Jeanine Mason Talks Travis Wall Contemporary

The Classic So You Think You Can Dance Routine with Jason Glover

Sep 16, 2009

Season 5 winner Jeanine Mason recalls what went into the "If It Kills Me" piece, which became enormously popular with fans and judges alike.

Jeanine Mason’s technical artistry and scene-stealing humor had already kept her in the Season 5 edition of So You Think You Can Dance for several weeks.

But when she and fellow contemporary dancer Jason Glover drew a routine in their respective stylistic wheelhouses, choreographed by Season 2 finalist Travis Wall, she went from unheralded contestant to serious contender – and only gained momentum from there on her path to victory.

Jeanine was gracious enough to discuss perhaps Season 5’s finest moment, when the studio audience went bonkers and guest judge Debbie Allen exclaimed, with arms raised, “Touch-down! Touch-down!”

Working with Travis Wall – and (Finally) Jason Glover

JM: You know, I did and I didn’t. When I pulled Jason, I was so excited because he’s really like a big brother to me. He’s so amazing, such an amazing person. He and I were always the two that were dancing in the corner just choreographing, because we have such similar styles. We have a similar feel for music. I was always like, you know, I wish we would be grouped together. I had never gotten in my genre, never gotten a contemporary.

When we pulled contemporary, right away I felt something special was coming. And then right after, you find out your choreographer’s Travis Wall – he’s a friend of both of ours and a dancer we both look up to – and just a ridiculous choreographer as well. So I felt the potential and for a split second, I thought this is going to be something special.

But then I just got afraid. And I thought, oh my Lord, we have so much to live up to right now: two contemporary dancers in contemporary with Travis Wall. And it was just like … oh my gosh, I was so nervous.

As soon as we got into rehearsal and started learning the piece, I remember we were about halfway through the piece and I just felt like this is the week that things are going to change for us, and that we’re going to present something special and something unique that would hopefully touch some people. I was just so lucky to be a part of that, to have that week, because I really didn’t have anything earlier to show off my contemporary, and I didn’t have the chance to work with another contemporary dancer, you know? So it was such a breath of fresh air to be able to do that piece.

AH: I read somewhere that Jason said in your down time you didn’t even need to rehearse it, that it was something you both instinctively knew.

JM: It’s funny, because I remember getting the jive or getting hip-hop and literally rehearsing six extra hours on our day off, and just drilling it and drilling it. I remember we did it with Travis, we finished the piece, and on our day off, we didn’t even think about doing the movement.

I remember before show day, we were like, let’s talk about what it’s about. Let’s talk about that idea of wanting so badly to be with him, but knowing that I couldn’t, that I can’t take him right now. We had this whole story set up, but we never did the movement, because we just wanted it to be organic. We wanted it to be that special first time, you know what I mean? The first time that we got to share it and it would be on that stage. It just felt so right.

Performance on Show Night

AH: Everything came together. The right dancers were there, the right music was used, the right choreography and the right choreographer.

JM: Oh, thank you. It was a real special moment to me. I remember standing there on stage right before the music starts. And I try to explain this to Jason, but I can’t. I’m like, Jason, I was standing there and I felt – I don’t know if it was goose bumps or what – I just felt like something special was about to happen.

Then he came up in that first move, where he puts his head on the back of my neck, and it was just like the audience cleared out. We were just living in the moment of telling that story.

I will never forget that moment when that dance ended, and I just jumped up and gave him a hug, because it felt so good, and it was almost like I forgot that we were on stage. And I turn around and everybody was on their feet, and we just couldn’t even believe it. For the two of us, it was the first time we had such positive feedback.