So You Think You Can Dance is fast becoming So You Think You Can Heal as the second dancer in as many weeks is eliminated due to injury. In a conference call yesterday with reporters, Ashley Galvan talked about that injury, her close relationships with her fellow Season 7 dancers, looking forward to the fall tour, and her dream of someday being on Glee.
Also, check out the video interviews with Ashley and Adam Shankman, taken right after the show ended Thursday night
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How did Ashley feel about having little screen time coming into the live show? “I wasn’t worried. I know that I was kind of not shown at the beginning of the show. I think that was best for me. I am shy at first, but then I get out there when everybody knows who I am.
Was there any talk about Ashley returning for next season? (Alex Wong has a ticket to Vegas for next year if he chooses), “If I get asked to come back, I probably would. But then again, I don’t know, because I am looking forward to doing the tour.”
How did she injure herself? “I injured myself, probably the 3rd week into the competition. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I do know that being lifted a lot in the same area probably triggered the injury. I’m hoping that I get recovery fast.”
What was she doing when she first started noticing the pain? “I was don’t this one specific lift during the duet with Ade. It was the one where I go over his head and he drops me close to the ground. It was a really fun lift, but it was hard. I think that’s when I started feeling the pain. I know that it developed into a bruised rib and then further along the line it went into a fractured rib.”
How much pain is she in and what is she doing in the meantime for her recovery? “I was sad to leave. I am currently just laying down, because that’s what the doctors told me. They said a lot of rest would help the recovery. [I’ll] Probably [be] catching up on TV shows that I haven’t gotten to watch. I’m hoping that I recover quickly. It’s really painful, but I’m trying not to think about the pain. I don’t like being in pain, I can’t tolerate pain very well. So far I’m hanging in there.“
Will she be sitting in the SYTYCD audience watching? “I really hope that I can come back and watch. Hopefully that will probably be the finale. Until then, I’m probably will be supporting from home so that I get a quick recovery.”
On her So You Think You Can Dance experiences, “Going into this, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what the rehearsals were going to be like, I didn’t know how I would learn the routine and be great early, or good to perform them on Wednesday. It was all very clear on what we were doing. It was handled very well. I just loved every moment of it. I got to grow as a dancer, I got to do new experiences like hip hop and the quickstep. I’m sad that I didn’t get to do more of that. I had a great time on the show, and I really hope that I get to continue somewhat in the business.”
On the contestant’s friendships, “We all connected very well, and we are a family. When someone’s injured, everybody’s there for them. If someone’s upset, everybody’s there for them. We feed off of each other’s energy. It was just an amazing thing. Now, that I’m gone, they told me last night that it wasn’t going to be the same without me. It’s not going to be the same for me, being able to spend so much time with them and be a a part of that any more.”
What was her favorite part of the SYTYCD experience? “My favorite part of the experience was probably the contestants, and being able to dance with the all-stars. Everybody is so great and have this amazing personality. It’s something so great to go into something and not know what the outcome will be, and then when you get so close to people, it’s amazing. Not to continue further in the competition is sad. I’m rooting for them, and I know that they’re still going to put on a great show and I’m going to be back.”
On her close relationship with Robert, what are the viewers not getting about him, “Me and Robert are best friends, he means a lot to me. To see him in the bottom, for that much was really—I didn’t get it at all. He has a great personality. He’s an amazing dancer. He was always there for me. I don’t know what everybody didn’t see in him. He’s been safe for the past two weeks and I hope that he continues to do well and be safe in the competition.”
Will Ashley be going on the tour if she gets well? “If I do get better within 4 to 5 weeks, then I will be one of the people on tour. Yesterday was my first time hearing that I had been picked for the tour.”
What’s next for Ashley as a dancer? “I’m hoping that I will be able to go on a lot of auditions for different jobs. Just continue my journey. It’s only beginning now, and hopefully I get to work in movies and commercials and TV work. I’m hoping that someday I get to be on Glee. (laughs). That’s my dream.”
Has she been taking acting lessons? “I did for about a year I was trained in acting because that’s something I really wanted to do. Something I wanted to open up with because I am a shy person and I feel like doing acting will help me grow up and not be so shy anymore. I would like to continue with acting and see where that takes me.”
How has her experience on the show helped her grow as a dancer? “The show is basically—they take people who they think will grow as a dancer. Meaning—trying different genres, trying to step out of the comfort zone. For the first 3 weeks I didn’t have that opportunity to show them that I can step out of my comfort zone, because I had 2 contemporaries and one jazz. But all of it has been stepping out of my comfort zone because I’ve never been partnered before, I’ve never actually had to dance with a guy before. It was all very new to me and it really opened my eyes as a dancer and as a person, that there is so much more to dancing than just dancing at a dance studio, and being a competition dancer. I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to do the quickstep and do hip hop and actually learn something from them.”
What was her favorite dance? “It would have to be..that Dee Caspary [dance] with Ade–Cosmic Love. It was actually the first time that I got to loosen up as a dancer and not be so placed and think about lines. I really just went for it and it felt amazing.”
Is she still in love? “Yes, I am still in love!”
Is it anybody on the show? “I love all of them, but no, I was referring to my boyfriend (giggles).”
Ashley backstage after the show via GiveMeMyRemote
Adam Shankman on Ashley’s injury and Billy Bell via Give Me My Remote
