Starting today, we here at BuddyTV will have exlcusive interviews with all the eliminated So You Think You Can Dance contestants. The first today is with Ashlee Langas, the small-town Texas lady who wowed judges throughout auditions with her beautiful contemporary dancing ability. Ashlee, unfortunately, didn’t get show off what she is truly capable of and fell victim to an abnormally talent stocked group of females in this year’s cast. Ashlee discussed how she started dancing and what the future holds.
Below you will find both the written transcript and full mp3 audio of our interview.
Can you tell us a little bit about how you began your dance career?
Well, I did the typical tap and ballet when I was two years old, you know, the little recital in the tutu. Then I got more serious about it, my mom started putting me in competitions when I was four, so that’s when I really started to learn different styles of dance and just really started to love it at that point, and then just danced in the studio. And then in high school I did drill team. I’m from Texas so that’s kind of a big deal where I’m from, and then I did drill team my freshman and sophomore years of college, so that’s kind of what I’ve been up to the last two years, just taking class and working on my dance ability.
What made you gravitate more towards contemporary/jazz?
Well I’ve been training in a bunch of different styles, but it’s something that I think is just really…I feel like I could express myself the most and it was something that I really just felt in my heart was the right thing for me to be doing, so it just feels good for me to do. You know, some people they really love tapping and its really their thing, but contemporary is something that I just really love to do.
What made you want to go out and audition for So You Think You Can Dance? Were you a fan of the first two seasons?
I didn’t watch the first season, but I watched the second season. Actually, the college I was going to was a junior college, so I was about to finish up my second year there and I was looking for different colleges to transfer to, different dance programs and stuff. And I was auditioning for different dance programs and the first one I auditioned for, I didn’t make. I felt really bad, because I had this whole plan, and the rest of my life planned out pretty much and it didn’t work out, so I decided, well actually it was my directors of the program that I was in, they said, “You should think about going in and auditioning.” And it was my roommate that bought my plane ticket to go to Chicago, so I thought, “Oh, what the heck. Its not gonna hurt anything. It’s another audition, It’s a great experience.” So, I decided to go, I had that weekend available, and it just worked out.
What were your expectations going into the audition, did you think you had a good chance of making it to Vegas?
I honestly didn’t really know what to expect. I kind of was just doing it to just say that I had done it, kind of one of those, “What if I don’t do it?” So, I think that I didn’t really expect to even…I know when I was in Chicago I didn’t expect to make it to Vegas, and then from Vegas I didn’t expect to make it onto the show. So, it was just a complete blessing to make it past each round, definitely.
For viewers at home, watching the Las Vegas week, culling down the field to twenty, seems like it must just be unbelievably difficult and overwhelming for the contestants. How was that experience that week?
It was more strenuous mentally and emotionally because you’re constantly having to build yourself back up and not compare yourself to other dancers, because there was tons and tons and tons and tons of talent there. So, definitely the mental and emotional part is hard. The physical dance part of it was tough too because of the long days but one minute you feel really good about yourself because you’ve made it through a round, but the second you feel good you’re immediately dropped back and you have to start focusing on the next step and being nervous all over again, anxious, it definitely was a roller coaster ride the whole time.
What was your first reaction when you got partnered with Ricky?
I was not expecting it at all. I definitely thought they would pair me with one of the taller guys, especially because my first dance was Argentine tango and you obviously wear heels and in any kind of ballroom dance that your going to do, so I definitely thought it was going to be one of the taller guys. But when we got partnered together, the height thing really was not an issue, so I didn’t think that America or the judges, I didn’t think that they would think it was an issue either because we felt like we made it work. So, it was a shock but then I think we had a very good friendship pretty quickly, our personalities worked really well together and we both kind of have the same drive and everything. I think it was shocking at first, but then it worked.
On the show Ricky got kind of characterized as sort of an oddball, was that your experience with him or was that kind of the way they edited him?
I think that “strange” and “weird”, I think that those are not very good words to classify him. I think he’s definitely a free spirit, but what artist isn’t? You know what I mean, like most artists are eccentric and they are free spirited and just have really creative minds. It was pretty cool for me to be around somebody like that because it’s somebody that shares the same passion that I have, so it was pretty fun.
In retrospect, do you wish you had done something with your final solo routine?
I don’t really believe in having regrets, so I don’t really…I don’t think there’s many things I would have done differently. I went into it with the mindset that this is just another opportunity for me to perform and when is the next time…how often do you get the chance to perform on national television in front of 20 million people? So, it was definitely a very cool experience and I definitely don’t regret any of it.
Going forward, what’s next for you? Are you going back to school or are you just going to try and pursue this dance thing?
I think ideally my parents would like me to get back to school. That’s the parental part of it, but I just want to perform, I’m ready to jump in with both feet and I just think that this is definitely a jumping off place for me. I’m getting an agent and I am just going to see where the winding road takes me.
(Interview Conducted by Oscar Dahl)
(Image Courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
