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Interview #1
Jordan and Tatiana on CBS
Star Search
USASN:
Give us your assessment of your entire "Star
Search" odyssey.
J & T:
All in all it was a great experience. Of course, we would have LOVED to
win that title, but how awesome it was to just be on "Star Search" and
to actually win on March 5th. We feel that just being a part of the
production was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
USASN:
Describe the stress level during your rehearsals and final performance.
J & T:
Words cannot describe what we've been through. We've never spent that
many hours in a week focused on ONE dance. We were given our music one
evening and then a finished routine was expected the very next day.
There literally was no time for anything else. Plus, I (Jordan) had the
flu (fever, chills, - the whole bit) during this period, which never
made practice or performing an easy task. You couldn't give in to how
you were feeling, though, because "the show must go on". Plus, if you
canceled your performance for ANY reason, you would be fined $10,000.
That really didn't seem to bother us because we couldn't imagine NOT
following through. With both routines, we were happy with our
performances.
USASN:
Tell us about your rehearsal issues.
J & T:
After our routines were choreographed, the Director and Cameramen wanted
us to change the slot so that we utilized more of the stage. It was very
disorienting to dance WCS on the different angles, but we realized that
it was very effective. CBS wanted to add moves that we had already used
from our first routine into the second dance but we didn't want it to
seem like same routine with different music. They actually were helpful
with their hints, but on some of the things we stayed firm on not
changing.
USASN:
What about wardrobe challenges?
J & T:
On the first show, we planned on using our black and turquoise "Pop"
outfits. One hour before, the CBS staff decided to change my shirt
because the long black sleeves on both of our outfits would blend with
the background too much and not show up on camera. They first gave me
one of Arsenio's Armani dress shirts, but the color didn't match
Tatiana's outfit. They later found a simple black short-sleeved shirt
which I wore. Tatiana managed to pull off stones from my "Pop" shirt and
put them on this shirt 15 minutes before show time.
The following week, we had
some extra time to get costumes together. Parker Dearborn and Kate
Berardino lent us a variety of their old costumes, which saved us time
and effort in planning. In the end, the Costume Director liked Katie's
top from her 2002 routine with Barry and they provided me with a plain
black shirt that they had Tatiana stone one hour prior to our live
performance.
USASN:
What were some of the producer's / director's comments before and after
your performances?
J & T:
They acted like they thought we would go "all the way" and win this
thing. They were so interested in knowing what we were doing, feeling,
planning, etc. They would spend so much extra time with us, and that was
reassuring. Afterwards, they interviewed us for quite awhile and they
said we would definitely be hearing from them soon.
USASN:
How did you get along with the other contestants?
J & T:
We had a great time with the other members of the show and made many new
friends. We especially liked Steven, the winner from the semi-finals. He
was a great person and we wish him the best.
USASN:
Any special memories?
J & T:
Arsenio Hall really took a liking to us and never forgot our names.
Every time he saw me I would hear him shout "FRISBEE!!!!" at the top of
his lungs. He felt that, whether we won or not, we would really go far.
USASN:
Tell us about your interactions with family and friends.
J & T:
Our families were 100% behind us in every way. Many nights my Mom, aunt
and cousins would be watching us rehearse at all hours of the night.
Tatiana's Mom and grandma spent long nights making last-minute
alterations to her costumes. They were definitely there to watch the
show "live".
Kyle and Sarah drove 7
hours round-trip in one day to watch the show. Parker came to the first
taping, and drove 4 hours roundtrip the following week just to bring me
costumes; Jessica, Torri and Kim spent hours making the signs you saw on
TV that were decorated with rhinestones; Kate opened up her closet to
Tatiana and said, "Take anything you want!"; Sonny, Deanna, Barry Jones,
Liz Lague, and so many others made up the large cheering section of West
Coast Swing Dancers who showed up in the audience that Friday. We had an
unbelievable showing of support from Swing dancers across the nation
through calls and e-mails, which are still coming in.
USASN:
What happened after the show?
J & T:
When we left CBS on Friday evening, we went to teach at the St.
Patrick's Day Swing event in Woodland Hills. When we arrived, there was
a huge gathering in the Lobby area to watch the show (which was shown
live on the East Coast, but taped for us here on the West Coast). What a
great reception they had for us! They all cheered as it was shown on TV.
Afterwards they asked me for a step-by-step breakdown of what we went
through. It took about 15 minutes to tell our story. From that point on
we tried to unwind from the experience.
USASN:
Summarize what the entire experience meant to each of you.
J & T:
First of all, we realize it was great exposure for us and for West Coast
Swing. We will always treasure the way they made us feel. They really
gave us the "STAR" treatment. They would do our hair, makeup, etc. We
would walk around and there would be people re-applying makeup on us as
we entered and exited the stage. They'd spend hours and hours helping us
with music rights and song choices. We always wondered how it would feel
to be put on that pedestal and even if it was only that one time, it was
great!
USASN:
What's your ongoing status with CBS?
J & T:
We've signed a contract that obligates us to them for one year. Should
we get any offers connected with "Star Search", they have the
opportunity to counter-offer. Tatiana was asked for her number and
e-mail regarding her "fashion design" and I was told that I provided
them with one of the best interviews they've ever had from any of the
participants on the show. They also mentioned that they might be calling
me for choreography.
USASN:
What's next for you?
J & T:
Our focus now is to get an agent, which we should have done long ago.
Hopefully, this could lead to commercials, TV or movie roles, and bring
more exposure to West Coast Swing.
USASN:
What would you like to say to your dance friends and supporters?
J & T:
Thank you for everything! We hope you enjoyed our performances. We LOVED
doing them.
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