CMT Blog: Archive

Say hello to Kitty Carter, aka Miss Kitty. The girls looked the tiger in the eye when they experienced their first style and technique class with Kitty. You'll be alarmed by her harsh words and brutally honest delivery, yet you'll be entertained by her comments and questions that are usually right on the mark. If a training camp candidate can survive "Kitty time," what she will come to realize is that Kitty will be her loudest advocate if she displays heart and passion.

Kitty has a passion for the art of dance and performance, and she is a true teacher. Some girls crumble, some smile and take it, while others learn from her (because they are scared not to) and become better performers. I've seen Kitty cradle and coddle her own studio dancers from toddlers to teenagers and then go on to teach their children.

Dancers respond to Kitty whether they like her or not. Some are motivated by fear or anger, but most want to impress her, which gets the results I want and need. That's why I love Kitty, and that's why I have her coach our team. She develops talent; she can make a nondancer a dancer, find the wow in an inexperienced performer and also have a little fun while she's at it.

In terms of decision making for squad cuts at week six of training camp, Kitty's eyes confirmed my suspicions on performer vs. potential. Her feedback also helped me see the light on some candidates that I was just being far too hopeful for. I call it "Kitty clarity."

Kitty, like me, tries to give the candidates every chance to prove they should be here. Her final test with Jaymie Rae was uncomfortable, yet necessary. Jaymie just fell short on technical dance terminology, execution and retention of choreography. She was given the chance to at least show us she could bust it in freestyle -- doing her own thing, but poor Jaymie Rae even crumbled on that exercise. Unfortunately, the spotlight was on Jaymie and she didn't shine. This was frustrating for her and me because she's a beautiful girl with a lot of appeal. The real test will be if she is able to shake this off and come back stronger next time.

On a lighter note, the vets took on our rookies in flag football. We did this for teamwork, exercise and education. The girls got to learn the positions of the football team and basic football 101. They were even coached by cornerback Terence Newman and linebacker Bradie James. Having the players involved was a heck of a lot of fun for everyone involved and a departure from the pressures of the dance studio. It was a lot of fun. From the coaching to the touchdowns to girls talking smack, this stuff makes you smile!

At this point, there were so many people I wanted to call into my office for feedback (both good and bad) that I decided to just do a team state of the union meeting. Sometimes I've found not giving enough feedback causes more mystery and anxiety than just stating the facts (pleasant or not). It's a relief for the girls to hear exactly what I'm thinking, rather than wonder. I went through a laundry list of things the girls needed to address individually, and then Judy and I watched them perform side by side with the veterans. This allowed us to start seeing who was starting to gel and perform as one group and who looked out of place.

After great deliberation and a thorough review, we were able to conclude that two of the training camp candidates needed no more evaluation. Unfortunately the time had come for them to go home. I hate ending dreams for anyone because these ladies have given us their hearts. But, sometimes their best isn't enough for this job or our time frame. I hate saying goodbye to the nice girls -- the ones who gave us their heart and soul, have so many great qualities and yet still fall short in dance technique.

I'm often asked if my job is fun and to this part of my job I can definitely say "no!" I am in the business of developing performers and I love discovering talent. A limited roster forces me to be very selective and to that I will be true, but making dreams come true for some, means breaking dreams for other. For those who leave training camp, my hope is that they will keep their dream alive and that their future plans will include working on dance and style every week until auditions next spring.

Cheers,

Kelli