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Congratulations!!!
Trinity Inay ~ 3rd Place Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition
Thank you Trinity & Tina for allowing me to share a small part of your experience! It has been awesome getting to know you, your family & fans! Trinity, you & mother showed both great character & stamina throughout the entire competition, so hats off to both of you! Trinity congratulations again for how well you did! You are a strong beautiful dancer with a great smile & wonderful personality. You are a winner in our book! My whole family was following & rooting for you! We look forward to seeing where your career takes you next! Your future is bright!
Read Trinity's and Tina's finale recap. And if you missed her solo performance or you want to watch it again, click here!
How long have you been dancing?
I have been dancing for seven years and I’ve taken all forms of dance; Hip hop, ballet, jazz, musical theatre, contemporary, tap and lyrical. I pretty much have taken all of them at Allegro Performing Arts Academy. I focus on all genres so that I can be prepared for all types of jobs. What are your goals as a dancer? I want to be a professional dancer. I want to start at a young age because dancers do not have a long career. I want to enjoy my life as a dancer and do amazing things and go to amazing places. Those are my goals! It seems that your mother plays an important role in your life and she calls her self a “Dance Mom”. What is your favorite part of your “dance mom”?  Tina & Trinity
What I really love about my mom is that there has never been a point in my life that I never doubted that she cared for me. I think that is the most terrific thing a child could ever have. And because I feel her support so much it keeps me going in dance and keeps me going in everything. The reason I decided to do Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition is because I knew my mom would be with me. I know whenever I am in trouble, I can lean on her. She is my support! That is the most important and favorite thing I love about my mom!
You know how Abby Lee is portrayed on TV. Is she as fierce and as tuff as the show makes her out to be?
People do judge Abby by what they see on TV. I was so nervous because I did not know if that was the real her or not. When the camera was turned off she would change from TV Abby to like Abby who was really sweet and kind hearted person. When she talked to us during the show, she would refer to us as “kids” but when the cameras were off, she called us “sweetie”. I thought that was really cool! Abby could be pretty harsh with the truth but I liked that she didn’t sugar coat it. She wanted to give us a sense for what it is like to be a professional. She would say you need to fit this or you are fired. Yeah she was harsh but I felt like she was preparing us. That is how I thought about it and that is what helped me through it. What was the most challenging piece that you performed? It was a contemporary piece that was very interesting Tell me about your relationship with Urban Empire? After the show all of the kids were looking for sponsors to help them on our tour. My dad was a really good friends with someone at Urban Empire, so he approached them and asked if they would be willing to sponsor my tour, and they said yes! So they agreed to sponsor six of the AUDC kids to go on the East Coast Tour. Because of AUDC we all feel that it was a great way to get known in the industry so we wanted to take advantage of that and it was also a chance for us to get together again. We also feel it is a way to give back to Abby Lee for all she has done for us.
Trinity's Blog |
Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition - Season 2Episodes RecapEpisode 12 - Finale | November 13, 2013
Share Your Thoughts on Trinity's Blog Below The Finale Episode -
First of all, before I recap, I would like to thank everyone for supporting me on my journey. It has been a fun ride! The challenge was definitely a surprise. Pick our favorite routine and dance it AGAIN. Someone was going home today. We were just celebrating the night before. We were happy. We were all saying why can't they just divide the prize into 4 separate prizes. We were wishing a lot of things. I picked Q's hip hop routine. And it was strategic. I was called the Hip Hop Diva. I got Rachelle's fur coat. I got the drink of the water, the swivel of the Ipad and the fingerwave from Richie. Abby was speechless. I LEFT EARTH as Richie stated. Why wouldn't I pick this routine? Let's analyze for a minute. Medusa Duo would have been a good routine to pick. I had no duo partner, but I could have done it. Newsies was another routine that I would have done. I got the fingerwave for it. The fact of the matter is that I picked the most recent routine that I learned with the most positive outcome. To state that I didn't pick the right routine was just a different opinion from mine. I got to work with Tarua Hall again. She helped me form a story with my song and I think that my song fit me accurately. Stellar was the name of the song. I loved it. It was my dedication to my recently passed Grandfather. I wish that he was still alive to see me on the show. I wish both of my Grandfathers were alive to see me on the show. They would have been proud. My dance is for them. The parents coming into the room was MEH. MEH is my way of saying - Come in, sure, but your presence especially a negative one at that means nothing to me. Yes, I did make those funny faces. C'mon talking bad about me, a 13 year old child, and you are an adult! My mom just told me to let it go. Don't waste your time and energy. Think of your Grandpas. Ah, yes. Thank you Mom. Stellar
Elimination Night
It was nerve wracking especially having the Artistic Director of the Joffrey Ballet there. And then I thought - Okay, another judge, nothing I can do about it. Also, my dance is for my Grandfathers. Seeing my family on the screen, and my friends, mentors, teachers, and choreographer in the audience was the best thing I could have wished for. I was away from them for so long. I missed them so much. I loved the opportunity of being on the show, but I did miss my family and friends. I was looking forward to this day. Dad, Tristan, Trevon, Trelyne, Trelissa, Tresix, Gina, Tonya, Patrick, Kelly, Tammy, Kelly, Drea, Kennedy, and Gabby. Thank you so much for being there!
I danced my heart out in the group dance and my solo. I danced for my Grandfathers. I danced for the family I missed. I danced for my friends, teachers, and choreographer that came to support me. It didn't matter to me what the outcome was going to be. I knew that in my heart I did awesome. As we got down to the end, I placed third. I was happy. I danced my best. I danced for my family. I danced for me. No one else could change my attitude. The judges were there to give me feedback and I took it in as learning experiences. But in the end, I felt that I was a winner. I have definitely left an impression on the audience, fans, judges, and the dance world. I move forward from this awesome experience. I have an agent. I, now, model for Urban Empire. I am a 2013 1st Place Intermediate Elite Protege for the Pulse Dance on Tour. I am planning to attend and compete in the Australian Battlegrounds. I am happy for the AUDC 2 experience. It has opened the doors to other great opportunities. I get to work with some amazing choreographers in the dance industry. I have met some amazing people who love to share their love of dance with the world. Who could ask for anything else? One last note - Thank you Mom for being there with me. Through the good times and the rough times, you and I stuck together. We make a great team. Love you, Mom. Trinity Inay Wow! The finale was finally here. It went fast.
We were all happy that everyone stayed the week before. We were celebrating. We were happy. And then, the next day, the judges drop a bomb on us. The dancers had to pick their most favorite routine and perform it again. And then there would be an elimination. OMG! Hello! I understand why Trinity picked Q's routine. Smart move on her part. The judges wanted another routine but they did say pick the best routine and do it. Trinity did exactly what they said to do. In retrospect, yes, Newsies, and the Medusa Duo would have been just as good. But, when you only have seconds to select, you go with the most recent. I applaud my daughter. I really don't think the judges' opinion meant much to me. The elimination was very interesting. All I can say was that I am glad that Trinity was in the Top 3. I definitely have my strong opinion on the judges' feedback. To make a long story short, my daughter did AHMAZING! Trinity got to work with Tarua Hall again. Tarua was a joy to work with. She was firm but calm. It was a great a combination that Trinity needed to deflect some of the pressure and stress that she was feeling. The moms that came into the room - well, I am not going to spend any more energy on them. My daughter is in the Top 3. Elimination night - I was so nervous! I mean sure I wasn't dancing, but what Mom would not feel nervous for her daughter?!?! I know that my daughter always does very well, I have no doubt. But, that doesn't stop me from being nervous. When we walked out to address the judges, I saw my husband, Allegro mentors, and teachers. I saw Gina Starbuck, choreographer in AUDC 1 and frankly Allegro family in my book. I saw Trin's Allegro friends and I finally didn't feel nervous anymore. My family is here. Family is everything to me. My daughter performed both the group dance and her solo and I knew she danced from my heart. She looked radiant. She looked beautiful. And she was AWESOME! She danced for her family that she lost, her immediate family, teachers, mentor, choreographer and dance families. No judge could judge that. No matter what the judges said, she was a WINNER in my eyes. She came in third and we were just fine with it. We were ecstatic that Gianna placed second and McKaylee placed first. All of the girls were so deserving. At the end, we had to do post interviews and we ran outside to give hugs to her Dad and her dance teachers. I so missed my husband. And Tonya and Patrick, Allegro teachers, were a sight for sore eyes. Being away from our home and family for nearly 2 months was a very long time. I was so looking forward to going home. In the end, yes, Trinity placed third. The sky is the limit for her. We have had great opportunities presented to her. She is busy with her blossoming career. She is having the time of her life. And she is happy. I am so proud of you Trinity. Love you, baby gurl. Tina Inay Last note - I would like to thank Anthony Gardner and Friday Night Hip Hop for being an avid supporter of me and my daughter, Trinity. Anthony knew Trinity a couple years back because his son and Trinity would attend hip hop dance conventions together. Here is to lasting friendship! Episode 11 | November 13, 2013
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I was disappointed when I got the lyrical. Of course, I wanted hip hop. I love hip hop. I kept on reminding myself that I can dance lyrical/contemporary. I mean, HELLO! A Star of Two Sides and Medusa's Tragic Romance. Okay, I got this. In the vanity room, though, we all got into it, including the moms. At this phase of the competition, we were all under a lot of pressure. Emotions are definitely out if control. I walk into the rehearsal room and my choreographer is Tarua (pronounced Taura) Hall. Tarua is a great choreographer. She warmed up every dancer that she worked with. She is very soft spoken and has high expectations. She was awesome to work with. I was fine with playing the character Alice. I was fine learning the routine. I was having a very difficult time with the music. It was a rock song. It had strong guitar accents and hard singing. This wasn't the lyrical music that I was thinking of or used to. I was getting so frustrated. How do they expect me to elongate my lines with fast hard music? It did seem that I was being set up to fail. Yes, it did. It wasn't Gianna's or Cindy's fault but I was so darn frustrated. My mom and I worked after hours to find ways to soften my movements. It seemed impossible. I can tell you that I did not have high hopes for elimination night. Now, I am going to take a pause. I know that there are people out there and have supported me and would say to me at this point - don't be so hard on yourself. You can do this. Believe me at elimination night, I wished all my supporters were there. Before I went on, I told my mom, I was nervous. All this time, my mom was trying to get me out of my frustration mode and I was not budging.
Finally, she said to me, "you should be." Wow! I looked at her and I can tell you those words snapped me in place. I said to myself to dance my heart out as always and make this lyrical my own. Do what I got to do and don't worry about anything else. So, I did. Believe me I was fighting to dance this routine that seemed so opposite of what I am supposed to be dancing. I had nothing to lose. My mom just basically told me to go for it. When I was done, I knew. I knew that Richy and Rachelle was going to give me the feedback I was looking for. But not Abby, and that is where it counts - Abby's opinion. I mean c'mon this is the Abby show. Yes, her feedback made me cry. I tried to portray lyrical. On her eyes, I didn't. I felt so defeated. I was angry and yes I felt that I had to say something to Cindy. Was it the right decision? No, it wasn't. Am I sorry? Yes. I am human. I am a teenager. I have feelings. I have a breaking point. I was all of these things at once. People say that I had a bad attitude. I was disrespectful. Others sympathize and say that I reacted in the heat of the moment. That is why I say Practice makes progress not perfection. I am not perfect. I will make mistakes. I will learn from them. No one is perfect. At the end of the night, we were all shocked. No one was going home. We had a group hug. I made up with Cindy and Gianna. All was okay in the AUDC 2 for another week. Trinity Inay
The assignments were very interesting. Trinity got lyrical. I was okay with it. Trinity can do lyrical, not sure why this competition made her feel so insecure. She does lyrical at her studio for goodness sakes. I know I know- Trin loves hip hop. She is actually really good at hip hop. She wants what has given her praise time and time again. We get into the vanity room and all of a sudden the room explodes with the dancers and the mothers. Everyone was talking at once. We couldn't hear each other talk so we started talking louder. And then we were yelling. I could not hear anyone. I said Shut Up to someone. I could not figure out who I was saying it too. What the cameras did not show was that the mamas were actually laughing a little. That is what reality TV wants - DRAMA. So, we honed our acting skills and played out for the sake of the show. Don't get me wrong, we had a bone to pick with Cindy. But, we knew that the cameras were rolling too. Trinity and I walk into the rehearsal room and I like Tarua Hall right away. The music we had unfortunately wasn't a lyrical song, so I knew we were going to have a hard time.
At one point, during rehearsal, we were so frustrated with the song that Trin and I started arguing. Both of us were feeling the stress and it was impacting us. Trin was disheartened and I was trying to raise her spirits and hopes. Deep down inside, I was getting extremely worried. I had no doubt my daughter will rise to the occasion but I didn't know if it was going to be good enough to stay. We worked in the routine after dinner and we were having a hard time. After a certain point, I came to accept that Trin will fight and dance her heart out like she usually does. I am proud of her and whatever happens, happens. Elimination night and she performs. Her feedback was less than stellar and in her eyes she is going home. Please note - Trin works hard, dances hard, always gives her all and dances her best. To get weak feedback is defeating to her. It is very difficult to get her out of that defeated mode. What actually shocked me was when she felt the need to say something to the moms. I looked at her with disbelief as she talked to Cindy in an angry tone. We talked about it afterward and she did make up with Cindy. I understand that she was angry but I was not happy on how she reacted. As we stood on the infamous chopping block, I held my daughter's hand. We have been here before. Stay strong baby girl! And then Abby and the judges throw a curve ball at us. WHAT?!?! No one going home! Unbelievable! We were stunned. Final four here for one more week! WOW! Tina Inay Episode 10 | November 5, 2013
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It was awesome to see Asia. She is a DIVA in all her glory! I had a fun time battling with her. She and I are the same! We have the same build, we have the same ability. It definitely was like battling myself. Abby stated that Asia showed me up but then she also told me that it would be the dance to see if Asia and I did a duo together. I thought so too. I would have loved to do a duo with Asia. She is awesome.
Kalani won and good for her. She deserved it. And she had a great prize of picking a solo/duo and the type of solo. The way that Abby was talking you could tell that she wanted Kalani to pick the contemporary solo. But, Kalani picked differently. I don't think I would have done it differently. Why not do the style that you were successful in? Sounds logical. Well, I already knew what I wanted - a hip hop duo. I didn't care who with, I just wanted to do hip hop again. As everyone knows, I love hip hop. Jojo was standing next to me. And I do recall me tapping Jojo on the arm and saying - C'mon Jojo - you and me hip hop. I knew that Jojo was going to get the Diva chain next. Kalani and she were good friends. Jojo quickly stated that she wanted a hip hop. And, I know that Jessalyn and Jojo briefly discussed who to pass the Diva chain to next. I think that between Gianna, McKaylee, and me, I got along with Jojo the best. I mean Gianna/Cindy did not think highly of Jojo's behavior and Shari and Jessalyn just got into a huge argument in a previous episode. I was also secretly wishing that I would be next in line to pick the style that I wanted. Yay! I was right. I quickly picked hip hop. I was so happy that I didn't give it much thought of who to pass the Diva baton to, so I just picked McKaylee since she was standing next to me. McKaylee selected contemporary and Gianna ended up with Jazz. Rehearsal time and Jojo and I meet Q. He is a great choreographer with a East Coast Hip Hop style. The routine was fun and high energy. I loved it. Our moms had to put the costumes together for this dance. My mom and Jessalyn were talking and my mom commented that she really liked the color of my top on me. She also said that it would be cool to wear those tops as costumes because it said Abby Lee Dance Company. Well, credit to Jessalyn - she said that she has been saving up this idea on costumes and she thought this was the time to implement her idea. She had the idea of wearing a costume piece of each judge. So for example, have something that represented Rachelle, a vest top that represented Richy, and a top that represented Abby. I wasn't sure of it at first but my mom thought it was a great idea. I said, "Okay." I was more focused on learning the dance. And, whatever, the moms were planning were okay by me. Q is a great choreographer. He wanted his movements very exact so Jojo and I reviewed the routine a lot. Jojo and I knew that the competition was getting intense so we wanted to make sure that our routine looked awesome. Elimination night and here we go again. I was determined to prove that I am a contender in this competition. I was seriously stressed out. I did not want to go through what I went through last week so I was very nervous. Jojo and I got on stage and I danced my heart out. I was not going home. When we were done, I got the FUR COAT from Rachelle. They didn't show this but I, also, got the Drink the Cup of Water and the Twist of the IPAD from Richy. And finally, I got the SPEECHLESS from Abby. It was a tremendous feeling! To have 3 judges be in agreement with my performance was AMAZING. Here is where I give all my hip hop teachers from Allegro to guest teachers that come and teach at Allegro to all teachers at the dance conventions that I have attended - HUGE KUDOS! Credits, thanks, appreciation all go to them. In the end, I was saved and that is all that matters. I am still here for another week! Trinity Inay Trinity and I had a long night. It took a lot of energy almost being eliminated and then saved. I worried about Trinity. It was a hard night. But Trinity is Trinity. Again, she thrives on competition. She came back with determination. She wanted to come back and prove herself.
The battle with Asia was awesome. Asia is a dynamite package. I love her! Secretly, because she reminds me of Trinity when she was younger. Christie and I talked after the battle. We both thought the same thing. And for Abby to say to Trinity that Asia and Trinity should do a duo sometime was a huge compliment. Two Divas doing a duo - that would be an awesome! Kalani won the battle and good for her. She deserved it. It was obvious that Abby wanted Kalani to pick the contemporary solo but I think that I have to agree with Kira. Kalani picked a style that she was successful at already and she stepped out of her "Lyrical/Contemporary" box. Kudos to Kalani for being brave. And I thought that Kalani did awesome in her routine. While Abby was laying down the rules and Kalani was talking to Kira about what she was going to pick, I did overhear Trinity say to Jojo - C'mon Jojo, you and me hip hop. Well, I wasn't going to interfere. I was though silently thinking that I would not team up with Trinity in a hip hop number. It almost seemed like that Marie Antoinette jazz solo would have an awesome fit for Jojo. But, Jojo and Jessalyn decided to do a hip hop number and then pass the Diva chain to Trinity. I would have a gone a different route but so be it. The decision has been made. Trinity and Jojo go to rehearsal and Jessalyn and I have a brief discussion. I asked her - why did Jojo not pick the solo jazz number since she did so well with Rapunzel. And Jessalyn said that Jojo wanted to do hip hop. And she passed it on to Trinity because she did not want to end up potentially dancing a number with Cindy and Gianna. Okay, I said, but I did tell her that I think that Jojo would have rocked the Marie Antoinette number. Elimination night and Trinity was extremely nervous and stressed out. I thought it best that I keep my distance to allow her to focus and concentrate. When Jojo and Trinity went on, I knew that Trinity was going to do awesome. Determination was set and she was going to win the judges over. You go baby gurl! It got down to elimination and Trinity was saved. I was so happy. I did not want to go through what we just did during Nightmares Week. Big Hugs to my baby gurl! What made me more proud was that she held Jojo's hand at the end. It is always hard to see someone go. Proud of you, Trin. Tina Inay Episode 9 | October 29, 2013
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Where do I start? This episode was hard for me to watch.
Technique was the challenge. Okay, I would like to say one thing here. There are cast members that say my technique is not there or I have none. Well, let me make it clear - I have technique. My turnout may not be 180 degrees; I may not have the ability to place my foot to the back of my head (it's called a scorpion); and I may not have the leanest of legs. However, I have a strong core; I have the ability to hold my center and do multiple turns; I have the ability to jump higher and longer than the average dancer; I have the ability to pick up choreography quickly; and lastly, I have the power and strength. All of these abilities = TECHNIQUE. Okay, enough said about that! We went through the challenge and I got out. Did I want to win the challenge? Always! But I didn't. However, congrats to McKaylee for winning the technique challenge. She deserved it. I love her. I finally get to have my own solo. And it was a modern contemporary with the one and only - MATT CADY. Yay! I love Matt. I walk in and there is this bed. My mom said "Uh, oh!" I didn't know what the bed meant, but I had a feeling my mom did. He told me that I am portraying a possessed person in my solo routine. It was interesting dancing on the prop. It was a bit high for me so the prop crew cut it down a bit. There were also times that I would hit the metal part of the bed, so the crew added more padding. But, eventually, everything worked out. I absolutely loved my solo! My goal was to scare the audience and the judges; leave an impression of horror. Abby comes in and thought the routine was amazing. Yes, she did correct me on my feet. I took the correction but it did cross my mind - do possessed people really think about turned out feet? Well, elimination night came along and I was so stressed out. It was my first solo and I was very nervous. My mom and I did have a heated discussion. The pressure got to me and I responded to my mom with stress and anxiety. I saw my mom's reaction. We talked about it afterwards and I apologized. I love you MOM! Abby ripped into me. They didn't show the entire lecture she gave me. It was pretty harsh. Richy and Rachelle were more positive. I came back to the green room and was crying. I had a feeling that I may be on the "chopping block". And I was right. My first solo and I felt like I failed. The feeling of being on that chopping block was a feeling like no other. Would Abby send Kalani home? No, Abby likes Kalani. I knew. I was crying before she announced "Trinity, today is not your day." I was so sad. I was bawling. I could not stop crying. Why was I going home? I could not understand it. But, when Rachelle took out her calling card - I could not believe it! OMG! I am saved! I am safe! I am staying! I almost thought it was a fake and it didn't quite happen. Really? Am I really safe? My mom told me that we are not leaving. It finally sunk in. Afterwards, I was totally exhausted. The sadness, stress, and pressure were too much. But, I was still in the competition. That's all that counts. ~Trinity Inay Technique challenge. Okay, bring it on. The competition was getting intense. Yes, I agree with Trinity. She does have technique. Has she had to switch from her gymnastics technique to her dance technique? Yes. Was it difficult? Absolutely. But to say she has no technique is really downright untrue. Trinity did not win the challenge - oh surprise! surprise! But she did get a solo. I was excited for her. We walk in the rehearsal and there is Matt Cady with a bed and of course I think - EXORCIST. Okay, that classic totally scared me when it came out and it still does. Well, Matt decides to add a little "Grudge" in it too. And I am like - FREAKED OUT. I thought only Trinity could have pulled this routine off. I mean, who else could have really danced this routine? Elimination night and I could tell that she was stressed and nervous. I wanted to help. Of course, I wanted to help. But, when Trinity is in her mindset, it is hard to get her out of it. We were running out of time. I wanted to help her so that she was ready. Well, yes, we did exchange words. We did talk about it afterwards. We both got it. The competition was getting intense and getting to the both of us. I did tell her that I am not sure if it will get any better. We both made a pact to try to keep calm. Not sure if it will happen. Abby was indeed harsh. And let me make one thing clear - Trinity is a Level 8 competitive gymnast. She knows what a valdez is. She asked Matt, the choreographer, if he wanted a valdez. He said no. He wanted the effect of a possessed person arching back on to the bed. So, there Abby! Okay, okay, enough, it is over. Abby said - Today is not your day. I was very calm about it. I had to be. My daughter was hysterically crying. I wanted to be the strong support for her during this tough time. But, when, Rachelle used her call back card, I just about lost it. Unbelievable! A birthday gift two days early! Best birthday gift ever. ~Tina Inay Episode 8 | October 23, 2013
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The new challenge of the day was Jumps. I think I am an okay jumper. This time Abby was going to teach us the combo. It was a little different learning from Abby. She would state most of her moves and you would have to do them sometimes without any demonstration. When Shari stated that she was watching McKaylee struggling through the routine, she wasn't the only one. We were all trying to learn it quickly.
Abby states that the elimination for the challenge starts now. Well, okay, I wasn't sure I knew the entire combination. But, here we go. Travis, Kalani and I made it to the final round and then Abby decides to change things up again. She says that we were to do a series of jumps until she said stop. Oh boy! I knew that I was going to be hurting. Watching the challenge on TV, I thought that Travis, Kalani and I were doing really well. I thought that Travis was jumping as high as Kalani and me. Unfortunately, Abby wanted Travis to do more. I was, on the other hand, focusing on the jumps. My legs started to burn; I could feel myself getting tired. But, I wanted to win this challenge. I remember focusing on the camera crew that was watching. Tears of pain started coming to my eyes as I kept on jumping and jumping and jumping. I think I heard Abby yell, "Kalani, did you just stop!?" But, I continued to jump. I wasn't about to give Abby any excuse to start the contest all over again. It seemed like forever but finally, Abby said to stop. I think I about fell over. I was exhausted and my legs were aching. Abby was talking to me but I don't think I heard a word she said. I was exhausted. Now, I know that she said I won my fourth challenge. Now, that I look back, I was happy. Four challenges! That was a personal record for me. Jojo and I got a duo together dancing with ribbons. It is actually quite complicated dancing with ribbons. It looks easy but it is not. The practice ribbons kept on falling off. My mom and Jessalyn worked on getting the right type of ribbons so that it wasn't too heavy or too flimsy. Tarua, our choreographer, was very receptive in ensuring that we get a prop that would work well with our dance. I loved our costumes! They were red, white and blue and very cute - very July 4th, Independence Day. We did a group dance, also, which was very fun. Lifetime didn't show it but I think you can watch it online. It was our time to go on and I thought that the performance was going well. And then, our ribbons got tangled. Oh boy! I remember that Abby warned us not to get our ribbons tangled at rehearsal. I wonder what she was going to say to the both of us. Abby was very complimentary to me, telling me that I gave my 100+% even though I have immunity this week. Thank you, Abby! I will take the compliments anytime. Picking a person to save was the hard part. Again, I did not know who to pick to save. Travis, Jojo, and Gianna are all my friends. I felt sorry for my mom to have yet another hard task. I did state that I want to be able to compete against the best. Who was the best? I do not know. The bottom three are all amazing dancers. In the end, my mom saved Gianna. Gianna is an amazing dancer. It was sad to see Travis go. He will always be my Medusa Bud. Tune in Tuesday again for more mama drama in Nightmare Week. ~Trinity Inay 
Another day, another challenge. It was starting to become a routine for us. This time we were down to 6 dancers. The dance floor seemed so vast looking at it from the bleachers. Furthermore, the stage was propped with hay. Red bandana, hay - must be a Western theme.
It was Abby's turn to teach the combination. It was interesting to watch Abby teach and the dancers try to catch on to her choreography. I can say that all the dancers were having a hard time learning the routine. Well, it got down to the last three - Trinity, Kalani, and Travis. I am like, oh boy, another challenge - another reward that comes with a price. I mean, really, can the prize just this once be a cash prize or something!? Oh well, if it was that easy, then it would not be an Abby show. Abby decides to change things up a bit and have a jump off. Really?!?! Okay, well here we go. I watched Trinity jump...and jump...and jump. C'mon baby! If you want to win this girl, then go for it! I wasn't sure I wanted to be put in that same situation again, but I could see the determination in Trinity's eyes. Oh man! When that determination sets in, all competitors better watch out. My daughter is a fierce competitor. When Abby yelled at Kalani and said, "Did you just stop?", I was hoping that Trinity would have stopped, also. Nope! Not my baby gurl! I, then, looked at Abby and was saying under my breath, Hurry up, already! Claim the winner so that Trinity will stop jumping! She finally did and I watched as Trinity collapsed to the floor. Well, I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice and run up to her to see if she was okay. Didn't need another Abby lecture like the one from the Silks episode. Trinity sat up and looked at me and worded to me that she was okay. Okay, good. So, now the reward - save someone from the bottom three, was looming in mind. OMG! Well, I was planning to use the same strategy as I did before. Listen to the judges and their feedback. Make the decision fairly. Trinity got a duo with Jojo. It was a ribbon dance with an American pride theme. I thought it was really pretty with the ribbons. The ribbons were a little hard to dance with, however, but it ended up being okay. Elimination night, the routine was not quite together. There were timing issues between the two dancers. But, the audience appreciated it and was clapping in time with the music. Everything was going well until the very end when the ribbons got tangled. Ugh! Gee! Abby is going to just blast the two dancers for that little mishap. On the contrary though, Abby was very nice to Trinity. We are always expecting the worse, so when she says something nice, we are pleasantly surprised. All the other dancers went on and then it was time to save someone. Trinity and I actually took a little longer than what was showed on TV. But, I do have to say that I was proud of my daughter for her response of wanting to be in the competition to compete against the best. Her response came from her heart and it was real. I am a very proud mama! I decided to save Gianna because she is an amazing dancer. Don't get me wrong. Jojo and Travis are awesome dancers too. But, after thinking about the judges' feedback and hearing from my daughter, I thought that it was the right choice. In the end, it was sad to see Travis go. Trinity and I will miss him. The next week is Nightmare Week. And yes, there will be quite a few surprises and some major mama drama. Stay tune! ~Tina Inay Episode 7 | October 15, 2013
Share Your Thoughts on Trinity's Blog The challenge this week was turns and the theme was Fairytales. The first thing that came to my mind was Disney Princesses. Leslie, the ballet mistress, was extremely knowledgable and nice. I liked the combination. It was fun. But, Abby waved her magic wand at me and said, "Poof, be gone!" Oh well, as much as I would like to win all the challenges, this was not one of them.
When Abby said to do the combination on the left side, I was a little relieved that I was sitting down. The "reverse it on the other side" trick always catches all dancers off guard. I think for the most part that everyone who was still in the challenge did well. Travis and Kalani were awesome. Both of them deserved to win it but in the end Kalani won. Good for her. The scene with Abby and Sheryl totally surprised me. I wasn't there so when I saw that I was shocked. I think I would have just swallowed my gum. Sheryl is a nice person and I thought it was totally fine that she had gum in her mouth. She wasn't in the challenge or in any of the dances per say. But, with what happened the elimination night before, I think Abby was still not happy of what happened between Tyler and Travis. The dances were formed and I found out that I got a contemporary duo with Ally. And the choreographer - the one and only - Tessandra Chavez. I love Tessandra. Her routines are awesome. My role was a wood princess that is not being treated nicely by her stepmother. In the end, the roles are reversed and I end up being the mean stepdaughter. Tessandra's choreography was flawless as usual. I loved the costume, choreography and storyline. The great big royal chair was fine to work with. The cape was a little more difficult because it was a little heavier fabric and just shaped differently. Overall, I felt very good about the performance. The challenge was turns. I think I turn all right. It was sort of difficult trying to get the hood of the cape on my head right. It was a quick turnaround to get it on me and to walk out from behind the royal chair. At the end, I had to flip it out of my eyes. My mom and I were "quiet" this episode; not too much drama with the other cast members. It was actually quite nice. I am not sure it will be that way next Tuesday. I guess we will all have to watch and stay tuned. ~Trinity Inay Trinity had a great last week being named Abby's favorite. But, here we were again another challenge. The challenge is time was turns. I am like "okay", Trinity does well with turns. Let's see how it will work out. When Abby said that the winner would get a private with her, I said, oh well, that sounds like a good prize. But, before I knew it, Trinity got the "Poof, be gone!" from Abby. Oh well, no worries. My daughter has won challenges already. We can share the wealth a little bit.
When Abby said to switch it on the left side, I actually sighed in relief. Whew! Trin and I smiled at each other and we thought the same thing. Okay, we got out of that one on time. We were both routing for Kalani and Travis. Both of them deserved it. But, in the end, there can only be one. Congrats to Kalani. Trin got paired up with Ally in a contemporary duo. I was so happy that Tessandra was choreographing it. Tessandra is amazing. Now, get this, Trin got the part of the princess and I actually chuckled. I thought, yeah, she can be the princess alright with some Wu Shu training. Love it! Elimination night came and the same jitters were there. Hopefully, the judges will like the routine and see that Trin is indeed a turner since the challenge was turns. Abby was hard as usual. But Richy and Rachelle were very positive. I couldn't tell which way the judges were going to sway. Would it be in Trin's favor or not? You can never tell with AUDC 2. What I did forget is the scene of the pillow throwing. I thought I threw a pillow. But, I threw a water bottle instead. I think I almost hit one of the camera crew. Oops! I guess, there wasn't a pillow near me. Trin and I watched it and we were laughing so hard. Oh boy! Sometimes having humor during a stressful situation is good. Trin was saved - Thank Gosh! And we survived another elimination night. Whew! Onward to the next challenge. ~Tina Inay 
The challenge was awesome! I love Rachelle! She is awesome and, man, she can dance! I mean a front aerial to the floor and a side aerial in heels?!?! I am a gymnast but doing those tricks in her heels was AMAZING!
I was happy that McKaylee won the challenge. Good for her. It is always a good feeling to win a challenge (some of them initially at first). And, for her to get the first solo of the season was a great reward. Kudos to McKaylee! I was so excited to have a hip hop trio. I LOVE hip hop. Shout out to my crew - PURE! This was my first dance with Tyler and my second dance with Jojo. I thought - yay! this will be fun. Also, Eric Sarangpot is an awesome dance choreographer. I love his style of hip hop. Eric had not worked with me on the show yet, so he asked if I danced hip hop before. I think I said, "yeah, a little" or something like that. I didn't want to be so forward in my response because I did not know what hip hop style to expect. The hip hop number was a Newsies inspired hip hop number. Eric each gave our moms a brief summary of Newsies history and gave us homework to learn about the newspaper boys of the 1890's and the struggles they went through before making a stand. He told us that this is not a happy smiley hip hop. These newspaper boys have had enough of the unfairness in their line of work and they were letting the world know it. I said, Cool! I can dance hip hop like that. The costumes were awesome all the way down to the type of socks and hat. I loved it! It totally fit the characters that we were portraying. It also reminded me of a Newsies dance that my sister did. Did I feel confident come elimination night? You never know what to expect. I have seen Dance Moms and saw the style of hip hop that Abby Lee Dance Company dances. The styles were so different. Will Abby like this style of hip hop? I just didn't know and I surely did not want to assume anything. The number started and I said to myself - I gotta impress those judges. I gotta prove that I am worth keeping. Watching the show last night, I saw my mom supporting me on. I love that. We are so much alike. To be called Abby's favorite dancer of the night was totally unexpected. When she called my name, I thought - Oh no! Here we go again. She will say something that she didn't like and so on and so forth. But, to hear that she was impressed with my dancing and that I am definitely a contender was like winning the lottery. Was I shocked by Tyler leaving and then Travis wanting to go home with him? I was shocked that Tyler was eliminated. I am always sad when a dancer leaves. But, Travis wanting to leave with him was actually no surprise to me. Tyler and Travis are so close that they are almost one person. It is not the same without the other. I am glad, though, at the end that Travis decided to stay. ~Trinity Inay 
Oh boy, here we go again. Anxiety and excitement sets in. The dancers were told to "dress up" in this challenge. Trinity and I were like okay. We weren't sure what to expect but we picked a costume that would stand out. Trin picked the heels because she had a gut feeling. I said go with your gut!
Rachelle walked in with her famous heels, a leotard, and her SAS shirt. I was so excited. Rachelle is a great person. Her feedback to the dancers are so genuine and caring. It is great to hear. And she definitely is fit! She started her routine and my eyes bulged. It was fast, hard, and fun. The first thing I thought was Trin is going to have fun with this one. Was I bit worried? No and yes. Winning a challenge is great but the prize is not always what I consider a prize. McKaylee won the challenge. I was happy for her. And she got a great reward - the first solo of the season. When I heard she got a hip hop trio, I almost fell out of my chair. Hip hop is one of Trinity's favorite styles of dance. She loves it, thrives in it, and kills it on stage. However, I did not want to get too excited. I didn't want to assume anything. What type of hip hop style was it? Will she pick it up easily? All kinds of questions came to me. In the rehearsal, I watched Trinity as Eric asked her if she did hip hop before. I am so glad that she answered humbly and quietly. Again, no assumptions. As Eric worked with her, he decided to give her a nickname. He started calling her "T" because it was easier said when teaching choreography and making corrections. I liked it. I did see that part where Eric moved Tyler from the center and moved Trinity there instead. My heart fell for Tyler. It is not easy for any dancer to get moved from the front and center. Elimination night came and I was so glad that I did not have a major role to play other than being a supportive mom. Standing on the side of the stage was quite stressful in itself. And yes, I did scream - get it baby girl! Hey, I am proud mom! I get pretty loud when my children are dancing! And to get another finger wave from Richie was awesome. Line up time and Trinity was called up by Abby. My heart raced a little bit bracing for the negative but Abby actually had great things to say. Whew! I can breathe a sigh of relief. When Tyler was eliminated, it was sad. Tyler is a great kid. But, when Travis spoke up and wanted to go home with his brother, I thought, oh no! Abby is going to flip! And she did. The other two judges helped to reason with Travis too. In the end, I am happy that Travis decided to stay. He has a lot to offer. And, it took a lot of guts to speak up to Abby. Good for him. ~Tina Inay Episode 5 | October 1, 2013
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