Annapolis, MD folks took a special interest in SYTYCD this season. As one of their own, Caitlin Kinney, 21, danced into the hearts of tv viewers on the popular television show, this coastal community celebrated the success of the girl who had always owned the hearts of her hometown family and friends.
It was with special pride that they watched their “girl-next-door” perform elegant ballroom and lively dance routines. Downtown stores were a gathering place for locals who held viewing parties. And even Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer hosted a party for Kinney at City Dock.
These folks watched, rooted for and voted for Kinney. They hoped that she would be crowned "So You Think You Can Dance Champion." So, of course, they were disappointed when "their girl" was eliminated this past week. Still, they say they are so proud of the talent that took her all the way to the top dozen contestants -- and proud that she represented herself and Annapolis with style and grace.
On Kinney’s Facebook page, her very family, friends and fans have left messages -- echoing what Annapolis folks have been saying in their living rooms and in shops downtown.
“Caitlin, it’s so great to see such talent in the family!,” wrote one obvious family member. “Keep dancing your heart out.”
“Caitlin – Beautiful grace under enormous pressure,” wrote another lady in support. “We were honored to watch your lovely performances, and we hope to see you on stage somewhere soon.”
And then there was a message addressing Kinney’s elimination from SYTYCD competition this past week. “Caitlin, I’m sooooo bummed you didn’t make it! … I’m so excited you still get to go on tour, but we all know YOU should have won, without question!”
While the show’s fans voted Kinney and her partner, Jason Glover, into the Bottom Three, and the show’s judges eliminated her from the Bottom Three girls, judge Nigel Lythgoe hailed Kinney’s talent when he said that all of the dancers that week, including those being sent home, were “brilliant.”
In fact, Lythgoe said that the level of talent has been so high this season that the audience has appreciated the talents of all of the dancers -- and no one dancer has emerged as a “star”, shining in the eyes of fans above all others.
Acknowledging this, the show took the exceptional step of adding the two dancers eliminated dancers to the Top Ten roster of contestants who will be hitting the road for the SYTYCD fall tour.
But once Kinney’s name was announced as the girl to go home, she displayed her trade-mark grace. Obviously disappointed, she still managed a smile and said, “It’s been everything I could have hoped for and so much more, which is just wonderful.”
Kinney had actually started the SYTYCD process with her younger sister, Megan. The two girls, who were introduced to dancing at C&C Dance Company in Bowie, became the first “sister pair” highlighted by the show when they were both made it through to “Las Vegas Week.” Each sister was the other sister’s biggest supporter. But in the end Megan was cut and Caitlin was invited to perform as one of the Top Twenty contestants.
Kinney, who graduated from Baltimore School for the Arts in 2005 and was an apprentice at North Carolina Dance Theatre for two years, began studying acrobatic dance at the age of 13 and added ballet two years later.
When asked what she would do when her obligations with SYTYCD end, Kinney told a Baltimore Sun reporter that she was unsure. "Most of my training is in ballet," she explained. "But I don't have a traditional body for classical ballet. I'm not stick thin, and I have a very muscular build. I'm happy now with the way my body it, but boy, it takes a long time for any woman to say that. I'm not quite sure yet in what style as a dancer I fit best. That's why I auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance. Never again will I have the opportunity to learn all these different styles compressed into one summer."
Kinney also confided that as children, she and her sisters had dreamed of opening a cominbation dance/acting studio and health clinic. "I honestly think that's one of my long-term goals, but it's down the roadd. I don't want to open a studio before I have knowledge to impart."
Wherever Kinney's dreams take her, there is one thing for certain. She will continue to dance. She will do herself proud. And she will have the support and pride of the people of Annapolis behind her.
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