Here’s a CNN article that I, along with my Explore Dance editor, Robert Abrams, (among others) were interviewed for on how the dance shows on television have impacted the larger dance world, mainly ballroom.
CONGRATS TO JEANINE MASON, "AMERICA’S FAVORITE DANCER"!
I’m happy for her — she definitely had her moments of brilliance, and I do think overall she did the best, most original solos of the season.
The rest of the So You Think You Can Dance results were: 4th Kayla, 3rd Evan, and 2nd Brandon.
Seeing Janette dance that Doriana Sanchez disco with Brandon made me want to see her again. I do hope we see some of these dancers again, and not just on the show but out in the world. As Jonathan commented on my Pasha & Anya Burn the Floor post, it seems like season three contestants have done well on Broadway, happily. I really liked Janette and Evan, so I hope I will see the latter on Broadway as well, and perhaps the former in a travelling ballroom show?… I will try to find out what’s going on with Sabra and Cedar Lake.
I think the other star of tonight was Louis van Amstel, with all of those routines he choreographed throughout the season — the waltz, the samba, the paso — being chosen by the judges for encore perfs. And yeah, they were all really memorable, now that I see them again. Let’s see him do a Broadway / travelling ballroom show in the near future! C’mon Louis.
I really wish they would have had other dancers / dance companies perform tonight rather than have so many encore performances. How about some Alvin Ailey, ABT or San Fran Ballet, and maybe some fun small modern dance companies like Keigwin + Company? And maybe some top ballroom dancers as well, or some more America’s Best Dance Crew winners? I loved seeing Desmond Richardson perform earlier in the season and then, bam, that was it — no more outside dance. I would think audiences would really want the chance to see what else is out there rather than see so many repeat routines, flashbacks to the dancers’ auditions and interviews, and previews of next season, right?
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE SEASON FIVE TOP FOUR INCLUDES EVAN!
Yes!!! I was trying not to get my hopes up but I am really so happy. This will make the finals for me next week. And with his “Lady is a Tramp” solo last night, whoa I take back everything I said about his Wednesday night solo. He really nailed it last night. I think he might have thrown in a couple of back flips at the top that he didn’t do the prior night — just to show America he doesn’t just dance with character and loads of pizzazz but can actually deliver athletically as well. He just danced with everything he had. So happy we have one more week to see him … before he goes on to have a huge Broadway career 🙂
Anyway, funny, I was all set for Kayla (my favorite female since Janette got axed) and Brandon to go last night since they were in the bottom two last week. But instead it was Melissa (who’s hardly been in the bottom two at all), and, sadly, Ade. This show is completely unpredictable this season. I was sad to see Ade go. He was a real original and he really stood out to me Wednesday night. If I had my way, the top four would have been him, Brandon, Evan, and Kayla. But of course they need two girls.
Anyway, nice show last night. Loved that America’s Best Dance Crew’s JabbawockeeZ were on and that they’re showing the Emmy-nominated routines from seasons past. So proud of Dmitry Chaplin for his nomination for that astounding Argentine Tango he did for Chelsie and Joshua last season! Took my breath away all over again. There aren’t a lot of ballroom peeps who get nominated, so big hooray for him. And I loved re-watching Tabitha and Napoleon’s hip hop for Mark and Chelsie and Mia’s contemporary door-slammer for Katie and Twitch.
Okay, onto the finals the outcome of which I have NO predictions…
Superstars of Dance, Semis Part I
I’m loving Maria Kochetkova! (She’s the ballerina dancing for Russia). I love how polished and perfect she was — all those turns! And her technique and precision were incredible. But I also love her personality — that she said she wanted to be on the program to show people who may not have seen ballet before what it’s like. I love how fascinated she is with everyone else’s dancing — like how she remarked that it was so wonderful to see so many forms of dance from around the world. Honestly, a lot of ballet dancers turn their noses up at other forms of dance, mainly because, having spent so much time in ballet school, they lack exposure to much else. So, it’s so reassuring to see a young ballerina who is not like that at all. And who’s a brilliant dancer!
Favorites of 2008
Okay, here’s my (late) list of favorites from 2008: (click on highlights to read what I wrote about each dance)
Favorite overall dance of the year:
Revelations by Alvin Ailey. Because the movement language — a unique blend of American Modern with African — is highly evocative, richly varied, and, because it’s set in a specific time and place recognizable to most if not all of us, it’s imbued with meaning and feeling accessible to everyone. And because it speaks to the human condition like no other dance I’ve ever seen. I’m still looking for something to top this and don’t know if I’ll ever find it.
Favorite new dances:
1) Nimrod Freed’s PeepDance in Central Park;
Annoyingly Unoriginal DWTS Finale
I hate to say it but I was bored. Again. Even for the finale.
Did they honestly waste a half an hour of my time by showing repeats of two earlier-in-the-season dances per couple? Please tell me I was just imagining it, that they really did find something more interesting on which to spend the first third of the show.
And didn’t they rip off Dirty Dancing with that footage of Brooke and Derek learning lifts in water?
And Lance & Lacey’s hip hop was fine I guess if you’re judging it from a ballroom-show perspective, but if you’ve seen America’s Best Dance Crew even once you know how hackneyed and unoriginal most of those moves were.
And how many times have I seen Proud Mary used for a jive?
And those kids’ competitions are getting really yawn-inducing too. The dancers are just so much better in America’s Ballroom Challenge.
It was just a night where I found myself thinking over and over again, how unimaginative, how overused, how boring…
The only thing I can really say I liked (and I know some people — Katrina, my mom 🙂 — are going to kill me) but I really enjoyed watching Lacey in the group Samba. That girl can move. And I like that she’s not an emaciated waif. And I like that she has a strong personality. She’s been out of line a few times (ie: making references to Cloris in a retirement home), but I think she’s realized the words were distasteful as soon as they came out of her mouth. I think it’s more a case of not thinking before you speak and doing it on national TV than really being an unfeeling person.
Anyway, I hope tomorrow night is better.
Step it up and … Finally … Dance!
Finally, for the first time last night, I liked the new Bravo show “Step It Up and Dance.” I felt like it was finally about dance. The camera actually showed me the dancers’ bodies, not just their faces as they made angry or odd expressions or ranted against someone. It’s probably the hip hop — hip hop’s just so visual, there’s so much going on, especially in a showdown / battle like that — the camera can’t just focus in on a face. (I have to admit, by the way, I knew next to nothing about hip hop before “America’s Best Dance Crew.” And now I love it. Hip hop is just so real — they’re real moves, real gestures you see on the streets, they resonate. And yet they’re stylized and clever, and at times played up for comical effect.)
Anyway, I still think this show (Step It Up) panders too much to the gossipy judgmental crowd: “oh I can’t believe he’s so gay,” “I can’t believe Miguel is such a jerk,” “I can’t believe she said that,” “I can’t believe he nominated him for elimination” etc. etc. etc. ad nauseam. You end up just judging people based on their personalities, what they say rather than how they dance, which you can’t see anyway because the camera is too busy homing in on the person’s face while they say something nasty. I know audiences vote partially based on personality on all reality shows, but at least with “Dancing With the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” you can see the entire performance. You see the bodies moving in time to music — which is dance. You’re not just getting a personality. Last week I began to like Tovah. I thought she made a really beautiful line at one point, but the camera was on her for all of a half a second before shifting to Nick who was busy making angry faces at Cody for dominating; I couldn’t really see Tovah in full and it annoyed me so much. I thought, this show isn’t even pretending to be about dance.
But as I said I felt that changed this week with the hip hop competition. I liked Tovah even more because I know her background is in ballet and she feels really out of her element with hip hop, and yet she really belted it out last night. To me she looked just as good as Janelle. I’m also impressed with Cody, for the same reason. He also had some really unique moves, combining some balletic movement — leaps and fouettes — with the posturing, the attitude, the awesome floor acrobatics of hip hop.
So Natalia was right in telling me I should give the show another chance!
Also, if you live in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, it looks like you can take a class at select Crunch gyms that will focus on the dance moves on the show that week. That’s kinda cool!
Tonight is the finale of Lifetime’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance.” I’ve missed a few episodes but am going to try to tune in.
Status Quo is in the Finale!
EEEEE! The underdogs make it to the top. I am very very happy. They do have to spice it up though choreography-wise for next week. Their stunts / acrobatics / crazy funny shapes are always amazing, but they need to be a little more creative with the overall choreo / theme. I have no doubt they will be up to the task though 😀
I can’t believe JabbaWockeeZ is in the dance-off this week. First time for them. My prediction is that they will be dancing next week with SQ.
Okay, now that I just saw their performance, I am positive they will be in the finals next week. Query though: how DOES someone do those headspins that the guy did at the end? I am always amazed by those. I just don’t get how people do them! You couldn’t do that many pirouettes in a row on your toe, so how does one spin on the crown of one’s head like that? I love that he also pulled his elbows to his knees repeatedly to make a different kind of shape. That was new with the headspins (at least to me). Wow.
KabaModern had a cute routine, and I liked the ripping off of the girls’ sweats and the ‘groupies infatuated with the rock star’ thing (and I love JC claiming he remembers what that felt like), but I still think JabbaWockeeZ is just on a different level.
I knew it!
KabaModern seems completely okay with it though. “We just want to inspire. Others have inspired us and we just want to do the same.” Aw…
I wondered what they were going to do for the rest of the show. More dancing from the two finalists of course. Well, overall, I preferred SQ’s Jack-in-the-Box to JabbaWockeeZ’s The Red Pill. I love the big guy carrying what — three, four others, on his shoulders all at once. And the clown’s falling-down pants. The whole thing was a lot of fun from the choreo to the theme to the tricks and flamboyant costumes. Very over the top. The like to wow you; they have a great sense of humor. Of course I still love the spinner guy in JabbaWockeeZ, and I love their subtlety. I love the simulated musical instrument-playing, and the isolations. How starkly different these two groups are, right.
One thing they have in common though is how well they work together. Shane Sparks said JabbaWockeeZ was like a family, but so is Status Quo. You have to work well together both to do perfectly in sync isolations and multi-person lifts. So, I guess if there’s a “lesson” here, it’s togetherness and team spirit.
Yes, Status Quo Is Safe!
I was so worried tonight was going to be the last for my favorite group on America’s Best Dance Crew. But no! And how excellent were they? I would have never thought a hip hop Hairspray could ever be done, but they were perfect — and how hilariously sublime was Jamal’s hair?! I really loved JabbaWockeeZ too. Both of these groups have such a sense of humor, a fundamental part of this dance, yet they’re so different from each other. Incomparable. I’ll be happy if either wins the whole thing… For now, I’m just very very glad I get Status Quo for another week! Okay, off to bed to get up ridiculously early for a trial tomorrow, but just wanted to say woo hoo!!!
MTV's "Virtual Dance Off" et al
Taking off from its popular show “America’s Best Dance Crew,” MTV, along with Metacafe, is launching a “Virtual Dance Off.” According to the press release, the contest “will allow fans to create their own user-generated dance moves. Users can choreograph their moves, try out new dances and use machinima tools to film and edit their video, before uploading them to Metacafe. The top 20 videos will be featured on a “Virtual Dance Off” micro site, and in MTV’s Virtual Worlds. The community will vote and choose the Grand Prize winner on March 31, 2008.” I haven’t participated in vtmv before. Has anyone else? It sounds cool! Go here to check it out.
Speaking of “America’s Best Dance Crew“: how happy was I that Status Quo was finally NOT in the bottom three!!! Yes! I loved all that flipping they did last night. I’m always afraid someone’s going to get hurt, but they just always make me smile, and I need that after a full week of this trial. Not to wax too cheesy about these boys from the ‘hood I find so endearing, but this disturbing trial (not to mention having spent many years as a public defender) makes me think what dance can do for people — taking them out of their circumstances, giving them opportunities, allowing them to take out aggression in a positive way… Dance is important!
Anyway, I was rather shocked that the judges knocked off Living Color last night. That was pretty risky of them since audiences have voted Fysh ‘N Chicks in the bottom two for, what, three weeks, and this was Living Color’s first time being forced into the dance-off. I was sad; I really liked them — they were a fast, fun, supercharged group and I really thought they’d be in the finals. I was annoyed by Shane Sparks’s, “that’s a female, y’all” remark regarding Fysh ‘N Chicks. Has the man ever seen a gymnastics competition? For the record, yes, Shane, women can climb fences and do flips too.
Finally, a reminder that tonight is Lifetime’s new show, “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” hosted by former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Ian Ziering. It’s on at 9 p.m. Eastern.
Status Quo Nails Upside Down Soulja Boy!
Woo hoo — I love this group! Did you guys watch it? (MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew” of course!) They were given as their song the extremely popular YouTube hit, Soulja Boy, which began an internet dance craze, but their particular challenge was to do some of the steps upside down, which they nailed (or murdered, as Shane Sparks would say) with those insane handstands and upside-down lifts. And did you see the guy with the injured ankle doing those continuous flips over the guy they basically made into a human jump rope? And that ending crazy jump flip thing where he ended up in the crowd pretending to be all pissed, like he didn’t mean it? This group reminds me of those kids you see in the Times Square subway, or more often, at the Central Park fountain wowing the crowd. They’re so real and their dancing has such a story to it with thrilling but humorous theatrics and such a street feel and I just love them. Maybe also because they hail from Kirven’s hometown 🙂 Anyway, can America please stop putting them in the bottom??? I’m sick of this shit! They rock dammit! Stoppit!
Anyway, sorry I’m so late with my Ballroom Challenge post! This week has been insanely busy and I have tons to blog about — Movmnt magazine blogger party Monday night (which Taylor and Evan have already excellently covered), continuing legal ed seminar Tuesday (which, don’t worry, I won’t be blogging about, though it was one of the more interesting CLEs being on sex offense legislation), book party for a friend last night (which Ariel has already excellently covered, but I will blog about as well! — along with Movmnt party), and tonight an Op Ed writing seminar, for which I chose to try my hand at a gun control piece, and consequently have lovely homicide stats coming out of my nose… Anyway, I promise to write about ABC tomorrow!!! Thanks for all the comments on the last post, you guys 🙂
Womyn 'N Hip Hop
My write-up on the second week of MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew” is now up on the Huffington Post!