The DWTS Troupe

This week, we decided to talk about a topic often neglected by the media, but a topic near and dear to our hearts – the DWTS Troupe.  Besides giving us a Dancing With the Stars style introduction to Tristan MacManus, the 3 seasons with this cast of characters have been an amazing combination of electric energy, surprising talent, and extraordinary quantities of fun.  Each Troupe member has amazing credentials and is a true pro in every sense of the word.  We love each and every one of them (past and present), and in this particular blog entry, we are going to tell you exactly why we adore them (in no particular order). 

Sasha Farber – Here you have a wild, wacky, and incredibly gifted package of unbelievable energy, unquestionable talent, and unstoppable charisma.  We saw something amazing in Burn the Floor: The New Show ‘Floor Play’ where Sasha took on many roles and played them convincingly – from the suave leading man to the imp that got away with everything.  He was (and is) a showstopping bundle of more talent than we can possibly describe. The backflips?  Unreal.  The stage presence?  Off the charts.  His looks? He’s gorgeous.  The best part?  He keeps it real.  Oh, and his performance on DWTS India?  Brilliant!  We loved every single delicious second.

Emma Slater – She’s beautiful, she’s kind, she’s appreciative of her support, and she gave us an interview. (Thanks, Emma).  But forget that.  She was superb in Burn the Floor, and she brought a new dynamic to DWTS with her way of being a lethal combination of edgy, sexy, sensuous, and artistic.  We loved her performance with Tristan, Sharna, and Henry to Carrie Underwood’s Good Girl, but we also loved her amazing performance, among others, in Dance With Me Tonight where she immediately won us over.  Then there is the impression she made in DWTS Live in Las Vegas and her Rumba from DWTS India.  Perfection.

Sharna Burgess – What’s not to love about Sharna?  She’s gorgeous, fun, edgy, and brilliant.  We loved her in Burn the Floor, we loved her from the day she stepped onto the DWTS stage in Season 13 dancing to Edge of Glory, and each performance endears her to us even more.  One of our favorites?  The Cobra Starship You Make Me Feel performance with Tristan, Sonny, and Kym in which she not only performed but choreographed as well.  That was spectacular, and she was spectacular. She still is.  She is one of the most innovative choreographers on DWTS, and DWTS would be well to keep her in their sights for a very long time.

Oksana Dmytrenko – The tiny fireball of power and skill is one of the reasons we love the Troupe dances so much.  We still remember her Samba with Kiki from Season 12 and in our opinion, that was one of the most superb performances yet by any troupe member.  She and Kiki were pure magic and made the party dance believable, exciting, and off-the-charts fun.  Her performance to the music of Madonna in 80s week of Season 13 with Val, Peta, and Sasha was nothing short of miraculous, and we won’t likely forget how she lit up the dance floor in Dance to the Music – still our all-time favorite troupe performance.

Sonny Pedersen – Sonny is a super addition to the troupe, and he will add an entirely new facet to this diverse group of multi-dimensional performers.  What do we know about him?  He is amazingly gifted with a very impressive resume that includes singing, dancing, acting, choreographing, performing, etc., and we are still reeling from You Make Me Feel from Season 13 and that sexy number with Lacey, Kiki, and Chelsie during a Nicki Minaj performance in Season 12.  Talk about bringing the WOW factor!  We can’t wait to see him next week.  Welcome to DWTS, Sonny.

Henry Byalikov – Do you remember when Wetpaint named Tristan as their “fake boyfriend” way back in Season 13?  That expression stayed with us, and we decided to borrow it.  We hate to tell you this, Henry, but you are now our fake boyfriend (sorry, Teagan, we will try not to be too possessive and no worries, Tristan, you are still our #1 fake boyfriend).  Henry is charming, fun, friendly, gorgeous, has great abs (just a little detour into the shallow waters there), multi-talented, and a sweetheart who is a good sport for putting up with us.  We can honestly say that when we first saw him in Dance With Me Tonight, we were hooked, and nothing since then has changed our opinion.  We also did a little informal survey on this site about a potential Trio Dance for Season 15 and the question was this:  If Tristan and Pamela are in a Trio Dance this season, which DWTS pro or troupe member would you most like to see in this performance?  The overwhelming choice?  Henry.  So we won’t wax poetic too much more because the man is a dancing dream and a choreographing prodigy, and suffice it to say that he probably now has more fake girlfriends than he could ever want.  Welcome to MacManiacs.org, Henry. You’re stuck with us.

Of course, we won’t ever forget the magical performances by Kiki, Teddy, Dasha, and Nicole who have moved on to other professional endeavors, and Peta who continues to add so much to DWTS.  They gave us so many wonderful moments from Seasons 12-14, and we will treasure all of them. 

Oh yeah, the biggest reason why we love the troupe?  It brought us Tristan MacManus – the man who is number one in our hearts and the inspiration behind this website.