So You Think You Can Dance: Interview with Courtney and Gev

During the show, what was your favorite number that you got to perform?
I didn't really have a favorite or a least-favorite or anything. They were all so different to me—and so for me to just experience and learn all that, I was so overwhelmed. I always had such a blast.

But did you have a favorite choreographer to work with?
Yeah, kinda the same thing. I love Jean-Marc—I think he was there for me up there, just his personality and everything. I loved working with Andy, my Broadway choreographer, I just felt like we were vibing on each other, that was fun.

Which partner did you learn the most from? Or, what did you learn from each partner you worked with?
Well, with Courtney, you know, we worked for so long together—like 3 or 4 weeks, I think—and that was the beginning of my learning process, because I'd never partnered before. She'd never, either, so we had to go with that. And just learning the contemporary things, she'd help me out a little bit with my stuff, and when we were doing ballroom—which [neither] of us [had done]—we had to kinda try to fake whatever technique there is.

With her, I also learned a lot about myself, because there's this pressure and we're not really sure what we're getting ourselves into.... Once I got to Chelsie, I already knew my work ethics. So definitely Courtney helped me a lot, but Chelsie helped me with the ballroom stuff, of course, so that was very good too.

Where do you see yourself in a few years?
I really want to be a choreographer and I want to open my own studio. Me and my friend (he's a dancer, too), that's our long-term goal. In a few years, I don't know.... I definitely see myself doing some character show. I found out doing the show that I love doing characters. That's like my favorite thing. I do see myself in Cirque eventually. And maybe in moviea—that would be really fun to do.

Did your experience on the show change you any?
It definitely changed me in some ways. For example, it gave me a lot more experience in dance areas. I learned about myself a lot, like how I work under pressure, how I work with other people. So it definitely changed me in that respect.

It changed my life a little bit—people kind of know me. Sometimes on the street I get recognized, and before the show, nobody could say my name right! And now, I'll be walking down the street and I'll hear, "Gev!!" I'll look around and won't see any of my friends, and I'm like, oh. And then "Gev!" and I'm like, oh, that's right!

Interview with Courtney Galiano
Have you been able to do anything in Austin since you got here?
No...and you know, I really felt so bad. We all have such good intentions! Chelsea Traille [another dancer on the tour] is from Dallas, so she was like, "Oh my God, Austin is so much fun! When we get in, even if it's like 3AM, trust me, there will still be something going on. It's a Saturday night, it's a college town, it's great!" And when we got here, we were like zombies...so that didn't end up happening.

But I'm kind of sad, because I think out of Dallas, Houston and Austin, I really wanted to see Austin the most. I'm kind of sad about it, but you know, we're excited to be here. I feel like it's going to be a younger crowd, so it'll be more energetic. I hear it's such a college town, so I'm really excited about it.

Have the crowds on the tour been...
They've been really amazing.

What ages have the crowds been?
Well, mixed. We've had—it's so crazy, it's so crazy to even think that they're here to see us. I think that we're still getting over that fact.

What are your plans for right after the tour?
I think all of us are just being really open-minded. I think everyone has a lot of opportunities coming in, but just because you're on the show doesn't mean that opportunity comes up. You have to still chase opportunity because this business is 9 out of 10 times reduction. We really just have to make sure that we're ready and we're prepared.

I want to take acting and singing lessons too, just so I can be well-rounded, and anything they can send me on, I can be prepared for. So I'm excited about that.

So where do you see yourself in a few years, ideally?
Ideally? I would love to be in movies, acting and singing, maybe a show on Broadway, or, you know, I enjoy touring! I really enjoy touring. I enjoy meeting many different people and seeing different places and trying different foods, so it's really cool.

And it definitely takes a certain personality to enjoy that, I think.
Yeah, I was talking to my dad this morning and I was saying, you live out of your suitcase, you live within 2 feet of another person, you don't get good food, but you love—I love what I'm doing. I love seeing the country. I love that when I went to San Francisco, I got to go to Alcatraz, I got to see where the seals are, I got to shop. I love that when I went to Dallas I got to see where Chelsea Traille was brought up, I got to taste Jamaican food. I love that when we went to Utah I got to see where Gev was from.

It's just like a cool thing that I don't think any of us ever imagined doing. When we were in Arizona I saw Camelback Mountain. There are lots of things that I definitely could never say that, if this [hadn't happened], I could never say that I did.

As far as the show goes, which partner did you learn the most from?
I think Gev, to be honest. Just because I feel—it's not even a matter of what you learn the most, who you learn the most from. It's...

[Gev interrupts: Who you're in love with?]

[Laughs.] I kind of just feel like everyone has a very special bond to their first partner. You've just been through so much with your first partner and you were with them for so long that they become like your husband, your boyfriend, your brother, your father.... They have so many different hats because you went through so much together. You experience so many different things and so many different emotions together. So, I'd have to say, Gev.

Which choreographer did you learn the most from?
Sonya [Tayeh]. I definitely think Sonya, because she has such a light about her—she is so hard, [mimicking Sonya] "Again, again, again!" And you're like, "My brain's gonna come out of my ears."

When we did "The Garden" I actually [needed] like 12 Tylenol. But she had such a positive energy that no matter how tired you were—you worked with her too [to Gev]—no matter how exhausted you were, she made you want to keep going.

She has such a new energy too; she's not bored with what she's doing, she's excited about it. She cares about it. If she says "Your pinkie is here," your pinkie is there. So she's very particular about it, too; you really adapt to a new style. I think that's what this show is about.

And was "The Garden" your favorite number to do?
I'd say "The Garden" and the Cha-cha. Those are my favorites.

How did your experience on the show change you?
I know, for me, I came in a completely different person. I grew so much as a dancer and as a person. I can't even tell you all the ways. I've learned so much, not just about my art, and the things that I do, but about myself. Being surrounded by so many different people, they bring certain things out of you that—like, wow, I never knew this about myself, or Oh my gosh, look what I can do or Look what this person pushed me to do.

And that's what I felt was so unique about our season is that it never, not once—and I'm being so honest—but not once did it ever feel like a competition. Twitch would say, "Maybe if you did it like this it would look cooler," and I'd [say], "Oh, Twitch, when you're doing this make sure you point your foot," or "So, Chelsie, what do I do with my hips in ballroom? Teach me." Everyone was really out for one another, to help each other. So, it was really cool.

Well, I could tell how upset you all were [when other contestants were cut]...
Thursdays were the worst days of our lives. I think my worst week was when Kourtni Lind went home, and then you [speaking to Gev] went home that [other] week. I was like a disaster.

My dad was like, "Courtney Ann, stop crying!" I couldn't stop crying. I was so upset. And you know, it was never the end. It was always looked at as a new beginning for everyone. But it was really tough. It was really tough seeing your family go. Your friends are like your family, you know? It was really sad.