Guest Blogger: Sandra Chen!
(Sandra is one of the best assistants I could have ever asked to have on this blog journey and I was thrilled to share this experience with her…HD)
Hi guys! So happy to be featured in this guest blog by Heather, it’s amazing and such a pleasure! I’m going to be telling you all about my amazing experience doing the DWTS We Came To Dance Tour VIP. First of all, I have to thank Heather again for this opportunity to meet my favorite dancers and watch an incredible show up so close. It was the best time of my life, and I loved every second of it. Forever grateful for that experience and to have met the wonderful person that’s Heather.
Wow, I don’t even know where to begin! I was so nervous all morning because I never done this before and meeting 4 of them all at once was just so nerve-wracking! When we had checked in, I got more excited than nervous though especially after receiving my cute tote bag and the gifts in it. Also getting that VIP lanyard just made me so happy, I still keep it in my room where I can see it every day to remind me of the best day ever. So my meet and greet was with Sharna, Val, Artem, and Laurie! I was glad that Heather went before me because she was so sweet to let them know I was coming in next and that it was my first time doing m&g! Laurie peaked to see who was next and saw me, and gave me such a big hug, she’s adorable. Heather was still in there talking to the others, but I was on the side chatting with Laurie! I got to tell her about my gift and she thanked me for that, and also remembered meeting me from the GMA cast reveal. I know m&g is super fast, so I’m glad I got to have a little conversation with Laurie before the pictures. I went down the line hugging everyone, and wow they give the biggest and best hugs. I was so speechless so I just kept saying thank you and it was nice seeing them. Then I requested to get the picture of Sharna and I hugging, and she was so sweet about it and said of course. Laurie & Val ended up hugging each other, and I wish Artem joined me & Sharna but I didn’t want to take up too much time and totally got nervous to tell him to join. They were all so humble and kind, I really appreciated it and definitely loved how my pics turned out! I also thought I had to go around to exit but Artem led me out through the curtains and held it for me, such a gentleman. That part of VIP was amazing, I couldn’t stop smiling!
Afterwards, it was time for the mingle with Hayley & Lindsay! So glad they added this to the VIPs because it gives you so much time to be able to really chat with them and take individual pictures. I was beyond happy that Hayley was in my mingle because I really wanted her there. I got to talk to her multiple times and take pics with her, and sometimes we’d just go back if nobody was talking to her. One of my favorite moments talking to Hayley was telling her about me and Erica’s name in the jive she does, and her laugh is the cutest thing. She really made this VIP experience so special. Lindsay was super sweet to meet again, and when she was leaving she even helped give my gift to Laurie. I loved how interactive they were with fans! Both the m&g and mingle was absolutely perfect, even better than I expected. Moments I’ll treasure forever!
We got to sit in the second row right in the middle, and I had such a perfect view. It was unbelievable how close I was, and the whole show there was so much contact made between me and the dancers. You can also hear things they say when you’re so close up, and it was just wonderful. The show was absolutely perfect, everything to the costumes, dances, voiceovers, made this show incredible and really made me connect with them more. My first VIP experience was just indescribable and made me so happy, I smile just thinking about it. Thank you once again to Heather, the whole cast, and friends who experienced this with me. If you can, definitely get VIP or just general tickets to the show because wherever you sit, it’ll be an amazing time for you. January 21st, 2017 is a day I’ll remember always! XO -Sandra
Questions/Answers:
1.) What was your favorite dance and why?
This is a hard one because every single dance was amazing to me and special in their own way. I have to say Hayley & Val’s contemporary piece was just stunning, made me absolutely speechless and the emotions put into this piece really touched me. Jenna & Artem’s contemporary was also so beautiful, I really enjoyed watching that and even teared up a little. A favorite group dance of mine was definitely the choreography piece because of the amazing voiceovers they did which really connects to the passion/love they show on stage when they dance.
2.) What was your favorite part of your first VIP experience?
The mingle for me was definitely a highlight of my experience, it was just so nice to have time to be able to talk to them, thank them, laugh, and take pictures!
3.) What if anything surprised you about the VIP experience?
More unexpected than surprised, but I didn’t think the whole m&g/mingle was going to be as long as it did. I thought both would be very quick and you’d be done, but it wasn’t and that made me really happy. Also I knew we were in second row, but did not expect to be SO close to stage… it was amazing!
XO
Sandra
I am attending 5 shows on this tour and have one more to go in Costa Mesa on the last night of the tour and did VIP for each. If you want to learn about their amazing VIP experience check out this link: 
This year’s tour really focused on each dancer’s story and it was so beautifully put together. You would find yourself laughing, in tears, with goosebumps and just sitting on the edge of your seat. To highlight just a sample: Val and Laurie perform a few of their favorite dances from the season, there is a section on favorite movie dances that is just fun and stunning at the same time, special dances for just the men and just the women and a lovely moment as Emma shares the story of her engagement. The girls and Artem perform a fun Spice Girls number that will really take you back. I loved the opening & closing numbers and the piece they all participate in on how they put together the dances each week. There is also a section after intermission that will leave you in stitches it is so hilarious. 
Jenna Johnson performs a really amazing number to Seduces Me that is just breathtaking. Sharna & Val perform a high energy jive that just totally rocks and Sharna performs a steamy tango with Alan that I just loved! Alan and the ladies perform a special number that will leave every man in the room jealous of him. Artem and Gleb heat up the stage in their respective pieces that tell their stories. Lindsay hits all the right notes in her dances too including the one she dedicates to her Dad…Crazy Train. Keo also has some moving pieces to his life story and a rumba with Emma. Jenna and Artem perform a special piece from La La Land that is visually and emotionally stunning. The contemporary numbers that Jenna & Artem and Hayley and Val do are so beautiful and passionate. The number that makes me cry and I get goosebumps every night is Sharna’s story. I don’t want to spoil it for those that have not yet seen it but, it’s a story some can really relate to and will pull at your heart strings for sure. This was just a quick highlight of my thoughts. All of the performances are just amazing!
VIP Shout Out! I was thrilled to see that we have one of VIP Nation’s best hosts Anthony Jones for this tour! He also did the Maks & Val Tour this summer. He is not only a really nice guy, he gets it and works to post pictures as quick as he can (remember we all have to be patient), he checks the photos after he takes them and truly cares about the customers. High-five Anthony when you see him in your city because he really is a rock star for the fan experiences!
Now on to the good stuff! After check in we were directed upstairs. For this venue the layout was a bit odd compared to other venues I have been to but, they have to work with the space the building offers. We didn’t wait very long at all when they started telling Group A to line up. A few minutes later we saw Keo and Alan coming our way, it was their turn to do the Meet & Mingle! It appears that it’s all rotating like last tour (2 in the Meet & Mingle and 4 in the photos with Val & Laurie being consistent ). To give you an idea for our cast photo we had Val, Laurie, Sharna & Gleb. I will update this after each show to give you all an idea:
The photos were wonderful as always, it was my first time meeting Laurie & Gleb and it was so fantastic to see Val & Sharna. Anthony takes great care in taking the photos for us. The staff is also very kind, nobody is yelling at you it’s a pleasant experience. You do have to leave your purse, bags and anything else on you at the table and you cannot ask for autographs etc. at the cast photo portion. This year too it was one professional photo taken by Anthony, no selfie options in the main photo. You could however do selfies with the dancers in the Meet & Mingle. The green screen operator for this city wasn’t the best at taking the shots and they were having issues with the Wi-Fi not being fast enough so the green screen pictures were very hit or miss on if you got them in your email. However, Anthony with VIP Nation being the rock star host that he is, is already on it for us! I noticed today in the photos link there is one for the Meet & Greet pictures and then one for the Photo booth. That was smart thinking to just upload them all vs having issues city to city with Wi-Fi. After the photos were done and the dancers all left to get ready for the show you could go to the merchandise stand and do some crowd free shopping which was also nice.
Please note on the pics: the itinerary says up within to 2 weeks. I know it’s super hard to be patient but, I know Anthony will post as quickly as he can. He is one of the best in speed to get them posted.
You will get to see a few of the best dances of our Mirrorball Champions Val & Laurie and a few other truly amazing performances by the cast from this season. However, my lips are sealed on more details for now so you can be surprised and enjoy the shows in your city.
It sounds like this tour will be even more incredible than the last so definitely don’t miss out!
I have been a fan of this show ever since Season 1 and I have to say this season will be a hard one to top. The entire cast truly came in with a great attitude and really put in the effort. It was hard not to fall in love with the personalities and stories of each of our stars this season. There were so many shining stars.
I want to give a huge shout out to the Season 23 Dance Troupe: Brittany Cherry, Alan Bersten, Hayley Erbert, 
On to the finale:
It was too fun to watch Maureen McCormick live her huge fan dream of dancing with Babyface, Ryan, Artem, Keo and Dennis tonight. Maureen was one that I truly felt grew a lot this season. It’s always fun when a star is also a fan of the show because it allows us at home to live it through their eyes.
I loved the friendship that developed between Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry this season. Vanilla’s performance was a fun blast from the past and even though they might not have been the strongest dancers the partnerships between Witney/Vanilla and Emma/Rick were fun to watch all season and both did work hard.
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe 
The gift that James gave to Sharna of the race suit he wore the first time he raced again after his accident was truly sweet. Sharna truly put together the most amazing piece to close the chapter on James’s survival journey. They performed a fusion dance of Foxtrot & Viennese Waltz. It was absolutely beautiful. James demonstrated all the grace in his movements and it again highlighted the beautiful friendship that developed between them this season. It was stunning.
Calvin & Lindsay 
Calvin & Lindsay did a Jive & Quickstep fusion. Calvin and Lindsay almost developed a big brother/little sister relationship this season. Calvin should be so happy with his journey this season. He grew immensely and I think kept his attitude on the fun this entire season. He was a joy to watch! Their fusion dance was a lot of fun, high energy and again showed off all the great dance qualities that Calvin brought to the floor.
Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy 
Val and Laurie had a Foxtrot & Argentine Tango Fusion dance. Their package was so adorable. It was sad hearing them talk about this season ending. I think Val was a tremendous positive influence on Laurie. Laurie grew so much before our eyes and is truly a remarkable young lady. Their fusion dance was incredible. Laurie had that fire, pure determination and the look of champion in her eyes when they started that fusion dance. I do disagree with those that felt Laurie had an edge this season because of gymnastics. Laurie was the first gymnast that didn’t use the tricks in the dances this season. I can speak from personal experience at a lower level. I was a cheerleader and when I started taking ballroom & latin dance lessons it is totally different and definitely not easy to learn to dance with a partner.
More on the finale…
ce number was also choreographed by the amazing Mandy Moore. This was truly remarkable. It was creative, it was a technical and visual delight the way she was able to bring the story into motion using the special screen to make the young girl’s dream a reality. It truly was an absolute Masterpiece!
Sharna & James and Val & Laurie were the final two couples and truly they were both so good it could have been a tie this season. Each partnership just had that special something. The talent, the creativity of Val & Sharna with their respective partners was just unstoppable this year. I would have been absolutely thrilled if their partnership had won.
I absolutely cannot believe we are at the finale already for this truly amazing season! First up welcome back to Len! Tonight one couple will be eliminated and the final 3 will compete tomorrow doing a special dance fusion for the final judge’s scores. Train did a great job on performing their new song and Artem, Cheryl, Keo, Alan performed a fantastic dance. I also loved the special performance of La La Land.
Calvin & Lindsay (Viennese Waltz)
Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko (Tango)
Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy (Paso Doble)
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Foxtrot)
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Argentine Tango)
nce experience you have to trust and just be able to feel everything. I LOVED their Argentine Tango it was sexy, intense, filled with fun content and that hand stand at the end was just so good.
Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber (Rumba)
ek. Loved Carrie Ann’s quote: “Quality of the movement was like the quality of you, it was untouchable”. Well-deserved PERFECT score…BRAVO!
Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko (Quickstep)
Calvin & Lindsay (Tango)
ink Calvin improved a lot as the season went on but, I am not as engaged in them as a partnership.
Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy (Foxtrot)
Elimination Time: It was so sad to see Terra and Sasha eliminated. They truly have been amazing all season, Terra showed the world nothing should ever hold you back from trying something you want to do. Sasha and Terra seem like they will be forever friends. It was one of those amazing partnerships you see develop on DWTS that you will always remember as truly special and Terra should be very proud of herself for a tremendous job on DWTS!
Marilu & Derek
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Jenna filling in for Sharna)
Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko
Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy
James/Sharna & Calvin/Lindsay: Paso Doble
Marilu/Derek & Terra/Sasha: Jazz
Jana/Gleb & Laurie & Val: Contemporary
Eliminated tonight was Marilu & Derek. Marilu should be proud of her journey on show this season. She made a lot of strides from the first few weeks and I am glad on the night she was eliminated she had one of her best, most relaxed performances.
Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber
Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke
Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Jenna filling in for Sharna)
Jana & Gleb
