My floor is scuffed and I blame SYTYCD.

I started to catch up on this season's So You Think You Can Dance last week. I'm about halfway caught up now. There were 3 tap dancers in the Top 20 this year! They did a great routine in the reveal episode - czech this out:

I know! Tap dance AND Jason Mraz in one?? RIGHT???

I summarily* broke out my tap shoes and looked up tap combinations on the youtubes. I'm sure my downstairs neighbors REALLY APPRECIATED THAT.

Oh yeah, you know how Korea is known for being a place where you take off your shoes before you walk indoors? We wear slippers inside so we don't track in dirt, which could scuff the floor. We sit on the floor, we sleep on the floor, we get our heat through the floor during winter months. Floors are serious business in apartments here. They're not cheap to replace. You take special care of them so that you keep the floor in good condition for years and years.

And there I was in the middle of my living room... tap dancing... busting out some shuffles and Shirley Temples and flap-heel-heel-spank-heel-toe-heels. Just one little 4 8-count combination... Floors be dammed!

Except... dangit.  Now there are indeed scuffs on my floor. Probably not a good thing.

CURSES. I just want to dance. Is that so much to ask??

Does anyone know of a studio that does weekend tap workshops? Or anywhere in Jeonju that offers tap classes? Seoul? Busan? 

I know of a studio in Gwangju with great hip-hop classes, but they don't offer tap. I know of a couple of ballet studios in Jeonju, but I have yet to see tap classes anywhere!

Seriously. It doesn't have to be in English. My tap shoes need a place to do some damage without, you know, literally damaging anything. They need a floor that's meant to take a beating.

I'm all ears. Hook a sister up. 


On a related note... Sonya Tayeh is my favorite choreographer in the world. She specializes in jazz and contemporary, for those of you who are unfamiliar with SYTYCD and the wondrous Sonya. I know SYTYCD has some powerhouse choreographers like Mia Michaels, Travis Wall, Tyce Diorio, Nappytabs, etc, but Sonya... she's in a league of her own. The two dances she choreographed for the Top 20 alone made me want to cry. She crafts such strong, powerful pieces. When strong, powerful dancers grab onto her choreography, I melt.

Watch this.

Jasmine Harper reminded me a lot of Eleanor Scott from Season 6 in that piece. Her LEGS!!! (and Wayne Brady's comments after the number ARE HILARIOUS.) See the Eleanor/Sonya number I am talking about here. Did you click? Go click. I'll wait.

And then watch this.

BTW. Jasmine H and Fik-Shun are my picks to win this season. There, I said it. Have been since the Top 20 episode and they get more impressive every week.

The end.


*summarily is my new favorite word. I think I've said it 27 times this week, and probably never before.
summarily [suh-mair-uh-lee] adv.
1. in a prompt or direct manner; immediately; straightaway 
2. without notice; precipitately
{definition is a direct quote from dictionary.com. source cited. boom.}