New Beginnings! :)

Posted on August 6, 2011 by TLCRader

A Special thank you…

First and foremost, I have to thank everyone SO much for the incredibly overwhelming amount of lovely messages I have received since “breaking the news”…I am unable to express my gratitude for your kinds words…Chris and I have been reading each and every one, and they have brought smiles to our faces and warmth to our hearts.  Thank you again so much – we are very moved. 

I understand that everyone is curious as to why I have made the decision to move on, so I decided it would be easiest to leave a note here with “the scoop” for all to read, and clear up any questions people may have.

The “Scoop”!

Truthfully,  there is no “scoop”.  Quite honestly, it’s just… “time”.   I’ve had an absolutely amazing 5 seasons at Daytime Ottawa and have loved every minute of my time at Rogers TV.  The staff, volunteers, guests, viewers, and especially Derick have brought so much joy into my life each and every day, and I will be forever grateful for my experience there.   So much so that I stayed far longer than I ever expected to!  All because I loved it too much to go!  I have  always known in the back of my mind that I would have to move on eventually, and now, well, the time is just right.  Sometimes , in order for exciting changes to happen in your life, you can’t just wait for them – you have to make those changes happen.  

Rogers TV provides incredible opportunities in television for people like me  (who come from absolutely zero experience whatsoever),  to grow and learn and “give it a shot”.  I have gained so much invaluable experience during my time there, experience  that never in a million years I could have even dreamt would be possible for me.   Now, it’s time to take what I have learned,  apply  all of the lessons to what lies before me in the next phase of my life, and move forward.   And, most importantly, it’s time for me to step aside and let a new young girl have the opportunity to grow and learn there – just like I did. **Special note to her …whoever she may be:   I wish you all the success and happiness that I had there!  You’re going to love it – soak it all in! 🙂

Sooo…What’s Next?

My hubby and I have a lot of things we have wanted to do with our dance business for a very long time, and he has been wonderfully patient for the past five years letting me play around on Daytime while he works his butt off – Lol!   All kidding aside though…never once did he ever make me feel that “it was time to go”…. he has been my number one supporter through thick and thin, and always believed more than anyone else that it was important for me to explore the possibilities that the TV world could bring.  As a result, he gave me all of the time in the world I needed,  helped me in every way he possibly could, and, most importantly,  stood beside me every step of the way.   And for that.. I am eternally grateful to him.   Everything I am…I owe to him.

 Moving forward,  I will still actively be doing TV and MC work, but more on a freelance basis.  Those of you who really know me, know very well that I always have A LOT of projects on the go behind-the-scenes at any given time, and I will now be fully able to work on taking some of those projects to the next level.  I’m pretty excited about that, and will keep you posted along the way.  

The other major – and number one – priority filling my days will be “Dance With TLC”.  Truly…dancing with Chris remains my first love in life, and I will be focusing on that as I move forward.  Chris and I will be expanding our “Dance With TLC” business with all of the things we have been talking about doing for a very long time – and now the time has come!    We will be introducing beginner group classes, Saturday night parties with dance demonstrations, corporate team-building workshops, charity events – you name it!  We’re even launching a new travel arm of our business that combines our two loves – dancing and travel!  Stay tuned for details on that – but suffice it to say that it will involve teaching people to travel the world by day,  and dance by night!   All while cruising the seven seas!  Fun!!

So, as you can see,  one thing is for sure – I’m very much looking forward to all of the adventures that this next phase brings me – whatever they are!   I haven’t felt this much excitement for what lies ahead in a long time, and I can’t wait for what tomorrow brings….   

Thank you again to all that have made the past 5 years so irreplaceable for me…. I’ll be around!  🙂

xoxoxo…TL.

ps – We’ll keep everyone posted on what we’re up to through our “Dance With TLC” on Facebook and Twitter,  this blog,  and of course our email:  DanceWithTLC@gmail.com

Advertisement
Posted in Dance with TLC, Life with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Raders – Out!

Posted on December 23, 2010 by TLCRader

Raders – Out!

Just taking a moment to wish everyone a safe, happy, and healthy Holiday Season and all through 2011! 

We are on our yearly pilgrimage to Mexico for our TL & C Christmas traditions of sun & sand instead of snow, and margaritas & taquitos instead of eggnog & turkey.  Midnight Mass is in Spanish, but we know it off by heart so that doesn’t matter….

We included a couple of photos of our entire schedule for the coming weeks should you be wondering what we’re up to:

Daytime Plans...

 

Afternoon Plans...Namaste

Evening Plans....

 

Christmas Plans....

Birthday Plans....

 

Sending lots of love and peace to everyone.  Be kind to each other, and cherish every moment….

…..and that’s 2010’s TLC.

Posted in Life with TLC, Travel with TLC | Leave a comment

Live With OTTAWA and Kelly!

Posted on December 5, 2010 by TLCRader

Live With OTTAWA and Kelly!

Ok…soooo….in case you haven’t heard the amazing news, the hit morning TV show LIVE! with Regis and Kelly have announced that they are searching for “Men of Radio” to co-host with Kelly for a day! 

I think we can all agree that this is an incredible opportunity for our local radio boys, and a few of our city’s radio hosts (and one expatriate, but we still claim you as ours, Cubby!) have thrown their hats in the ring to be considered…sooo….let’s help them get nominated! 

NB:  You don’t have to only nominate one – you can nominate them all – and as often as you want until noon on Friday, Dec 10th.  The more the merrier as they say – strength in numbers will help get the producers to notice them.  Who knows, maybe all 5 boys would make it on with her – one for each day of the week!  Here’s a little taste of them in action:

Having our boys be considered could do wonderful things for our city, too…think about it… when Regis and Kelly visited PEI this past summer, the province climbed almost to the top of the list of most-searched topics on Google in the U.S for four days!!  That’s huge!!  Hmmmm…if we could get one of our Ottawa radio hosts on the list – Ottawa would be the “Googled One”, and certainly replace Toronto as the “Centre of the Universe” – finally!  Not to mention, the boys themselves would sing Ottawa’s praises and put our beautiful city on the map where it belongs as the proud capital of our great country, eh?  Oh! Canada!

Being the certified (or…certifiable?) BIGGEST Regis & Kelly fan in the universe, and co-host of “Ottawa’s” Regis & Kelly – Daytime Ottawa, I felt it to be my municipal duty to step-up and help in some way (along with…of course…my ever-supportive, multi-talented, and generous husband/all-night-editor, Chris), so this blog is our “plug” for them, and for our fine city!  The nomination form is quite long and asks for a few links and things, but we’ve collected what we can from the guys and provided it all below for you to cut and paste away, and make the nomination process easier!!   Remember – these are just guidelines…PLEASE feel free to change, add, edit as you desire to help make the nominees shine, and if you have any suggestions that will help – by all means – leave a comment below with the info!   Like we said – strength in numbers! 

When you’re ready – here is the link to nominate!

MAULER: 

(station):  http://www.hot899.com/

(videos): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoU_osBuyS0    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab3d76NVJf8

(audio):   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bO9Dy2pZKg&feature=related

(bio):  http://www.hot899.com/inside.asp?mn=11&id=3963&f=1

Mauler has 20 years of broadcasting experience and is currently the host of “The Morning HOT Tub with Mauler, Rush, Jenni and Josie” on Ottawa’s #1 Hit Music Station, The New HOT 89-9.  In addition to his role on radio, Mauler is frequently caught on TV as he has hosted Rogers TV’s Daytime Ottawa, and was host of Ottawa Living, a weekly entertainment television show on Rogers TV.  Also, Mauler is the host of Canada’s biggest countdown – “The Canadian Hit 30 with Mauler and Rush”. The syndicated countdown is heard coast to coast and reaches over 1 million listeners every weekend. He was also recently an instructor at Algonquin College where he taught ‘Announcing 101’ to first year radio broadcasting students.
 
Mauler has great commitment to his community, spending as much time as he can working for local charities and non-profit organizations such as The Ottawa Food Bank, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Kids’ Help Phone, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, The Easter Seals’ Society and Junior Achievement –  to name a few.   He has even been buried alive in concrete, trapped underwater, and locked in a coffin, all for 48 straight hours – raising tens of thousands of dollars for Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Trust.

If Mauler is chosen to co-host with Kelly, he will no doubt be the perfect partner for her – he has even taken “Regis Bootcamp Lessons” to get ready for the role!  It has been his life-long dream to sit beside Kelly, and would love this opportunity to make his dream come true!

It should also be noted, he loves cheese.

CUB CARSON:

(station) http://www.live105.ca

(video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HFxgToRiuo

(audio) http://www.live105.ca/default/staticdjsshows/morningmob

(bio) http://www.live105.ca/default/staticdjsshows/morningmob

Top Reasons why Cub should fill in for Regis:

  • Cub Carson is a fifteen year veteran Radio & TV personality. For close to ten of those years, Cub has been waking up people at 106.9 The BEAR / Virgin radio in Ottawa, Canada and now getting up early at LIVE 105 in Halifax, Canada.
  • Cub’s been a fill in co-host on Rogers TV’s  Daytime Ottawa for the past three years.
  • Cub does a number of celebrity impressions, including a spot on impersonation of Regis himself.
  • This past June, Regis once tried to throw an oyster at Cub while at a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman.
  • Cub was once almost attacked by a tiger while emceeing a press conference.
  • Cub enjoys giving back to the community by being involved with charities such as the SPCA, the Canadian Cancer society as well as local children’s hospitals.

STUNTMAN STU:

(station) http://939bobfm.com

(video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zki5LIfq2OA

(audio) http://www.youtube.com/user/stuntmanstu1000

 (bio) http://stuntmanstu.blogspot.com/

Stu Schwartz is part of “Stuntman and the Shark” on 93.9 Bob fm and is the PA announcer for the Ottawa Senators hockey club. He recently launched the “Stuntman Stu Red Line Merlot” wine in support of the Senators foundation. In 2004 Stu received a United Way community builder award and was the recipient of a Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon award in 2005. A graduate from the radio broadcasting program at Algonquin College (1997), he was chosen as their top alumni in 2003. Stu is a great fit to fill in for Regis, as he is no stranger to TV, hosting Rogers TV’s Ottawa Living, and guest co-hosting on Rogers TV’s Daytime Ottawa.  Stu says, “I’ve been watching LIVE for 20 years and never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever get this close!”  Stu lives in Ottawa with his wife and enjoys relaxing at home with his 2 children.

NEIL HEDLEY:

(station) http://www.ezrock.com/

(video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X2JjdgUXWw

(audio) http://www.ezrock.com/EZBreakfast.aspx

(bio) http://www.ezrock.com/Channels/Jocks/story.aspx?ID=1232976

With the exception of a brief, misspent youth at Sam The Record Man, every job Neil has ever had has involved a stage and/or a microphone.

For years he worked as a singer in Toronto, and toured with a band that opened for dozens of acts from the Temptations to Billy Ray Cyrus. As a stand-up comic, Neil toured North America sharing the stage with the likes of Brent Butt, Norm MacDonald and Richard Lewis. And radio has punched his bus ticket to scenic tourist hotspots like Oshawa… also Edmonton, Hamilton, Kitchener, Hartford, Washington, New York and Boston.

Neil couldn’t be more excited at the thought of sitting beside Kelly, after spending half his adult life in the US.   He’s had six straight top-rated morning shows, and has guest co-hosted for Rogers TV’s Daytime Ottawa, so knows the fun, chaos, and thrill of live morning TV!

KENNY B: 

 (station) http://www.hot899.com/

(video) http://www.youtube.com/kennyb899FM

(audio) http://www.youtube.com/kennyb899FM

(bio) http://www.hot899.com/inside.asp?mn=5&id=50&cc=11

Born in Toronto, Kenny B started in radio at the young age of 16 at the legendary ENERGY 108 and has been noted as the youngest announcer on a major market station in Toronto history – crediting his mentor and best friend Wayne Williams for his start.  After 10 years at ENERGY, he was offered a job at the #1 station in Calgary! We heard what he could do and brought him over to Ottawa to work his magic on Ottawa’s #1 HIT Music Station – The New HOT 89.9 FM! His comfortable, yet in-depth approach when communicating with the community has made him the most known and listened to On-air personality in Ottawa!

Kenny B is a master of all trades – he has done everything, including, stage managing major concerts, emceeing live events, and ACTING! Kenny Just finished filming a movie entitled “SNUFF” and will be off to Los Angles soon to film yet another film! You may have caught his good looks when watching music videos!(artists include 98 Degrees, Brian McKnight, Soul Decision, Massari…and others)! He is the voice of Capital Prophet Records and his voice can also be heard on national commercials throughout the world! Oh wait! The talent doesn’t stop there! He has also hosted concerts for major artists such as James Brown, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child, BSB, N-Sync, LL Cool J, Nelly Furtado, K-CI and JoJo, and many more! 

Kenny would love the opportunity to co-host with Kelly – who is clearly TV’s #1 “Hottie”!

…..and that’s today’s TLC.  Good luck, Boys!!!

ps – who have YOU submitted a nomination for???

Posted in TV with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Where in the hell have we been???

Posted on November 25, 2010 by TLCRader

Where in the hell have we been???

Hi Friends….we felt we had to send a quick note to explain our absence of late.  You see, in TV land, this time of year is CRAZY with charity events and holiday functions so unfortunately it doesn’t leave us much time for blogging….we are literally on-the-go from first thing in the AM until we fall into bed at night with our heads hitting the pillows!  We have lots to fill you in on and will do asap – promise!  In the meantime, take care of those you love, and cherish every moment of each day! 🙂

xoxoxoxo… TL & C

Posted in Dance with TLC | Leave a comment

Dance with TLC – Webisode 3 – “The Church of Dance” – Part 3

Posted on November 6, 2010 by TLCRader

Dance with TLC – Webisode 3 – “The Church of Dance” – Part 3

Part 3 - Getting to Work!

 In the first episode, we tackled choosing the colours.  In the second episode, we chose the new floor.  Now…it’s time to get to work!     

TL’s “Lesson Learned” of the day:  when painting immediately after shooting a live TV show and you’re still in full hair and makeup, at least take off your earrings.   Oops.   🙂                

                                                                                                                                                           NB – if you missed the back story of how this project came to be , we re-posted it below .     Or…you can just visit Webisode 1 or Webisode 2!

The Back Story:

Soooo…a couple of months ago we started a “project”.  We figured that we had been living like Gypsies long enough, and decided to “commit” to something.  For those that know us well, know that this is a HUGE feat for us.  Huge. 

We have really been doing our best to stay in one place as much as possible and not travel for work for 50 weeks of the year, and as a result we really focused on building our dance life here at home.  The past couple of years have been really good to us.  Our students have been really good to us, the people from the Church where we teach and practice have been really good to us, and, basically,  life has just been really good to us. 

So…in an attempt to show our gratitude, we decided to give something back.  We decided that we would “spruce up” the basement of the Church where we dance – both as a gift to the Church, and a gift to our students.   And, since we had a really limited budget (none) we decided we were going to do it all by ourselves.  …..And….we learned that we should really stick to dancing.

We documented our antics along the way in a series of webisodes that we created for “posterity”.  We hope you enjoy!

….and that’s today’s TLC.

ps – stay tuned for Part IV!

Posted in Dance with TLC, Life with TLC, TV with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Dance with TLC – Webisode 2 – “The Church of Dance” – Part 2

Posted on October 24, 2010 by TLCRader

Dance with TLC – Webisode 2 – “The Church of Dance” – Part 2

The Church of Dance - Part 2

In the first episode, we tackled choosing the colours.  And….we learned that we’re not very good at it at all.  But hey, it’s ok to suck at things, it just gives you determination to try harder and get better at them.

In this episode, we choose the new floor!  Are we any better?  You decide!  (But we try our best!)                                   

                                                                                                                                                           NB – if you missed the back story from Episode 1 of how this project came to be , we re-posted it below .  Or…you can just visit Webisode 1!

The Back Story:

Soooo…a couple of months ago we started a “project”.  We figured that we had been living like Gypsies long enough, and decided to “commit” to something.  For those that know us well, know that this is a HUGE feat for us.  Huge. 

We have really been doing our best to stay in one place as much as possible and not travel for work for 50 weeks of the year, and as a result we really focused on building our dance life here at home.  The past couple of years have been really good to us.  Our students have been really good to us, the people from the Church where we teach and practice have been really good to us, and, basically,  life has just been really good to us. 

So…in an attempt to show our gratitude, we decided to give something back.  We decided that we would “spruce up” the basement of the Church where we dance – both as a gift to the Church, and a gift to our students.   And, since we had a really limited budget (none) we decided we were going to do it all by ourselves.  …..And….we learned that we should really stick to dancing.

We documented our antics along the way, and the following video is the SECOND installment in a series of webisodes that we created for “posterity”.  We hope you enjoy!

….and that’s today’s TLC.

ps – stay tuned for Part III!

Posted in Dance with TLC, Life with TLC, TV with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dance with TLC – Webisode 1 – “The Church of Dance” – Part 1

Posted on October 18, 2010 by TLCRader

Dance with TLC – Webisode 1 – “The Church of Dance” – Part 1

The Church of Dance - Part 1

Soooo…a couple of months ago we started a “project”.  We figured that we had been living like Gypsies long enough, and decided to “commit” to something.  For those that know us well, know that this is a HUGE feat for us.  Huge. 

We have really been doing our best to stay in one place as much as possible and not travel for work for 50 weeks of the year, and as a result we really focused on building our dance life here at home.  The past couple of years have been really good to us.  Our students have been really good to us, the people from the Church where we teach and practice have been really good to us, and, basically,  life has just been really good to us. 

So…in an attempt to show our gratitude, we decided to give something back.  We decided that we would “spruce up” the basement of the Church where we dance – both as a gift to the Church, and a gift to our students.   And, since we had a really limited budget (none) we decided we were going to do it all by ourselves.  …..And….we learned that we should really stick to dancing.

We documented our antics along the way, and the following video is the first installment in a series of webisodes that we created for “posterity”.  We hope you enjoy!

….and that’s today’s TLC.

ps – stay tuned for Part II!

Posted in Dance with TLC, Life with TLC, TV with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

ANOTHER GUEST BLOG! Ginger adds her hot spice to the mix on SYTYCDC Top 8!

Posted on October 15, 2010 by TLCRader

 ANOTHER GUEST BLOG!  Ginger adds her hot spice to the mix on SYTYCDC Top 8! 

TL & Ginger

Last week’s Guest Blogger Ginger Bertrand couldn’t sit still while watching the Top 8, and had to tell you her thoughts on the results!  Love how she tells it exactly as she sees it – here are her thoughts….as always, completely unedited by us, in her very own words:

Ginger’s Twitter:  Gingy007       

Ginger’s Blog: Three65.ca

_________________________________________________________________

The Top 8 Extravaganza!

So last week I predicted that Nathalie and Sebastian would go home. Apparently I was wrong but also not alone. This week, the producers paired the two together as a wake-up call for Canada. They were saying “it’s time for these two to go”…actually, they weren’t saying it, they were SCREAMING it! And as such, last night’s vote-off show was as predictable as it gets – even if Leah said the show would be SHOCKING. Surprise, if you know anything about dance, and even if you don’t, last night’s show went exactly the way it should: Nathalie and Sebastian went home and MacKenzie and Danielle joined them. I believe going from 8 to 4 is a MAJOR FAUX-PAS for a show like this. You go from 22 to 18 or 14 to 10 but you don’t cut 4 of your top dancers off on the second last show – that was beyond tacky. People have fallen in love with these dancers and taking 4 away at this stage because you let two mediocre dancers into a top 22 was a big mistake and CTV has likely lost some key audience members because of it. I’m so missing the US version because the Canadian show continues to make up new rules and make bad moves (no pun intended) week to week.

RAVES

Amanda and Jeff were phenomenal, but I expected nothing less. I am still frustrated with Jeff’s shoulders, arms and awkward leg extensions but he’s definitely grown the most, beyond his acro tricks, and will continue to grow and deliver. I look forward to his career. The producers were clearly stating that these two SHOULD be top 2. DUH. Did you see his face when he pushed the chair off the stage? Goosebumps – I totally felt that.

I felt bad after Danielle got voted off because she delivered a solid performance on Wednesday. Unfortunately, she has not been consistently delivering and Janick is just a bit more versatile and more entertaining (it was a tossup between the two). But when Danielle is in her element – watch out world – she’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

I LOVE JANICK – I don’t think she should win but her quality of performance is out of this world. I truly love her…and loved her in her piece on Wednesday night. I think she is the new Kim from last season – the French own the stage and when you throw Luther into the mix – well, magic happens.

And speaking of French how about that bang on opening number choreographed on vote-off night by the lovely Jean Marc Genereux and wife France (I love these two together – they are just so freaking adorable, believable and a match made in heaven).

RANTS

On the other hand, Sean Cheesman is SO hit or miss. One the one hand he delivers some great work and on the other he produces a dance like Wednesday night’s opening number that looks like a mediocre competition number and at parts like a mediocre competition number gone wrong – like the hitch developpe kicks – YIKES – do we still do those in 2010? UGH! This piece was just OK. Loved the airplane theme, if you’ve seen All That Jazz, you know where this Take Off With Us Fosse inspiration comes from.

Nathalie and Sebastian’s duet was so painful, it hurt. I don’t even want to talk about it for fear of sounding way too harsh.

As for MacKenzie, I’m happy he’s gone to tell you the truth. I don’t think I could watch one more illusion out of a grand pirouette. My thoughts on a signature move is that you have to do it EXTREMELY well to do it ALL THE TIME! This move on MacKenzie leaves something to be desired. (Amanda demonstrated it on Wednesday night with perfect extension and control). I did like MacKenzie in pieces that were suited for him but unfortunately he fell flat near the end of the competition.

FYI – I’m tired of watching dancers open their solo piece with an incredible preparation for a crappy double pirouette. If you can’t turn – don’t turn. As a choreographer, I strategically design my pieces FOR the dancer in order to highlight their ability instead of highlight their inability. In this case, the soloists are on their own and they only get one shot so throwing things into the piece that don’t look good on them should be avoided at all costs.

And let’s discuss Denys’s solo on the night of the vote off show. He should have been voted off the island instantaneously for that ridiculous performance. At first I thought, oh wow – he’s going to show us some great personality. And then I watched and wanted to cry. He leapt into a grand jeté à la seconde with bent knees and with a complete lack of effort, did not lengthen his attitudes on double attitudes en tournant or Baryshnikovs or whatever he was attempting to do and threw himself into gawd knows what – yuck!

PREDICTION

4th – Jannick

3rd – Denys

2nd – Jeff

WINNER – AMANDA

 _______________________________________________________________

Thanks , Ginger!  Great review!  Gee, next time, tell us what you really think, hahaha!  Seriously though, I think A LOT of people would agree with you on the Top8-to-Top4 thing (ourselves included!) Why on earth did they do that??  Anyone else have thoughts on this??

Again, do you have any questions or comments for Ginger?  Agree?  Disagree?  Why or why not?  Tell us!  And remember, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, so please respect those that differ from yours….and…as always….be kind.  🙂 

ps – If you’d like to contribute as a Guest Blogger, send us a comment and let us know!  Everyone’s opinion matters!  You don’t have to be a pro – just tell how you feel from the heart – and why!

xoxoxo…TLC

Posted in Dance with TLC, Guests with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

GUEST BLOG! Review of the Top 8 on SYTYCDC – by Ellen Morris-Seguin

Posted on October 14, 2010 by TLCRader

  GUEST BLOG!  Review of the Top 8 on SYTYCDC – by Ellen Morris-Seguin

Today's Guest Blogger is from Suzart Productions!

Last week we started a NEW feature on the Blog which will highlight “Guest Bloggers” giving their best rants and raves about the dance world as they see it.  If you’d like to contribute as a Guest Blogger, send us a comment and let us know!  You don’t have to be a pro – just tell how you feel from the heart – and why.

Our Guest Blogger this week is Ellen Morris-Seguin.  This lady is an avid fan of dance shows of all kinds, works in local musical theater and loves everything about the dance world.  This week she gives her rants and raves on the So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s Top 8 performance show.  Here are her thoughts….as always, completely unedited by us, in her very own words:

_________________________________________________________________

First I would like to start with a clarification, I am not a dancer. So why am I qualified to be a guest blogger? Perhaps it is my life long obsession with all things musical theatre related. I worship Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Barbra Streisand, Donald O’Connor, well I could go on forever. The last few years I have been lucky enough to work with Suzart, a musical theatre company in Ottawa, and the Ottawa Catholic School Board on many musicals. I have done everything from make-up design, set design and costumes, to name a few, and am currently directing Willy Wonka.

I love the emotion, the power and the beauty of dance. Shows like SYTYCD and DWTS bring dance to everyone and that is an amazing thing. Do you think we could get Tom Bergeron to take over for Leah??

Enough about me, let’s talk about last nights show.  First the duets,WOW, once again the contemporary numbers stole the night.

Denys and Danielle: As a dancer I have always been impressed with Denys, he has been a solid partner throughout the competition but it was Danielle that stole this performance for me. She literally threw herself into this routine…loved it!

Jannick and MacKenzie: Okay I admit neither of these two are my favourites but I thought they both did very well in their hip-hop number.

Sabastien and Nathalie: Two words to describe their dance: train wreck. I thought the judges were being very kind, it was really bad, all of it. They did mention that Sabastien was injured, fair enough, but even taking that into account, there was no chemistry between them. It just did not work.

Jeff and Amanda: Although Denys and Danielle got a standing ovation from the judges, it was Amanda and Jeff that really stole the night for me. Everything about this performance was outstanding. When Sergio commented about how he would hire Jeff in a heartbeat, if Jeff were auditioning for him, I was thinking the same thing. When I audition people what I look for is a certain presence. Jeff exudes that presence, there is a joy in his dance that shines through. As for Amanda, she is truly a beautiful dancer, as a team they were incredible together.

The group number: was fun, Sean Cheesman for me is hit or miss, sometimes I love his choreography and sometimes I don’t. The concept for this group number was quite enjoyable and I always enjoy watching all the dancers perform together.

Solos: The weakest solo in my opinion was Jannick’s, the strongest Amanda’s with Denys a close second. Frankly I put very little weight on the solo performances, they are short and really do not show enough to sway me either way.

My prediction for bottom four: Jannick, Nathalie, Mackenzie and Sabastien.

I think Nathalie and Sabastien will be going home tonight.

 _______________________________________________________________

Thanks , Ellen!  Great Blog!

Do you have any questions or comments for Ellen?  Agree?  Disagree?  Why or why not?  Tell us!  And remember, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, so please respect those that differ from yours….and be kind.  🙂 

ps – if you would like to be a “Guest Blogger” – let us know!  Everyone’s opinion is valued!!

xoxoxo…TLC

Posted in Dance with TLC, Guests with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Behind-the-Scenes Webisode of the 2010 World Professional Ballroom Championships

Posted on October 8, 2010 by TLCRader

 

Behind-the-Scenes Webisode of the 2010 World Professional Ballroom Championships in Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada!

World Professional Ballroom Championships 2010

Hello, Friends!  TLC hit the scene to bring you a taste of the vibe at the World Professional and Canadian Professional Ballroom and Latin Championships in Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada!

Enjoy!

….and that’s today’s TLC. 

ps – please feel free to share this if you see some friends in the video!

Posted in Dance with TLC, TV with TLC | 2 Comments

NEW FEATURE! – GUEST BLOG! Review of the Top 10 on SYTYCDC – by Ginger Bertrand

Posted on October 6, 2010 by TLCRader

  

NEW FEATURE! – GUEST BLOG!  Review of the Top 10 on SYTYCDC – by Ginger Bertrand

 

TL & Ginger

Well, this is going to be fun!  We’re starting a NEW feature on the Blog which will highlight “Guest Bloggers” giving their best rants and raves about the dance world as they see it.  If you’d like to contribute as a Guest Blogger, send us a comment and let us know!  You don’t have to be a pro – just tell how you feel from the heart – and why.

Our first Guest Blogger is the spectacular Ginger Bertrand – Dancer, TV Producer, PR Specialist, and Blogger herself – giving her thoughts on the So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s Top 10 performance show.  Here are her thoughts….in her very own words:

 __________________________________________________________________

Well, it’s finally here…TOP 10 WEEK ON SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA. And might I say that this was an excruciatingly slow process to get here but thank GAWD it is here and thank GAWD we’re down to an hour long show. That means less Leah babble and more dance. Heck, I bet if you asked any devout So You Think You Can Dance Canada follower, they would say that they could recite Leah’s exact intonation of her entire SYTYCDC vocabulary (“out of their genre,” “that was SO good,” “oh give me a hug” … ya you know what I’m talking about). Everything about Leah is unnatural and forced unlike the US counterpart’s host, Kat Deeley. Forgive me for comparing her to Kat Deeley. Actually, there is no comparison to Kat Deeley.

And on that note, let’s move on to the dancing.

RAVES

 It’s solo time baby which means there is no hiding behind perfectly matched choreography and relying on a strong partner to get you votes. You’re on your own – and thankfully for four reasons:

  1. Edgar: OH.EM.GEE. He’s got the moves, he’s got the swagger and he’s got all that yummy goodness. You can’t help but watch him and pray that he takes off his top…which he usually does and that’s seals the deal for me.
  2. Janick: Clearly evident that her technique is not as strong as others but I dare you to tell me that you can take your eyes off of this girl. WOWZA! You can say all you want about technique but if you’re a boring dancer, no one’s going to buy tickets to your show…money makes the world go round folks! Luckily she as perky as ever and didn’t feel deflated after that performance (OH!)
  3. Jeff: Jumps, fast footwork and knee spins…OH MY! We got to see him shine tonight, in his own style, and I highly doubt any contemporary dancer could EVER do that without years of practice. He looked like a true professional.
  4. Amanda: Flawless. Every last extremity was perfectly controlled and every move executed with elegance and perfection.

Let me tell ya, I did not want to attempt watching tonight’s Blake McGrath Jazz Funk routine with my glasses on because I feared that baby-faced Jeff would be ravaged by lioness Janick. But I did and hi there Jeff, where did you come from? He was hot and certainly held his own in those big-ass manly boots. WOAH! He’s sticking around for another week. Luckily he didn’t have to do any soft port-de-bras partnering.

Luther + Amanda + Edgar + Hip Hop = LOVE!

RANTS

No one can doubt that Stacie Tookey knows how to assemble a great piece of choreography, as Dan Karaty said, she’s one of if not the best, but tonight’s contemporary piece was just okay. Great transitions but the song was dull and the piece was not memorable. Charlene and Mackenzie proved to be technically sound but they lacked a whole lot for me.

Now hot topic Denys isn’t going anywhere yet but man he confuses me. Tonight, for the first time, I saw personality in his mambo but don’t be fooled everyone, Denys has yet to pull more than one number out of his genre (woah nelly…who am I…leah miller?). Granted latin, isn’t his thing, so to speak, but it’s still a partner dance with ballroom fundamentals. Just as contemporary and jazz have ballet fundamentals. But there he goes with a solid and undoubtedly powerful solo and throws in a grand jete with no extension in the back leg…and trust me this quasi attitude was not intentional. COME ON! I want to love you…make me love you.

And bummer alert for reunited couple Danielle and Sebastian. The quick step?! Man someone on the production team wants one of these two gone, and my bet is that it’s Sebastian. Although this piece was performed well,  and the only piece that didn’t get a single negatively slanted comment, no one votes for the quick step. It’s unfortunate but true.

MY PREDICTION

Bottom 6: Sebastian, Danielle, Edgar, Nathalie, Denys, Charlene

Sebastian and Nathalie go home.

_________________________________________________________________

Thanks for being our very first guest blogger, Ginger!  Great Blog!

Do you have any questions or comments for Ginger?  Agree?  Disagree?  Why or why not?  Remember, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, so please respect those that differ from yours….and be kind.  🙂

Posted in Dance with TLC, Guests with TLC | 1 Comment

TLC Travel Diary – Marseille, Aix-de-Provence, & Cassis

Posted on October 2, 2010 by TLCRader

Marseille, Aix-de-Provence, & Cassis 

This being the last day of our journey (insert sad face here 😦 ), we wanted to make the most of this day in Provence and see as much as we possibly could in the short time we had left.  Additionally, this was our first time visiting this port, so once again we had no set plan for the day – we just let fate take over.  Thankfully, the glorious Mediterranean weather was perfect for the 16th day in a row, so fate was already proving to be on our side. 

The city of Marseille was much larger than we expected, and is surrounded by one of the most impressive marinas we have ever seen – thousands of boats and yachts line the seaside and you can stroll for hours and hours and never seem to reach the end.  

Marseille

The town was just starting to get active when we arrived in the center, and we stumbled upon a bustling market that was full of every kind of hand-crafted-everything you could imagine!  We were greeted by a lovely baker who enticed us over to try his free biscotti samples…oh dear…they were unbelievable.  So unbelievable in fact, that we filled a bag of almond and pistachio to enjoy with our now morning ritual of cafe-au-lait avec people-watch.  Good salesman, that guy. 

Home-made Biscotti warm out of the oven...mmmm....

Now, I mentioned earlier that this market had a plethora of hand-made goods, but one thing I haven’t told you about yet is my mother’s uncontrollable and somewhat disturbing obsession with shopping for said products.  Seriously, if there was a support group we could recommend for her, we would do so.  Some sort of “Hand-Crafters-Anonymous”, maybe.  She absolutely can not pass a craft shop or kiosk without stopping and buying some little knick-knack for the kitchen, or for a Christmas-stocking-near-you.  Impossible.  So…needless to say…she had found her happy place in this market, and we decided that this is probably where we should part ways for the day, as she would be strolling around here for a while for sure.  Sorry, Dad. 

Mum in her happy place...

Knowing we had limited time to see as much as possible, and knowing that we wanted to make the most of the day due to it being our last, we decided a taxi was the way to go.  We had done a little bit of research and learned that there were a few places of interest nearby, so we jumped in a cab to see if we could fit one into the day.  We chose “Aix-de-Provence”, as the cab driver said it was only about a 20 min drive, and we had read it had a “bohemian” feel ,  as it had a few universities and was a “student town”, so that seemed interesting to us.  

Let us tell you – the descriptions were bang-on.  This was one of the “coolest” towns we had been to in the South of France.  Kind of a cross between Nice, Barcelona, mixed with a bit of Montmartre and Marais in Paris.  Very cool, funky feel.  For example, this is the first thing we stumbled upon as we stepped out of the cab.  Rad. 

We spent a while strolling the chic streets and came across a delightful little delicacy shop that specialized in foie gras and wine matches.  Gee…guess what happened next?  

It was calling our name!

Yup.  The sweet shop-keepers recommended a perfect match for us, and even gave us little wine glasses for our picnic – so sweet!  So…we were set for our “last toast”. 

Picnic-in-a-bag!

Aware of the fact that our taxi driver was on a meter, we decided to take our picnic back to Marseille and find a little park to enjoy it in and toast to the last day of our trip.  Along the way our driver says to us, “You know, if you liked Aix, you would love Cassis.  I know you would – it’s very romantic.”  So….guess what happened next? 

Cassis!

Yup.  Next thing we knew, we were on our way to enjoy our picnic lunch in a little town called “Cassis”, and believe us, fate gave us a gift that day we will never forget.  We couldn’t believe our eyes – this beautiful little town turned out to be such a blessing it will forever be in our hearts.  Perfect little cobblestone streets, perfect little cafes, and a perfect little beach.  Perfect way to end our perfect journey.  

Cheers!

to all of our blessings....

Those of you who know us well, know that we completely and faithfully believe that “everything happens for a reason”, and on this day that was proven to us.  This was where we were supposed to toast to the last day of our wonderful trip.  We toasted to my Mum and Dad, to each beautiful day we spent, to each other, and to the blessings that the future holds.  Thank you, Universe…words can not express the gratitude we feel.  Thank you, thank you, thank you….. 

....and to our future.

…and that’s today’s TLC.

Posted in Life with TLC, Travel with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ballroom Dance Competition Contest Winners!

Posted on September 30, 2010 by TLCRader

Ballroom Dance Competition Contest Winners!   

Well, this is somewhat of an experiment, so we hope it works!  We chose the winners of our Dance with TLC Facebook Fan Page contest by video and posted it here! 

  

Did it work?

   

If it did…… 

Congratulations to all of the winners!! (We will message you the details of how to pick up the tickets)  

……and……thanks SO much to ALL for playing!!  Fun!!  We will try and have contests as often as we can! 

xoxoxoxo….TLC 🙂

Posted in Dance with TLC, TV with TLC | 4 Comments

TLC Travel Diary – Villefranche & Nice

Posted on September 26, 2010 by TLCRader
  
Villefranche & Nice
  

Villefranche, South of France - click to enlarge

 

Waking up on Villefranche day for the second week was like waking up for Christmas morning as 5-year-olds – we couldn’t wait!!!        

Of course our beloved future-retirement-spot did not disappoint, and gave us bright, sunny skies without a cloud to be found for miles…..ahhhhh….Villefranche.  We love you.       

When we used to work here on the ships, our absolute favourite thing to do in Villefranche was get up super-early, take the first tender over, and park in a cafe along the waterfront to watch the village wake up….So that’s how we decided to start the day this time too.        

It’s soooo super-quiet and peaceful at this time of day you barely feel your own pulse, and one-by-one, people shuffle out of their apartments, and quietly slip into a cafe for their morning cafe-au-lait and croissant.  The shops slowly open up whenever they want (the hours on the door are just for decoration – they open when they darn-well feel like it) and slowly – peacefully – the village comes alive.  It’s the “European way of life”, and it’s gorgeous to observe first-hand.       

Watching Villefranche wake up...

 

Waterfront Cafes - Villefranche

 

Villefranche

 

We were thrilled to see that nothing had really changed since the days we used to be here every week – everything looked exactly the same as we remembered.  One thing in particular that we were overjoyed to see still there and looking every bit as beautiful as she did 12 years ago – our good friend, Rita.  This lovely lady works at the tourist information desk you see as soon as you get off the tender, and used to greet us with her smiling face every Friday morning.  She is also the lady we spoke of in our earlier blog, who taught us to “work to live…not live to work”.       

TLC & Rita - 1998 (our engagement day!)

 

TLC & Rita - 2010

 

When Mum and Dad joined us in our reverie we decided to head directly over to Nice so we’d have the better part of the day to spend there and not be in any kind of rush, as we wanted to take them through both “New Nice” and “Old Nice”.  Again, travelling by public transit in Europe is really easy to do, so even though we couldn’t remember exactly the routine from 12 years ago, we headed to the main street of Villefranche, looked for a bus marked “Nice” and hopped on.  Voila.        

We started in “New Nice” just to show Mum and Dad and take a few snaps, and stroll the area of the well-to-do.  This is the part of town where you will find some of the more expensive hotels and shops, as well as the more modern business areas.  It’s beautiful to see, but our favourite area of town is without-a-doubt “Old Nice” – so we didn’t waste any time heading there to begin browsing.       

TLC in Nice - 1997

 

TLC in Nice - 2010

 

The two main areas are separated literally by only one street, so it is very easy to explore the main areas by foot, and in minutes we were there.  It was exactly as we remembered.  The beautiful and famous flower market, the narrow, cobblestone shopping streets called “The Lanes”, the chic Promenade des Anglais, and the playground of the rich and famous – the iconic Hotel Negresco.  Absolutely nothing had changed.  Everything looked as if not one minute of those 12 years had gone by.  Beautiful.       

Flower Market in Nice - can you spot TL?

 

Promenade des Anglais - Nice, France

 

The exclusive beaches in Nice - only 30 euro per chair for the day - what a bargain!

 

"The Lanes" in old Nice

 

Hotel Negresco

 

We timed our day so that we would have plenty of time back in Villefranche for a nice lunch and a stroll (had to have our panini and Nicoise Salade – cruise friends, do you remember the sandwich guy?  He’s still there!)       

Lunch with Wine...of course...

 

And of course a visit to Villefranche would not be complete without stopping to relax at the cute little beach, a place where we passed soooo many hours every Friday from 1996-1998.  We can still picture ourselves and the rest of our friends running down the street late for the last crew tender, and chuckled as we witnessed some of the Voyageur’s crew doing the exact same thing that afternoon 12 years later.  I guess nothing in the South of France changes!  And it shouldn’t!  La Cote d’Azur – you are absolutely perfect in every way – please don’t ever change….       

C'est la vie...

Posted in Life with TLC, Travel with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TLC Travel Diary – Toulon, Provence

Posted on September 25, 2010 by TLCRader

Toulon, Provence 

My Dad

This was our first time docking in Provence, so it made for an exciting day of exploration for us.  We had done a bit of research about the port and what’s best to do there, and of course asked a few crew members (who always have the best advice!) but nothing was really jumping out at us, so we came up with this plan:  wander and see what happens.  Lovez it!  

Now, you will know from previous posts that myself, Chris, and my Dad don’t mind this fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants type-of-travel, but my Mum – not so much – so she chose to relax in the spa.  Or, as she put it with her Cape Breton accent, “G’wan with ya and leave me some peace and quiet.”  So again, off we went to get lost in our maps. 

The seaside area of the town was quite cute, with lots of cafes and yachts in the harbour to enjoy.  Just a short walk from the marina we stumbled upon what was undoubtedly the largest open-air market we have ever seen in our lives.  We started to walk along to see how far it went, but literally it carried on for miles!  We have never seen anything like it!  It was incredibly crowded and apparently is like that every day of the week with locals buying their fresh food so it was quite impressive.  No wonder the french eat so healthy and don’t have massive supermarkets. 

Marina in Toulon

The endless market in Toulon

Excuse me Sir, do you know where we can find some olives?

After exploring the market and stopping for our daily cafe-au-lait avec people-watching, we were ready to venture a little farther.  We noticed that there was an area on our trusty map marked “Beach Area”, so with the sun shining and the temperature at around 28 celsius we thought – why not?  The taxi drivers were on to the fact that we were tourists and tried to extort the price of the ride, but they obviously didn’t know who they were dealing with, so we walked to the nearest bus stop and hopped on the next bus that said “Beach”.  1 Euro.  I love European transit.  So cheap.  So easy. 

Let's see where this bus takes us...

Look what we saw on the way! It's our car!

 When we arrived at our destination we could not believe our eyes.  Beach?  Ummmmm…..yes…..BEACH!   It was gorgeous!  Crystal clear water, sandy areas (rare in the Med), dozens of restaurants – you name it.  We strolled around for hours and Dad and Chris enjoyed an impromptu dip – what a lovely find.  

A glass of Sancerre is calling our name...

The Beach in Toulon

Toulon - click to enlarge!

 We missed my Mum that day, but the bonus is that now we have the whole thing figured out for “next time” we port there – we’ll head straight to the beach!

Posted in Life with TLC, Travel with TLC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment