Vote for Izaak

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 08:48 PM

Prince George, B.C.- Izaak Smith performed a solo, a hip hop routine and a jazz routine tonight as he tries to make it to the top four in the So you Think you Can Dance Canada contest.

Izaak is getting some help, as all three Prince George area MLAs are asking for you to vote for the 19 year old from Prince George.

"This is a call to action for my colleagues and our constituents to vote for Izaak and to ensure he becomes Canada's favorite dancer," says Prince George-Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond, who rose in the Legislature today to encourage provincial support. "As the lone British Columbian left in the competition, let's show Izaak our local and provincial pride and vote today. Let's help him reach the Final Four and beyond. Let's vote and vote often."

"Congratulations to Izaak for his success on the show," says Prince George-Omineca MLA John Rustad. "This has been a great opportunity to highlight the amazing skills and services provided by our local dance schools such as Judy Russell's Enchaînement Dance Centre. We have world-class performers right here in Prince George and I'm pleased we can show that to the rest of the country."

"Time is running out so pick up the phone and call or text your support for Izaak," says Prince George North MLA Pat Bell. "Izaak has been a great representative of Prince George, showcasing his amazing talent on a national stage."

Viewers can vote as often as they choose by dialing 1-877-977-4603 which is the toll free number assigned to Izaak on tonight's show or you can text votes to 03 to 90909 for a cost of 75 cents. The results show will be held tomorrow night on CTV, November 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Izaak, aged 19, grew up and currently lives in Prince George. He has been a hip-hop dancer since age seven, studying at Judy Russell's Enchaînement Dance Centre and attending the North Shore Academy of Dancing. He is also trained in ballet, contemporary, jazz, modern and musical theatre.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada showcases dancers in a variety of styles, created by some of Canada's top choreographers. Viewers decide who stays and who goes as the public votes for their favourites following weekly performance episodes in which the competitors are assigned different partners and dance styles from hip-hop, krump and pop-and-lock to salsa, quickstep, ballroom, and jive.

At the end of the series, the winner will be given the title of Canada's First Favourite Dancer and will win $100,000 and a 2009 C230 Mercedes-Benz.

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Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 08:48 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: bohemian on November 26 2008 11:19 PM

People are voting for Izaak in a big way, but they are also voting for themselves in a big way.

With a chance, on a national stage, to perhaps make a small change to Canada's perception of Prince George, hundreds and hundreds in our community are sitting for two hours, hitting redial, often on more than one phone.

They know Prince George is so much more than a "gritty mill town," and they are expressing it by rallying around a great local dancer, and around each other.

Many posters on this particular blog feel a performing arts centre is not what Prince George needs, or wants.

I suggest the evidence points to a different conclusion.

Posted by: gus on November 26 2008 11:35 PM

It is all about winning at any cost, isn't it? I am proud that a community can get behind a person to support him or her. But I am not proud of the way it is being done.

Certainly not the type of practice I would like to see associated with any performing arts centre. Sort of like reporting there was a paying audience of 6,000 for one show when the place only holds 600 and the count was taken by people signing their names 10 times on an attendance sheet.

Posted by: He speaks on November 27 2008 7:00 AM

Way to go Izaak, this is your one break you were looking for. Even if you do not win, this is your break.

Great, now we need to make the doors even wider for Judy's head to fit through.

What are the MLA's doing, vote for Izaak, only if he is the best, not because he is local.

Posted by: numbers on November 27 2008 8:00 AM

Izzak sucks, he needs to get voted off

Posted by: bohemian on November 27 2008 9:55 AM

Re: Voting.

There are two ways of measuring in this case, and combined they paint a different, arguably more accurate picture than a typical proper election where you just mark an X.

First, there are the number of people voting - there are A LOT, and this shows broad support for Izaak.

Then there is the other measure, the more interesting one - the number of votes per voter. This demonstrates the STRENGTH of the support. Izaak has very strong support from many, and his performance last night (best in that particular show) proves he earns it.

And as the rules are the same for everyone and are understood by everyone in advance, the comparison to the "... there was a paying audience of 6,000" is disingenuous. This is a voting protocol, not a misleading report.

I'm not saying this is how we should vote for a PAC; that would be by the usual election rules. I'm suggesting that there is likely broader and stronger support for a PAC than people here tend to assume.

Posted by: duffer on November 27 2008 11:28 AM

Yes bohemian , we need a PAC for $60,000,000.00 to watch one person. Give me a break.

Posted by: gus on November 27 2008 12:13 PM

I do not believe equating a lot of people with a broad support is appropriate without identifying the geographic or area code data about where the support comes from. A broad support to me would be that 80% of those voting from the PG area vote for Izaac and at least 50% of those voting from Thunder Bay would be voting for Izaak.

Is such information available?

Strenght of support? As in I really, really, really, really, really, really, really think that he is the guy?

This is a phone bank machine at work. To call it a display of strength is rather ridiculous.

So there are x members who sign a petition. An indication of the strength of support for the petetition is how many times people sign the petition?

Who makes up these new math rules? Sounds like a vote in a dictatorship. If we cannot get everyone to vote for the right person, we'll get everyone who does vote for the right person to vote many times and the result will be a show of strong support.

And you actually honestly, deep in your heart, believe this, diplomat?

Posted by: gus on November 27 2008 12:15 PM

Sorry, diplomat, for slighting you name. I meant to say bohemian!!

Posted by: Death to Socialism on November 27 2008 12:16 PM

So do we vote for him because he's the best dancer or because he lives in the same sh*thole we do? Just curious.

Posted by: gus on November 27 2008 1:05 PM

Quoting from one of the posters on the blog that is part of the show's site:

"Izaak well, he is a little Houdini. He has escaped death more than anyone there so to speak. He had probably his best all around night last night (other than maybe his other Jazz), clearly has a very, very loyal fan base."

The posts that mention Izaak and rank him with others rank him at or near the bottom 6. His "fans" seem to be focusing on the part that counts, the phone-ins.

Posted by: robichal on November 27 2008 1:20 PM

I say this is not a popularity contest, it's a talent contest. If he isn't the best, he shouldn't get the votes. Simple.

Posted by: Fuzzy on November 27 2008 3:13 PM

Nope its a popularity contest...if it was a talent contest the judges who are supposedly the experts would be choosing. But No the public chooses....

and by the way the judges hammer Izaak and ignore or explain away the gaffes and daux pas of the other contestants... perhaps the public is doing a better job.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that Izaak is an extrodinary young man going through a once in a life time experience and each and every time he appears he does us all proud..

Win or not congratulations to Izaak and his family for such an achievement

Posted by: gus on November 27 2008 4:30 PM

This is a great idea. I think it is time that figure skating be judged in the same way.

Not only that, I think that people should be passed from one grade to another and one year at university to another by the use of this wonderful new tool.

Posted by: gus on November 27 2008 10:20 PM

He got voted off. It looks like an artificial level of votes was not able to sustain his movement to the top. As others got dropped, the votes may have gone to the better dancers rather than the most popular dancers.

I think that Izaak should be proud that he was selected to be on TV and that he got to the level of the best or most popular ten. I understand that means he will be touring the country with those 10.

Good for him! Good for PG.