Janette Manrara
| Janette Manrara | |
|---|---|
| Born |
16 November 1983 Miami, Florida |
| Occupation | Dancer, choreographer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
Janette Manrara (born November 16, 1983) is an American professional dancer and choreographer from Miami, Florida. Originally a Salsa dancer, learning from her Cuban family, she formally studied dance from the age of 19. Manrara is best known for her appearances on the US series So You Think You Can Dance and British Ballroom Reality Television competition, Strictly Come Dancing.
Personal life
Manrara began performing in musical theatre at age 12, and started her formal dance training at 19, studying ballroom, ballet, pointe, jazz and hip-hop. Manrara studied Finance at Florida International University whilst completing her dance training.[1]
In 2009 Manrara began a short-lived relationship with fellow So You Think You Can Dance contestant Jason Glover.[2]
In 2015 Manrara got engaged to long time partner, Strictly Come Dancing and Burn The Floor co-star, Aljaž Skorjanec.[3]
So You Think You Can Dance
Manrara originally auditioned for the Fourth season of 'So You Think You Can Dance', however, failed to make it through to the top 20. She auditioned again in season 5 and successfully made it through to the top 20 where she was paired with contemporary dancer Brandon Bryant. Like Manrara, Bryant had made it through Las Vegas week during Season 4, only to be cut during the Top 20 selection. During her time on the show, Janette received much praise from the judges; both Mia Michaels and Nigel Lythgoe said that Janette was their favorite female dancer that season, and Lythgoe went on to say he hoped she would win the entire competition.[4] An Argentine Tango she performed with Bryant was the first dance on Season 5 to receive a standing ovation from the judges. However, Manrara was eliminated during week 7, along with contemporary dancer Jason Glover.
Strictly Come Dancing
In 2013 Manrara became a professional dancer on British TV show Strictly Come Dancing. Her first celebrity partner in the 11th series was fashion designer Julien Macdonald; they were the third couple to be eliminated. She returned for the 12th series and partnered actor Jake Wood, with whom she made it to the Semi-Finals and finished in 5th place overall. For the 13th series she was paired with TV Personality Peter Andre; they were the 9th couple to be eliminated. As well as her main series appearances Manrara has also taken part in one off specials of the show. In 2013 she performed a Quickstep with actor Ricky Norwood on the Christmas special. In 2014 Manrara scored a maximum of 40 points in 'The People's Strictly for Comic Relief' for an American Smooth with, 'Kidz R us' founder, Phillip Barnett. Manrara took part in the 2016 'Strictly Come dancing Live tour' with her series 12 partner Jake Wood. For series 14 she was partnered with radio DJ Melvin Odoom. They were the first couple to be eliminated after receiving the fewest number of public votes, there was no dance off due to fellow competitor Anastacia's injury. Odoom and Manara will reprise their partnership in the 2016 Christmas special, she also danced with canoeist Joe Clarke in the 2016 Children in Need special.
Strictly Come Dancing Performances
Series 11 – with celebrity dance partner: Julien Macdonald
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Vogue" | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 20 | None |
| 2 | Tango / "Applause" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | Bottom two |
| 3 | Jive / "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 22 | Bottom two |
| 4 | Salsa / "Spice Up Your Life" | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 23 | Eliminated |
Series 12 – with celebrity dance partner: Jake Wood
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Tango / "Toxic" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | None |
| 2 | Salsa / "Mambo No.5" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 3 | Waltz / "The Godfather Waltz" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | *40 | Safe |
| 4 | Jive / "All Shook Up" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep / "I'm Still Standing" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 6 | Paso Doble / "Black Betty" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | Safe |
| 7 | Rumba / "Strangers in the Night" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 8 | American Smooth / "Feeling Good" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 9 | Samba / "Macerena" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 38 | Safe |
| 10 | Argentine Tango / "Zorbas" | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 29 | Safe |
| 11 | Charleston / "Entrance of the Gladiators" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| Waltz-a-thon / "The Last Waltz" | Awarded | 1 | extra | point | 39 | ||
| 12 | Cha-cha-cha / "Boogie Shoes" | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Eliminated |
| Viennese Waltz / "When a Man Loves a Woman" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | ||
*In week three Guest Judge, Donny Osmond, gave Jake and Janette 8 extra points
Series 13 – with celebrity dance partner: Peter Andre
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Ain't No Other Man" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 30 | None |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Valerie" | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "He's a Pirate" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 4 | Tango / "Blue Monday" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba / "Thinking Out Loud" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 | Safe |
| 6 | Foxtrot / "Ghost" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 7 | Charleston / "Do Your Thing | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 38 | Safe |
| 8 | Viennese Waltz / "You're My World" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 9 | Jive / "River Deep, Mountain High" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | Bottom two |
| 10 | American Smooth / "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Eliminated |
| Quickstep-a-thon / "Sing, Sing, Sing" | Awarded | 1 | extra | point | 32 | ||
Series 14 – with celebrity dance partner: Melvin Odoom
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Loco in Acapulco" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 22 | None |
| 2 | Tango / "Moving on Up" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 | Eliminated |
Other Projects
Following her appearance on So You Think You Can Dance Manrara joined, Musical TV series, Glee as a principal dancer. She also made her "Burn the Floor - West End" debut at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, England on July 21, 2010. Additionally, she was part of the Burn the Floor US cast, which toured the United States from late 2010 through May 2011.
References
- ↑ "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Janette Manrara". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
- ↑ Windy City Times (2016-05-25). "4080 - Janette Manrara: Feeling the 'Burn' - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive - Windy City Times". Windycitymediagroup.com. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
- ↑ by hellomagazine.com. "Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara announce their engagement". Hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
- ↑ "So You Think You Can Dance: Chatting with Janette Manrara". www.buddytv.com. Retrieved 2015-12-27.