by Gina Scarpa

Last week, on So You Think You Can Dance, it was an all out battle to make it to Top 10 and a spot on the national tour.  Each couple performed two routines and Karen Hauer and Victor Smalley drew tango and hip hop.  It’s a known fact that a ballroom dance, such as the tango, doesn’t exactly get viewers to pick up the phones but they should have fared better, considering they were given hip hop.  However, both routines failed to impress the judges and America.  They landed in the bottom three couples and, after dancing for their lives, were both eliminated from the competition.  Today, after a nice holiday break, Karen took the time to talk to reporters in a press conference call about her experiences on the show.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was your favorite routine this season?
A. Karen: I have two favorites.  The first was the hip hop with Kevin and the second was the tango with Victor.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You received a lot of comments about your looks and sexual nature on the show.  Nigel felt that younger girls wouldn't relate to you.  How do you respond to that?
A. Karen: I was just being myself.  I embrace who I am.  It’s all about really putting yourself out there.  I didn’t feel like I was doing anything out of my own personality.  I was just being myself.


Q. In your bio online, you talked about how you were picked to become a dancer.  Can you talk a little bit more about that?
A. Karen: We came to this country when I was 8 years old and a year later, my father abandoned us.  That’s when I found dance.  I was found through a school program.  It helped me through the good times and the bad times.  It definitely helped me out because I very attached to my dad.  For him to leave us in a foreign country was very traumatic for me.  Dance gave me a way to release all the emotions that I had and bring new light into my life as well.

Q. Can you talk about your chemistry with Kevin vs. Victor?
A. Karen: With Kevin, we had met in New York previously.  We’re both New Yorkers and we had danced together in Vegas.  The connection was instantaneous with Kevin.  With Victor, I didn’t really speak to him much and then all of a sudden, when we were partners, it was also a spark.  It was at a different level because the technicality that Victor had was at another level.  I really enjoyed him and he inspired me.  They were both great to work with.

Q. The judges felt that you were out of your element in that Broadway routine with Kevin.  What did you think of it?
A. Karen: We did exactly what they were telling us.  We both felt that we did extraordinarily good.  We felt like we had to bring something else but we didn’t know what.  In a way, it felt kind of shocking because they were asking for more because we didn’t know what else to do.  We did our best and we were happy.  I was really happy with my performance.  I gave what I had to give and people either take it or they don’t.  I kept my chin up.

Q. Was it tough to come that close to Top 10 and then get cut?
A. Karen: It was like a tease.  Just the exposure and the amazing people we got to work with… you know, it is hard because everyone wants to make that Top 10... but just the fact that I made it out of all those dancers, it’s amazing.  I’m extremely happy with how far I got in the competition.


Be sure to tune in when the Top 10 hit the stage on So You Think You Can Dance, Tuesday night at 8pm ET on FOX.

(Image courtesy of FOX)


Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

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