NC dancer is out, but not down

Don't feel sorry for Ariana Debose.

The 18-year-old contemporary dancer from New Bern (but now living in Wake Forest), isn't crying about her elimination last night from "So You Think You Can Dance."

In fact, she seems to have the whole thing in proper prospective.

"It's one TV show, it's not the be all, end all," she says in a phone chat. "I'm confident in my dancing."

Ariana was eliminated after performing a hip-hop number that Happiness loved but the judges didn't. She then had to do a solo performance.

"I was proud of my solo," she says. "I think I did my best 'fight for my life,' " she says. "But I can't change what the judges decided."

She knew it would be a competitive experience; some have said this group of dancers is the strongest the show has had thus far. "I remember in Vegas they had to cut so many great dancesr to get to 20," Ariana says. "And I made it."

Still, Ariana spoke carefully about her time on the show, giving the sense that along with the up sides there were some down sides.

"I learned how the TV world works. It's not what you think it is. There are lots of different aspects and a lot of it is out of your control. The only thing you can control is your dancing."

Ariana didn't have any more news about Sanford's Noelle Marsh, who has sustained an injury. "I just heard that she got an MRI and will get the results soon. But she's in a good mood and thought she would be fine and I hope she is."

Next for Ariana is taking some time to regroup and then heading to New York for a bit to meet with friends and her agent. Her dream is to work on Broadway and use her singing and acting talents along with those dancing skills.