So You Think You Can Dance 8 winner, Melanie Moore spoke with reporters this afternoon about her experience on the Nigel Lythgoe-helmed dance competition.
Find out why she thinks she did so well, her thoughts on runner-up Sasha Mallory, trusting Neil Haskell enough to jump into his arms, whether she’d consider being an all-star, her favorite SYTYCD choreographer and MORE.
- What does she attribute her success to? The reason why she did so well because her partner “I had an absolutely amazing partner from the beginning. Marko was so strong. I feel like we really carried each other, we fed off of each other. Marko and I put so much hard work in. Everyone was working really hard. We were the only couple who rented studio space outside of the rehearsal time we did have. We would be in rehearsals all day, and we would go into rehearsals at night. Marko, half the time, wanted to kill me! Because I was so nit-picky. I need to have things in line before we go onstage. You can really just live in that moment. Our partnership really worked out well. “
- Melanie thought Sasha was going to win when it came down to the two of them, “I really did think Sasha was going to win. She’s an absolutely amazing dancer. I’m so inspired by her. They’ve been calling me the favorite since the beginning. Usually the person who is the frontrunner doesn’t win. For some reason or another, it usually doesn’t happen. I didn’t really expect it at all. Sasha really has improved so much over so many strides. She really has grown on people. We weren’t that good of friends in the beginning either, and as she opened up in the competition…I have nothing but love and so much respect for her. I honestly was so ready to be second place and tell her what an amazing job she did. Any of the four of us that were on that stage, I feel like could have taken it.”
- Would she consider being an All Star next season? “I have already told them that I don’t care what I have to do, I will be an All-Star, without a doubt. I told them that from the minute I got into the Top 10. I said, ‘OK, here’s the thing, I got into the Top 10 that means I have to be an All Star next year!’ I don’t care if you put me in Bollywood, I don’t don’t care if you put me in Disco, I will be here! (laughs). I’m hoping that I may be able to be an assistant [choreographer] for some people next year too.”
- Who was her favorite choreographer this season? “The choreographer that challenged me the most, and pushed me the hardest was Sony Tayeh. I didn’t get to work with her really intensely until the end when I got to work with her and Sasha. She pushed me so hard because she knew that…was going to be a challenge for me because of the dynamics. They were totally different than what my body naturally does. She has been so inspiring through the whole process. She really cares about each and every one us that were in the Top 20 to the Top 10 to the Top 4. She’s been life changing, and she’s so inspiring to all of us that I could not have asked for somebody better to work with. All the choreographers were super-inspiring, but I think that she took it to more of a relationship with us, rather than a choreographer stance. We really knew that she cared about us. When you’re in a piece with her, she’s really intimidating and she’s very scary. But when you dance, you know that she’s watching and that she’s really caring about what you’re doing and she’s pushing through with you.”
- Plans after the tour wraps? She wants to go back to school and major in dance instead of art. She doesn’t consider herself and choreographer. “I can improve my solos, and do that kind of stuff, but I’m definitely a dancer right now.” She looks up to Stacey and Sonya. Maybe after some schooling and learning how to choreograph and a “little bit of growing up” she’d consider choreography. She’s definitely going to be auditioning.
- Did she think she could win? She thought she had a chance, but sitting on stage net to the four, she could not pick a favorite. She felt confident with what she did in the competition. She kept focused throughout the competition.
- What style of dance did she struggle to learn: Ballroom and Disco. The hardcore hip hop with Nappy Tabs. “It was super challenging. I would not have gotten through it without Twitch.”
- Melanie was homecoming queen at her high school!
- She has 10 days off. She plans on taking dance classes at her studio! Her boyfriend is moving back to Athens, she’s going to help him out. “I’m ready to step out of the spotlight, just for a couple of minutes.”
- Melanie’s dream is to be in a dance company. She feels she’s more suited for it. She wants to sustain a living dancing.
- About the leap into Neil’s arms. He made her feel comfortable from the start. “Neil’s got a lot of muscle.” They practiced close together, and kept moving further and further back.
- She would love to go on tour with Lady Gaga. “Everything she does is so amazing.” She hasn’t received any offers yet. She’s very excited about the tour. She has a lot of routines to remember!
- About Kenny Ortega’s offer to join Dirty Dancing “It would be electric to be apart of it.” It’s her mom’s favorite movie. “It would be so much fun…Kenny Ortega is amazing. I hope it works out.”
- Routine she’s most proud of: Tango routine she did with Marko. She and Marko had to work really hard on it.
- Melanie was an art major at Fordham in New York. She wanted to go to NY to peruse dancing. She decided not to do dancing in college so that she would have a back up plan. Art is her second love.
- Oil painting is her specialty in art, likes to do impressionist portraits.
- Why did she win? “I have no idea. I was so surprised. I tried to make sure that my personality came through. I can never take myself too seriously. I hope that I’m relatable to people.”
- What are her plans for the prize money? “I don’t know…this is so stupid and crazy, but I want to get some nice carry on luggage, or a nice ring and then put the rest of it away.” (laughs)
- Before he died, her dad was a risk analyst. Her mom was an executive nurse. Her mom has worked hard to put the family in a comfortable position. She instilled a work ethic into herself and her sister.
