Bit of fame fun, weird for 4 Utah dancers
From The Deseret News:
Contestants Courtney Galiano and Gev Manoukian perform a disco routine on “So You Think You Can Dance.” Manoukian, a student at the University of Utah, says, “I’m kind of surprised I’m still here.” (Michael Becker/Fox)
The four “So You Think You Can Dance” finalists with Utah ties are all experiencing something completely new and different.
Fame.
Matt Dorame, Chelsie Hightower, Thayne Jasperson and Gev Manoukian aren’t about to get stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but their twice-weekly appearances on the hit Fox series are getting them recognized.
“Last night, I went to a restaurant and one of the waitresses came up and said, ‘I’m sorry. I don’t want to bother you. But aren’t you Thayne from ‘So You Think You Can Dance’?” said Jasperson, 27, from Springville. “It was cute.”
“It’s funny because it’s always little girls, and they get so excited,” laughed Dorame, 22, an Arizona native who’s danced with Odyssey Dance Theatre for the past two years. “It’s so funny that you make someone so excited. It’s a little weird and it takes some getting used to — that people want to take a picture with you, but it’s really nice.”
Hightower, an 18-year-old ballroom dancer from Orem, hasn’t quite adjusted to being recognized.
“I don’t feel like I have a very recognizable face, and it’s fine with me,” she said with a laugh. Of course, the fact that people do recognize her even when she’s out with no makeup and her hair pulled back — a much different look than they see on TV — sort of disputes her theory. (cont.)