ANN ARBOR–Rusty Barron’s recent foray into jazz, ballet, and tap-dancing classes did not prove helpful in net Tuesday night as Ashley’s Ruination lost to Black Ops 1-4 Tuesday night on Stadium Ice.
“I had encouraged Rusty to take ballet or tap to help him with balance and flexibility,” said GM Mark Woods.
Unfortunately, Barron was not able to take advantage of his new skill set. His first attempt came on the shot from center ice, as he tried a grand jeté, only to misjudge the landing, which put him several feet away from the approaching puck.
Barron later attempted a pas de deux with defenseman Brett Vogel, with the goalie’s stick as a clever “prop.”
On the fourth goal, Barron went from an arabesque to a pas de bourrée to a battement frappé in order to make a save, but the result looked more like he kicked the puck into the net.
Said Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance, a popular dance competition featured on Fox: “I’m afraid it’s a ‘no’ to Vegas, but thank you so much.”
“That sucked,” said Barron. Whether he was speaking of the game, a specific goal, or the time and effort (and money) spent in the dance studio is uncertain.
Madam Slavka, Barron’s instructor told Ashley’s News, “He vill dance, and he vill love dance, for dance is love, and love is dance. Da.”