Newsletter updates from Natalie M. Roberts

Hello all,

It’s been a while since I sent out a newsletter. All my spare time, which isn’t a lot, is going to writing, as I plot my escape to Islamorada. “Huh?” you might ask. “Islamorada?” you might think. “Where and what is that?”

On New Year’s Eve, I was home, writing away, working on THE TIES THAT BIND, a book for St. Martin’s. My children were portioned out to various friends’ houses, and since I’m not big into the party scene, I was using the time to write.

I was also wishing myself far, far, away. Somewhere warm, since Utah has been slammed this year with snow storm after snow storm. Hasn’t everyone wanted to start their life over, somewhere new, at one point or another. Especially when you live in the North Pole and your name AIN’T Santa Claus….

Example:

 

I took this picture a few weeks ago, and it was just one of MANY storms to hit us. On my computer desktop, I have a weather thingie that tells me what to expect, weather-wise, and also tells me where people are having MUCH MORE FUN than I am. Well, it doesn’t say that, but it might as well. It should just flash THESE PEOPLE ARE SITTING ON THE BEACH DRINKING PINA COLADAS AND YOU AREN’T. Stupid weather thingie. That night, the warmest spot in the United States was Marathon Shores, Florida. Curious, and easily distracted, I wandered off to Google and did a search. I discovered Marathon Shores is in the Florida Keys. I’ve been to Key West ONE time, for a few hours (cruise) and I loved it.

 
So I spent the next few hou…er, minutes, perusing the pages of the Florida Keys. Islamorada became my hot spot, just because the NAME is so exotic, and of course, the place sounds pretty cool itself.

 
And I began to weave this story of myself, in Islamorada, escaping from the rigors of life, lounging on the beach.

 It’s a dream but hey, it could become reality. Or maybe even a BOOK. That research would be fun!

I know, I know, spring will come soon enough.

On the writing scene,  POINTE AND SHOOT is coming out in May. This is my favorite book in the series, and I think you will like it, too. Jenny grows up a little more, still finds herself in some serious hot water, and discovers that life as a dance teacher is tantamount to working in a loony bin. Or close.

To help you stay warm, here’s a hot cocoa recipe my Mormon mother swears by. She’s a cocoa connoisseur, so this one HAS to be good.

Hot Cocoa RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
	3/4 cup sugar
	1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
	1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
	1/2 cup powdered nondairy creamer
	1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Measure all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk them until they are evenly blended.
2. Store the mix in a tightly covered container at room temperature until you’re ready to package it. Makes about 4 cups of mix.

Well, that’s all for now, but I wish you all a MUCH WARMER and DRYER winter than we are having. Until next time….
–Natalie
www.nataliercollins.com
www.nataliemroberts.com
www.jennytpartridge.com

Thursday’s AYD–Stacey Glumm

Thirteen-year-old Stacey Glumm. Beautiful lines, very flexible, and with great control. This girl has a future. VERY good dancer, good song, nice costume.

Not the Model Dancer?

A night of Mambo and Quickstep delivered entertainment Monday night, and some second week expected

 

The encore dance of the night, Helio and Juliann’s Mambo was as hot and sexy the second time around as the first time. 

A fan of the English version of Dancing With The Stars, Jane Seymour’s mother had inspired her to dance in this season’s competition.  After the Monday night show Jane Seymour found out her mother had passed away.  Seymour was absent from the results show, but will continue to compete, after being safe in the voting to dance again. 

Bottom two… 

Wayne and Cheryl

Albert and Anna garnered the fewest viewer votes for the lowest combined score. Sad because Albert showed great potential; Anna on the other hand seemed kind of brittle. 

In my opinion this is where the lack of fan base comes into play. Albert was definately a cut above several other Celebrity dancers.

       

When the feets gots to dance, the feets got to dance

These videos show that, truly, when you HAVE TO DANCE, you just HAVE TO DANCE.

 Nuff said.

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SYTYCD Evangelizing Dance

Tonight’s show was just, well, fantastic, sad, full of promise,and frustrating.

I was angry that Lauren went home over Lacey, because quite frankly, she shined SO MUCH brighter than Lacey. I like the other L (Lacey) but Lauren has more skill and talent, and she didn’t deserve to go home. I agreed with the results for the guys.

Debbie Allen noticed something I felt about Pasha. That man has charm and style and grace, like no one since Fred Astaire. I would love to see him  in movies, because I think he has the presence to pull it off.

The show opened with another Wade Robson INCREDIBLE piece, and I could have watched it over and over again.

It’s hard to see all the faves go now, but it’s at that point in the show. It has to happen.

I so agree with Debbie Allen that this show is EVANGELIZING dance! I love it! On to the finals. Thanks for all you said, Tanglefoot! 

I’ll just take the tea, you can keep the Krumping

I am so incredibly bummed.

 

Bummed I say, Lauren is gone. America what have you done? 

 

Yes, at the end of this evening’s results show Lauren and Pasha were shown their closing edits of the competition.  Ho hum, so bummed. The good news is Sabra and Danny weren’t shown their closing credits and they are who I’m placing my

 

And I have to ask myself how did Lacey make it over Lauren? Lacey takes direction well, but her choreography is one-dimensional. On the other hand Lauren takes direction well and has technique that makes her multi dimensional. Lacey I don’t mean to be little Lacey she is definitely talented and teachable in other disciplines, she’s just not Lauren. 

 

I’ve been expecting Pasha to go for weeks.  No, news there. I have long said Neil is athletic in his dance, but he is better than Pasha.

 

I’m rooting for Sabra to win

 

And Then There Were Six - SYTYCD 8 August 2007

Tonight had an eclectic feel to it. You would think every Wednesday night would, but not necessarily so, for me at least.  We are down to six dancers going into tomorrow night’s elimination. Each pair danced two routines, and each dancer performed a solo from their own discipline.

 

This week’s guest judge, Debbie Allen. Enough said.

 

First to kick off the night was Pasha’s selection of Lacey as this week’s partner. Interesting. Two ballroom dancers of different styles step out of their element and totally sold it, beginning with a Dave Scott Hip Hop routine. Delightful and entertaining, the choreography showed of Pasha’s adaptability and Lacey’s control. The glasses and geek routine was perfect for Pasha.

 

Their second dance of the night for Pasha and Lacey was a smooth waltz.  I liked the flow and ebb of this dance; it had a cool, classical feel to it, as though dancing on clouds.  But the lifts were another story for me.  The first lift was very nice, the second well executed and blended into the movement of the dance with out interrupting the movement, but the third to me destroyed the flow of the dance.

 

Danny drew Lauren’s name out of the hat.  The pair began the evening with a Mia Michael’s Contemporary delight. While the dancers kept talking in the pre dance conversation about aliens, their presentation was anything but alien.  It was full of incredible energy, fabulous weaves and tangles, ebbs and flows, angles, lines, and joy. The joy of dance.

 

A disco number by Doriana Sanchez capped Lauren and Danny’s night.  It wasn’t hot on the choreography, it was danced beautifully.  But in between the beautiful dance segments were stops and stunts, stops and tricks. It just didn’t work for me. What did work was their energy and the happiness on their faces.

 

Sabra and Neil drew a Mandy Moore Jazz routine to start off their night.  I’m of mixed emotions about this number. The premise was boardroom negotiations.  The musicality was great with dynamic give and take. Neil’s athletics were featured perfectly, Sabra’s technique divine. The movement of the dance reminded me of a number from Flashdance. Go figure.

 

A Pasa Dobles rounded out the night for Sabra and Neil. They looked smashing, Neil very much the matador – but I didn’t really like the dance. It fit Neil well, he moved into the character well, but there was no passion between them, no chemistry, it was not a fiery dance, it was cold. While the lift at the ending began a bit jerky it ended spectacularly.

 

My favorite dances of the night…

♥ Pasha and Lacey’s Hip Hop

♥ Danny and Lauren’s Contemporary

 

The Solos. Different from weeks past where the dancers performed the same solo, tonight they danced a solo in their own style.

 

♥ Sabra beautiful extensions and fluidity, she uses all levels of her area.

 

Pasha – ballroom dancers just don’t tend to do good solos, and I finally figured out what is bothering me.  Given a choreographed routine, Pasha will rise to the occasion and give you his all. But he can’t choreograph a routine, so his solos fall flat for me. Ballroom dancers naturally partner. It is a weak point.

 

♥ Lauren – I loved the energy of her solo, she dances with character and emotion using all her space and levels.

 

Neil – has great energy and his jumps are great.  The difference between Neil and Pasha is that Neil’s discipline is perfect for solo and he can feel his music to choreograph his own dance.

 

Lacey -  here is a bit of a departure from what I said about dancers of ballroom disciplines.  Lacey can dance solo, she is sexy and flirtatious, but it is danced on one level and try as she might it uses up much less dance floor than some of the other dancers.

 

Danny – light, fluid grace. Tonight’s piece was less than what he has shown in the past but still hands and heads better than the other two male dancers left in the competition.

 

Ducky is thinking it will be Lacey and Pasha leaving this week. I’m thinking he could be right.  Lacey and Pasha are both at a disadvantage in comparison to the other dancers. Ballroom dancing is not a solo art, you don’t incorporate elements of ballroom disciplines into a contemporary, jazz, lyrical, or hip hop routine. Hip hop suffers some of the same problems (note there are no more breakers in the competition.) This makes it much harder to see the growth of people like Lacey, Sara, Dominic, or Pasha unless they step out of their comfort zone and show what they have been learning over the past several months.  None have done that. 

So I am with Ducky in thinking that it is Lacey and Pasha who will not be making the finales next week. Of course I’ve been wrong before, but I think anything less (for the girls) will be a travesty, Neil on the other hand is no Danny, but I am not sure if he’s better than Pasha.  Tomorrow night will tell.

 

Sith

Tanglefoot

Dance is so full of Joy

“Dance is so full of Joy.” Adam Shankman  

The elite eight were whittled down to the Secure Six, and hmmm, Pasha is still with us. I’m kind of surprised, but not. But let me digress.  This week’s bottom twos are expected, heartbreaking, and necessary.  Each week is difficult at this point. What is amazing to me about these kids, is their attitudes. Do the cry? Nope, they smile and look forward to the future. Or like Dominic, take the opportunity to manhandle Cat Deeley.

 

So this week’s bottom twos were made up of…

 

Girls

Sara

Lauren (this choice made my heart jump in my throat)

 

Boys

Neil

Dominic (his comedic grins are beginning to wear on me)

 

Going to the beach this week (you had to be there) Sara and Dominic. I’m not surprised, but both of these kids are what this competition is all about.  Each that remains is to some level worthy to be where they are. So I am going to go out on a limb here, I hope Jenny forgives me, or picks up the ball and knowing her trips the light fantastic with it, and prognosticate my final placements.

 

1) Sabra or Danny

2) Danny

3) Lauren

4) Neil

5) Lacey

6) Pasha (I’m not sure how Pasha has made it this far, but when given lemons make lemonade.)

 

You note I couldn’t pick between Danny or Sabra – but I really could. I could watch Danny dance forever, but I think he is limited.  Sabra on the other hand is so versatile and with only four years of dancing in her shoes. The possibilities boggle the mind.

 

Musical Partners – SYTYCD 1 August 2007

  

Guest Judge Adam Shankman is delightful, enthusiastic, insightful and not afraid to talk. He cracked me up tonight.  I think if he could have spirited Sabra off to some soundstage and choreographed for her he would have. 

 

We are to dual routines for the rotating partners. The choreographers and dancers both are being put through their paces and it shows.  First up

 

Danny and Sara Tangoed.  I could watch Danny dance forever. He’s so fluid, where Sara isn’t fluid she goes above and beyond to deliver, but together…these two don’t have any chemistry.  There was some strange footwork, interesting lifts, and good choreography, but no passion.

 

Shane Sparks choreographed their second routine, a hip hop number that left me wanting.  As a dancing duo they were a bit off, Sarah brought great attitude, but Danny (and he tried hard) couldn’t fit the bill. I do not like rap, but I adore Shane Sparks, but not this number.

 

Dominic pulled Lauren’s name out of the hat, which is good because I thought with him having lost a partner last week, and Sabra having lost her partner, Dominic would be banging her head on the floor. But he didn’t drop Lauren once.  Their first routine was a Krump by Little C. I’m just not sold on Krumping nor am I seeing a commercial purpose for this style of dance. The lifts were interesting.

 

The Rumba on the other hand was smoldering and sexy. Far too slow a number, it didn’t seem like a Rumba, but the chemistry between them shone through and it was entertaining. Lauren was a little bit tipsy at one point, and I like that Dominic truly listens to his crits.

 

Lacey and Neil danced a Latin Jazz number. Nice but not connected, too many moments of separation in both emotion and passion. No chemistry.

 

But boy did they make up for it.  Mia Michaels totally rocks and made me cry with her contemporary piece about reunions.  Lacey and Neil were splendid. The dance was light, carefree, forgiving. I loved the emotion, the freedom, the swing. Absolutely delightful.

 

Sabra and Pasha. I’m just not sold on Pasha. Sabra on the other hand is what every female dancer should aspire to, a fast learning curve on perfection.  Their Tice DeOrio Broadway number was high energy, quirky, fun. My eyes were on Sabra must of the time, but when I did remember to watch Pasha he was holding his own. My only remark to the contrary would be that the number ran out of steam towards the end. Very entertaining.

 

The final dance of the night was Sabra and Pasha’s Quick Step. Fun, energetic, and full. But once or twice it seemed like Pasha was dragging Sabra. Their footwork for the most part was tight, the facial expressions fabulous. They looked like they were having a blast, and I enjoyed watching them have fun.

 

So who is going home? Hmmmm either Dom or Pasha. And for the girls, Sara? I have no clue. Whichever girl leaves it will be sad they are all so good.

 

Sith,

Tanglefoot

       

SYTYCD–August 1 Show

Well, what a show. The finalists are ALL the bomb, the best, and I can’t rave enough about the routines. Eight finalists, four girls, four guys–all good.

I LOVED Sabra tonight. Yes, she is speaking to me. I know, I know, she’s a Utah girl, but STILL she is just the absolutely BOMB. Both routines rocked. Sabra was with Pasha, and she made him look good in both. Truth be told, Pasha is charming, but probably not the technically best dancer. But with Sabra? It doesn’t matter. Dancing for four years–can you believe it?–Sabra is AMAZING.

Other standouts: The Mia Michaels routine, with Lacey and Neil, brought me to tears. Without a doubt, the most beautiful routine of the night. I could barely watch the technique, because the choreography was incredible. Kudos to Mia Michaels. I am not a Lacey fan. Riissa is, probably because she likes her quirky style, but I think she was a shoo-in because Brother Benji won last year. But wow… Just wow.

Sara and Danny were okay in their Shane Sparks routine. I like Shane, but didn’t love the routine. LOVE Sara, and LOVE Danny. Didn’t love the hip hop. The Argentine tango was better, but…. the two don’t have chemistry. But DANNY is my fave male, so I guess it just depends on what they are given. (FYI, the two children do NOT love Danny. I DO.)

Dominic and Lauren did good, but Dom’s charm is waxing pale, now that we are in the finals. He’s cute as can be, but the skill is not there. Considering that it’s the top of the top, that’s a compliment. Dom, love you, but MORE ballet classes please. Lauren, you are great. Quirky, fun. Probably the best female, technically. Will be interesting to see what happens.

So, there’s your recap. I think Dominic will go home, but I could be wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Mia Michaels?? Kudos and kisses. You are the bomb.