In between rehearsals for the Fox reality show “So You Think You Can Dance,” Bensalem dance instructor Heidi Groskreutz reflected on the beat of Bucks County. Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey have a different rhythm than California, she said via a phone interview from Los Angeles. “People on the East Coast just tend to move faster. They have a different rhythm,” she said. “Out here, it’s much more laid back and I’m just not a very laid-back person.”Anyone who’s seen Groskreutz dance knows that’s very, very true.Her students at Bensalem’s La Luna Dance Studio, on Bensalem Boulevard, describe Groskreutz as a “Maserati” on the ballroom floor. She has danced her way into the top six finalists on the popular dance competition, which airs again Wednesday on Fox.Until then, she’ll likely just keep dancing. “Every single day, we spend between 10 to 12 hours dancing,” she said. “We have to be ready to go some days at around 6:30 a.m.“I just try to take many, many vitamins and get as much sleep as I can. I also try to eat as much as I can,” she continues, adding that she doesn’t need to count calories after 12 hours on the dance floor.Groskreutz has been dancing since age 3 and is a six-time champion of U.S. swing competitions. Her dream is that the Fox show will open doors to commercial work in television and movies and jobs that pay well. Being a dancer doesn’t pay very well, she added.“It got to a point where I was spending so much money on training that I didn’t know if I’d have enough money to eat,’’ she said. She also doesn’t buy into the myth that some people are good dancers and others aren’t.“Dancing is all mental,” she said. “With everything in life, it seems to be about staying focused. If you want to make something happen, you can make it happen and that’s what I continue to tell everyone I teach.”Groskreutz was born in New Jersey and moved to California when she was a child. She moved back to the East Coast and now lives in North Jersey.
Philly Burbs (story) and Heidi’s MySpace fanpage (photo)
