Tristan MacManus Discusses DWTS And More, Ballroom With A Twist Pictures Including Emma Slater

What a fabulous interview with Tristan MacManus by MacManiacs.org. Tristan answers questions about Dancing With The Stars, the Holland America Dancing With The Stars At Sea Cruise, Dirty Dancing The Musical, Ballroom With A Twist, and more. Below are a couple of takes including his thoughts about the orchestra being let go. Be sure to visit the link for more. A great weekend read!! Instagram below is of Tristan and Gina Glocksen. Currently they are in Ft. Collins, Colorado doing “Ballroom With A Twist” which one fan reports was a “great show” Thursday night. Also below is a picture from Emma Slater from behind the scenes of “Ballroom With A Twist” in Ft. Collins.

We’ve recently learned that Harold Wheeler and his orchestra as well as the singers will not return for Season 18. Do you have any special memories of working with them? What did you enjoy most? What will you miss the most?

Yeah, I just read that the other day, and I have reached out to a few of the singers who I really like. It’s such a shame and I’m disappointed but I don’t know the reasons behind it and won’t really have an opinion on the new structure until we see or hear how it’s gonna play out. I think the singers and band are as big a part of the show as the dancers and celebrities and I think it will be a huge loss but unfortunately, just like us, everyone and every idea is replaceable. I hope that everyone moves on to bigger and better things and maybe it’s a blessing in disguise for some. Time will tell, I guess.

You were Dance Captain for Dirty Dancing. That must have a been a lot of responsibility and likely gave you a broader perspective as to what overall production entails. Would you tell us what that job was like and what responsibilities you had?

Dirty Dancing was great craic. I was the Ballroom Dance Captain so I was supposed to be teaching the ensemble and actors how to do the ballroom. I got to help some but not as much as I would have liked and I wasn’t allowed to make any changes (which annoyed me) to choreography. Some of the actors had been in the show a few years so they did what they did and left it at that. I would have liked to re-choreograph it to suit everyone in it better. Dirty Dancing The Musical is the same as the movie; you don’t change lines and you don’t change anything….at all – haha. The cast were the best people I ever met. We honestly all got on great with each other so I miss it a lot sometimes and I’m am still in touch with the majority of them. I was more responsible for the morale in the end – haha. Seriously though I had to clean numbers and if someone was sick I had to make sure the swings (covers) knew where to be and what to do.

In one of your venues for Ballroom With a Twist last summer you performed on a circular stage. How did you have to adapt the dancing for that?

Yeah. It was tough enough but great though. I like having everyone all around but you always have your back to somebody. It was tough because it was so dark and there was only one ramp exit off the stage so when you have been spinning and turning to keep everyone involved for the whole dance finding the way off in the dark was very amusing. We tried to catch each other out and send someone off to the far end until the lights came back on. Haha!