he said.
Growth has definitely been a part of this self-taught dancer's journey, stemming back from the auditions to lasting on the show longer than even he thought possible.
"Yeah, I didn't even think I was going to make it through Vegas," he says flashing that famous little smirk. "I remember being in Vegas and thinking, 'I am not going to make it,' but I tried my best on every challenge and made it to the show and even on the show. Every day was a surprise for me. I'm just glad and lucky to have made it that far."
Some say the judges were too easy on Jose, given his dance history compared to the others, while others say he had the brunt of Mia Michaels' critiques more than a few times.
"I mean, Mia was pretty tough but I never viewed her comments as tough, I just saw it as critique -- I saw it as a way to get better, I never took it as them trying to knock me or whatever, I took it as something I need to learn," he said.
Jose said he's currently living his dream, being on tour with a bunch of great dancers and continuing to perform for fans. No matter what comes next, he's already had the ride of his life, he said.
Next up, my long-lost cousin (probably, anyway) Kent Boyd hops up and offers a handshake greeting.
After a quick chat -- to see if we actually are related, or at least know of a "Boyd" that the other does, we get right into the good stuff. This year's show incorporated the uber-talented "All-Stars" of seasons' past. People had a bit of a mixed reaction to the new format, because on one hand you had stars that were already accomplished ushering the others along. But on the other hand, you didn't have the giant trainwrecks that can make great television when two hip-hop contestants draw the dreaded ballroom of death.
Kent said he really enjoyed the All-Star season because it had the power to elevate the dancing to a place that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.
"Every genre we were in, we had an expert to help us out. And it clearly helped us out," he said.
He said he can understand for entertainment value's sake, why they might change the format next season, but personally, he said he grew as a dancer so much more having those experts hanging around. Not to mention joining them on tour. Kent said beyond the memorable routines from the show, the group also has the largest number of group routines for a "SYTYCD" tour, including a Bollywood number and a fast-paced disco routine.
It sounds exhausting just hearing about it, let alone performing them all night-to-night.
"That's really the most difficult part. We're doing the same routines over and over again but we have to find that strength inside because everyone says you know, it's that city's first time seeing you. It's their opening night. We have to find that energy inside," he said.
Speaking of new fans every night, after the ear-piercing screams Kent received while on the show, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of crazy fanatics and throngs of screeching teens were chasing after him on tour.
"Yeah, I've had some kind of crazy experiences. Like Lauren said, you get criers sometimes. OK, quite a few times. But there was another girl that gave me some underwear and I had to sign them for her. You get some random things sometimes, but it's all fun and games so it's cool," he said.
I'm sure it is pretty cool, considering the fact that last year, Kent was in his senior year of high school in a tiny town in Ohio. So did he ever think he'd be on a national tour and signing undie autographs?
"Heck no, heeeeck no. I still think about where I was, I mean, senior year and now I'm here. I mean I can't even explain it, it's just so crazy," he said.
He's definitely become the biggest thing to come out of Wapakoneta, Ohio – that's for sure.
"I came back home during a break and they threw me a parade and named the city after me for a day, like instead of Wapakoneta, it was Wapa-Kent-eta. It was pretty fun. And they gave me the key to the city and all this junk, so yeah, it was cool," he said.
Finally last, but certainly not least, Billy Bell, who's journey on the show is really two-fold, takes off his stylish headphones to answer a couple quick questions. Billy was supposed to be on last season's show but due to an illness, he had to pass it up and try for a spot the next year.
Though for Billy, it really was destiny.
"I think everything happens for a reason and I think I was supposed to be on Season Seven," he said. "I think I'm extremely lucky because I have an even bigger 'So You Think You Can Dance' family now."
Bell's history before the show had him coming from a slightly different background than other contestants -- as a student at the prestigious Juilliard School, he's wired to perform 35-minute ballets and less of the two-minute fast-paced performances.
"It's really opened up my eyes a lot. I feel like I just want to start merging the commercial and the company work, having really artistic company work but also very commercial. It's kind of crazy," he said.
One of those eye-openers came in the form of a piece to the music of Gary Jules, where Billy took on a role of a homeless man.
"Stacy (the choreographer) kind of gave me a little present there," he said. "It's really easy to get into a character for me, so I think that's what made that dance so successful. You can really live in it."
And live in it, he has. In fact, since February of 2009, Billy's life has been all about "SYTYCD." It's no wonder he's not really joking when he says he'll fall into a long coma once the tour is over.
"I always describe it as a 24-hour adrenaline rush," he said. "It never stops and once tour ends I feel like I'm going to pass out and go into a coma, catch up on sleep for like a month."
But for as much as the show and subsequent tour has taken from dear Billy (sleep, health, sanity, etc.) the experience he's leaving with, is worth everything -- and then some.
"It's going to open you up, make you more personable and easy to speak to, and I think that is one of the biggest benefits of the show. … I mean, why be nervous or timid to attempt something when 40 million people have seen you completely fall on your face. You're like, 'Eh, why not, let's go for it,'" he said.
While the group still has nearly 20 more days of tour life (including one of the longer journeys, straight to Colorado following the Target Center stop) you'd think they'd all be ready to collapse, as Billy said, into a coma for a while, but surprisingly, it seems all are just as excited to get back to work.
For this foursome, after a short hibernation, they'll be off to Los Angeles (Billy will split his time between sunny L.A. and New York City, where he has a dance company called Lunge) to start the next chapter. For Kent, that means a debut on the Disney Channel on set of a fun new show that's already leaking a few sneak-peek teases.
Lauren is hoping acting and television are in her future -- and if not that, then definitely a Cirque du Soleil try out or two. Jose also has his sights on acting and dancing in L.A. but is ready for "wherever life takes me." Billy's dance company will be doing a few shows in L.A. and one up north in Canada -- plus attention: Mia Michaels' fans, Billy says there's a "new project" in the works that he's keeping his fingers crossed for.
The "So You Think You Can Dance" 2010 tour continues until Nov. 17. For tickets and more information about the stars or the tour, click here.
Sara Boyd is a web producer and columnist at WCCO.COM.
