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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday November 5, 2008 - 21 Artscene · WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2008 Sign up now for guitar, bass, drums, and piano OAKVILLE'S MUSIC STORE Competition hardest challenge yet for dancer Caroline Torti voted off So You Think You Can Dance Canada By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF already drawn attention to her skills. "I have studios that I haven't worked for before calling me and asking me to come in and do choreography after seeing me on the show," she said. "They tell me I shouldn't have gotten kicked off the show, but they're glad about it because I can come work for them now. It's great." It didn't end how she had hoped, but Caroline Torti said she has no regrets about being eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance Canada. The Oakville dancer made it to the Top 20 on the nationally-televised dance competition, beating out thousands of young dancers. She, along with partner Jesse Catibog, also survived the first three rounds of cuts before being sent home last Thursday. The bubbly 23-year-old seemed in high spirits four days later, after she had a well-deserved weekend of rest and relaxation. "I'm feeling good and I'm really happy to be home," she said. "Obviously, I'm upset to leave because we had so much fun and you make so many connections with people and form so many relationships. But I'm excited to move on and see what is going to be the next chapter in my dance career." Torti said she had prepared herself for the possibility of being sent home since day one. This mentality helped her deal with the decision last Thursday evening. "Every week, you prepare yourself because it is a competition and really, every week it has been so unexpected as to who has gone home," she said. "There hasn't been one week where we've been sure who was going home. While I was there, I tried to live in the moment and take everything in so that if that was the night I was going home, it wasn't such a huge disappointment." The big question on fans' minds is who's going to be named the top dancer and take home the $100,000 prize. From a dancer's point of view, Torti said it will likely come down to Nico Archambault, a 23-year-old contemporary dancer from Montreal, and Allie Bertram, 18, a ballet dancer who hails from Calgary. "I think Nico is going to be in the top two for sure, especially when you think of the demographic and who is watching the show," "I learned that if I can handle this, I can handle anything. The next couple jobs I do are going to be a breeze compared to this." Caroline Torti Dancer PHOTO COURTESY CTV SHALL WE DANCE?: Oakville dancer Caroline Torti and partner Jesse Catibog perform the hustle last Wednesday night on the TV competition So You Think You Can Dance Canada. The duo were voted off the show the following night, but Torti said overall, being in the competition was an amazing experience. she said. "There's a lot of young girls and they love Nico and I don't blame them. He's a good looking guy and a great dancer." But if Torti could choose a winner, she would give the title to Lisa Auguste, a 27-year-old contemporary dancer from Toronto. "Lisa is a good friend of mine and we've worked together for about five years being professional dancers in Toronto and teaching at similar studios, as well as doing shows together," she said. "If I had to pick who I wanted to win, it would be her." Certain judges on the show also won a place in Torti's heart. "My favourite judge was Jean Marc (Genereux)," she said. "He has the greatest analogies and stories that he tells when he gives comments. He doesn't just say, `You're good' and `You're bad.' He has these creative ways of putting it and it is entertaining." Torti said it was also a great experience performing in front of Rex Harrington, former principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, who served as a guest judge last week. "Rex is a god in the dance world, and in the ballet world especially, and it was an honour to hear what he had to say, regardless of whether it was positive or constructive criticism," she said. in touch with and hopefully, if he's doing any projects that are coming up, I can be a part of it, and vice versa," she said. "He's a great guy and he grew a lot on the show. He helped me grow too, so I definitely will want to keep in touch with Jesse." "For someone who knows so much and has been in the industry for so long, you've got to take what he says and if it is something you need to work on, really work on it. If it is a positive comment, take it, remember it and hold it with you for as long as you can." Torti said she plans on staying in touch with Toronto-based partner Jesse Catibog. "I'm sure he's someone I'll keep Torti has been dancing since she was a little girl and said she will continue to do just that. She is trained in many different dance styles, but her specialization is contemporary. She plans to continue teaching and choreographing in the Greater Toronto Area for a few months before going to Los Angeles to develop her career in the new year. She said being on the show has Torti said the experience of being on So You Think You Can Dance Canada, from the first audition in the spring in Toronto through to last week, has been amazing. "I learned a lot about myself, in terms of how I handle stress and dancing hour upon hour with very little sleep," she said. "Those conditions definitely are more stressful than what I've had to do up until now in my dance career. I learned that if I can handle this, I can handle anything. The next couple jobs I do are going to be a breeze compared to this." That being said, she said she likely won't audition for the show again. "I had an amazing experience, but it is one of those things that you do once to gain the experience and to learn about yourself, but I don't know if I would want to do it again because it is so stressful," she said. "It is not like real life. I didn't do this to try to be famous or to be on TV, I did this because it is about dancing and it is a great thing for the Canadian dance community to have this show." Torti said she has been recognized around town since returning to Oakville, with many people telling her that she is an amazing dancer. She thanks everyone who supported her on her So You Think You Can Dance Canada journey. "When you are away from your friends and family, you aren't reminded constantly about all the people who are supporting you. When you come home and you see it, you are truly grateful for it. Watch out in the future, because I might be doing great things."