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So You Think You Can Dance 3: Why Anya Isn’t America’s Favorite Dancerby Asher Streets -- 07/26/2007
View Printable version of this article Anya’s elimination may be one of the more interesting so far. When I ranked the top 18, Anya was number two on my list! Over the weeks, she slipped lower and lower. Let’s review What ‘So You Think You Can Dance 3’ Contestants Need To Know and find out what factors contributed to Anya’s ratings slide. Anya most certainly had dancing and performing talent. Anya has had years of training and has had ample opportunities to refine her performance skills. Every dance she performed left me with the knowledge that Anya was a talented dancer. 
In Danny’s blurb about what he didn’t like about Anya, he mentioned she liked to practice late. Like Faina, Anya may have more acquired than natural talent… needing to rehearse over and over instead of just getting the routine and then working to take it to the next level. One part of this first rule reads, “A unique aspect of Dance is that each performer is chained to another.” I think that’s an appropriate verb, as America has distaste for Danny. Had Anya been linked with someone more likeable, perhaps she would’ve been able to stay around longer. But like it or not, this show is about partners, and like Shauna and Faina before her, Anya was the victim of America’s refusal to vote for her maligned partner, which meant no votes for her either. Anya was a great performer, always hitting the stage with confidence and poise, no matter what ridiculous outfit she was wearing. However, there is another part of this rule where Anya completely choked: “When it comes to dancing ability, solos are the most important place to shine. This is where all eyes are on you. You must make those eyes pop out of their heads in astonishment at how good you are in your primary style of dance.” All three of Anya’s solos were terrible. Faina was much better at solos than Anya was. Anya’s first song selection was a ballad (which is forbidden by this rule), and was completely uninspiring. After her first debacle, Anya did not prepare well, if at all, despite knowing that she would likely need to solo again soon. (Now, I believe Anya’s injury had something to do with her blasé solos, but harkening all the way back to Las Vegas, Hannah-Lee did a much more impressive solo with a worse ankle injury, so we can’t give Anya any favoritism here.) Later in the rule it says, “If you can’t win someone over with your solo, there’s little hope they will perceive you as a good dancer.” After three attempts, and three whiffs, Anya struck-out. Her direct competition for the final spot in the top ten (Lauren) pulled out a great solo at precisely the right moment. Lauren had not lived up to her potential in partnered dances, but she never was actually bad. Anya had most certainly lived up to her potential in partnered dances, but demonstrated in three consecutive weeks that she was very bad at solos. Lauren took the opportunity to show her skill and eked into the top ten. Anya had consistently great partnered dances, no matter what style she picked from the hat. Even though some didn’t like her hip hop routine, I really did. I ranked her at the same level as all of the top dancers that night. I think the biggest surprise was her contemporary routine. Anya really connected with the emotion of the piece and gave a mature performance that rivaled Lacey’s contemporary routine. Although I started to type how Anya did okay with uniqueness, I had to rethink my position. Anya didn’t do that much more than Faina or Lacey to set herself apart. Her personality got her farther than the other Russian female ballroom dancer, but not the Russian male ballroom dancer, or the young American female ballroom dancer. Get my point? If you like ballroom, you still have Pasha and Lacey. If you like Russian, you still have Pasha. Anya just wasn’t unique enough this season. Anya is memorable, mostly due to the fact that she was a very mature dancer who performed extremely well week to week. However, she is also memorable for her fashion don’ts. I still have no idea how this intelligent woman strutted on stage for three solos with three different versions of hideousness, but Anya, if you learn anything from this experience, know that, like Melinda Doolittle, sometimes a girl needs a hand with the fashion choices. Stacy? Clinton? 
I think Anya did her best to present herself as a package, but she had a lot going against her because Danny was so blatantly hated. Perhaps, like Danny, Anya was a little too serious for most voters. Her personality was nice though. Overall, this rule didn’t cause Anya much trouble. Anya never argued with the judges, even as they criticized her solos. I don’t think Anya ever created a fan base, which brings us to the last of the rules that she botched. Anya somehow couldn’t take the leap to influence voters to rally behind her. Again, Danny was a partner to her detriment, but Anya didn’t overcome that with an army of zealous fans. No posse rallied to support her, despite the fact that their vote would also support him. (The same was true for Shauna.) A fan base will vote for you no matter who you dance with, and no matter how badly you perform. Anya was a terrific couples dancer, surprising everyone with her versatility, performance ability, and personality. Yet, she could not pull off even one solo in her own style. On top of that, she will be remembered for her gawd-awful wardrobe selections, making her solos one big all-around flop. The fact that she biffed three times in a row was a major factor in her ouster, especially in comparison to Lauren’s heartfelt dance for her life. Yet, on top of this, Anya was not unique this season and was not able to rally enough of a fan base to overcompensate for all of the voters who decided to boycott Danny. That is why Anya is not America’s Favorite Dancer. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol:
Asher Streets is a food engineer and musician who lives in Madison, WI. He has a love for all things Italian, most especially gelato, wine, espresso, and cheese. Asher appreciates your opinions too and can be reached via email: asher.streets@gmail.com. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Nashville Star, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For more news about this show, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: So You Think You Can Dance! View Printable version of this article
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