tangodancer208 wrote:

Hi all!  Just wanted to come back and say that I did love the show!   We drove in a literal blizzard to get to it.   Huge big clumps of globby, wet snow!  Nothing like March in the Midwest.   We went right downtown and found a restaurant near the theater to have a late lunch/early dinner because we had to be at M&G at 5.   Fortunately, everything was close.   Trudging through the snow on the sidewalks.   At one point, we were hugged up against a building to avoid the wind and snow, and a big gust of wind blew snow off an awning and down our backs.  Brrr!   I wanted to wear my fancy shoes, but the weather relegated me to sneakers.

There were not too many people at the M&G.  I counted 24 pix (more people than that because some were group shots).   Lots of waiting, being bossed around by security (who seemed to enjoy the bossing around but not be terribly efficient--Merv was missed).   Finally, they all came in.   Val came right over to me and saw the book I was holding.   Maks said hi, but he made a beeline for some kids in the crowd.   

Then we had to line up.   They brought the old people and little kids to the front of the line, which was fine.   There was a photographer (who actually talk crappy photos.   The lighting where they had set up the photo booth (which was kind of curtained off so you had a little privacy and a backdrop) was awful.   Our pictures (2 shots because Val was goofing off) are very dark.   I need to see if I can lighten them.   

JT is the tour manager and he was there, too, supervising the M&G.   They said no autographs, but, of course, Val signed my book.   

Then we sat and waited for more than an hour before they opened the theater.   At least, there were places to sit, because we certainly didn't want to go back outside where it was still snowing heavily.   It didn't look to me like there were too many empty seats.   I was afraid there might be because of the weather, but I suppose if Maks & Val make it to Evansville, IN, people are not going to miss the opportunity.

The first half of the show was amazing.   The choreography was excellent, the numbers amusing and entertaining, and the first half was over before you knew it.   I won't give too many specifics until April has seen it.   Then we can compare notes.   No technical glitches that I could see.

The second half was not quite as good, just like the previous tour.   When they're telling their story through dance and interpreting it, it's amazing.   As soon as they devolve into the too literal meaning, it gets less effective.   It was still good, but I much preferred the first half.   Hubby didn't care for it much.   He wanted more ballroom, like Sway.

All the men are ballroom dancers + Peta.   However, I don't think any of the other female dancers were.   So it would have been really hard to incorporate a lot of pure ballroom, esp. when your female dancers are not trained in that.   So they didn't.   For me, that was the wonder of Sway which was pretty much straight ballroom.

We ended up sitting next to a woman from nearby.   Her town is about halfway between where we live and Evansville.   She & I had met in the M&G line at the first show in Miami.   She was amazed that I had had the opportunity to dance with them since then.   We kind of looked at each other for a while, wondering if that was who it was, until finally one of us spoke.   

After the show we went right to the car.   Usual traffic getting out of the garage and back on the highway, and it was still snowing heavily.   We hit a McDonald's drive-thru (about all that was open) before we left town.  About 2 in. of show accumulated on the ground but none was sticking to the road.   Blizzard conditions lasted about halfway home, and then it was dry.

All in all, a good experience.   I see it again April 22 in Chicago with my sister and nephew.   I actually paid for the VIP upgrade, so I get 20 mn in their dressing room.   Dare I hope in Chicago that it will be just me.  I doubt it.   But it's better than a quick M&G.  I'll leave that fun to my sister and nephew.
 

Hi Tango!!  so excited to hear your recap!!!  I am so excited about going to see them dance live tonight    can't wait to compare notes with you!!!!!

april6263 wrote:

Hey guys    so excited!! it's my tour day!!  right now the weather is beautiful but they are predicting rain for later today so praying it doesn't come down right when we are going ...LOL....I have been a bit of an emotional mess today....excited for the show....but today is also 9 months since we lost Niecey and well.....Maks brought us all together and I know that will cross my mind while watching him dance live...(I can be kind of a sentimental mess sometimes....LOL) .....LOL.....but its going to be a fun night......my niece and cousin are going with me, so it will be a girls night out!!  can't stay on .....gotta get some things done this morning .....will give you all a recap in the morning (((hugs)))

Oh how exciting April...I can't wait to hear from you and your report on the show.
I know you will have a wonderful time.  
I am sure that our Niecey is very excited that you will be able to see the show.  
Have a wonderful time....

Just think we are going on four years together thanks to Maks and Meryl of course...four years....WOW
HUGS

Hey guys...last night was amazing    .....going to post a recap next but first want to take a minute to ask you all to put one of our cancer kid friends and his family on your prayer list.... let's just call him G-man...he is 15, and has the same kind of cancer Niecey had they are trying to  get him to a point they can do a transplant (BMT)  and could really just use the prayers right now....thanks guys (((hugs)))

 

april6263 wrote:

Good morning     LAST NIGHT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!  let me say if you ever get a chance to see them dance live you definitely should   we got there about an hour before show time....we didn't do the meet and greet so didn't get to meet them but its ok ....I bought Val's book ....probably won't get to read it until after the weekend but the pages of pics in it are awesome....LOL.....so anyway, then we went into the theater and we had really good seats
took some pics of the set and let me just say.... just seeing the set we had seen clips of them practicing on and Maks walking Shai on was so cool......we got some pics just of us waiting and then it started and OMG.....Very high energy opening dance ....and when they came out ....well....it was just a bit emotional to me, esp Maks.....he came out and I was a bit emotional thinking of how because of him and his dancing I had met you all .....and oh wow.....the dancing was AMAZING!!!  Let me just say, some times I can hesitate to see something live if I really like it on TV or Radio because.....LOL....yep I'm skeptical but sometimes things are just not as good live to me.....LOL....but as amazing as their dancing is on tv it is so much better in person....Ok and they "got us all" during the introductions....LOL...because they made it seem like they were going to bring Shai out and yep the crowd freaked....LOL....turned out it was just his pic on the big screen....then they said "did you really think we were going to bring a one year old out on stage?  wait til he's two"...LOL...then Maks said "but that would be a very Chmerikovskiy thing to do"...LOL.....I thought it was so cute and it went over well with the audience....from there the show just took off....LOL....it started with Peta and how she went from ballet to Ballroom....then followed with how she met Maks on Broadway.....the show did kind of follow their relationship but not completely Val had parts too...and I thought over all they did a really good job of balancing it all out ......(my opinion only)  but to me Maks and Peta's segments tended to be  more direct in their message, I guess you would say (kind of like just telling the story or reading a book)........Val's segments were much more artistic and abstract......LOL.....reminded me so much of "Val-ese" and when we would spend a lot of time trying to figure out what his tweets meant.....LOL.....it was very fitting....LOL..... the second half of the show and the Chippen-Val and Magik Maks dance....LOL.....let's just say ....yep the tattoo's are real.....LOL....and Maks and the guys were dressed like firemen.....LOL....and danced with a hose....LOL.....it was really cute....then the girls came out led by Peta....and did a kind of inspector dance....LOL....both of those dances they pulled someone from the audience to dance with and OMG...the guy the girls pulled up was hilariously into it....LOL....at the end Maks came out got Peta, taking her off stage (pretending to be jealous)  and said "babe what are you doing"....LOL...then she said "what?.. you had your hose out".....LOL....yep you guys know me and I don't have to tell you all how funny I found that....LOL....well I could keep going and talking about the show for a long time.....LOL....I am sure I will be thinking of more things to tell you all about for weeks to come....LOL.....over all though it was a great night and I will definitely go again if they do another tour.....at the end Val was speaking about the things life throws at us and I don't remember his exact words but he said sometimes in life you just have to do a "step, ball,change" and follow a new path that's been given you....well as you can imagine that just spoke right too me     

gotta run for now.....heading back to my cousin's to make Easter cupcakes and dye eggs....LOL.......but it was an amazing night...oh and my cousin and niece now have "Chmerikovskiy-itis" too....LOL......talk to you all soon (((hugs)))   

 
Awwwww, April...... SOOOO happy you had a great evening!!!. It sounds like the show was good fun and I'm sure that it was good therapy for you.  I was thinking of you last nite about 8PM here and figured it was over by then.  Hope "da boyz" had a good time doing their thing last nite as well!!  Very funny your cuz and niece are now fans too!  Maybe they will watch DWTS with us and chat??!!!  See what you can do!!!!

(((HUGS))))

Now that spring is sprung, if you've seen the movie "A Field of Dreams" with Kevin Costner, have you ever been to visit the movie "set" near Dyer (I think), Iowa??  We've actually been there twice...once when our daughter was still playing college softball (1994) when we went to bury my dad in western Illinois.  I just happened to pick up one of those free "things to do in the area" papers when we stopped at McDonald's to use the facilities a couple hours from our destination!  So that's when we decided we would spend part of a day driving there (like 70 miles from where we were headed!).  It looked JUST like the movie.

So in 2016 when we were in the area again to bury my mom, we went back to The Field of Dreams!!!  Still looked just the same except they had upscaled the little souvenir shop a little.

The purpose of this story--if anyone is interested or a baseball fan!!--is to post this clip about the Field of Dreams (no corn growing yet, but there will be in a couple of months!).  They have restored the inside of the farmhouse to be exactly as shown in the movie and it is now possible to rent the place overnite!!!  Hmmm....we may have to think about going back again....just for the memories!!

Here's the link---long commercial at the front but worth it!
http://video.foxnews.com/v/5761407488001/?playlist_id=2114913880001#sp=show-clips

Oh...and if you haven't watched the movie, I highly recommend doing so!  Think I may have to watch it again...great story!

Last edited by JetmamaDiDi (3/31/2018 11:11 am)