The friends of 18-year-old Channing Cooke were on edge last night as they awaited news of the Haverhill dancer's fate on the hit Fox reality show, "So You Think You Can Dance."
"I feel sick to my stomach," said Karla Pattavina, owner of Cooke's dance school, Karla Pattavina's Dance Academy, earlier in the day. "I don't know how the kids can stand it."
Cooke's family and friends gathered at Pattavina's Methuen home to watch last night's show. They learned Cooke's fate early in the episode.
Pattavina said they held on to each other, squeezing arms, as the results were revealed.
When host Cat Deeley finally announced that Cooke and her partner, Victor Smalley, were the first couple to be safe, the room erupted with screams.
"I am surprised my windows didn't shatter," Pattavina said.
Cooke's mother, Stephanie, was a little worried before the show aired.
"Did we do enough, telling everybody to vote?" she asked. "I think we might have."
Both wanted to thank everyone who voted for Cooke, and hope people will continue to vote for her. The next chance to help keep Cooke on the show is Tuesday at 8 p.m.
While the elder Cooke and Pattavina have been anxiously awaiting last night's results show, Stephanie said her daughter takes it all in stride in Los Angeles.
"She handles it better. She's calm," the mother said. "She just does what she can and what she does best — dance."
If Cooke survives on the show the next two weeks, making it to the top 10, she will be guaranteed a spot on the "So You Think You Can Dance" tour.
"She's already a winner," Pattavina said. "But just making it onto the tour is almost like winning the whole thing. That would be fantastic."
