Why Wyckoff's Carly Blaney from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Really CAN Dance: Advice from a Dance Mom and Dance Dad

Jersey Girl Carly Blaney of Wyckoff sure can dance, and she's been sizzling up the stage on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance.

But just how did this girl go from from a tutu and toe shoes to one of America's hottest new dancers?  We talked to Carly's parents, Liz and Kevin, of course! Read on about how she did it, her perseverance and drive and how young dancers with a dream can make it happen for them too.

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Suzee: When did Carly express a desire to dance, and what did you do about it?

Mom and Dad: Carly expressed an interest to dance prior to her second birthday  Her older sister Amanda (by 4 years) was taking dance classes and it seemed to pique Carly's curiosity. I think Carly liked the dress-up part of dance first. She would ALWAYS wear a tutu. Whether going out to the stores or picking her sister up from school she would be seen wearing it and she seemed to love the attention she received from wearing it. As soon as she was old enough, I believe age 2 1/2, we enrolled her in dance classes.

Suzee: When did you realize Carly "really CAN dance?" Did you notice it or was it brought to your attention by a teacher, and if so, who and where?

Mom and Dad: Carly always loved going to dance class. She was aware that dancers should look and carry themselves in a certain way. Hair in a perfect bun, tights with a little skirt, little pink ballet shoes, proper posture. From looking back at old dance videos, while some of the other children in class were losing focus, Carly would remain focused and pick up the choreography pretty fast. As a parent you could see how happy she was performing at her first recital. That love of performing has never left her. 

After age 4, the dancers are allowed to dance a solo if the teacher feels they are ready. While performing her first solo, "I Feel Pretty", during Nationals in Orlando, she got a little confused near the end and forget the last few seconds of the dance and ran of the stage embarrassed and crying. Ugh. But that never happened again. Her second solo the following year "The Dressing Song", brought out the performer in her and she received awards and positive feedback from judges throughout the competition year. 

Suzee: How often did she have lessons and how often did she practice? Are dance lessons expensive, or is there a range? Did Carly have private lessons?

Mom and Dad: When Carly began dance classes i believe they were once a week. Over time days were added for different styles Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary. By her senior year of High School she would have classes 6 days a week, 7 days when preparing for a competition, approximately 35 hours a week at the studio. That time does not include the countless hours she would stay after class to run her dances alone in a studio to work on perfecting them. Because of the expense of the dance lessons, Some of the dancers were allowed to give private lessons to the younger dancers helping them with their solos, to help offset their dance tuition.

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