Norfolk Tour Review
Fun read...Travis and Co performed in his hometown on Saturday! The home crowd sounds pretty insane lol.
So you think he can dance?
Travis Wall, a Virginia Beach native and runner-up on a TV show, danced in Norfolk Saturday.
BY LISA B. DEADERICK
Travis Wall, a Virginia Beach native and runner-up on a TV show, danced in Norfolk Saturday.
BY LISA B. DEADERICK
October 22, 2006 NORFOLK -- From grooving in his diapers to being the dancer in charge on the tour, Travis Wall was really happy to be home last night."What's up Virginia?! What's up VA?! We are so excited to be here, especially me!" he yelled to a crowd of screaming fans.He was in Norfolk for the local stop on the "So You Think You Can Dance" tour at Chrysler Hall. Wall, a 19-year-old contemporary dancer and Virginia Beach native, was runner-up on Fox's reality TV dance show. Over the summer, dancers from all over the country were narrowed down to 10 of America's favorites. The show is a lot like "American Idol" - critical judges, forcing contestants to stretch into different styles and winning over the audience. The difference is that this was strictly about dancing.There were deafening shrieks and screams from the fans each time Wall took the stage. A lot of the screaming came from students at his mother's dance studio, Denise Wall's Dance Energy, in Virginia Beach.Dana Delucie, 15, has taken his jazz and contemporary classes and was wearing a homemade T-shirt that read, "Travis was my dance teacher.""I think he has amazing technique and his emotion when he dances, I can't take my eyes off of him," she said just before the show started.Cortney Anderson, 14, and Natalya Piette, 15, have also studied under Wall."He's an amazing dancer and inspires you to do so much. When you're in class with him, he's strict. He means business," said Piette.It's this kind of reception that excites the dancers who are part of the tour. Heidi Groskreutz, 25, one of the female finalists and whose cousin was the winner, has received interest from producers on Broadway. Wall and hip-hop dancer Ivan Koumaev plan to move to Los Angeles next year to get some leads off the ground."I think what's been good is it's broadened my horizons in getting more work," said Groskreutz, a ballroom dancer.When they're not dancing, they do a lot of sleeping and joking around. Dmitry Chaplin, 24, the Russian ballroom dancer from New York, said they had a toga party when the tour stopped in Tampa on Koumaev's birthday. And Wall admits that even though he's supposed to set an example as the captain, he likes to team up with Koumaev and winner Benji Schwimmer for some practical jokes.Now that they're in the home stretch with four cities left, they're pretty tired. Still, they say the adrenaline is always rushing once it's time to perform. As captain, Wall has choreographed some new numbers. One is a contemporary piece performed with Natalie Fotopoulos in the first act that was met with more screams and applause. It was nothing new for any of the talented 10, but for Wall, he was definitely the man.
Labels: tour article
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