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DWTS VIP Light Up the Night Winter Tour 17-18

DWTS VIP Light Up the Night Winter Tour 17-18

#lightupthenighttour

I’ve had the pleasure of being a VIP for the last six Dancing with the Stars tours. From the first tour I participated in the VIP to this year’s tour I must say: It’s like night and day! They have improved them tremendously! So let’s talk about the details of the VIP!

Pre-Show: For my 1^st show in Charlotte I did the Front Row VIP Pkg we received the email 4 days ahead of the show. We had to arrive between 4:15-5:15 but, remember that varies by city so check your itinerary. VIP Hosts this tour are Jeff & Sam (Lindsay’s hubby)

Entering VIP: There were a lot of VIP’s but, the facility was awesome and let us in out of the cold so we could line up inside. Once we signed in I got my ticket, the VIP bag with a tall mug inside and the signed tour program. They did the lanyards with the letters on them again which is great so then they are only lining up small groups at a time for the photos.

Now on to the good stuff! After check in we were directed upstairs. We all grabbed a drink and met up with some other really nice fans. At about 5:30-5:45 they lined up the first group for the photos and the cast came in. Hayley and Brandon were in the mingle and Jordan, Lindsay, Frankie (all 3 will be consistent this tour) and then the other 2 will rotate and we had Emma & Keo. I will be keeping track so you can see if there is a pattern and potentially narrow down who might be in your city! Photos did go a little quick this time but, they did have a ton of people. You were still able to say hi to each person and say something quick. Hayley and Brandon were super sweet in the mingle. The lighting was tough where they were standing so I would suggest using flash when you have your photos taken if the lighting is tough.

http://lightscmemories.com/vip/vip-photo-list-dwts-light-night-winter-tour/

The VIP Nation 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 VIP Nation host, no selfie options in the main photo. You could however do selfies with the dancers in the Meet & Mingle. They did have a GIF area this time. I didn’t get a chance to get over there as I was catching up with friends but, will at a future show. 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 which drives all of the fans crazy because that is the one thing they all want and it took 5 days to post the Charlotte pics and I am beyond disappointed, the host clearly did not check them like they usually do because my eyes are completely shut in both pictures! That is not ok, people spend a lot of money on these packages, I can’t print either of my pictures! If I could change one thing in the VIP world it would be that the photos were up in 24-48 hours as that is the ONE thing the fans want to see more than anything but, the tour just started so we will see if the speed improves. UPDATE: I have done 3 more shows since opening night and I am happy to report that the host is now checking the photos before you walk away to be sure eyes are open. I was much happier with my photo from the Verona show and the Mohegan shows. I did want to mention though because it was brought to my attention that the fans in Boston will not be receiving their photos. They received an email offering a $100 refund and an apology that they would not be receiving their photos due to a memory card error. I know so many of you follow this page and I just wanted to say that I am so sorry to hear that happened to you. In all my years of doing VIP I never heard of that happening to an entire city. I know on one hand you have the memory of meeting them but, I also totally understand how disappointed you are not having the photo memory.

What to wear: Be comfortable & wear what you want. You will see everyone from dressed down to wearing beautiful dresses and everything in between.

Show time! I will be doing another blog on the show itself after my next one. I will say it’s really a great show. Very minimal crowd interaction this time, only Alan goes out for less than a minute to start off a # in the crowd. That was disappointing because fans love that so much. Jordan and Frankie are a lot of fun and the Pro’s just knock it out of the park with their high energy performance. More to come in a few weeks.

Suggestions for Tour Management: This is something I have been thinking about. For the Maks & Val Tour and the Derek & Julianne tours there was another top level tier package when you got pictures in the VIP and then got extra time with them backstage. I know the VIP photos are with “select” dancers (4 the last 2 tours & 5 this tour) at each city but, many fans have voiced their disappointment when their “favorite” isn’t in their photo since it’s a random rotation. I have heard many voice their displeasure at paying several hundred dollars but not getting a pic with their favorite. What if you added another ticket tier or made it with the front row packages that you get your pic with the rest of the VIP’s and then you are either taken down just before the show or just after and get a photo with the full tour cast? If you sold a very limited # of them it wouldn’t take that much extra time. That way you those that truly want to meet them all would have the chance and it would then add another tier package for you. I know I would sign up for that for sure!

If possible rotate the staff if you are doing two shows in one city. Some of us like to go to both shows and it would be great to get pics with two sets of dancers since you are paying VIP at both.

Bravo & Thank you: VIP Nation you always put together fantastic unique experiences and it doesn’t go unnoticed! Thank you so much to the tour staff: Mandy Moore & Ashley Edens-Shaffer, Directors and our dance captains: Jenna and Artem truly put together an amazing show that I think every fan should be sure they have a ticket for! The creative genius is obvious at every moment in the show. The vision and layout for this tour is truly worth 10 Stars! The crew and all the other behind the scenes individuals also deserve a shout out! The Dancers (Sharna, Gleb, Artem, Lindsay, Sasha, Keo, Emma, Jenna, Hayley, Alan, Morgan and Brandon all truly leave it on the floor each night. It’s emotional, it’s passionate, it’s raw, it’s FUN, it’s full of energy and I am so excited I will get to see this tour multiple times and have a new take away each night!

If you don’t have a ticket…Buy one today and if you are able to do VIP it’s worth the investment for this experience they have many different levels and price points too! Here’s the link for tickets/VIP package! http://dwtstour.com/

Want to see more photos? For many more pictures from the tour, past tours please follow me on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook @lightscmemories! If you have any questions that I can help with please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Where do I love to shop for fun outfits for VIP pics!

Fun concert wear!

Bebe: http://www.bebe.com/

Nordstrom: http://shop.nordstrom.com/

White House Black Market: https://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com/store/

Coach: http://www.coach.com/shop/women-wristlets

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

December 31, 2017

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars S25 Most Memorable Year!

Dancing with the Stars Season 25 Most Memorable Year!

#dwts

#dwts25

This is hands down my favorite week each season…Most Memorable Year. The emotion behind the meaningful dances is just beauty in motion. I cannot get enough!

Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson

#teamFranneypack

Quickstep

I absolutely loved what Frankie said in this package although it’s sad the reason why. He has had many injuries and has suffered many TIA’s which are mini strokes and his memory has been affected over the years from all of it. The TIA’s are absolutely not minor things. My Dad had one several years ago and it was a really scary week not knowing if he would regain full function. Being so young and dealing with them must be scary. It’s a beautiful way to live being in the present. I really adore Frankie and in so many ways he is one of my favorite reasons to watch this show. He has a love for the dance. I really liked their performance. I thought it was solid, it was fun, beautiful and had a lot fun content included.

Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke

#teamGetchaPopcorn

Viennese Waltz

Terrell’s year was the year his Grandmother passed. She was a huge part of his life stepping in as a main care giver in many ways in his life. She was such a key part of his life and his inspiration. He credits her for being the man that he is today. Their dance was beautiful and I think one of the best they have done to date. His height in this dance really was an asset because it allowed him to display beautiful lines. It was really, really beautiful and the emotion was raw.

Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev

#teamSmackDown

Contemporary

Nikki’s year was the year she made a comeback to the ring. She got an MRI and found out her neck was about to break in half. She is one heck of a fighter and I agree with her sister’s reference that she is fearless. She’s fierce in every way. Artem has such an amazing talent to choreograph dances but, he truly excels at contemporary and pulling the emotion out of his partner. Tonight it was a masterpiece performance. Their dance was absolutely stunning in every word. It was beautiful, artsy, powerful and a beautiful display of her story, her strength and I loved it!

Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd

#teamMomandPops

Contemporary

Nick’s most memorable year was the year he married Vanessa. Such a beautiful love story, he has his family he always dreamed of. Peta did an absolutely stunning job at putting together this dance tonight. It truly allowed Nick to dance with his heart and it was evident in every single movement. It was a beautiful masterpiece tonight and it was absolutely breathtaking. I love watching dances where you can not only see the beauty but, feel the raw emotion and you absolutely could feel it tonight. Len and Bruno’s scores were just wrong in my opinion. They are consistently underscored this season in my opinion.

Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas

#teamStark

Viennese Waltz

Lindsey’s most memorable year was when her Dad got cancer and lost his life. He seemed like he was such a light and fun character. I loved what she said that instead of being angry at what she was losing she was grateful for what she had. Their dance was light and beautiful and full of emotion. There was so much creativity, imagination and heart in the performance. Their scores were puzzling to me though, if another couple was lacking content of the dance they would not have been scored that high.

Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess

#teamHoopsandHeels

Jazz

Derek’s dance was for his daughter who had a rare eye cancer. They decided to try to save her eye through a new procedure. He walked away from his contract because he had to be there for his daughter. The surgery worked and really changed Derek. Their dance was really light, bright and fun and a sweet way to celebrate that’s daughter’s surgery worked and she is thriving in life. It had a lot of great energy and the moment after with his daughter was just so sweet. I really liked it and it allowed you to see into Derek’s personality and see how much he loves his daughter.

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold

#teamFishUponAStar

Contemporary

Jordan’s most memorable year was the year he was officially adopted by his grandparents. It was such a beautiful story of love and listening to them describe it was just a great example of unconditional love. I absolutely loved their performance. It was just masterfully designed by Lindsay and beautifully portrayed by Jordan. Oh my gosh that ending with his parents was just pure emotion in every meaning of the word. The dance really was perfection and really defined why I love this week on the show. Every movement had pure heart behind it. They got the first 10’s of the season from Carrie Ann & Bruno!

Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko

#teamAteam

Foxtrot

Sasha’s year was the final year of Pretty Little Liars, struggling with her health but she also was able to discover love and getting engaged. What a beautiful love story they have. I love the story of one door closing and another one opening. So often in life many will stare at the closed chapter/door but, it’s ok to turn your head to see what the new chapter will bring. I really just adore Sasha, she’s just real and I think she is inspiring far more women than she may realize being on the show. Their performance was so light, fun and a beautiful way to tell her story. They really have developed a great friendship too which is so fun to watch. It was filled with content, great happy energy and they should be very proud of this performance!

Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy

#teamBabiesandBallroom

Rumba

Vanessa’s year was the story of the recent birth of her son. I never knew Vanessa’s story that her mom left when she was young. She and Nick really have a similar background which really shows why they both value family as much as they do. With her last pregnancy she was on bedrest and went into Labor very early. Thankfully their baby was able to survive and made their family complete. Vanessa really is extremely graceful and you could feel the emotion in every movement of their dance tonight. Their dance was really exquisitely performed and seeing the emotion on both she and Nick’s face was just heartbreaking. It was filled with content

Drew Scott & Emma Slater

#teamHotProperty

Jive

Drew’s year was the year that changed his life and he went all in to chase his dreams of being an actor. His spirit was broken because he wasn’t making it as an actor. I loved his story on when he realized maybe I can combine my dreams of real estate and acting and that’s how Property Brothers was created. That’s such a key to life rather than give up you figure it out and find a way to make it work! Drew has improved so much and I wondered how the Jive would look with his height and I thought he did fantastic. What a fun moment to have Jonathan comes out and join them! Now that is a trio dance! So awesome! I really loved their performance tonight.

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy

#teamViVa

Foxtrot

It still amazes me every week to know what Victoria has gone through and to see all she has done since. It’s nothing short of a miracle but, what I love about her even more is her spirit. She never allowed it to break her and her positivity just exudes every week. I cannot imagine how hard for her parents this was as well to watch all that Victoria has gone through. I love what she said at the end too that she doesn’t like to sit now that she can stand. I really loved their Foxtrot. Val was able to create a dance that just perfectly displayed her triumph and all she accomplished. It’s just simply incredible! Their dance was just stunning in every moment, every step was just perfection in motion. Watching Victoria should make everyone believe you can achieve anything in life.

Third to go home this season: Sharna & Derek Fisher

I seriously do not get it this season. The last 2 eliminations were just flat out wrong in my humble opinion. I am blown away yet again absolutely wrong bottom 2 again. Plus the scoring this season has had me really scratching my head. Some are consistently being over scored and others consistently underscored even with great performances and/improvement. As a viewer I am having a real issue with that this season.

As I expected this season is packed with talent and great personalities. Voting will be even more important than usual to keep your favorites coming back week after week!

The tour dates and cast was announced!!! Excited for a good long tour this winter!!! For more info and more VIP & regular tickets go to: http://dwtstour.com/

For pictures from the tour this summer please visit my social media pages @lightscmemories!

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

October 10, 2017

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars Season 25 Premiere!

#dwts

#dwts25

I could not be more excited for this season! It’s a really great cast and I think it’s going to be a competitive season! Crazy it’s up to 25 seasons. I have watched since Season 1 and seen the changes over the years and this one should be special!

What an opening night! That was absolutely amazing! Bravo Mandy Moore!

We will miss Julianne as a judge this season but, nice to see Len, Bruno and Carrie Ann back. I have to say in a way I am glad the judges are scoring a bit low tonight. This gives all the partnerships room to grow and improve.

Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke

#teamGetchaPopcorn

Cha Cha

Wow I didn’t realize this was Cheryl’s 20^th season! I thought they were good, the height difference made it a bit interesting to watch and Terrell seemed maybe a bit nervous but it is the opening night. It was fun and energetic. I think with his personality and Cheryl’s coaching you will see him improve and loosen up as the season goes on.

Debbie Gibson & Alan Bersten

#teamSonBerst

Foxtrot

I am so excited for Alan to finally be a Pro! I think Debbie was the perfect person to match him with this season! I grew up listening to Debbie’s music and she has a fun personality! On a personal note I can understand part of Debbie’s struggle with Lyme disease. I went for an annual skin check and they found the bull’s eye on my arm it was in a spot I could see and for 3 months they loaded me up with antibiotics but, the symptoms you go through are absolutely awful and really you can’t understand until you have gone through it. They performed a beautiful Foxtrot! It was light, beautiful, and elegant and I really think this will be a partnership to watch this season.

Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko

#teamAteam

Cha Cha

I think this will also be a fun partnership. They seemed to have already formed a nice friendship. I thought they did well for the first week. Cha Cha is not an easy first dance to learn and I thought they did good. I thought it was fun, and it showed off Sasha’s fun, fierce and fabulous personality. I think you will see this partnership continue to improve and grow as the weeks go on.

Drew Scott & Emma Slater

#teamHotProperty

Foxtrot

You could not find a better match in personalities than these two! No pressure Drew, Emma won last season but, I think he is totally up for the challenge! Drew definitely came out full of energy and he is so animated which is fun to watch. It was fun, light and very energetic! I think first night energy might have got the best of him just a bit but, I think they will do good this season and continue to improve. BTW I loved Emma’s dress!

Barbara Corcoran & Keo Motsepe #teamSharkeo

Salsa

Keo and Barbara are just too funny together. This combo is going to be fun! Barbara definitely had the basic technique/steps of the Salsa down. It was a ton of fun to watch, they have a lot of fun energy and I think she exceeded expectations tonight.

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold

#teamFishUponAStar

Tango

Lindsay definitely has a partner she could go all the way to the end with this season! That was a killer first week performance and they should be excited with that performance. Lindsay is so creative and I think this will be another team to watch this season! They should be thrilled with their performance tonight!

Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd

#teamMomandPops

Cha Cha

I really like Nick and Peta partnered up. I thought they were really good tonight. They absolutely have potential to go far in this competition. Nick definitely has some moves! He is right 98 degrees wasn’t known for their dancing but, he was really good tonight. A lot of fun energy, hip action and good technique for the first week. Peta is such a good teacher and I think couple that was his determination and they will go far!

Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy

#teamBabiesandBallroom

Cha Cha

Maks and Vanessa will be a great match up personality wise. Vanessa was really good. She absolutely learned the technique of the dance and they are going to be a great partnership. They brought the sizzle, the energy, fun and I was impressed! I liked to hear what Maks said too about working hard. Maks is another fabulous teacher and working hard will take you far!

Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson

#teamFranneypack

Foxtrot

First up can we talk about Witney’s dress, gorgeous! They are such a cute partnership. I thought they did really good. Frankie was light on his feet, they seem to be perfectly matched for each other and they should be very proud of their performance tonight. It was beautiful and endearing. I love it when you can feel the emotion in the dance.

Nikki Bella & Artem Chiigvintsev

#teamSmackDown

Tango

First of all I love how excited Artem is this season! This is such a great match up! They were crazy good tonight! Nikki is very powerful and a strong presence! Nikki does what I do when I dance too it’s hard to look up when you are learning. Artem is such a great teacher too so I think they will do great this season! Artem might need some massages this season with all the body slamming.

Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess

#teamHoopsandHeels

Salsa

Derek Fisher has the moves! I think he and Sharna will be fantastic this season! Their dance was fun, filled with good content and they absolutely made a huge impression tonight. He has a real presence on the dance floor and I think as he continues to learn from Sharna they will be a team to watch.

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy

#teamViVa

Cha Cha

Victoria’s story is nothing short of amazing and inspirational. I am so happy she is matched with Val. She has an amazing spirit that just shines right through. They blew the roof off the studio tonight! Victoria should be so proud of herself that was amazing! Crazy high energy, great technique and her personality literally just lit up the room. Bravo!

Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas

#teamStark

Cha Cha

I thought Lindsey was good and with two very creative personalities I am sure they will be bringing us some great performances. I am a little unclear if Lindsey has dance experience or not so someone please correct me on that. I know she was in a video with Derek Hough in the past. They absolutely had a great performance tonight.

As I expected this season is packed with talent and great personalities. Voting will be even more important than usual to keep your favorites coming back week after week!

For pictures from the tour this summer please visit my social media pages @lightscmemories!

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

September 18, 2017