On last night's SYD, everyone danced with everyone else, and then they all danced together. And they all danced solos. It was an exhausting two hours.
First, Twitch and Courtney danced hip-hop to a T-pain song with choreography by Tabitha and Napoleon, in which Courtney was a "crazy girlfriend" -- it was cute, and featured Twitch spinning Courtney around on his head (her stomach as the contact spot).
About Courtney, judge Mandy Moore (not that one) said "You got a little Jersey coming out of you, huh Courtney?"
About Twitch, Nigel said "Twitch, what is it with you that choreographers look to give you a crazy and deranged girl?"
It was a good start to a crazy night, and Twitch's costume -- a church outfit with suspenders down, to correlate with T-pain's "I'm gonna take you to church" -- made the whole thing that much funnier and interesting to think about.
The Courtney did her solo, after an interview with Cat. Courtney said “In my house, nobody talks, everyone yells. I know I’m not the best dancer. I don’t think that this show is about being the best dancer. I don’t think you have to be in love with someone to have chemistry with them. That jazz that I did with Sonja was my favorite.”
In front of the judges, Courtney wept with joy at their accolades -- earning her possibly a higher spot in America's voting than she'd have had otherwise, I suspect. Nigel said "You’re always the bright spirit that says ‘good morning, how are you’ and I would love to see you become a teacher as well, because you just energize everyone around you.”
Katee and Joshua were next -- the only regret I had is that they came so early in the show -- with a Wade Robson contemporary routine. As the camera rolled on their rehearsal, they discussed the theme of the dance: “Love is hard work but it’s the best thing that you’ll work for in your life,” Wade said.
Joshua: “We have a good chemistry onstage, and a good chemistry offstage.”
Katee: “Josh is my boo.”
Oh, you win, Katee, you win. (You know how I love people using the word "boo.")
Bizarrely, Joshua got to wear regular clothes for this routine, while Katee appeared to be in a nighty. The look of the dance called up all the previous contemporary routines I'd seen Joshua and Katee do, and struck me overall as a beautiful "Thriller" -- the movements were jerky and strange as in the Thriller dance, but there was a finesse to the way they were executed and in the emotion Katee and Joshua portrayed that brought it together beautifully.
Nigel said "This for me, particularly great because everything show-bizzy was taken out of it. Here she is now, almost in tears before the routine begins – and didn’t she dance it brilliantly. With Joshua, what Joshua has is uncontrolled control, so this is not a normal dancer. This is a brilliant dancer. Between the pair of them, they’re two of the best dancers we’ve ever had on this show."
This was my second-favorite routine of the night...followed by one of the most terrible routines I've ever seen on this show.
Katee and Courtney danced a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine (already, ick to Broadway) in which they were two girls on the town, trying to catch the train.
First of all, if we hadn't been told they were trying to get the train, the cavorting across the stage they did through the whole routine would have seen like...well, meaningless cavorting across the stage. Since we knew they were going to the train, it seemed like...meaningless cavorting across the stage. What can I say.
Secondly, their costumes were hideous. They looked like Powerpuff girls dipped in cake frosting. The atrocity of these costumes surpassed even the "Push It" costumes of last year, and even the Cat Dealy horror show "tuxedo" dress of earlier this season.
The first thing Mandy Moore said, of course, was “Well, it was so cute. You look adorable. Those costumes are beautiful.” I stopped listening to her at this point.
Mary said the kindest things that could be said of this routine: "“Who wouldn’ tlike seeing the two of you dance together? You know, dancing with an umbrella as a prop is very dangerous, and you guys pulled it off."
Nigel followed: "It really is tough. Gene Kelly showed that in singing in the rain. I agree with Kelly, it’s so nice to see girls dancing with girls.” (Ha ha!)
Next was Twitch's solo, before which he was interviewed: “[My desire to dance] comes from a number of things. I would dance all the time in the most inappropriate places. There is not a lot to do [in Twitch's hometown], so you have to use your imagination and make the place work for you. The Viennese waltz that Jean-Marc did (was his favorite routine). The reason why I danced all the time to me it’s the least that I can give back to the art form, because it’s given so much back to me already.”
Jean-Marc's routine was dedicated to his disabled daughter, and clips showed Kherington and Twitch backstage with Jean-Marc after the performance, crying. A tearful Jean-Marc clutched one of each of their hands and squeaked out a French-accented "she's going to love it."
This interview could win Twitch the competiton, I thought.
Twitch and Joshua danced together next, the video of their practice playing up the rivalry between them.
Twitch: “The rivalry between Josh and I started way back when.
“Twitch, are you ready for that? Are you ready for those?” Joshua shows his biceps. “Of course, my tricks are so dynamic.”
Twich: “He’s just a pansy. I have already taken it, Josh.”
They had insisted that the dance, the Russian trepak, was "testosterone-driven" -- making me laugh aloud when music from The Nutcracker came on.
I have to say, I didn't really understand this routine, which was a lot of back-and-forth, high-jumping for Josh and going around on his knees for Twitch, but it was pretty fun to watch -- or would have been if the camerawork had been less frenetic.
Nigel had obviously been wanting this routine for awhile, comparing everything to the trepak since Bollywood: "I was expecting you to be good at that. That was street dancing – Russian street dancing. Now how tough is that on your thighs??”
Twitch: "Very!"
Joshua: "What thighs?"
“It’ll be something that is spoken about for many years to come," continued Nigel. "And we’ll remember you two for doing the trepak on this show, fo’ sho.”
Katee's solo was next, and was improved from the usual desperate-contemporary by the requirements of the music -- Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" -- which stopped and started in a way that allowed Katee to break up her movements and show her technical proficiency (rather than her ability to run across the stage a lot in smooth, flowing motions).
Sadly, her interview and the judges' comments weren't very memorable, which I suspect will hurt her in the final vote.
Katee and Twitch danced a foxtrot, which was beautiful and jazzy despite being ballroom. Afterward, the judges asked Twitch to introduce himself as James Bond. Twitch played it up, asking Nigel to do the impression first, and then copying admirably.
Joshua did his solo. The interview with Cat was actually pretty funny, showing more of Cat's personality than we've typically seen: Joshua said “I’ve had a lot of struggles coming up. We didn’t have a lot of money to take a lot of classes. If I did go to classes, they let me do chores. I just never would have thought that I could have done it. I’m normally not a crier, at all.”
Cat stopped him: "You are the biggest blubberer on this show!" And she fake-cries.
Joshua finishes: "I’d rather be here, dead [from fatigue at practicing] than be at home doing nothing. Because everything here is a blessing.”
Excellent interview, Joshua -- could be enough to win you the competition. When he performed his solo, Josh went up onto the judges' stand and spent about half his thirty seconds dancing there.
The jive with Joshua and Courtney was probably the technically worst dance of the night, coming as it was at the end of the competition, and being a very quick step.
Nigel didn't pull any punches, though: "It didn’t have the great feel that the jive should have. [People began to boo, and Nigel spoke directly to the audience.] I really like people to learn and to get better. [Back to the dancers.] It isn’t to knock you because you are superb dancers and you’re exhausted superb dancers. It wasn’t brilliant, it was tired. It was tough on you. Tough. That’s a dancer’s life. Be better. Every single time, be better.”
Finally, all four dancers performed a Mia Michaels contemporary routine to the Vitamin String Quartet's "Hallelujah." They all wore Scottish kilts, possibly explaining my reaction to this dance.
They didn't dance as well as they had earlier in the night, when they were fresher. They didn't dance as though they were a company that had been together for years. The camerawork was shite.
But I loved. This. Routine.
When I was in China, we foreigners would sometimes be treated to performances of Chinese minority dances -- a bunch of Chinese girls in variously complicated traditional costumes, performing a series of subtle moves that could be basically mastered by anyone (even, I suppose, me) -- and I struggled not to cry every time.
This Scottish routine made me feel the same elation I felt watching the ancient dances of the Tibetans or the Yi. There's something about the history and collective-ness of this kind of choreographed, concerted movement that gets me every time.
Lovely, lovely end to the best season of competition I've seen so far on SYD.
I can't wait to see who wins, but I almost don't care. They really have all earned it.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query so you thought you could dance. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query so you thought you could dance. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
SYD #12, finale
Cat’s hair looks lioness-like tonight, as it should. Melisser and Ade were eliminated last week – so America got it half right, I think.
The top four look lonely and small on that giant new egg-shaped stage. Jeanine combats the loneliness by wearing a bikini again.
Tonight, everyone will be dancing with everyone else.
Cat sounds thrilled to be there. Adam Shankman is the guest judge this week, and there are 3000 people in the SYD Thunderdome. Wow – even Mary’s screaming sounds/looks small in this place.
Nigel says this is “like the gunfight at the OK corral.” The top 4 are dancing to a Wade Robson routine. There are two jocks chasing two cheerleaders, and the cheerleaders “turn out to be way more than they can handle.” They’re dancing to a Lady Gaga song. Evan looks silly kissing his own lack of bicep. The girls do an excellent job of hamming up the “we’re crushing on you” vibe, then transition into mocking them seamlessly. Nice – sarcastic dancing.
The boys get their turn when they steal the girls’ pompoms and fake-cheer.
And in a move that makes me laugh out loud, startling others in the room, Jeanine (and Kayla, but she’s not as good, having not had as much practice) flashes her underwear.
It’s pink and sequined, and I think that sums up all that we’re about to see here.
Jeanine and Evan dance together first, making me wish it could be followed up by Evan’s solo and his dance with Kayla – just to get it all out of the way.
It’s a Sonya routine, where Jeanine doesn’t care about her lover Evan anymore. He seems actually frightened by Jeanine. It’s to the song “Heartbreaker” by MSTRKRFT (I think). As usual, Jeanine dances great, and Evan makes me feel she’s justified in kicking him. It’s not full of the usual weird motion Sonya’s routines have made common, though, and that’s good here, in the finale.
Adam says he “never saw Jeanine coming…I sort of underestimated you, and I can never forgive myself.” He says Evan is “the molehill that became the mountain, here.” Mary says Jeanine was great and Evan was “certainly no punching bag out there,” but her delivery is tepid. Nigel says Jeanine is strong and tomboyish, and that this is the “last time [he wants] to see [Evan] thrown around on the stage tonight.” He says the performance “showed just how strong Jeanine has become, both in technique and in personality.”
Brandon talks about his partnership with Janette, the conflict with Mia and his history with dance. He dances his solo, which is commanding, if not the tour de force last week’s was. He seems to have trouble using the front of the stage as well as the width of it. But he may win with the split he ends on.
Adam Shankman claps tepidly, but raves about the solo: “you’re like an extreme dancer – you’re a superathlete. It was a bit frantic out there, but you’re competing now.”
Mary says he’s “athletic, dynamic – you defy gravity at times.”
Nigel says he agrees with Mia about Brandon: “He is amazing.” He says the solo last week was amazing, and that this week’s has “wiped out the competition.”
Kayla and Brandon are dancing together next, and they’ve stolen Tyce from Evan. Finally…though I don’t like seeing them dance one of my least favorite of the popular dances. Oh, Broadway.
They dance to “Bye Bye Love” from the “All that Jazz” soundtrack, though Kayla looks like a dom and Brandon looks like he’s going to a disco. The prop is a medical examiner’s table, and Brandon “dies” at the end of a heart attack. It’s an entertaining routine, though WHY it’s entertaining is beyond me.
Adam Shankman jumps up and down and yells “ohhhh, that was so GOOD! I gotta be honest, you two were the ones I thought would [make it to the end]. Kayla, there’s nothing you can’t do! And Brandon, you are an animal out there! I don’t know how this is all gonna end up, but that was unreal.”
Mary yells “you guys are terrific, are you kidding me?!? Bye bye love? Bye bye happiness?? Nigel, I don’t think so, are you kidding me???”
Nigel says he’s never seen a guy and girl do pirouettes (of the kind they did) together before. He says of Tyce “you’re the only choreographer I know named after a cookie.” He says he thinks “the show is beginning now, thank you.”
Jeanine dances solo next. She’s interviewed before that, as usual, though Jeanine starts out by asking Cat a question. She loved to dance, but was bad at it when she was little. Jeanine mentions the Russian folk dance, and Cat asks “what the folk?” Jeanine says she was going to cry when she thought “I’m going out on stage wearing that??” Jeanine’s fave routine was the contemporary choreographed by Travis from season 2 and danced with Jason. She’s got a rose between her teeth for the solo, which is better choreographed than many, many contemporary routines.
Adam Shankman says “are you kidding?? Dude, that was a risky solo! OMG, you just killed it!! Jeanine? Jeanine? I am so happy for you! You are such a beautiful woman!...You don’t need that stupid plastic flower! What the hell, girl??”
Mary says “you have always been a standout, so never say never. I saw you coming, girl! You are peaking at exactly the right time. That solo was the best thing that you have done on this show, at the right place, at the right time, and everybody here knows it!”
Nigel says “so brave, such a brave solo – you don’t win the lottery if you don’t buy the ticket. Not only did you buy the ticket, you’re in the final two now as far as I’m concerned!”
Evan and Brandon dance a jazz routine choreographed by Laurieann Gibson to “Nasty Boys” by Janet Jackson. Frankly, I would rather see them dance to “Thriller” – and I think it would do Evan more favors. Brandon’s lines are much better than Evan’s, and not just because he’s taller (I don’t think he’s more than a cm taller, actually); Brandon’s also better at seeming “nasty.”
Adam says they’re at a crossroads, and that Evan “got a little dusted” – he takes time out to ask the audience to stop booing him and be nice again – because his “natural sweetness” got in the way. Brandon got “nasty and dirty,” he says.
Mary starts by asking Evan “what’s the nastiest thing you’ve ever done?” Cat reprimands her for asking in front of his grandparents, tells the grandparents to cover their ears, and asks Evan what it was. Evan says he doesn’t know, the list is so long.
Nigel says the choreographers say Evan’s “work ethic is absolutely beyond reproach – but there isn’t a nasty bone in your body.” Cat squeezes Evan’s cheeks, making him seem even more cutesie. Nigel says Brandon also “outdanced” Evan.
Kayla and Jeanine dance together in a Mia routine. It’s an orchestral score, and they’re both dressed as ballerinas, though they remove a layer of tutu with every advancement across the stage. To my surprise, I actually feel like Jeanine is sometimes outdancing Kayla, which surprises me, and is mostly the difference between their personalities, I think.
Adam says “that was like watching the world’s longest wardrobe malfunction” – but then he compliments Mia. He says “it was like watching two thoroughbreds racing – I just can’t say enough about how much I love you guys.”
Mary says “it was a very relevant concept tonight – shedding all those layers…and to make it this far, the layers kept peeling and peeling so all you’re really left with is your heart and soul.” She says they’re the two strongest women they’ve ever had in the finale.
Nigel says this was “a modern-day version of the seven veils – the routine didn’t go on long enough for me, frankly” – and Adam calls him on “wanting more layers and more layers.” He says he thinks Jeanine has peaked at the right time.
Evan gets interviewed and dances a solo to “The Best Is Yet to Come,” which ends in the middle of the chorus.
Adam says it was a variation on his audition, and that could be risky – either people would be crazy about it or think “I’ve seen that before.” Mary says he’s “excited millions in this country” and inspired them to dance Broadway. Nigel says “Do I think that you bring something special? Yes, I do. You have what I call ‘the ahh factor.’ Have you grown as much as I’d like in this series? No…Do I think that was as strong as I’ve seen Brandon dance tonight? Do I think that was as strong as I’ve seen Jeanine dance tonight, in their solos? No…”
Evan and Kayla dance a jive next, which I think will keep Evan, decisively, from winning – but it may also pull Kayla down into the bottom two, particularly after Jeanine’s solo. Kayla’s in country boots and they’re dancing to a Travis Tritt song, which is all I ever want to know about it. Evan thinks this is “the fastest jive ever,” but it seems slow and not bouncy enough for me.
Adam says he doesn’t think it was a finale-level routine, that it was “a very strong showing for you – the lift series was fantastic – I just didn’t feel it was competitive to me.”
Mary says the routine was phenomenal. Evan didn’t do very well, but Kayla “stole the show just now…I love every second that you’re on the stage.”
Nigel says “they both carried on with guns blazin’ in a great country and western jazz routine.” He says Kayla finally showed her personality, and if she’d been doing that all along, she would be “riding home right now” with the first-place win.
Kayla gets interviewed and does her solo. It’s probably too bad she didn’t hear about Nigel’s wish for her to show her personality before the interview, but she does a pretty good job telling about her wish to dance since she was two and her grandparents’ support. The addiction routine was her favorite. (It was probably mine, too, though the zombie mistress was pretty good.) She mixes it up by dancing to “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics. It’s fast, which is a good foil to her other contemporary routines, but she still lacks the choreography she needs to make 30 seconds work for her.
Adam says he wants to talk about the season more than the solo. He’s seen some of the best dancers he’s ever seen in his life on this show, including Travis (season 2) and Danny (season 3), and she’s one of the best. Mary says she’s wonderful, and Nigel says when judges are always talking up one person, the audience often decides not to vote for that one – and “thank goodness” Kayla is in the top 4 and eligible to be America’s favorite dancer for the season.
Jeanine and Brandon dance paso doble. Jeanine says “I’ve become good friends with the floor over this SYD process…and today we became even closer.” They’re dancing to a song from “Matrix Revolutions,” which is an interesting and at times captivating choice. There’s no red in their costumes, either, only black, but the background glows red. The last second has Brandon clutch Jeanine’s up-stretched (pretend that’s a word) wrist and Jeanine falling limp.
Adam says they pulled it off because they kept every moment between moves strong, keeping the transitions. Mary screams, says some stuff, and screams again, this time pointing at the choreographer and then harassing Nigel with her screaming. Nigel screams back at Mary, and says “you really did carry it off.” Then Nigel went into his old-man-lecher routine a bit, but pulled it out and said “you are just inching the other two out, just this much [holds up his two fingers pinching close], and good luck to you!”
Tomorrow night is the final elimination. I’ll likely be watching and blogging, so watch it yourself and weigh in.
The top four look lonely and small on that giant new egg-shaped stage. Jeanine combats the loneliness by wearing a bikini again.
Tonight, everyone will be dancing with everyone else.
Cat sounds thrilled to be there. Adam Shankman is the guest judge this week, and there are 3000 people in the SYD Thunderdome. Wow – even Mary’s screaming sounds/looks small in this place.
Nigel says this is “like the gunfight at the OK corral.” The top 4 are dancing to a Wade Robson routine. There are two jocks chasing two cheerleaders, and the cheerleaders “turn out to be way more than they can handle.” They’re dancing to a Lady Gaga song. Evan looks silly kissing his own lack of bicep. The girls do an excellent job of hamming up the “we’re crushing on you” vibe, then transition into mocking them seamlessly. Nice – sarcastic dancing.
The boys get their turn when they steal the girls’ pompoms and fake-cheer.
And in a move that makes me laugh out loud, startling others in the room, Jeanine (and Kayla, but she’s not as good, having not had as much practice) flashes her underwear.
It’s pink and sequined, and I think that sums up all that we’re about to see here.
Jeanine and Evan dance together first, making me wish it could be followed up by Evan’s solo and his dance with Kayla – just to get it all out of the way.
It’s a Sonya routine, where Jeanine doesn’t care about her lover Evan anymore. He seems actually frightened by Jeanine. It’s to the song “Heartbreaker” by MSTRKRFT (I think). As usual, Jeanine dances great, and Evan makes me feel she’s justified in kicking him. It’s not full of the usual weird motion Sonya’s routines have made common, though, and that’s good here, in the finale.
Adam says he “never saw Jeanine coming…I sort of underestimated you, and I can never forgive myself.” He says Evan is “the molehill that became the mountain, here.” Mary says Jeanine was great and Evan was “certainly no punching bag out there,” but her delivery is tepid. Nigel says Jeanine is strong and tomboyish, and that this is the “last time [he wants] to see [Evan] thrown around on the stage tonight.” He says the performance “showed just how strong Jeanine has become, both in technique and in personality.”
Brandon talks about his partnership with Janette, the conflict with Mia and his history with dance. He dances his solo, which is commanding, if not the tour de force last week’s was. He seems to have trouble using the front of the stage as well as the width of it. But he may win with the split he ends on.
Adam Shankman claps tepidly, but raves about the solo: “you’re like an extreme dancer – you’re a superathlete. It was a bit frantic out there, but you’re competing now.”
Mary says he’s “athletic, dynamic – you defy gravity at times.”
Nigel says he agrees with Mia about Brandon: “He is amazing.” He says the solo last week was amazing, and that this week’s has “wiped out the competition.”
Kayla and Brandon are dancing together next, and they’ve stolen Tyce from Evan. Finally…though I don’t like seeing them dance one of my least favorite of the popular dances. Oh, Broadway.
They dance to “Bye Bye Love” from the “All that Jazz” soundtrack, though Kayla looks like a dom and Brandon looks like he’s going to a disco. The prop is a medical examiner’s table, and Brandon “dies” at the end of a heart attack. It’s an entertaining routine, though WHY it’s entertaining is beyond me.
Adam Shankman jumps up and down and yells “ohhhh, that was so GOOD! I gotta be honest, you two were the ones I thought would [make it to the end]. Kayla, there’s nothing you can’t do! And Brandon, you are an animal out there! I don’t know how this is all gonna end up, but that was unreal.”
Mary yells “you guys are terrific, are you kidding me?!? Bye bye love? Bye bye happiness?? Nigel, I don’t think so, are you kidding me???”
Nigel says he’s never seen a guy and girl do pirouettes (of the kind they did) together before. He says of Tyce “you’re the only choreographer I know named after a cookie.” He says he thinks “the show is beginning now, thank you.”
Jeanine dances solo next. She’s interviewed before that, as usual, though Jeanine starts out by asking Cat a question. She loved to dance, but was bad at it when she was little. Jeanine mentions the Russian folk dance, and Cat asks “what the folk?” Jeanine says she was going to cry when she thought “I’m going out on stage wearing that??” Jeanine’s fave routine was the contemporary choreographed by Travis from season 2 and danced with Jason. She’s got a rose between her teeth for the solo, which is better choreographed than many, many contemporary routines.
Adam Shankman says “are you kidding?? Dude, that was a risky solo! OMG, you just killed it!! Jeanine? Jeanine? I am so happy for you! You are such a beautiful woman!...You don’t need that stupid plastic flower! What the hell, girl??”
Mary says “you have always been a standout, so never say never. I saw you coming, girl! You are peaking at exactly the right time. That solo was the best thing that you have done on this show, at the right place, at the right time, and everybody here knows it!”
Nigel says “so brave, such a brave solo – you don’t win the lottery if you don’t buy the ticket. Not only did you buy the ticket, you’re in the final two now as far as I’m concerned!”
Evan and Brandon dance a jazz routine choreographed by Laurieann Gibson to “Nasty Boys” by Janet Jackson. Frankly, I would rather see them dance to “Thriller” – and I think it would do Evan more favors. Brandon’s lines are much better than Evan’s, and not just because he’s taller (I don’t think he’s more than a cm taller, actually); Brandon’s also better at seeming “nasty.”
Adam says they’re at a crossroads, and that Evan “got a little dusted” – he takes time out to ask the audience to stop booing him and be nice again – because his “natural sweetness” got in the way. Brandon got “nasty and dirty,” he says.
Mary starts by asking Evan “what’s the nastiest thing you’ve ever done?” Cat reprimands her for asking in front of his grandparents, tells the grandparents to cover their ears, and asks Evan what it was. Evan says he doesn’t know, the list is so long.
Nigel says the choreographers say Evan’s “work ethic is absolutely beyond reproach – but there isn’t a nasty bone in your body.” Cat squeezes Evan’s cheeks, making him seem even more cutesie. Nigel says Brandon also “outdanced” Evan.
Kayla and Jeanine dance together in a Mia routine. It’s an orchestral score, and they’re both dressed as ballerinas, though they remove a layer of tutu with every advancement across the stage. To my surprise, I actually feel like Jeanine is sometimes outdancing Kayla, which surprises me, and is mostly the difference between their personalities, I think.
Adam says “that was like watching the world’s longest wardrobe malfunction” – but then he compliments Mia. He says “it was like watching two thoroughbreds racing – I just can’t say enough about how much I love you guys.”
Mary says “it was a very relevant concept tonight – shedding all those layers…and to make it this far, the layers kept peeling and peeling so all you’re really left with is your heart and soul.” She says they’re the two strongest women they’ve ever had in the finale.
Nigel says this was “a modern-day version of the seven veils – the routine didn’t go on long enough for me, frankly” – and Adam calls him on “wanting more layers and more layers.” He says he thinks Jeanine has peaked at the right time.
Evan gets interviewed and dances a solo to “The Best Is Yet to Come,” which ends in the middle of the chorus.
Adam says it was a variation on his audition, and that could be risky – either people would be crazy about it or think “I’ve seen that before.” Mary says he’s “excited millions in this country” and inspired them to dance Broadway. Nigel says “Do I think that you bring something special? Yes, I do. You have what I call ‘the ahh factor.’ Have you grown as much as I’d like in this series? No…Do I think that was as strong as I’ve seen Brandon dance tonight? Do I think that was as strong as I’ve seen Jeanine dance tonight, in their solos? No…”
Evan and Kayla dance a jive next, which I think will keep Evan, decisively, from winning – but it may also pull Kayla down into the bottom two, particularly after Jeanine’s solo. Kayla’s in country boots and they’re dancing to a Travis Tritt song, which is all I ever want to know about it. Evan thinks this is “the fastest jive ever,” but it seems slow and not bouncy enough for me.
Adam says he doesn’t think it was a finale-level routine, that it was “a very strong showing for you – the lift series was fantastic – I just didn’t feel it was competitive to me.”
Mary says the routine was phenomenal. Evan didn’t do very well, but Kayla “stole the show just now…I love every second that you’re on the stage.”
Nigel says “they both carried on with guns blazin’ in a great country and western jazz routine.” He says Kayla finally showed her personality, and if she’d been doing that all along, she would be “riding home right now” with the first-place win.
Kayla gets interviewed and does her solo. It’s probably too bad she didn’t hear about Nigel’s wish for her to show her personality before the interview, but she does a pretty good job telling about her wish to dance since she was two and her grandparents’ support. The addiction routine was her favorite. (It was probably mine, too, though the zombie mistress was pretty good.) She mixes it up by dancing to “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics. It’s fast, which is a good foil to her other contemporary routines, but she still lacks the choreography she needs to make 30 seconds work for her.
Adam says he wants to talk about the season more than the solo. He’s seen some of the best dancers he’s ever seen in his life on this show, including Travis (season 2) and Danny (season 3), and she’s one of the best. Mary says she’s wonderful, and Nigel says when judges are always talking up one person, the audience often decides not to vote for that one – and “thank goodness” Kayla is in the top 4 and eligible to be America’s favorite dancer for the season.
Jeanine and Brandon dance paso doble. Jeanine says “I’ve become good friends with the floor over this SYD process…and today we became even closer.” They’re dancing to a song from “Matrix Revolutions,” which is an interesting and at times captivating choice. There’s no red in their costumes, either, only black, but the background glows red. The last second has Brandon clutch Jeanine’s up-stretched (pretend that’s a word) wrist and Jeanine falling limp.
Adam says they pulled it off because they kept every moment between moves strong, keeping the transitions. Mary screams, says some stuff, and screams again, this time pointing at the choreographer and then harassing Nigel with her screaming. Nigel screams back at Mary, and says “you really did carry it off.” Then Nigel went into his old-man-lecher routine a bit, but pulled it out and said “you are just inching the other two out, just this much [holds up his two fingers pinching close], and good luck to you!”
Tomorrow night is the final elimination. I’ll likely be watching and blogging, so watch it yourself and weigh in.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
SYD 11
SYD #11
I spent the first twenty minutes of the show with no signal because the government is stupid.
That’s right. The government is stupid. And TV is stupid. I hate digital TV.
I saw enough of Cat’s hair to know that it was straightened this week, and enough of the guys to know it was Evan, Ade and Brandon left. I only saw Jeanine of the girls, but she was the one I was most afraid would be eliminated anyway, so that was good.
P.C. stood at the TV holding up the antenna so that I could see these things, and eventually little digitalized bits of Kayla, who’s my favorite girl…though probably not the winner, if I read the audience right.
There was a flash of Adam Sandler, I assume as part of a commercial, and it reminds me that I didn’t see Katie Holmes dance last week (in her one annual outing allowed by Tom). I feel about as bad about that as I do about never having met Adam Sandler in person, which is to say, not bad at all.
Melissa is still there, which means Janette – who didn’t have a good dance last week – went home.
Melissa’s paired with Evan, which is just silly. They got Tyce Diorio for a Broadway routine, which Evan loves. He points out that he gets to use “jazz hands.” (Groan.)
Melissa is wearing something like what I imagine a naughty nurse would wear as lingerie – so two steps up (or down, depending on how you look at it) from a nurse’s uniform. Evan’s in his underwear, a dress shirt and sock garters. It was as silly as it sounds.
On the up-side, Lil C is the guest judge this week. He starts to critique Evan, but gets digitalized, disappears, and speaks gibberish the rest of the time. (But maybe that was just on my TV.)
Mary says something digital and everyone claps. “This was really fun and entertaining for me, and it’s hard, Evan, taking you seriously in your underwear and whatever that thing was holding up your socks, I’ve never seen that before” and she says she never wants to see it again. She gives Melissa a great review.
Nigel points out that Melissa’s able to adapt to “every routine” she’s been given, while most ballet dancers (i.e., the ones trying out for season 6) can’t. He says Evan did bring enough personality to the routine for him, despite it not being a very technically challenging routine.
Ade solos to a Blue October song, but a slowish one. He’s wearing a shirt, but it’s open, and his contemporary choreography has the manic/unchoreographed feel of many mediocre contemporary routines, but the tween-girl fans squeal anyway.
Why don’t contemporary dancers do more with space and pauses? Is it because 30 seconds isn’t long enough to cram in all their skills-of-an-artist if they do that, or is it that they can’t choreograph themselves?
I hear from Cat that we’ve already seen a samba, and I don’t feel too badly that I didn’t get to see it. But with P.C. standing at the antenna, there had better be some awesome routines tonight – Nat and Tab slow hip-hop, Mia contemporary, group dance like we’ve never seen: everything – and Kayla’s partnered with Brandon, so that’s good news. Brandon points out that Kayla’s been on the “Hot Tamale Train” the whole time, and says he’s like to get on that with her.
They’ve got a contemporary routine in which Kayla is Brandon’s mistress and can’t leave him. Whatever, Stacy. This should be a hip-hop routine so she CAN leave him in the end.
They remind me a bit of Katie and Joshua, and then the signal goes out again.
Lil C says some stuff, including that Kayla has finally been “equally matched” with her partner. Mary says the dancing was brilliant and that they’re riding in first class. She says “Kayla, you are as exquisite as anything. You have never taken a wrong step for me.”
Nigel starts out complimenting the choreographer, then points out that the girls have had it really tough this season – Kayla has been an addict, a zombie mistress, and now she’s an abused mistress – but that they did a great job.
Melissa dances to “I Put a Spell On You,” which is okay. It’s not very ballet-y, but she is, making for an interesting contrast.
Jeanine talks about her success and there’s a montage of her in various underwears she’s worn throughout the competition. Ade talks about it too, but not in his underwear.
They get a Nap and Tab routine, about them being friends who are being evicted from their apartment. Jeanine is probably the best girl left at hip hop. The song choice (“Move (If You Wanna)”) is clever, but I don’t really like it. They dance with their feet inside boxes at one point.
Lil’ C says “I wish moving was always that fun. I’d relocate every day.” He says Ade has “a really dirty kind of groove about yourself…and it’s really earthy. This time you kind of sunk into it, and just sat in it. I feel like you pulled [her] down into the depths of the dirt. It was buck, it was buck.”
Mary says she thought that in the samba “you were really terrific, the whole time through, and I just want to say that to you,” and then she dissolves into pixels. Mary comes back to say “you two will not be getting your eviction notice after that performance.”
Nigel says “you’ve taken the notes, and you’ve gotten down, we could have been applauding Tabitha and Napoleon’s routine.” But they weren’t – the pair was great, he says. He asks Jeanine if she’s ever been evicted.
Brandon’s solo is done to an opera aria that had been used for a paso doble earlier in the season. He’s in his underwear. It’s a blend of ballet and contemporary, it seems, and people really like it. Cat says “yeah, very average. Just average, really.” The judges give him a standing ovation, which I can’t remember seeing for a solo before.
Melissa and Evan are doing the quickstep, which pretty much guarantees they’ll be sent home, unless “nonthreatening boy” is still the name of the game for winning this thing…but I think Twitch and Joshua blew that out of the water last year, trumping Benji’s obvious win in season 2.
Melissa and Evan talk about how it would be to be in the top 4, but they don’t say anything very interesting except that Melissa is the oldest person ever in the competition. Melissa is significantly taller than Evan and so will be leaning back to give the illusion of height for him.
They’re wearing elegant eveningwear, but it’s still the quickstep. Lil C says “Evan, I’m going to commend you for dancing bigger than you’ve ever danced on the show before. Now comes the tough love…you were told when you did the jive about your retractions, and you didn’t take heed to that. Melissa, what can I say? You’re fabulous.”
Mary starts talking about the choreographer, which is not always a good sign from her. She says it is one of the toughest dances to do, but that as it went along, “everything started to crumble down…I’m sitting here just a little disappointed right now…it did not live up to my expectations tonight.”
Nigel says Melissa makes herself sound so old at 29, and that the only time it lost energy for him was the lindy hop section. He says it wasn’t one of the best routines tonight. “You are now getting the country to go ‘who are we going to vote for tonight?’ Cause you two are two of the favorites.”
Jeanine dances her solo to a Janet Jackson song, which is interesting. She’s wearing hot pants instead of just plain underwear, and at least she does something a little different than the ordinary contemplative-contemporary routine.
Evan’s solo starts with a flip, and he does look reminiscent of Benji while dancing to “Lady is a Tramp.” I still hope – in fact, I hope even more now – that he goes home this week.
Kayla and Brandon talks about what being in the top four would mean for them. Brandon says he would be convinced he’s actually a good dancer, and Kayla says it would mean “absolutely everything” to her. They’re doing disco, which should be fun and probably a good ender. Kayla says “we came in here expecting an ordinary disco, and it’s more like a circus.”
Doriana is a crazy woman.
They’re dancing to “Dance (Disco Heat)” and it’s pretty fun. They’re both in silver sparkles, though Brandon’s outfit is mostly white cloth. Kayla does a death spiral, and then Brandon does one, which is fun. Brandon flips at the end off of Kayla’s hands, which is also awesome. Cat actually chastises Doriana for the number of stunts there.
Lil C says “when faced with certain challenges, like being out of your comfort zone...[and concludes with] and when you see with your ears, there is no darkness in your routine, and there was no darkness. Kayla, I saw your little groove at the beginning, and I was like ‘that’s what I’m talking about’ – and Brandon, thank you for coming for Kayla right there. You being there is inspiring her to reach another level. You guys make each other better.”
Mary starts out by saying “holy shamokeys… holy smokes, you knocked it out with a homerun tonight!” She stands up to yell at Brandon for having self esteem problems: “You’re going, you’re first class, you’ve got it, what’s your problem??? And Kayla – still on the train, what can I say??”
Nigel says “I think we’ve got to be sensible about this now because we’re asking people to vote…so let me critique this professionally now [and he stands up and screams, throwing himself around in disco style]. Good luck the pair of you, good luck. My fingers are crossed for you both.”
The three girls dance together as the finale to the show, and it’s a Sonya contemporary routine about superheroes.
It’s obviously a Sonya routine, with a few weird movements and a lot of robotic unison, and it’s cool.
Lil C says they have to “bring the collage of movements to life, but you still have to shine…you still have to eat, and the stage is your bowl. I feel like all of you didn’t really go for the gusto there – I feel like you were being too courteous. I gotta see some buckness. I thought you danced it amazingly, but I need more than amazing right now.”
Mary says “amazing is amazing! Superheroes like you – you guys are the epitome of [string of good adjectives ] dancers. I will say that Kayla had a couple of moves that were tougher than the others, so as a result you stood out to me.” She says they should have performed this for Comic-Con.
Nigel says they were all fantastic, and that he loves the fact that Melissa has a mini-tutu on her costume and points out Jeanine’s strapped-up chest.
Next week: Finale!
I spent the first twenty minutes of the show with no signal because the government is stupid.
That’s right. The government is stupid. And TV is stupid. I hate digital TV.
I saw enough of Cat’s hair to know that it was straightened this week, and enough of the guys to know it was Evan, Ade and Brandon left. I only saw Jeanine of the girls, but she was the one I was most afraid would be eliminated anyway, so that was good.
P.C. stood at the TV holding up the antenna so that I could see these things, and eventually little digitalized bits of Kayla, who’s my favorite girl…though probably not the winner, if I read the audience right.
There was a flash of Adam Sandler, I assume as part of a commercial, and it reminds me that I didn’t see Katie Holmes dance last week (in her one annual outing allowed by Tom). I feel about as bad about that as I do about never having met Adam Sandler in person, which is to say, not bad at all.
Melissa is still there, which means Janette – who didn’t have a good dance last week – went home.
Melissa’s paired with Evan, which is just silly. They got Tyce Diorio for a Broadway routine, which Evan loves. He points out that he gets to use “jazz hands.” (Groan.)
Melissa is wearing something like what I imagine a naughty nurse would wear as lingerie – so two steps up (or down, depending on how you look at it) from a nurse’s uniform. Evan’s in his underwear, a dress shirt and sock garters. It was as silly as it sounds.
On the up-side, Lil C is the guest judge this week. He starts to critique Evan, but gets digitalized, disappears, and speaks gibberish the rest of the time. (But maybe that was just on my TV.)
Mary says something digital and everyone claps. “This was really fun and entertaining for me, and it’s hard, Evan, taking you seriously in your underwear and whatever that thing was holding up your socks, I’ve never seen that before” and she says she never wants to see it again. She gives Melissa a great review.
Nigel points out that Melissa’s able to adapt to “every routine” she’s been given, while most ballet dancers (i.e., the ones trying out for season 6) can’t. He says Evan did bring enough personality to the routine for him, despite it not being a very technically challenging routine.
Ade solos to a Blue October song, but a slowish one. He’s wearing a shirt, but it’s open, and his contemporary choreography has the manic/unchoreographed feel of many mediocre contemporary routines, but the tween-girl fans squeal anyway.
Why don’t contemporary dancers do more with space and pauses? Is it because 30 seconds isn’t long enough to cram in all their skills-of-an-artist if they do that, or is it that they can’t choreograph themselves?
I hear from Cat that we’ve already seen a samba, and I don’t feel too badly that I didn’t get to see it. But with P.C. standing at the antenna, there had better be some awesome routines tonight – Nat and Tab slow hip-hop, Mia contemporary, group dance like we’ve never seen: everything – and Kayla’s partnered with Brandon, so that’s good news. Brandon points out that Kayla’s been on the “Hot Tamale Train” the whole time, and says he’s like to get on that with her.
They’ve got a contemporary routine in which Kayla is Brandon’s mistress and can’t leave him. Whatever, Stacy. This should be a hip-hop routine so she CAN leave him in the end.
They remind me a bit of Katie and Joshua, and then the signal goes out again.
Lil C says some stuff, including that Kayla has finally been “equally matched” with her partner. Mary says the dancing was brilliant and that they’re riding in first class. She says “Kayla, you are as exquisite as anything. You have never taken a wrong step for me.”
Nigel starts out complimenting the choreographer, then points out that the girls have had it really tough this season – Kayla has been an addict, a zombie mistress, and now she’s an abused mistress – but that they did a great job.
Melissa dances to “I Put a Spell On You,” which is okay. It’s not very ballet-y, but she is, making for an interesting contrast.
Jeanine talks about her success and there’s a montage of her in various underwears she’s worn throughout the competition. Ade talks about it too, but not in his underwear.
They get a Nap and Tab routine, about them being friends who are being evicted from their apartment. Jeanine is probably the best girl left at hip hop. The song choice (“Move (If You Wanna)”) is clever, but I don’t really like it. They dance with their feet inside boxes at one point.
Lil’ C says “I wish moving was always that fun. I’d relocate every day.” He says Ade has “a really dirty kind of groove about yourself…and it’s really earthy. This time you kind of sunk into it, and just sat in it. I feel like you pulled [her] down into the depths of the dirt. It was buck, it was buck.”
Mary says she thought that in the samba “you were really terrific, the whole time through, and I just want to say that to you,” and then she dissolves into pixels. Mary comes back to say “you two will not be getting your eviction notice after that performance.”
Nigel says “you’ve taken the notes, and you’ve gotten down, we could have been applauding Tabitha and Napoleon’s routine.” But they weren’t – the pair was great, he says. He asks Jeanine if she’s ever been evicted.
Brandon’s solo is done to an opera aria that had been used for a paso doble earlier in the season. He’s in his underwear. It’s a blend of ballet and contemporary, it seems, and people really like it. Cat says “yeah, very average. Just average, really.” The judges give him a standing ovation, which I can’t remember seeing for a solo before.
Melissa and Evan are doing the quickstep, which pretty much guarantees they’ll be sent home, unless “nonthreatening boy” is still the name of the game for winning this thing…but I think Twitch and Joshua blew that out of the water last year, trumping Benji’s obvious win in season 2.
Melissa and Evan talk about how it would be to be in the top 4, but they don’t say anything very interesting except that Melissa is the oldest person ever in the competition. Melissa is significantly taller than Evan and so will be leaning back to give the illusion of height for him.
They’re wearing elegant eveningwear, but it’s still the quickstep. Lil C says “Evan, I’m going to commend you for dancing bigger than you’ve ever danced on the show before. Now comes the tough love…you were told when you did the jive about your retractions, and you didn’t take heed to that. Melissa, what can I say? You’re fabulous.”
Mary starts talking about the choreographer, which is not always a good sign from her. She says it is one of the toughest dances to do, but that as it went along, “everything started to crumble down…I’m sitting here just a little disappointed right now…it did not live up to my expectations tonight.”
Nigel says Melissa makes herself sound so old at 29, and that the only time it lost energy for him was the lindy hop section. He says it wasn’t one of the best routines tonight. “You are now getting the country to go ‘who are we going to vote for tonight?’ Cause you two are two of the favorites.”
Jeanine dances her solo to a Janet Jackson song, which is interesting. She’s wearing hot pants instead of just plain underwear, and at least she does something a little different than the ordinary contemplative-contemporary routine.
Evan’s solo starts with a flip, and he does look reminiscent of Benji while dancing to “Lady is a Tramp.” I still hope – in fact, I hope even more now – that he goes home this week.
Kayla and Brandon talks about what being in the top four would mean for them. Brandon says he would be convinced he’s actually a good dancer, and Kayla says it would mean “absolutely everything” to her. They’re doing disco, which should be fun and probably a good ender. Kayla says “we came in here expecting an ordinary disco, and it’s more like a circus.”
Doriana is a crazy woman.
They’re dancing to “Dance (Disco Heat)” and it’s pretty fun. They’re both in silver sparkles, though Brandon’s outfit is mostly white cloth. Kayla does a death spiral, and then Brandon does one, which is fun. Brandon flips at the end off of Kayla’s hands, which is also awesome. Cat actually chastises Doriana for the number of stunts there.
Lil C says “when faced with certain challenges, like being out of your comfort zone...[and concludes with] and when you see with your ears, there is no darkness in your routine, and there was no darkness. Kayla, I saw your little groove at the beginning, and I was like ‘that’s what I’m talking about’ – and Brandon, thank you for coming for Kayla right there. You being there is inspiring her to reach another level. You guys make each other better.”
Mary starts out by saying “holy shamokeys… holy smokes, you knocked it out with a homerun tonight!” She stands up to yell at Brandon for having self esteem problems: “You’re going, you’re first class, you’ve got it, what’s your problem??? And Kayla – still on the train, what can I say??”
Nigel says “I think we’ve got to be sensible about this now because we’re asking people to vote…so let me critique this professionally now [and he stands up and screams, throwing himself around in disco style]. Good luck the pair of you, good luck. My fingers are crossed for you both.”
The three girls dance together as the finale to the show, and it’s a Sonya contemporary routine about superheroes.
It’s obviously a Sonya routine, with a few weird movements and a lot of robotic unison, and it’s cool.
Lil C says they have to “bring the collage of movements to life, but you still have to shine…you still have to eat, and the stage is your bowl. I feel like all of you didn’t really go for the gusto there – I feel like you were being too courteous. I gotta see some buckness. I thought you danced it amazingly, but I need more than amazing right now.”
Mary says “amazing is amazing! Superheroes like you – you guys are the epitome of [string of good adjectives ] dancers. I will say that Kayla had a couple of moves that were tougher than the others, so as a result you stood out to me.” She says they should have performed this for Comic-Con.
Nigel says they were all fantastic, and that he loves the fact that Melissa has a mini-tutu on her costume and points out Jeanine’s strapped-up chest.
Next week: Finale!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
So You Thought You Could Dance, II
First things first: It's obvious that disparaging comments made by guest judge Alan Shankman last week were taken to heart by wardrobe for this week's show. Wardrobe clearly took out their frustrations on hostess Cat Dealy, who was dressed in a faux-faux "tuxedo" dress (I cannot stress enough how little this resembled any kind of tuxedo) and made me wish for the days she looked like a relief from a Grecian urn. (That's how ridiculous it was.)
The contestants danced two dances each this week -- not including any solos, of course, which are reserved for the end and for "bottom three" competitions -- ranging from the foxtrot to hip-hop.
I was expecting to love the lyrical hip-hop again this week, and I did, to a point -- but something in the choreography, done by newbies to SYD this week, and more importantly, something in the execution by Kourtni L. and Matt, wasn't getting to me. Sad. I really wanted to love it, but I just barely squeaked out a liking, in the end.
What I did love were the two routines choreographed by Mia Michaels this week.
A contemporary choreographer and (former?) dancer, Mia Michaels has been a judge on SYD since the beginning. She's everything you'd expect in a contemporary dance judge -- always talking about feelings and using that talk as a weapon. "I wasn't feeling it," she might say, coldly, to a couple she was critiquing. Or "I just don't think you were feeling it enough. It wasn't real for me."
Despite all these feeling words, Mia seems to really know her stuff, and when she says she's not "feeling it," contestants had better pay attention, because what she's really talking about is technique and audience connection. She loved Travis, and I loved Travis, though, so maybe I'm "feeling" that connection more than other audience members.
Mia choreographed the bench routine, which won her an award, danced by Heidi and Travis two years ago on SYD. She also choreographed what I thought was a routine too sappy to be respected, but too sappy to be critiqued, depicting her relationship with her father, when he died last year during the competition. Despite what I thought was a slip into treacle-level pathos, there, Mia deals best with loss and consequences in her choreography. The sense of absence in the bench routine was palpable.
This year, Mia's on her game.
Last night's first Mia routine was about "two people going through life selfishly" (though as with most contemporary routines, you wouldn't know to look at it). It's impossible to describe movement properly, and to attempt to do so, I'd have to go second by second with this one, so I'll just skip to the end: Joshua and Katee, who danced the routine, won me over in the first three seconds, and clinched it when in front of the "three" judges (Nigel, Mary, and Tabitha-and-Napoleon as uni-guest-judge), they stood solemn and still instead of goofing off as all other "safe for sure" contestants do.
Cat asked Joshua what he thought of the routine. He seemed full of emotion and struggled to find words. "It's so much more than dancing, with Mia" he said, and stopped. He was either the best actor ever, or he was so truly moved (and exhausted) by dancing this routine that he could hardly speak. I loved that.
The thing about dancing is the sincerity. You can't lie in dance.
Although if you can lie in dance, I think those dancers in the ballroom competitions come closest. Maybe that's why I'm never a fan of the SYD -- or any -- ballroom routines. (Well, a good waltz now and then never kills anyone, but foxtrot? I mean, is that ever really necessary?)
Mia's second routine, danced by Kherington (girl) and Twitch (guy), used a prop -- a bed, tilted toward the audience, around and on which all the action happened.
(No, not that kind of action -- pain, I told you, pain! Mia choreographs loss!)
The storyline here was more obvious than most, with Twitch waking up, fitful, to a memory of his relationship with ex-lover Kherrington. She popped up from behind the bed, a bit of malicious clown in an otherwise fraught-with-anxiety performance, and eluded Twitch's attempts to touch her...being, as she was, a memory.
(Let me take a moment to say that their wardrobe was excellently done, considering the routine: Twitch wore dark blue silk pajama bottoms, and Kherrington wore the pajama top, the sleeves perfectly too-long for her. Nice. [And let me add that the choice of a John Mayer song was regrettable, but at least it wasn't "Your Body Is a Wonderland."])
Mia choreographs like Diego Rivera paints. The movements are like large chunks of color, not appearing minutely detailed -- but the simplicity is an illusion. A lot goes into these routines, and they obviously take a lot out of the dancers. I'd like to see Mia's routines every week if I thought it wouldn't mean diminishing returns, and interminable moments of other-judges praising the routine instead of focusing on the execution.
I hear that Kourtni and Matt have been voted off this week, which is just as well. Next week I hope to go back to loving the contrast of lyrical hip-hop.
PS -- The hip-hop routine I loved last week was performed by Chelsea and Mark. Here's a probably-temporary, too-long, too-pixilated version of it.
The contestants danced two dances each this week -- not including any solos, of course, which are reserved for the end and for "bottom three" competitions -- ranging from the foxtrot to hip-hop.
I was expecting to love the lyrical hip-hop again this week, and I did, to a point -- but something in the choreography, done by newbies to SYD this week, and more importantly, something in the execution by Kourtni L. and Matt, wasn't getting to me. Sad. I really wanted to love it, but I just barely squeaked out a liking, in the end.
What I did love were the two routines choreographed by Mia Michaels this week.
A contemporary choreographer and (former?) dancer, Mia Michaels has been a judge on SYD since the beginning. She's everything you'd expect in a contemporary dance judge -- always talking about feelings and using that talk as a weapon. "I wasn't feeling it," she might say, coldly, to a couple she was critiquing. Or "I just don't think you were feeling it enough. It wasn't real for me."
Despite all these feeling words, Mia seems to really know her stuff, and when she says she's not "feeling it," contestants had better pay attention, because what she's really talking about is technique and audience connection. She loved Travis, and I loved Travis, though, so maybe I'm "feeling" that connection more than other audience members.
Mia choreographed the bench routine, which won her an award, danced by Heidi and Travis two years ago on SYD. She also choreographed what I thought was a routine too sappy to be respected, but too sappy to be critiqued, depicting her relationship with her father, when he died last year during the competition. Despite what I thought was a slip into treacle-level pathos, there, Mia deals best with loss and consequences in her choreography. The sense of absence in the bench routine was palpable.
This year, Mia's on her game.
Last night's first Mia routine was about "two people going through life selfishly" (though as with most contemporary routines, you wouldn't know to look at it). It's impossible to describe movement properly, and to attempt to do so, I'd have to go second by second with this one, so I'll just skip to the end: Joshua and Katee, who danced the routine, won me over in the first three seconds, and clinched it when in front of the "three" judges (Nigel, Mary, and Tabitha-and-Napoleon as uni-guest-judge), they stood solemn and still instead of goofing off as all other "safe for sure" contestants do.
Cat asked Joshua what he thought of the routine. He seemed full of emotion and struggled to find words. "It's so much more than dancing, with Mia" he said, and stopped. He was either the best actor ever, or he was so truly moved (and exhausted) by dancing this routine that he could hardly speak. I loved that.
The thing about dancing is the sincerity. You can't lie in dance.
Although if you can lie in dance, I think those dancers in the ballroom competitions come closest. Maybe that's why I'm never a fan of the SYD -- or any -- ballroom routines. (Well, a good waltz now and then never kills anyone, but foxtrot? I mean, is that ever really necessary?)
Mia's second routine, danced by Kherington (girl) and Twitch (guy), used a prop -- a bed, tilted toward the audience, around and on which all the action happened.
(No, not that kind of action -- pain, I told you, pain! Mia choreographs loss!)
The storyline here was more obvious than most, with Twitch waking up, fitful, to a memory of his relationship with ex-lover Kherrington. She popped up from behind the bed, a bit of malicious clown in an otherwise fraught-with-anxiety performance, and eluded Twitch's attempts to touch her...being, as she was, a memory.
(Let me take a moment to say that their wardrobe was excellently done, considering the routine: Twitch wore dark blue silk pajama bottoms, and Kherrington wore the pajama top, the sleeves perfectly too-long for her. Nice. [And let me add that the choice of a John Mayer song was regrettable, but at least it wasn't "Your Body Is a Wonderland."])
Mia choreographs like Diego Rivera paints. The movements are like large chunks of color, not appearing minutely detailed -- but the simplicity is an illusion. A lot goes into these routines, and they obviously take a lot out of the dancers. I'd like to see Mia's routines every week if I thought it wouldn't mean diminishing returns, and interminable moments of other-judges praising the routine instead of focusing on the execution.
I hear that Kourtni and Matt have been voted off this week, which is just as well. Next week I hope to go back to loving the contrast of lyrical hip-hop.
PS -- The hip-hop routine I loved last week was performed by Chelsea and Mark. Here's a probably-temporary, too-long, too-pixilated version of it.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
So You Thought You Could Dance, V
This week's SYD was both better and less remarkable than past weeks'. The dancers are better -- we're getting down to the wire, here -- which is the source of both the consistently good routines and the relative lack of drama over bad routines. In fact, the judges only shouted down one routine all night, mostly using their comment times to talk about how entertained they were.
The guest judge was Toni Basil, of "Hey Mickey, you're so fine" fame (and no other fame), but she looked like Twiggy from "America's Next Top Model," only in 80s spandex. She talked throughout the night about "street": "street dances," "street" attitude, "street" authenticity.
The effect of hearing a tiny white woman talk about street cred and the gradual acceptance of "street" dances in artsy-dance culture was similar to the effect it would have on you all if I suddenly busted out with "Golddigger" in the middle of a conversation. ("Git down, girl, go 'head, git down.") I can only assume she has some street cred from her "Mickey" days; but I think we all know that whatever credibility she gained from that is now stale, or has been squeezed out of her by the repeated application of spandex to her tiny frame.
Will and Courtney danced a samba and a lyrical hip-hop number. Of the samba, Mary Murphy said "What I want to know right now is 'where's Ashton?' Because I think I'm being punked right now!" (They were so good, they were like samba dancers.) I actually thought Courtney did a good job here, though I've never been in her fan club, and Will always holds his own nicely.
The lyrical hip-hop, which I was again prepared to love, I only like-liked. (A little infatuation, but nothing long-lasting there.) Tabitha and Napoleon choreographed it, and like Mia's routine about herself and her father (who died) from two years ago, it was about the memory of a lost loved one, and being able to see them one last time. There were parts that were excellent, I thought, but probably unintentionally so: Courtney and Will danced as partners in a bendy-flopping-over-each-other way for a few turns that portrayed a desperation I thought was accurate to the experience of losing someone you love, and Will twirled down to the floor near the end of the song in a way that made me think "Now he's going back down to Hell." I don't think Tabitha and Napoleon meant for the routine to be freakish or scary, but for me the freakish/scary bits were the best parts.
Twitch and Katee were partnered for a contemporary dance choreographed by Mia and a Broadway routine by Tyce. The contemporary was, in my opinion, the best of the night. The story behind the routine was that Katee was a codependent lover who wanted Twitch to pay attention to her, wanted to be attached to him, but he wasn't having it. They played around a free-standing door, Katee usually on the "outside" with Twitch not letting her "in." It was funny and pathetic (as in, filled with pathos) at the same time: Twitch would swing open the door, and Katee was hanging on the outside of it, or Katee would use the door frame as leverage to try to kick Twitch in the face, or bang on the door to get in. Both dancers did a great job, enough so that I forgot I was watching Twitch (he seemed to have the technical experience of Will), and I liked Katee all the more by the end. She may actually be my favorite for winner this year.
Nigel joked after this routine that he'd been in that situation with many women before -- he rolled his eyes -- but that "I never opened the door, no matter how much they begged to get out." (What a kidder, that Nigel.)
Mary questioned whether Nigel had ever had women that crazy over him, missing the self-effacing implication that he had been locking them in, and Nigel said "Well, I didn't want to say you by name, Mary." Audience laugh at Mary's expense.
Mary tried to get him back: "Okay, Nigel, play along with me."
"That's what you said last time," Nigel quipped.
In other words, "that's what she said." Haha.
The Broadway routine was startlingly similar in theme to the unrequited love/obsession of Mia's, with Katee as "Sweet Georgia Brown" trying to get her man, and Twitch still having none of it. It was better than most Broadway routines, and again they both performed well. The judges by this point took a friendly interest in critiquing Twitch and Katee, as though they were comrades offering advice to fellow dancers, rather than experts correcting amateurs. Toni pointed out that Twitch brought a "reality" to the dance that Broadway dancers (being "not street") often did not.
Mark and Comfort danced hip-hop and foxtrot. The hip-hop routine was excellent, with the two pretending to be kids in detention when the teacher's left the room. It struck me, as it did last week, that I'd like to see Comfort dancing hip-hop in a non-competitive context, I enjoyed this routine so much. Alas, Mark fared less well, though the judges rewarded him for his out-of-his-genre efforts.
The foxtrot was, more or less, a disaster. If I hadn't already expected Mark and Comfort to go home this week, I would have after that dance. It wasn't the worst dancing ever seen on an SYD stage, but in this season, at this level of competition, it wasn't good enough. The hip-hop routine may save them, but I doubt it.
Joshua and Chelsie danced the Argentine tango, choreographed by past season's Dmitri and set to weird, wordless music, and disco. Chelsie did things with her legs in both routines that should be impossible for humans. (I wonder if she can hear those dog whistles, too.)
Mary and Nigel loved the tango, and Toni couldn't resist her requisite reference to "street" culture: "I think Argentine tango is the most 'street' of the ballroom dances," she said. (Okay, Toni.)
The disco routine's choreographer, Doriana, said both that she wanted people to feel that this was a dance they could do and would want to do themselves, at home, and that she'd packed as many lifts as possible into it. (Okay, Doriana.)
The solos last night left something to be desired, usually choreography. Comfort's solo, again, was one I wanted to see more of, and so was Twitch's (though he mainly worked the crowd rather than dancing a real, choreographed routine).
Will's solo, however, was the only one that really demanded more time (though he didn't get it). He had dressed up as James Brown and was dancing to the song "Get Up Off That Thing." When he went over to the judges' stand to have his phone number advertised so America could vote for him, the judges gave him a standing ovation, and -- in what was possibly the most difficult move of the night, considering the shortness of her dress -- Cat Dealy knelt down and bowed several times in Will's direction.
When they all go on tour, I expect that Will's James Brown routine will be part of the Top Ten act, whether he wins it all or no.
The guest judge was Toni Basil, of "Hey Mickey, you're so fine" fame (and no other fame), but she looked like Twiggy from "America's Next Top Model," only in 80s spandex. She talked throughout the night about "street": "street dances," "street" attitude, "street" authenticity.
The effect of hearing a tiny white woman talk about street cred and the gradual acceptance of "street" dances in artsy-dance culture was similar to the effect it would have on you all if I suddenly busted out with "Golddigger" in the middle of a conversation. ("Git down, girl, go 'head, git down.") I can only assume she has some street cred from her "Mickey" days; but I think we all know that whatever credibility she gained from that is now stale, or has been squeezed out of her by the repeated application of spandex to her tiny frame.
Will and Courtney danced a samba and a lyrical hip-hop number. Of the samba, Mary Murphy said "What I want to know right now is 'where's Ashton?' Because I think I'm being punked right now!" (They were so good, they were like samba dancers.) I actually thought Courtney did a good job here, though I've never been in her fan club, and Will always holds his own nicely.
The lyrical hip-hop, which I was again prepared to love, I only like-liked. (A little infatuation, but nothing long-lasting there.) Tabitha and Napoleon choreographed it, and like Mia's routine about herself and her father (who died) from two years ago, it was about the memory of a lost loved one, and being able to see them one last time. There were parts that were excellent, I thought, but probably unintentionally so: Courtney and Will danced as partners in a bendy-flopping-over-each-other way for a few turns that portrayed a desperation I thought was accurate to the experience of losing someone you love, and Will twirled down to the floor near the end of the song in a way that made me think "Now he's going back down to Hell." I don't think Tabitha and Napoleon meant for the routine to be freakish or scary, but for me the freakish/scary bits were the best parts.
Twitch and Katee were partnered for a contemporary dance choreographed by Mia and a Broadway routine by Tyce. The contemporary was, in my opinion, the best of the night. The story behind the routine was that Katee was a codependent lover who wanted Twitch to pay attention to her, wanted to be attached to him, but he wasn't having it. They played around a free-standing door, Katee usually on the "outside" with Twitch not letting her "in." It was funny and pathetic (as in, filled with pathos) at the same time: Twitch would swing open the door, and Katee was hanging on the outside of it, or Katee would use the door frame as leverage to try to kick Twitch in the face, or bang on the door to get in. Both dancers did a great job, enough so that I forgot I was watching Twitch (he seemed to have the technical experience of Will), and I liked Katee all the more by the end. She may actually be my favorite for winner this year.
Nigel joked after this routine that he'd been in that situation with many women before -- he rolled his eyes -- but that "I never opened the door, no matter how much they begged to get out." (What a kidder, that Nigel.)
Mary questioned whether Nigel had ever had women that crazy over him, missing the self-effacing implication that he had been locking them in, and Nigel said "Well, I didn't want to say you by name, Mary." Audience laugh at Mary's expense.
Mary tried to get him back: "Okay, Nigel, play along with me."
"That's what you said last time," Nigel quipped.
In other words, "that's what she said." Haha.
The Broadway routine was startlingly similar in theme to the unrequited love/obsession of Mia's, with Katee as "Sweet Georgia Brown" trying to get her man, and Twitch still having none of it. It was better than most Broadway routines, and again they both performed well. The judges by this point took a friendly interest in critiquing Twitch and Katee, as though they were comrades offering advice to fellow dancers, rather than experts correcting amateurs. Toni pointed out that Twitch brought a "reality" to the dance that Broadway dancers (being "not street") often did not.
Mark and Comfort danced hip-hop and foxtrot. The hip-hop routine was excellent, with the two pretending to be kids in detention when the teacher's left the room. It struck me, as it did last week, that I'd like to see Comfort dancing hip-hop in a non-competitive context, I enjoyed this routine so much. Alas, Mark fared less well, though the judges rewarded him for his out-of-his-genre efforts.
The foxtrot was, more or less, a disaster. If I hadn't already expected Mark and Comfort to go home this week, I would have after that dance. It wasn't the worst dancing ever seen on an SYD stage, but in this season, at this level of competition, it wasn't good enough. The hip-hop routine may save them, but I doubt it.
Joshua and Chelsie danced the Argentine tango, choreographed by past season's Dmitri and set to weird, wordless music, and disco. Chelsie did things with her legs in both routines that should be impossible for humans. (I wonder if she can hear those dog whistles, too.)
Mary and Nigel loved the tango, and Toni couldn't resist her requisite reference to "street" culture: "I think Argentine tango is the most 'street' of the ballroom dances," she said. (Okay, Toni.)
The disco routine's choreographer, Doriana, said both that she wanted people to feel that this was a dance they could do and would want to do themselves, at home, and that she'd packed as many lifts as possible into it. (Okay, Doriana.)
The solos last night left something to be desired, usually choreography. Comfort's solo, again, was one I wanted to see more of, and so was Twitch's (though he mainly worked the crowd rather than dancing a real, choreographed routine).
Will's solo, however, was the only one that really demanded more time (though he didn't get it). He had dressed up as James Brown and was dancing to the song "Get Up Off That Thing." When he went over to the judges' stand to have his phone number advertised so America could vote for him, the judges gave him a standing ovation, and -- in what was possibly the most difficult move of the night, considering the shortness of her dress -- Cat Dealy knelt down and bowed several times in Will's direction.
When they all go on tour, I expect that Will's James Brown routine will be part of the Top Ten act, whether he wins it all or no.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
SYD #10
Cat’s dress makes her look like she fell in a mud pit.
Randi and Kupono left last week.
Four judges this week, including Mia and Ellen Degeneres, for some reason.
Nigel has been doctorated by a UK university.
Ellen explains why she’s here: “Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from the streets, and by the streets, I mean I live in a gated community and there was only one street.” She goes on to win me over by being really funny during the rest of her comments.
Mia’s been nominated for three Emmys.
All the contestants are performing four times: solo, two partner dances and a group dance.
Travis choreographed the top 8 in a “rave” style, wherein they each get to also use their own styles. Travis says it “should be this huge banana extravaganza.”
Their costumes are pretty good, though – much better than the ones in the Willennium music video. They glow in the dark, for instance. The music is good for the piece, too – Lil’ Wayne.
Nigel talks Travis up, which is always a good sign. He says it was a great opening to the show. Ellen says “well, first of all, I can do that, but second of all, when Travis asked me to help with the wardrobe…” [it’s great to have a comedian on the panel at this point]. Mary says she’s going to pick on specific people, but looks at them and says “nope, nobody to pick on.” Mia asks if Ellen will wear one of those costumes with her on Thursday, and Ellen immediately agrees.
Evan picked Janette’s name out of the hat, and they got a Sonya jazz routine. (Niiiiiice.) Janette’s ballroom form helps her keep her legs and feet graceful despite it being a Sonya routine. They were supposed to get angrier and angrier, though, and I wasn’t feelin’ it.
Nigel says these two are “two little stars of this season,” and that Evan is finally giving the more Nigel’s been asking for. Ellen says “it was hard-hitting and rich and full-bodied – I’m sorry, I’m thinking of the wine I had before I came here…but you all were amazing.” Mary says they could have been “a little bit more gutsier…a little bit rougher” towards the end. Nigel covers Mary’s mouth (a reference to the routine) and Mary tells him to “pipe down, English muffin, and go sit on your degree.” Mia says Evan will never be “the freakish dancer that Sonya requires.” She says Janette is her “favorite, favorite, favorite this season.”
Kayla’s solo is to an Imogen Heap song, but unfortunately that’s the most memorable thing about it.
Brandon pulled Jeanine for the waltz first. Jeanine says she gets “to be elegant and flowy, like a brunette Cinderella,” and once again, Jeanine’s underwear is COMPLETELY VISIBLE under her rehearsal skirt. She looks like a canary in her yellow dress, which at least covers her underwear.
Nigel starts out saying it “was an extremely tough routine…not your fault, but that music felt like pulling teeth to me.” [Ellen is sitting in deadpan-attack pose next to Nigel.] The audience boos Nigel and he tells them to shut up. After a long story involving seeing Twila Thorpe from behind in line for the ladies’ room, Ellen says she thought they were fantastic. Mary says “you guys did it respectable.” Mia says “maybe if you weren’t dreaming about birds and bunnies, the performance would have been better…I expected the length and the space and the breath to be magical,” but it wasn’t.
Jason solos to a “Taking Back Sunday” song, which again makes me think “hey, I should look up this ‘Taking Back Sunday’ group” more than “hey, I should vote for Jason.” He might have been good enough to make it through the week, though, and I figured Jason was in the most trouble before this. (The tweens love an epic-seeming song with contemporary dance choreography.)
Ade is reunited with Melissa for the cha cha. Nigel says it’s “really, really good, really good.” Ellen says “I have a question, are you two carpenters, because you nailed it!” Mary says Ade has to lower his “bum” in order to be “grounded and hard-hitting,” and that Melissa was sometimes turned out too far and sometimes turned in too far. Mia says she thinks it was Ade’s worst performance this season “and you weren’t getting down and dirty.” She says Melissa did an excellent job considering her ballet background.
Janette dances, unfortunately, to a Celine Dion song – at least it’s something different for the salsa dancer, but still, it seems more “Titanic” than “Miami Heat.”
Jason picked Kayla, and they dance Broadway with Tyce. It’s jazzy in that it seems to be set in the 20’s/30’s. I like Kayla, and even though this is jazz, I like her in this.
Nigel says it was “beautiful to watch,” and that Jason’s toes were great – Kayla’s lines were great and she “can do anything that’s thrown at [her].” He says it was one of the best routines of the evening so far. Ellen says “I really just wanted to come see a taping, and these are really good seats…I want to invite you both over to the house later because I have some pictures that need to be hung, and you are both good NAILERS.” Mary says it “seemed to flow effortless.” She says Jason was “cool, suave [grunt]…and Kayla, there’s a reason why you’re riding first class. [She pulls out an actual wooden train whistle and blows it.]”
Mia says “I seem like the only sane one up here, and that’s scary.” She loved the piece and says Jason needs to open up through the chest. She asks Kayla if she sings or acts, and says she should; she “will take Broadway by storm if [she] ever decided to do that. If you checked in a dictionary and looked up ‘girl, perfection and star,’ you would see Kayla.”
Ade dances to a song by “Various Production Artists” – it’s weird and techy, and he jumps really high. He’s no Twitch or Joshua, though, and his solo lacks substance.
Evan and Janette dance the rumba to an American Idol remake of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” which is much better than this remake. I’m distracted the whole time by this fact and fail to even comment aloud on Janette’s bustle-and-absent outfit (that is, there are parts with no fabric, and also a bustle at her back).
Nigel says the rumba is hard to get votes with, though Janette was great at it. Evan, on the other hand, didn’t “perform with [his] face.” Ellen says “as someone, who again, learned everything from the streets, I have no idea what I’m talking about – I love your face, Evan, I love your eyes. You’re a special, special guy. Janette, I love you. I think you’re amazing.” Mary says Evan was “there for her in all the connections,” didn’t lose his balance, did the lift well, and the choreography was good. Then she turns to “little miss fire and spice and flavor,” and calls her a “little Hot Tamale.” Mia says Evan is perfect the way God has made him, and that “we celebrate [him]” – she said going into his performance, “I wasn’t sure I wanted to see you be sexy…but you did it. But you did it with a Zoolander face.” She decides not to say anything about Janette because she’s said it all before.
Melissa dances to a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song in a “Center Stage” 80’s-type leotard and a high, ‘you should be wearing leg-warmers’ ponytail. Good choice, though I might have gone Cyndy Lauper or Pat Benatar with the 30-second time limit on solos. Not spectacular otherwise (choreographically).
Jeanine and Brandon dance with Laurieann Gibson to Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield.” It’s a soldier conceit, and I kind of like Laurieann’s style, though it goes along with Jordin Sparks’ music a little too well (pop-y and hook-driven). Still, they’re good, and this is likely the routine of the night.
Nigel says “that’s all I’m asking – this is our top 8 dancers, and that’s exactly what we want. It’s finally begun this evening for me. Thank you, hooray! This is the flattest night I’ve ever experienced on SYD, up until now. Thank you, thank you, hooray, at last!” Ellen says she’s “so happy that [Nigel’s] that happy. I’m that happy too. You make it so appealing to join some kind of armed forces. I mean, there’s dancing and there’s daa-aa-aancing, and there’s da-aa-aa-aa-aaaaancing, and that’s what that was.” Mary gives a tag question and asks “do you hear it Nigel? Do you hear it Mia? Do you hear it, Ellen?” and she screams. Mia says she’s afraid to talk “after all this,” but she talks anyway. She says Lauriann Gibson doesn’t dance unless she’s “convicted to move,” and that’s what these guys did. She calls Brandon a “powerhouse.”
Evan dances a Broadway solo. He reminds me here of Benji from season 2 in terms of accessibility, which may keep him through next week.
Jeanine does her solo in, predictably, her underwear. It’s got a beat despite being apparently contemporary, which makes it more compelling than most contemporary solos, but it ends before it can really get started.
Ade and Melissa dance a Tyce Diorio contemporary routine. Melissa looks with a scarf on her head like she’s a cancer patient, but that turns out to be intentional. Breast cancer, in specific, which may be an interesting choice…they dance to Maxwell’s almost entirely falsetto cover of “This Woman’s Work.” She looks kind of like a ghost already, but it’s hard to tell if that’s intentional. An excellent song choice helps make for a pretty great performance, though it’s hard to know if the effortless leaps and catches will overtake Jeanine and Brandon’s win.
Nigel starts with “I think that that has just shown me why I love dance so much, and that is because it can express [he chokes up] so many emotions…I don’t know as a choreographer how you get the strength to do a piece like this.” He suggests Tyce will be nominated for another Emmy, says it was one of the most memorable routines from this show, and “I found it extremely touching…I can’t think of a better couple to have danced it than you two…Together, you were absolutely sensational. Absolutely incredible.”
Ellen says “I’ve been wanting to come see a taping live for a long, long time…it was just the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Mary is crying and says they did a great job. Nigel is turned away from the camera, probably crying. Mia is also crying and breaks down after saying “what an important piece of work.” She talks about the journey of cancer patients and their family and friends and thanks Tyce, Ade and Melissa for the dance.
Brandon is shirtless in his solo and crawls across the floor and does a lot of flips. Good move, Brandon. Cat replies “I mean, seriously! You’re like a RACEHORSE!” Nobody knows what she means, but everyone cheers.
Kayla and Jason are dancing to a Shane Sparks routine where Jason is a zombie. Kayla’s makeup is pretty scary, but their dancing doesn’t necessarily match it. Kayla’s still great, but Jason doesn’t hit the locks in the way I’d like. He kills her at the end.
Nigel points out that it’s Michael Jackson-inspired. He says to Kayla about her grandparents “when they sent you to dance classes, who ever thought you’d be a zombie mistress?” Ellen says “you two keep dancing like that and you’ll have your own talk show someday. That’s what I was trying to do during the break, that exact thing.” Mary says Jason’s been “bitten by the rabies or something,” and that she loved “every second of it, it was pure entertainment.” She screams. Mia says it was her favorite Shane piece he’s done on the show. She says the strangulation at the end of the routine “was disturbingly hot.”
Cat sums up for us, and it’s all up to the voters.
Randi and Kupono left last week.
Four judges this week, including Mia and Ellen Degeneres, for some reason.
Nigel has been doctorated by a UK university.
Ellen explains why she’s here: “Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from the streets, and by the streets, I mean I live in a gated community and there was only one street.” She goes on to win me over by being really funny during the rest of her comments.
Mia’s been nominated for three Emmys.
All the contestants are performing four times: solo, two partner dances and a group dance.
Travis choreographed the top 8 in a “rave” style, wherein they each get to also use their own styles. Travis says it “should be this huge banana extravaganza.”
Their costumes are pretty good, though – much better than the ones in the Willennium music video. They glow in the dark, for instance. The music is good for the piece, too – Lil’ Wayne.
Nigel talks Travis up, which is always a good sign. He says it was a great opening to the show. Ellen says “well, first of all, I can do that, but second of all, when Travis asked me to help with the wardrobe…” [it’s great to have a comedian on the panel at this point]. Mary says she’s going to pick on specific people, but looks at them and says “nope, nobody to pick on.” Mia asks if Ellen will wear one of those costumes with her on Thursday, and Ellen immediately agrees.
Evan picked Janette’s name out of the hat, and they got a Sonya jazz routine. (Niiiiiice.) Janette’s ballroom form helps her keep her legs and feet graceful despite it being a Sonya routine. They were supposed to get angrier and angrier, though, and I wasn’t feelin’ it.
Nigel says these two are “two little stars of this season,” and that Evan is finally giving the more Nigel’s been asking for. Ellen says “it was hard-hitting and rich and full-bodied – I’m sorry, I’m thinking of the wine I had before I came here…but you all were amazing.” Mary says they could have been “a little bit more gutsier…a little bit rougher” towards the end. Nigel covers Mary’s mouth (a reference to the routine) and Mary tells him to “pipe down, English muffin, and go sit on your degree.” Mia says Evan will never be “the freakish dancer that Sonya requires.” She says Janette is her “favorite, favorite, favorite this season.”
Kayla’s solo is to an Imogen Heap song, but unfortunately that’s the most memorable thing about it.
Brandon pulled Jeanine for the waltz first. Jeanine says she gets “to be elegant and flowy, like a brunette Cinderella,” and once again, Jeanine’s underwear is COMPLETELY VISIBLE under her rehearsal skirt. She looks like a canary in her yellow dress, which at least covers her underwear.
Nigel starts out saying it “was an extremely tough routine…not your fault, but that music felt like pulling teeth to me.” [Ellen is sitting in deadpan-attack pose next to Nigel.] The audience boos Nigel and he tells them to shut up. After a long story involving seeing Twila Thorpe from behind in line for the ladies’ room, Ellen says she thought they were fantastic. Mary says “you guys did it respectable.” Mia says “maybe if you weren’t dreaming about birds and bunnies, the performance would have been better…I expected the length and the space and the breath to be magical,” but it wasn’t.
Jason solos to a “Taking Back Sunday” song, which again makes me think “hey, I should look up this ‘Taking Back Sunday’ group” more than “hey, I should vote for Jason.” He might have been good enough to make it through the week, though, and I figured Jason was in the most trouble before this. (The tweens love an epic-seeming song with contemporary dance choreography.)
Ade is reunited with Melissa for the cha cha. Nigel says it’s “really, really good, really good.” Ellen says “I have a question, are you two carpenters, because you nailed it!” Mary says Ade has to lower his “bum” in order to be “grounded and hard-hitting,” and that Melissa was sometimes turned out too far and sometimes turned in too far. Mia says she thinks it was Ade’s worst performance this season “and you weren’t getting down and dirty.” She says Melissa did an excellent job considering her ballet background.
Janette dances, unfortunately, to a Celine Dion song – at least it’s something different for the salsa dancer, but still, it seems more “Titanic” than “Miami Heat.”
Jason picked Kayla, and they dance Broadway with Tyce. It’s jazzy in that it seems to be set in the 20’s/30’s. I like Kayla, and even though this is jazz, I like her in this.
Nigel says it was “beautiful to watch,” and that Jason’s toes were great – Kayla’s lines were great and she “can do anything that’s thrown at [her].” He says it was one of the best routines of the evening so far. Ellen says “I really just wanted to come see a taping, and these are really good seats…I want to invite you both over to the house later because I have some pictures that need to be hung, and you are both good NAILERS.” Mary says it “seemed to flow effortless.” She says Jason was “cool, suave [grunt]…and Kayla, there’s a reason why you’re riding first class. [She pulls out an actual wooden train whistle and blows it.]”
Mia says “I seem like the only sane one up here, and that’s scary.” She loved the piece and says Jason needs to open up through the chest. She asks Kayla if she sings or acts, and says she should; she “will take Broadway by storm if [she] ever decided to do that. If you checked in a dictionary and looked up ‘girl, perfection and star,’ you would see Kayla.”
Ade dances to a song by “Various Production Artists” – it’s weird and techy, and he jumps really high. He’s no Twitch or Joshua, though, and his solo lacks substance.
Evan and Janette dance the rumba to an American Idol remake of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” which is much better than this remake. I’m distracted the whole time by this fact and fail to even comment aloud on Janette’s bustle-and-absent outfit (that is, there are parts with no fabric, and also a bustle at her back).
Nigel says the rumba is hard to get votes with, though Janette was great at it. Evan, on the other hand, didn’t “perform with [his] face.” Ellen says “as someone, who again, learned everything from the streets, I have no idea what I’m talking about – I love your face, Evan, I love your eyes. You’re a special, special guy. Janette, I love you. I think you’re amazing.” Mary says Evan was “there for her in all the connections,” didn’t lose his balance, did the lift well, and the choreography was good. Then she turns to “little miss fire and spice and flavor,” and calls her a “little Hot Tamale.” Mia says Evan is perfect the way God has made him, and that “we celebrate [him]” – she said going into his performance, “I wasn’t sure I wanted to see you be sexy…but you did it. But you did it with a Zoolander face.” She decides not to say anything about Janette because she’s said it all before.
Melissa dances to a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song in a “Center Stage” 80’s-type leotard and a high, ‘you should be wearing leg-warmers’ ponytail. Good choice, though I might have gone Cyndy Lauper or Pat Benatar with the 30-second time limit on solos. Not spectacular otherwise (choreographically).
Jeanine and Brandon dance with Laurieann Gibson to Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield.” It’s a soldier conceit, and I kind of like Laurieann’s style, though it goes along with Jordin Sparks’ music a little too well (pop-y and hook-driven). Still, they’re good, and this is likely the routine of the night.
Nigel says “that’s all I’m asking – this is our top 8 dancers, and that’s exactly what we want. It’s finally begun this evening for me. Thank you, hooray! This is the flattest night I’ve ever experienced on SYD, up until now. Thank you, thank you, hooray, at last!” Ellen says she’s “so happy that [Nigel’s] that happy. I’m that happy too. You make it so appealing to join some kind of armed forces. I mean, there’s dancing and there’s daa-aa-aancing, and there’s da-aa-aa-aa-aaaaancing, and that’s what that was.” Mary gives a tag question and asks “do you hear it Nigel? Do you hear it Mia? Do you hear it, Ellen?” and she screams. Mia says she’s afraid to talk “after all this,” but she talks anyway. She says Lauriann Gibson doesn’t dance unless she’s “convicted to move,” and that’s what these guys did. She calls Brandon a “powerhouse.”
Evan dances a Broadway solo. He reminds me here of Benji from season 2 in terms of accessibility, which may keep him through next week.
Jeanine does her solo in, predictably, her underwear. It’s got a beat despite being apparently contemporary, which makes it more compelling than most contemporary solos, but it ends before it can really get started.
Ade and Melissa dance a Tyce Diorio contemporary routine. Melissa looks with a scarf on her head like she’s a cancer patient, but that turns out to be intentional. Breast cancer, in specific, which may be an interesting choice…they dance to Maxwell’s almost entirely falsetto cover of “This Woman’s Work.” She looks kind of like a ghost already, but it’s hard to tell if that’s intentional. An excellent song choice helps make for a pretty great performance, though it’s hard to know if the effortless leaps and catches will overtake Jeanine and Brandon’s win.
Nigel starts with “I think that that has just shown me why I love dance so much, and that is because it can express [he chokes up] so many emotions…I don’t know as a choreographer how you get the strength to do a piece like this.” He suggests Tyce will be nominated for another Emmy, says it was one of the most memorable routines from this show, and “I found it extremely touching…I can’t think of a better couple to have danced it than you two…Together, you were absolutely sensational. Absolutely incredible.”
Ellen says “I’ve been wanting to come see a taping live for a long, long time…it was just the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Mary is crying and says they did a great job. Nigel is turned away from the camera, probably crying. Mia is also crying and breaks down after saying “what an important piece of work.” She talks about the journey of cancer patients and their family and friends and thanks Tyce, Ade and Melissa for the dance.
Brandon is shirtless in his solo and crawls across the floor and does a lot of flips. Good move, Brandon. Cat replies “I mean, seriously! You’re like a RACEHORSE!” Nobody knows what she means, but everyone cheers.
Kayla and Jason are dancing to a Shane Sparks routine where Jason is a zombie. Kayla’s makeup is pretty scary, but their dancing doesn’t necessarily match it. Kayla’s still great, but Jason doesn’t hit the locks in the way I’d like. He kills her at the end.
Nigel points out that it’s Michael Jackson-inspired. He says to Kayla about her grandparents “when they sent you to dance classes, who ever thought you’d be a zombie mistress?” Ellen says “you two keep dancing like that and you’ll have your own talk show someday. That’s what I was trying to do during the break, that exact thing.” Mary says Jason’s been “bitten by the rabies or something,” and that she loved “every second of it, it was pure entertainment.” She screams. Mia says it was her favorite Shane piece he’s done on the show. She says the strangulation at the end of the routine “was disturbingly hot.”
Cat sums up for us, and it’s all up to the voters.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
So You Thought You Could Dance III
I was worried, in the last post-commercial-break section of SYD this week, that I wouldn't have anything to write about here. Watching SYD on the couch of friend Sharon should have made the show that much more enjoyable -- but dance after dance failed to impress.
Ballroom dances were actually the most impressive last night. Honest to goodness: ballroom.
Chelsea and Mark and Courtney and Gev each had good-and-hot ballroom routines. Sadly, Chelsea and Mark's other routine was Broadway style, which was also good-and-hot, but no businessman-and-wife.
The "Adam and Eve" contemporary routine danced by Will and Jessica was raved about by judges Nigel, Mary Murphy and Mia, but Sharon and I didn't "get it." There was a point near the end when I think I identified their expulsion from the garden, but other than that, and their "earthy" movement (Adam was made from dust, you see), I didn't see the connection.
Contemporary dance has this issue: Except for "pop" contemporary, which you can tell was designed for mass consumption, like the prop-contemporary choreography Mia did last year and last week, the movement-for-the-sake-of-movement of jazz and contemporary doesn't make sense to those who aren't technically proficient -- or it doesn't automatically make sense to us all. There are a few people, I'm sure, like Julia Robert's Pretty Woman understanding opera, who "get it" naturally.
I'm not one.
That's no big surprise. If I hadn't played trumpet in a jazz band, I'd probably never have listened to Arturo Sandoval or Maynard Ferguson, and I probably wouldn't have a very strong opinion on which "Mack the Knife" is the authoritative one. (Louis Armstrong's.) I'd think "wow, that note is high" if I found myself listening to an F above the staff, but I wouldn't want to throw up, crawl into a hole or eviscerate myself.
Tyce Diorio was the choreographer. He's a long-time contemporary, jazz and Broadway SYD choreographer, and he's occasionally appeared as a judge. The judges for this week spent as much time complimenting him on his work as they did making statements on Will and Jessica's execution. The most interesting thing about the whole routine was the fact that Mia referred to having Tyce over at her house and listening to the music he used for "Adam and Eve." (She fell asleep in the middle.)
"Oh," I thought. "They're friends, and he went over. That's so nice."
In other dances, Comfort and Thane failed to impress in each of their styles (hip-hop and contemporary, respectively). They'll probably be booted off tonight unless the judges want Jessica off more than Comfort.
So everything was disappointment, disappointment -- until the final scene.
Cat, in a dress soooooooooooo relieving this week that I commented on how much I liked looking at it just about every time she appeared on screen, had announced in the show's opener that we would be seeing the first Bollywood dance ever on SYD.
Confession: I love Bollywood. I love Bollywood in the way I love "It's Raining Men" -- viscerally, and because it's so unrelentingly positive. I've seen Bride and Prejudice and own Dil Ka Rishta and Lagaan (though I haven't watched that one yet -- I'm saving it). I love Monsoon Wedding, even though it's not strictly Bollywood.
But I really thought I'd hate this dance, a la SYD's attempts at krump.
(There was another krump routine this week, too, performed pretty decently by "Twitchington" -- it went as well as choreographed krump can be expected to go.)
Happily, I was wrong: Bollywood was delightful!
I exclaim this because Bollywood is exactly the sort of style where exclamation is useful and necessary. The two characters Katee and Joshua played were typical Bollywood lovers -- Katee played hard-to-get, and Joshua tried hard to get her. Their costumes were appropriate and their dance moves were on-target. It was just fun to watch.
Afterward, the judges were thrilled. Nigel, who said he'd been trying to get Bollywood onto SYD for three years, took the opportunity to make a semi-political statement, possibly the first in SYD history: "I wish the world would come together through dance rather than what we're doing at the moment." (Nigel is, of course, British.)
Mia said of Katee's bindi-ed face and chest, and sparkly Indian costume, "You need to dress like that every day of your life, Katee."
It may seem that the judges were congratulating the dance style and themselves for adding it more than they were congratulating the execution of it, but Mia (who was mean all evening, perhaps in sync with the over-one-eye, Clockwork-Orange black hat she was wearing) didn't pull any punches saying that Joshua had been stiff, and the dance really was well executed. I felt, as I think the judges felt, relieved that Katee and Joshua had gotten Bollywood instead of one of the less-proficient couples. (Comfort and Thane, the lopsided Will and Jessica, and the fun-but-cotton-candy Gev and Courtney come to mind.)
I hope to see a lot more Bollywood on the show -- and while we're at it, let's get contra dancing, clogging and Schemitzun-style dance on there, too. Even America has a few more original dances we haven't tapped into.
We could have the Amish, Michael Flatley and members of the Mashantucket Pequot Nation as guests, respectively.
It'd beat Hillary Duff, that's for sure.
*Update: Comfort and Thane were indeed axed. The final 10 are lookin' good.
Ballroom dances were actually the most impressive last night. Honest to goodness: ballroom.
Chelsea and Mark and Courtney and Gev each had good-and-hot ballroom routines. Sadly, Chelsea and Mark's other routine was Broadway style, which was also good-and-hot, but no businessman-and-wife.
The "Adam and Eve" contemporary routine danced by Will and Jessica was raved about by judges Nigel, Mary Murphy and Mia, but Sharon and I didn't "get it." There was a point near the end when I think I identified their expulsion from the garden, but other than that, and their "earthy" movement (Adam was made from dust, you see), I didn't see the connection.
Contemporary dance has this issue: Except for "pop" contemporary, which you can tell was designed for mass consumption, like the prop-contemporary choreography Mia did last year and last week, the movement-for-the-sake-of-movement of jazz and contemporary doesn't make sense to those who aren't technically proficient -- or it doesn't automatically make sense to us all. There are a few people, I'm sure, like Julia Robert's Pretty Woman understanding opera, who "get it" naturally.
I'm not one.
That's no big surprise. If I hadn't played trumpet in a jazz band, I'd probably never have listened to Arturo Sandoval or Maynard Ferguson, and I probably wouldn't have a very strong opinion on which "Mack the Knife" is the authoritative one. (Louis Armstrong's.) I'd think "wow, that note is high" if I found myself listening to an F above the staff, but I wouldn't want to throw up, crawl into a hole or eviscerate myself.
Tyce Diorio was the choreographer. He's a long-time contemporary, jazz and Broadway SYD choreographer, and he's occasionally appeared as a judge. The judges for this week spent as much time complimenting him on his work as they did making statements on Will and Jessica's execution. The most interesting thing about the whole routine was the fact that Mia referred to having Tyce over at her house and listening to the music he used for "Adam and Eve." (She fell asleep in the middle.)
"Oh," I thought. "They're friends, and he went over. That's so nice."
In other dances, Comfort and Thane failed to impress in each of their styles (hip-hop and contemporary, respectively). They'll probably be booted off tonight unless the judges want Jessica off more than Comfort.
So everything was disappointment, disappointment -- until the final scene.
Cat, in a dress soooooooooooo relieving this week that I commented on how much I liked looking at it just about every time she appeared on screen, had announced in the show's opener that we would be seeing the first Bollywood dance ever on SYD.
Confession: I love Bollywood. I love Bollywood in the way I love "It's Raining Men" -- viscerally, and because it's so unrelentingly positive. I've seen Bride and Prejudice and own Dil Ka Rishta and Lagaan (though I haven't watched that one yet -- I'm saving it). I love Monsoon Wedding, even though it's not strictly Bollywood.
But I really thought I'd hate this dance, a la SYD's attempts at krump.
(There was another krump routine this week, too, performed pretty decently by "Twitchington" -- it went as well as choreographed krump can be expected to go.)
Happily, I was wrong: Bollywood was delightful!
I exclaim this because Bollywood is exactly the sort of style where exclamation is useful and necessary. The two characters Katee and Joshua played were typical Bollywood lovers -- Katee played hard-to-get, and Joshua tried hard to get her. Their costumes were appropriate and their dance moves were on-target. It was just fun to watch.
Afterward, the judges were thrilled. Nigel, who said he'd been trying to get Bollywood onto SYD for three years, took the opportunity to make a semi-political statement, possibly the first in SYD history: "I wish the world would come together through dance rather than what we're doing at the moment." (Nigel is, of course, British.)
Mia said of Katee's bindi-ed face and chest, and sparkly Indian costume, "You need to dress like that every day of your life, Katee."
It may seem that the judges were congratulating the dance style and themselves for adding it more than they were congratulating the execution of it, but Mia (who was mean all evening, perhaps in sync with the over-one-eye, Clockwork-Orange black hat she was wearing) didn't pull any punches saying that Joshua had been stiff, and the dance really was well executed. I felt, as I think the judges felt, relieved that Katee and Joshua had gotten Bollywood instead of one of the less-proficient couples. (Comfort and Thane, the lopsided Will and Jessica, and the fun-but-cotton-candy Gev and Courtney come to mind.)
I hope to see a lot more Bollywood on the show -- and while we're at it, let's get contra dancing, clogging and Schemitzun-style dance on there, too. Even America has a few more original dances we haven't tapped into.
We could have the Amish, Michael Flatley and members of the Mashantucket Pequot Nation as guests, respectively.
It'd beat Hillary Duff, that's for sure.
*Update: Comfort and Thane were indeed axed. The final 10 are lookin' good.
Monday, October 13, 2008
PersonalSA: Personal Ad, the movie
"The Inquisitor"
::A door opens. A casually dressed man enters the room casting a quick glance around at the spartan furnishings. The Interviewer, standing behind a functional looking metal desk, is wearing a grey suit and thin black tie. He gestures to The Man to sit in a straight-backed wooden chair opposite him::
"Please have a seat."
"Thanks." ::The Man replies as they both sit. The Man attempts, with only limited success, to get comfortable in the chair. The Interviewer speaks as he is looking over some papers on a clipboard::
"So, you are here on Craigslist looking for a... " ::There is momentary pause as the eyes of the Interviewer search the paper:: "...a woman, is that right?" ::Inquiring look over the clipboard::
"Yes." ::The Man responds with a hopeful voice and a momentary smile:: "Just so."
"Ah, good." ::The Interviewer grabs a nearby pen off the desk and begins fiddling with it absentmindedly as he leans back in his chair and fixes the Man with a dark-eyed stare::
"You have been reading the ads?"
"Yes, I have."
"So you know what the women there want?" ::The Interviewer leans forward in his chair and raises his brows slightly::
"Uh, yes. I think so. I know what they say they want at least." ::A look of slight nervousness creeps across the Man's features. A brief, mirthless half-grin crosses the Interviewer's face::
"Shall we go down the list?" ::The Man swallows and then nods slightly in reply::
"Are you tall?"
"Yes." ::The Man sits up a bit straighter in his chair with a look of confidence entering his face and voice:: "Indeed I am. Well above average in fact." ::The Man pauses, his brows furrowing momentarily:: "Not freakishly so though. I'm six-three" ::The Interviewer nods and makes a note on his tablet. Without looking up he continues::
"Are you obese, burly, husky, big-boned or any other current euphemisms for fat?" ::The Man shakes his head slightly::
"No. I'm carrying maybe ten to fifteen extra pounds, but I have a big frame to carry them on." ::The Interviewer nods and makes a note::
"Are you buff, cut, have large biceps, rippling muscles and/or washboard abs?"
"Uh, no, but I do have nice muscular calves and thighs." ::The Interviewer looks up at the Man expressionlessly:: "I walk a lot." ::The Man says by way of explanation, adding after a moment:: "I also hike and run occasionally." ::The Interviewer looks down at his clipboard and continues tonelessly::
"Do you love to laugh?" ::A look of genuine puzzlement crosses the Man's face::
"Doesn't everyone?"
"Are you funny? Do you make women laugh?" ::The interviewer asks with uncharacteristic emphasis:: ::The Man looks momentarily out of the computer screen at the reader::
"Well if The Woman gets at least a chuckle out of this then yes, otherwise I guess not." ::The Man pauses and looks back to the Interviewer as he nods slightly while making a note:: "Did I mention that I am tall?" ::The Man asks with a hint of a mischievous smile::
"Yes." ::The Interviewer answers somewhat coldly, shooting a reproachful look at the Man. He then continues::
"Do you love life?"
"Well, usually, but it doesn't always love me back."
"I see. And would you describe your attitude as unwaveringly positive?" ::A small bead of sweat breaks out on the Man's forehead and begins wending its way wetly downward.::
"Uh, no, not really. Don't get me wrong, I don't go around with a personal raincloud trying to soak everyone else with it, but I don't exactly spring out of bed in the morning shouting 'every day in every way I'm getting better and better!' or 'Today is the first day of the rest of my life!' either."
"Not even once?"
"Nope, not even once. I am generally not an exclamation point man." ::The Interviewer nods. The sound of a pen tip methodically scratching on paper emanates from across the desk. The Man surreptitiously strains to get a peak at what is being written::
"Do you like to have fun?" ::The look of genuine puzzlement returns to The Man's face::
"Doesn't that go without saying?" ::The interviewer glances briefly to his papers::
"Apparently it does not."
"Alright. Yes. Yes, I like to have fun."
"And fun would be?"
"Oh, the usual things, movies reading, hiking, traveling. You know, the things which are enjoyable enough to do, but make you seem dull as dirt to list." ::The Interviewer nods without replying::
"Do you have a luxuriant, full head of hair?" ::A long pause ensues. Several more beads of sweat appear. The Man shifts in his chair and clears his throat several times before finally speaking::
"Have I mentioned that I am tall?"
"Several times now." ::The Interviewer says with a hint of irritation in his voice. With a heavy sigh the Man answers::
"No. No, I don't." ::The distinct sound of distant doors opening and the clicking of many high-heeled shoes rapidly receding fills the small room. The Man looks over his shoulder with a concerned expression and asks::
"What was that?" ::The Interviewer does not respond except to quirk his lip slightly upward:: "I have a nice head and my ears don't stick out does that count?" ::The Man asks hopefully. The Interviewer gives him a sardonic look:: "I suppose the cute dimples don't matter either?" ::The Interviewer shakes his head and grimaces slightly before looking back to his papers::
"Let's move on. Do you drink?"
"No."
"Not at all?"
"Only if by 'drink' you mean diet soda." ::The Interviewer makes a curt mark on the paper::
"Do you smoke?"
"Only when I am on fire." ::The Man was becoming almost used to the Interviewer's constricted glare::
"Do you smoke?" ::The Interviewer asked again::
"No."
"Do you mind smokers?"
"Do I have to answer that?" ::The Man asks with a sour expression::
"Yes, you do." ::The interviewer insisted steadfastly.::
"Well it doesn't make them more appealing to kiss." ::The Man says finally. The Interviewer nods to the accompaniment of pen scratching::
"Do you dance?"
"Did I mention that I am..." ::The Interviewer surgical voice cuts the Man off at a stroke:: "Yes, they all know now that you are tall, just answer the question."
"No. Not in public anyway."
"Are you rich?"
"No. I would not say so." ::Interviewer makes a mark::
"Are you poor?"
"No." ::Interviewer makes a mark::
"Do you love your job?"
"It pays my bills." ::The Man says evasively::
"Do you have a fulfilling, lucrative career?"
"Not yet. I'll let you know."
"Do you like long walks on the beach?"
"Well you know this is Connecticut not California. There is no shortage of beaches I'll admit, but trying to find a public one big enough for a long walk is a daunting challenge." ::The Interviewer's dark eyes stare steadily at the Man. The Man sighs:: "Alright, I prefer my long walks through the woods preferably ending on mountaintops and walking hand-in-hand on those can be hazardous." ::The Interviewer nods and makes a mark::
"Education?"
"Bachelors degree."
"Christian?"
"No."
"Muslim?"
"No."
"Jew?"
"No, look we could be at that a while." ::The Man gestures to the clipboard:: "Put me down for 'spiritual atheist." ::A look of incredulity crosses the Interviewer's face:: "Someone will know what that means, trust me." ::Without losing his disbelieving expression the interviewer puts down a mark::
"I think that's enough about you for now. Why don't we move on to the woman that you are seeking."
"Alright."
"Do you want her to be intelligent?"
"Yes."
"More intelligent than you?" ::The Man pauses, pondering:: "I'll get back to you on that."
"Funny?"
"A good sense of humor, love of word play and a tolerance for puns would be helpful. Asking for a love of puns would be too much I think."
"Probably." ::The Interviewer agrees with the hint of a wry expression crossing his face::
"Do you want her to be religious?"
"No."
"Not at all?"
"A woman who spends a lot of time on the supernatural doesn't live in the same world I do."
"Do you want her to be attractive?"
"Naturally."
"Are you?"
"I've been called that."
"And attractive for you would be?"
"Average to voluptuous build. The sight and feel of ribs has never really done much for me." ::The Man pauses with brow furrowed in thought:: "Let's see - I like long hair better than short although both can look nice." ::The Man shrugs:: "There are many other little details, too numerous to list really."
"Are these required?"
"No, just preferences."
"Racial preference?"
"Human." ::The Interviewer glowers at the Man, saying with additional emphasis::
"Ethnic preference?"
"Caucasian and African top the list, but I like all colors of the rainbow. Except maybe for orange." ::The Man says with a returning mischievous grin:: ::The sound of the Interviewer's pen scratching follows::
"Do you want her to be active?"
"Yes."
"Hyper active?"
"Um, no, not really. Periods of vigorous activity interspersed with periods of relaxation would be nice. If she thinks of a three mile walk on level ground as a herculean undertaking then we would likely be ill matched."
"Sex?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?" ::The Interviewer asks pointedly::
"Yes, I'd like sex. I don't think there are many men here who don't want that. Were I looking for a nun, chances are I'd be looking elsewhere."
"Do you want to go into detail about that?"
"No, not right now. I'd be more than happy to discuss it when the time is right."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, the ability to write a sentence without using 'i' for 'I','u' for 'you' or any other internet shorthand currently in vogue would be nice. That sort of thing just seems lazy." ::The Man considers for a moment and then adds hurriedly:: "Oh, and if the woman is a big sports fan then there is likely no worse match in all the world than me. I didn't get the sports gene." ::The Interviewer nods curtly, makes a final mark and sets his clipboard down with a metallic click. He and the Man rise together and shake hands over the desk. The Interviewer gives the Man a generic businesslike smile::
"Thank you for coming and good luck. They will be in touch."
"Thank you." ::The Man nods, turns and exits through the open door. The Interviewer watches the Man's retreating back expressionlessly for a few moments and then speaks into the empty room::
"Next."
::A door opens. A casually dressed man enters the room casting a quick glance around at the spartan furnishings. The Interviewer, standing behind a functional looking metal desk, is wearing a grey suit and thin black tie. He gestures to The Man to sit in a straight-backed wooden chair opposite him::
"Please have a seat."
"Thanks." ::The Man replies as they both sit. The Man attempts, with only limited success, to get comfortable in the chair. The Interviewer speaks as he is looking over some papers on a clipboard::
"So, you are here on Craigslist looking for a... " ::There is momentary pause as the eyes of the Interviewer search the paper:: "...a woman, is that right?" ::Inquiring look over the clipboard::
"Yes." ::The Man responds with a hopeful voice and a momentary smile:: "Just so."
"Ah, good." ::The Interviewer grabs a nearby pen off the desk and begins fiddling with it absentmindedly as he leans back in his chair and fixes the Man with a dark-eyed stare::
"You have been reading the ads?"
"Yes, I have."
"So you know what the women there want?" ::The Interviewer leans forward in his chair and raises his brows slightly::
"Uh, yes. I think so. I know what they say they want at least." ::A look of slight nervousness creeps across the Man's features. A brief, mirthless half-grin crosses the Interviewer's face::
"Shall we go down the list?" ::The Man swallows and then nods slightly in reply::
"Are you tall?"
"Yes." ::The Man sits up a bit straighter in his chair with a look of confidence entering his face and voice:: "Indeed I am. Well above average in fact." ::The Man pauses, his brows furrowing momentarily:: "Not freakishly so though. I'm six-three" ::The Interviewer nods and makes a note on his tablet. Without looking up he continues::
"Are you obese, burly, husky, big-boned or any other current euphemisms for fat?" ::The Man shakes his head slightly::
"No. I'm carrying maybe ten to fifteen extra pounds, but I have a big frame to carry them on." ::The Interviewer nods and makes a note::
"Are you buff, cut, have large biceps, rippling muscles and/or washboard abs?"
"Uh, no, but I do have nice muscular calves and thighs." ::The Interviewer looks up at the Man expressionlessly:: "I walk a lot." ::The Man says by way of explanation, adding after a moment:: "I also hike and run occasionally." ::The Interviewer looks down at his clipboard and continues tonelessly::
"Do you love to laugh?" ::A look of genuine puzzlement crosses the Man's face::
"Doesn't everyone?"
"Are you funny? Do you make women laugh?" ::The interviewer asks with uncharacteristic emphasis:: ::The Man looks momentarily out of the computer screen at the reader::
"Well if The Woman gets at least a chuckle out of this then yes, otherwise I guess not." ::The Man pauses and looks back to the Interviewer as he nods slightly while making a note:: "Did I mention that I am tall?" ::The Man asks with a hint of a mischievous smile::
"Yes." ::The Interviewer answers somewhat coldly, shooting a reproachful look at the Man. He then continues::
"Do you love life?"
"Well, usually, but it doesn't always love me back."
"I see. And would you describe your attitude as unwaveringly positive?" ::A small bead of sweat breaks out on the Man's forehead and begins wending its way wetly downward.::
"Uh, no, not really. Don't get me wrong, I don't go around with a personal raincloud trying to soak everyone else with it, but I don't exactly spring out of bed in the morning shouting 'every day in every way I'm getting better and better!' or 'Today is the first day of the rest of my life!' either."
"Not even once?"
"Nope, not even once. I am generally not an exclamation point man." ::The Interviewer nods. The sound of a pen tip methodically scratching on paper emanates from across the desk. The Man surreptitiously strains to get a peak at what is being written::
"Do you like to have fun?" ::The look of genuine puzzlement returns to The Man's face::
"Doesn't that go without saying?" ::The interviewer glances briefly to his papers::
"Apparently it does not."
"Alright. Yes. Yes, I like to have fun."
"And fun would be?"
"Oh, the usual things, movies reading, hiking, traveling. You know, the things which are enjoyable enough to do, but make you seem dull as dirt to list." ::The Interviewer nods without replying::
"Do you have a luxuriant, full head of hair?" ::A long pause ensues. Several more beads of sweat appear. The Man shifts in his chair and clears his throat several times before finally speaking::
"Have I mentioned that I am tall?"
"Several times now." ::The Interviewer says with a hint of irritation in his voice. With a heavy sigh the Man answers::
"No. No, I don't." ::The distinct sound of distant doors opening and the clicking of many high-heeled shoes rapidly receding fills the small room. The Man looks over his shoulder with a concerned expression and asks::
"What was that?" ::The Interviewer does not respond except to quirk his lip slightly upward:: "I have a nice head and my ears don't stick out does that count?" ::The Man asks hopefully. The Interviewer gives him a sardonic look:: "I suppose the cute dimples don't matter either?" ::The Interviewer shakes his head and grimaces slightly before looking back to his papers::
"Let's move on. Do you drink?"
"No."
"Not at all?"
"Only if by 'drink' you mean diet soda." ::The Interviewer makes a curt mark on the paper::
"Do you smoke?"
"Only when I am on fire." ::The Man was becoming almost used to the Interviewer's constricted glare::
"Do you smoke?" ::The Interviewer asked again::
"No."
"Do you mind smokers?"
"Do I have to answer that?" ::The Man asks with a sour expression::
"Yes, you do." ::The interviewer insisted steadfastly.::
"Well it doesn't make them more appealing to kiss." ::The Man says finally. The Interviewer nods to the accompaniment of pen scratching::
"Do you dance?"
"Did I mention that I am..." ::The Interviewer surgical voice cuts the Man off at a stroke:: "Yes, they all know now that you are tall, just answer the question."
"No. Not in public anyway."
"Are you rich?"
"No. I would not say so." ::Interviewer makes a mark::
"Are you poor?"
"No." ::Interviewer makes a mark::
"Do you love your job?"
"It pays my bills." ::The Man says evasively::
"Do you have a fulfilling, lucrative career?"
"Not yet. I'll let you know."
"Do you like long walks on the beach?"
"Well you know this is Connecticut not California. There is no shortage of beaches I'll admit, but trying to find a public one big enough for a long walk is a daunting challenge." ::The Interviewer's dark eyes stare steadily at the Man. The Man sighs:: "Alright, I prefer my long walks through the woods preferably ending on mountaintops and walking hand-in-hand on those can be hazardous." ::The Interviewer nods and makes a mark::
"Education?"
"Bachelors degree."
"Christian?"
"No."
"Muslim?"
"No."
"Jew?"
"No, look we could be at that a while." ::The Man gestures to the clipboard:: "Put me down for 'spiritual atheist." ::A look of incredulity crosses the Interviewer's face:: "Someone will know what that means, trust me." ::Without losing his disbelieving expression the interviewer puts down a mark::
"I think that's enough about you for now. Why don't we move on to the woman that you are seeking."
"Alright."
"Do you want her to be intelligent?"
"Yes."
"More intelligent than you?" ::The Man pauses, pondering:: "I'll get back to you on that."
"Funny?"
"A good sense of humor, love of word play and a tolerance for puns would be helpful. Asking for a love of puns would be too much I think."
"Probably." ::The Interviewer agrees with the hint of a wry expression crossing his face::
"Do you want her to be religious?"
"No."
"Not at all?"
"A woman who spends a lot of time on the supernatural doesn't live in the same world I do."
"Do you want her to be attractive?"
"Naturally."
"Are you?"
"I've been called that."
"And attractive for you would be?"
"Average to voluptuous build. The sight and feel of ribs has never really done much for me." ::The Man pauses with brow furrowed in thought:: "Let's see - I like long hair better than short although both can look nice." ::The Man shrugs:: "There are many other little details, too numerous to list really."
"Are these required?"
"No, just preferences."
"Racial preference?"
"Human." ::The Interviewer glowers at the Man, saying with additional emphasis::
"Ethnic preference?"
"Caucasian and African top the list, but I like all colors of the rainbow. Except maybe for orange." ::The Man says with a returning mischievous grin:: ::The sound of the Interviewer's pen scratching follows::
"Do you want her to be active?"
"Yes."
"Hyper active?"
"Um, no, not really. Periods of vigorous activity interspersed with periods of relaxation would be nice. If she thinks of a three mile walk on level ground as a herculean undertaking then we would likely be ill matched."
"Sex?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?" ::The Interviewer asks pointedly::
"Yes, I'd like sex. I don't think there are many men here who don't want that. Were I looking for a nun, chances are I'd be looking elsewhere."
"Do you want to go into detail about that?"
"No, not right now. I'd be more than happy to discuss it when the time is right."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, the ability to write a sentence without using 'i' for 'I','u' for 'you' or any other internet shorthand currently in vogue would be nice. That sort of thing just seems lazy." ::The Man considers for a moment and then adds hurriedly:: "Oh, and if the woman is a big sports fan then there is likely no worse match in all the world than me. I didn't get the sports gene." ::The Interviewer nods curtly, makes a final mark and sets his clipboard down with a metallic click. He and the Man rise together and shake hands over the desk. The Interviewer gives the Man a generic businesslike smile::
"Thank you for coming and good luck. They will be in touch."
"Thank you." ::The Man nods, turns and exits through the open door. The Interviewer watches the Man's retreating back expressionlessly for a few moments and then speaks into the empty room::
"Next."
Thursday, July 17, 2008
So You Thought You Could Dance IV
SYD started well in the first week of Top 10 competition.
Jessica, having cut herself from the competition immediately after reaching the top 10 "we're going on tour" mark (and apparently she will be going on tour with the other dancers, though where this leaves Comfort, I've no idea), came out in an ultra-tight dress -- like wow, her skin isn't that tight...I wonder where they folded it up and hid it -- and explained that she had two ribs that were "broken" and one that was "fractured."
Whether this means three total or two total, I have no idea. Cat rushed her offstage for the first hip-hop routine with Joshua and Courtney. The routine was a neat role-play, with Joshua the mad scientist and Courtney the Frankenstein he'd created. Their movements were sharp and it was fun to watch -- but more fun were the comments at the end.
(At this point, Spencer said the reason Mary Murphy pauses before screeching her approval [you can always tell when she really likes a routine because she takes a deep breath and then screams] is so viewers can hit the mute button. Haha.)
Lil' C was the guest judge this week, along with the ever-present Mary and Nigel, and I wasn't expecting much from him.
Man, was I wrong. He stole the show.
"I might need my asthma pump," he said after Joshua and Courtney's second routine, which was a rhumba. "You guys took my breath away."
Note on the rhumba: It was performed to Enrique Iglesias's "Hero," a song that figured prominently in my-and-Debbie's time at Oxford for its complete inanity and overzealous sentimentality. It was also revealed in "Audio Mad-Libs" that the original lyrics of the song were "I can be your Nero, baby / I will kill, impale you, pain," which were both more creative and less disturbing than the current lyrics. ("I can be your hero, baby / I can kiss away the pain")
Lil' C kept it up throughout the night.
When a sad, sad attempt at a country two-step proved that judges won't rally around a "first time on SYD" dance just because it's new, Lil' C consoled Kherington and Mark (who may be on the chopping block for this and their later jazz routine): "Justifiable presentation, though."
When they danced the jazz that Tyce Diorio had said was a "showcase for the dance" rather than a story-dance, Lil' C said "you guys maintained a nice balance on the fulcrum of character."
Comfort and Twitch on the smooth waltz were a bit of a disaster, and Lil' C was not afraid to point it out: "It's a gumball of emotions -- step step here, step over myself here, step over myself there."
But Comfort and Twitch, lest we count them out as weak links, performed a hip-hop routine later that won the night. (With one possible exception, to come.)
I probably would have liked it more if the lights and camera-work weren't so spastic, but as it was, I felt Comfort wasn't doing Twitch many favors. I'd like to see them do a whole show together when they aren't in competition -- I suspect it would be a bit like watching the exhibitionism of the post-Olympic performances of 1992, when Victor Pechrenko did like three triple axles in a row, astounding the commentator into the highest-pitched sportscaster voice I've ever heard -- but I'd like to see them, in person, such that I can focus my eyes on whatever I want, and the only panning being done is by my swiveling head.
When they were done, Lil' C played it for all it was worth. "That was kinda..." he said, extending his so-so tone out, putting his head out and tilting it to one side before finishing his sentence -- "buck."
The crowd went wild, because everyone knows that "buck" means "good" in hip-hop (even us white kids). But for further nuance, Lil' C explained: "Buck is when internal artistry meets physical performance." Awesome, Lil' C. I am with you.
Incidentally, this routine also made me into an actual fan of Chris Brown, whose "With You" was the subject of my first Defense of Poppery post. Comfort and Twitch danced to Brown's "Forever."
Katee and Will were extraordinary, but in such a way that you didn't realize how extraordinary they were. Their first routine was Broadway, which didn't help things much from my perspective, but they did a great job. Their second routine was another SYD first, a pas de deux, and they performed it almost flawlessly. The judges, especially Mary and Nigel, were blown away.
They did make one mistake in a turn. About the mistake, Nigel said only "thank God you made that mistake -- now you have something to still work towards in your careers." The judges began talking about Katee and Will's careers post-show as a foregone conclusion, the way Mia talked about Travis's in the second season.
Will and Katee may be my favorites for merit. Will always seems unfailingly happy for his partner whenever judges say good things to her (and he was stuck with Jessica, who the judges hounded relentlessly for being less-than-Will, for a good long while), and Katee started off slow for me but has really caught my attention and earned my admiration these last few weeks. Good for them.
Chelsie and Gev were the last couple, and frankly, I was sorry to see them paired. In my opinion, Gev is the weakest guy and should probably go home tonight -- on the other hand, Chelsie, despite my admiration for Katee and her own ballroom proclivities, won my heart that first week, and I want her to do really well. Chelsie and Gev danced contemporary first and jive second.
Lil' C said of the first routine that he felt "like you guys really committed to that"; in the second, though, he said what I think all but the hardest-core Gev fans were thinking, to Chelsie: "I think you could actually make a mannequin look good, dancing with it."
Solos were performed tonight, too, and while I won't go into detail on all of them (since many solos are unremarkable), here are some highlights:
Song choices: Will danced to "Dance with my Father," a brilliant choice for engaging the audience; Katee danced to "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell, a song I like (but her routine was just ok -- had that desperation of many contemporary solos); Mark, for whom I despair thanks to his solo effort and pairing this week, danced, bizarrely, to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Solo performances: Comfort's was the first solo that felt like it wasn't over yet when the SYD music came on to signal its end -- I wanted to see more of it (good for her); Twitch's pop-and-lock type routine worked well with the music he chose (as if he were in a car wreck) and got better as it went on; Joshua proved in his pop-and-lock, which was semi-mesmerizing, that he can control each muscle group in his body separately, which is occasionally scary to watch.
I'd also like to point out, on a societal note, and for whatever it's worth, that of the five guys left, three are African-American. (And I expect the Russian-immigrant Gev and white guy Mark to go home the next two weeks.) On the other hand, as of last week, four of the top five girls were white, and the fifth is of Asian descent.
Go fig.
Jessica, having cut herself from the competition immediately after reaching the top 10 "we're going on tour" mark (and apparently she will be going on tour with the other dancers, though where this leaves Comfort, I've no idea), came out in an ultra-tight dress -- like wow, her skin isn't that tight...I wonder where they folded it up and hid it -- and explained that she had two ribs that were "broken" and one that was "fractured."
Whether this means three total or two total, I have no idea. Cat rushed her offstage for the first hip-hop routine with Joshua and Courtney. The routine was a neat role-play, with Joshua the mad scientist and Courtney the Frankenstein he'd created. Their movements were sharp and it was fun to watch -- but more fun were the comments at the end.
(At this point, Spencer said the reason Mary Murphy pauses before screeching her approval [you can always tell when she really likes a routine because she takes a deep breath and then screams] is so viewers can hit the mute button. Haha.)
Lil' C was the guest judge this week, along with the ever-present Mary and Nigel, and I wasn't expecting much from him.
Man, was I wrong. He stole the show.
"I might need my asthma pump," he said after Joshua and Courtney's second routine, which was a rhumba. "You guys took my breath away."
Note on the rhumba: It was performed to Enrique Iglesias's "Hero," a song that figured prominently in my-and-Debbie's time at Oxford for its complete inanity and overzealous sentimentality. It was also revealed in "Audio Mad-Libs" that the original lyrics of the song were "I can be your Nero, baby / I will kill, impale you, pain," which were both more creative and less disturbing than the current lyrics. ("I can be your hero, baby / I can kiss away the pain")
Lil' C kept it up throughout the night.
When a sad, sad attempt at a country two-step proved that judges won't rally around a "first time on SYD" dance just because it's new, Lil' C consoled Kherington and Mark (who may be on the chopping block for this and their later jazz routine): "Justifiable presentation, though."
When they danced the jazz that Tyce Diorio had said was a "showcase for the dance" rather than a story-dance, Lil' C said "you guys maintained a nice balance on the fulcrum of character."
Comfort and Twitch on the smooth waltz were a bit of a disaster, and Lil' C was not afraid to point it out: "It's a gumball of emotions -- step step here, step over myself here, step over myself there."
But Comfort and Twitch, lest we count them out as weak links, performed a hip-hop routine later that won the night. (With one possible exception, to come.)
I probably would have liked it more if the lights and camera-work weren't so spastic, but as it was, I felt Comfort wasn't doing Twitch many favors. I'd like to see them do a whole show together when they aren't in competition -- I suspect it would be a bit like watching the exhibitionism of the post-Olympic performances of 1992, when Victor Pechrenko did like three triple axles in a row, astounding the commentator into the highest-pitched sportscaster voice I've ever heard -- but I'd like to see them, in person, such that I can focus my eyes on whatever I want, and the only panning being done is by my swiveling head.
When they were done, Lil' C played it for all it was worth. "That was kinda..." he said, extending his so-so tone out, putting his head out and tilting it to one side before finishing his sentence -- "buck."
The crowd went wild, because everyone knows that "buck" means "good" in hip-hop (even us white kids). But for further nuance, Lil' C explained: "Buck is when internal artistry meets physical performance." Awesome, Lil' C. I am with you.
Incidentally, this routine also made me into an actual fan of Chris Brown, whose "With You" was the subject of my first Defense of Poppery post. Comfort and Twitch danced to Brown's "Forever."
Katee and Will were extraordinary, but in such a way that you didn't realize how extraordinary they were. Their first routine was Broadway, which didn't help things much from my perspective, but they did a great job. Their second routine was another SYD first, a pas de deux, and they performed it almost flawlessly. The judges, especially Mary and Nigel, were blown away.
They did make one mistake in a turn. About the mistake, Nigel said only "thank God you made that mistake -- now you have something to still work towards in your careers." The judges began talking about Katee and Will's careers post-show as a foregone conclusion, the way Mia talked about Travis's in the second season.
Will and Katee may be my favorites for merit. Will always seems unfailingly happy for his partner whenever judges say good things to her (and he was stuck with Jessica, who the judges hounded relentlessly for being less-than-Will, for a good long while), and Katee started off slow for me but has really caught my attention and earned my admiration these last few weeks. Good for them.
Chelsie and Gev were the last couple, and frankly, I was sorry to see them paired. In my opinion, Gev is the weakest guy and should probably go home tonight -- on the other hand, Chelsie, despite my admiration for Katee and her own ballroom proclivities, won my heart that first week, and I want her to do really well. Chelsie and Gev danced contemporary first and jive second.
Lil' C said of the first routine that he felt "like you guys really committed to that"; in the second, though, he said what I think all but the hardest-core Gev fans were thinking, to Chelsie: "I think you could actually make a mannequin look good, dancing with it."
Solos were performed tonight, too, and while I won't go into detail on all of them (since many solos are unremarkable), here are some highlights:
Song choices: Will danced to "Dance with my Father," a brilliant choice for engaging the audience; Katee danced to "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell, a song I like (but her routine was just ok -- had that desperation of many contemporary solos); Mark, for whom I despair thanks to his solo effort and pairing this week, danced, bizarrely, to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Solo performances: Comfort's was the first solo that felt like it wasn't over yet when the SYD music came on to signal its end -- I wanted to see more of it (good for her); Twitch's pop-and-lock type routine worked well with the music he chose (as if he were in a car wreck) and got better as it went on; Joshua proved in his pop-and-lock, which was semi-mesmerizing, that he can control each muscle group in his body separately, which is occasionally scary to watch.
I'd also like to point out, on a societal note, and for whatever it's worth, that of the five guys left, three are African-American. (And I expect the Russian-immigrant Gev and white guy Mark to go home the next two weeks.) On the other hand, as of last week, four of the top five girls were white, and the fifth is of Asian descent.
Go fig.
Monday, June 30, 2008
So You Thought You Could Dance, I
Recall the raison d'etre of this blog, those who are not fans of this show. Recall it and weep.
After realizing with horror last week that I'd been missing what I feel is the best "reality/contest TV" show ever, I tuned in Wednesday night to what I thought couldn't possibly be as good as I'd remembered.
And of course, it wasn't. It was like a million-billion times better. [High-pitched, girly squealing here.]
Right off the bat, I identified a B-girl, which is my favorite kind of SYTYCD (I'll use SYD for short) dancer. She didn't impress in the main dancing, but she was one of the only dancers who didn't. I mean, honestly. What is it with these people and their mad dance skillz.
Here's my brief apologetic for SYD: It's on in the summer, when reality/contest TV shows should be on; it highlights an activity that's interesting to watch and not just to listen to (unlike American Idol, which could in theory be just as well off on radio, if being an attractive singer weren't so much part of the contest); it features a rotating cast of judges who bring different kinds of cattiness to the process of "judging"; the choreographers for different styles of dance rotate, bringing different sensibilities to the routines every week -- and unlike the American Idol penchant for bringing in celebrity singers who seem to be around only to supervise the singing of their songs, these choreographers are also being judged for their work. (But unlike in Project Runway, they don't actually get eliminated on the show for shoddy choreography. They just never show up again.)
Each routine on this week's show struck me like each song on my latest, most successful mix CD to date -- I watched each couple thinking "I love this; I'm going to be so disappointed when this is over" and then loving the next one just as much.
My favorite by far, though, was the narrative "wife doesn't want businessman husband to leave but he goes anyway, after a fight" hip-hop routine.
I loved the contemporary bench routine with Travis and Heidi two years ago; I love-loved this routine.
The song was "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis, which I like despite all the better judgment with which I've ever been equipped. I like this song in a play-it-really-loud-in-your-car-at-a-red-light kind of way. I like it like sing-along-as-though-you're-a-less-slutty-version-of-Mariah-Carey. That is to say, I like it with the sort of teen-girl-squad abandon with which people are supposed to like these kinds of songs. (I'm a tool of the recording industry.)
Part of the appeal, of course, is the ballad-like narrative feel -- who doesn't love a dance they feel they can understand? -- but for me, the main portion of my love goes to the contrasts. "Bleeding Love" is a ballad, but an female-singer-R&B-type ballad, and choosing it for a hip-hop routine was unconventional, I thought...but it was the sort of unconventional that, as soon as it's suggested, makes people hit their foreheads and exclaim "Of course! How could it be otherwise?"
The hip-hop-style movement expresses angst better than contemporary ever could, even in the case of the bench routine, which seemed wishy-washy in comparison.
I love B-girls, like I've said -- though breakdancing guys don't appeal as much (again, contrast is key -- no one expects a breakdancing girl) -- and I love pop-and-lockers, but those styles aren't as versatile as straight-out hip-hop.
"It's really the dance of modern life," I found myself thinking. No other style gets the mechanisms of industrial society worked in to movement. No other style expresses the kind of intense anxiety of the post-cold-war era. It's no mistake that hip-hop was created and popularized (like all truly American song and dance styles, with folk exceptions) by a minority subculture. It's no mistake that that subculture includes a history of suffering. This is a dance that understands pain.
I haven't gotten the names of contestants down yet, but the girl who danced this routine was so expressive that I actually believed she was going to cry on stage. I realized when it was over that I had leaned toward the television with concern, my face frozen in anxiety for her.
Luckily, I was alone and didn't need to explain my embarrassing level of empathetic engagement to anyone. (Though I did glance around my living room just to make sure.)
Nigel pointed out that he really loved how choreographers over the years had evolved hip-hop routines to include "lyrical hip-hop," which is what this was. I agree. This is the kind of contrast that I love. This is what keeps me coming back for more.
I mean, contrast is the whole reason to watch the show, for me.
I'm a terrible dancer.
After realizing with horror last week that I'd been missing what I feel is the best "reality/contest TV" show ever, I tuned in Wednesday night to what I thought couldn't possibly be as good as I'd remembered.
And of course, it wasn't. It was like a million-billion times better. [High-pitched, girly squealing here.]
Right off the bat, I identified a B-girl, which is my favorite kind of SYTYCD (I'll use SYD for short) dancer. She didn't impress in the main dancing, but she was one of the only dancers who didn't. I mean, honestly. What is it with these people and their mad dance skillz.
Here's my brief apologetic for SYD: It's on in the summer, when reality/contest TV shows should be on; it highlights an activity that's interesting to watch and not just to listen to (unlike American Idol, which could in theory be just as well off on radio, if being an attractive singer weren't so much part of the contest); it features a rotating cast of judges who bring different kinds of cattiness to the process of "judging"; the choreographers for different styles of dance rotate, bringing different sensibilities to the routines every week -- and unlike the American Idol penchant for bringing in celebrity singers who seem to be around only to supervise the singing of their songs, these choreographers are also being judged for their work. (But unlike in Project Runway, they don't actually get eliminated on the show for shoddy choreography. They just never show up again.)
Each routine on this week's show struck me like each song on my latest, most successful mix CD to date -- I watched each couple thinking "I love this; I'm going to be so disappointed when this is over" and then loving the next one just as much.
My favorite by far, though, was the narrative "wife doesn't want businessman husband to leave but he goes anyway, after a fight" hip-hop routine.
I loved the contemporary bench routine with Travis and Heidi two years ago; I love-loved this routine.
The song was "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis, which I like despite all the better judgment with which I've ever been equipped. I like this song in a play-it-really-loud-in-your-car-at-a-red-light kind of way. I like it like sing-along-as-though-you're-a-less-slutty-version-of-Mariah-Carey. That is to say, I like it with the sort of teen-girl-squad abandon with which people are supposed to like these kinds of songs. (I'm a tool of the recording industry.)
Part of the appeal, of course, is the ballad-like narrative feel -- who doesn't love a dance they feel they can understand? -- but for me, the main portion of my love goes to the contrasts. "Bleeding Love" is a ballad, but an female-singer-R&B-type ballad, and choosing it for a hip-hop routine was unconventional, I thought...but it was the sort of unconventional that, as soon as it's suggested, makes people hit their foreheads and exclaim "Of course! How could it be otherwise?"
The hip-hop-style movement expresses angst better than contemporary ever could, even in the case of the bench routine, which seemed wishy-washy in comparison.
I love B-girls, like I've said -- though breakdancing guys don't appeal as much (again, contrast is key -- no one expects a breakdancing girl) -- and I love pop-and-lockers, but those styles aren't as versatile as straight-out hip-hop.
"It's really the dance of modern life," I found myself thinking. No other style gets the mechanisms of industrial society worked in to movement. No other style expresses the kind of intense anxiety of the post-cold-war era. It's no mistake that hip-hop was created and popularized (like all truly American song and dance styles, with folk exceptions) by a minority subculture. It's no mistake that that subculture includes a history of suffering. This is a dance that understands pain.
I haven't gotten the names of contestants down yet, but the girl who danced this routine was so expressive that I actually believed she was going to cry on stage. I realized when it was over that I had leaned toward the television with concern, my face frozen in anxiety for her.
Luckily, I was alone and didn't need to explain my embarrassing level of empathetic engagement to anyone. (Though I did glance around my living room just to make sure.)
Nigel pointed out that he really loved how choreographers over the years had evolved hip-hop routines to include "lyrical hip-hop," which is what this was. I agree. This is the kind of contrast that I love. This is what keeps me coming back for more.
I mean, contrast is the whole reason to watch the show, for me.
I'm a terrible dancer.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
So You Thought You Could Dance, VI
This week's SYD was only an hour long, prefaced by a re-showing of last week's results show. Since I never watch the results shows and also hadn't looked up last week's results, I was glad to have this amusement as I slaved over a hot stove, making marmalade.
Comfort and Courtney were in the bottom two girls -- good choice, America.
Will and Twitch were in the bottom two boys -- you're an idiot, America.
Seriously, this was Mark and Comfort's time, and America got it only half right (which is failing): Comfort went home and, heartbreak of heartbreaks, so did Will.
When asked what had happened to cause Will's premature SYD demise, Nigel said he couldn't know, but that it was possible America had assumed that he was so good that he would obviously be safe.
That's my best guess as well.
(Note on weirdness: Comfort and Will are also noun-names, and the only ones on the show. Weird, right?)
At any rate, Will was the most proficient male dancer in terms of technical skill and training, with the best solo routines, and having him off the show makes the end top-guy result a toss-up for the remaining excellent guys, Joshua and Twitch. If the teenybopper contingent is still hung up on Mark after this week, he may make it into the top four.
But if Mark wins the entire competition, there goes all my respect for SYD. (And I have an absurd amount.) I'm not even sure I'd watch again next year.
(No, no, I would, SYD! Don't worry -- you know how I feel. Now let's never fight again.)
So began the week of top 6, the semifinal round: Chelsie and Twitch, Joshua and Katee, and Mark and Courtney.
Mark and Courtney started out with a Viennese waltz, which guest judge Alan Shankman loved. (He loved everything all night.) Nigel called it "romantic," but I was happy with it, figuring Mark and Courtney's time to go had come.
They pulled a jazz routine second, though, and it was perfectly choreographed by Sonja (sp?) to play to Mark's strengths. Courtney is also a contemporary dancer, and the routine was engaging and strange in a way that made me stop stirring (the marmalade) and stare. If Mark and Courtney don't go home tonight, it will be because of this routine.
Katee and Joshua danced a contemporary routine and made me rethink my entire position on partners. Originally, when Katee had drawn Will, another technically proficient dancer, I'd cheered for them, thinking that now they would both be able to shine free of their old partners.
It's true that Will fared much better post-Jessica, and that Katee did a great job, both with Will and with Twitch last week.
But none of the other pairs are Katee and Joshua.
Perhaps their initial pairing and the up-and-down nature of the other pairs in the earlier weeks of competition made it hard for me to pick up on the extraordinary nature of this duo, but even with the contemporary dance they did in the first week I watched, I didn't recognize the greater-than-the-sum-of-the-partners aspect of these two together.
Alan Shankman, pro-everything, broke out the big-gun commentary for this routine: Along with Tyce Diorio, the choreographer, Alan said, "You guys just became the holy trinity of SYD."
The contemporary routine, which features mid-air-arrested jumps and all sorts of intricate and interesting acrobatics -- but with heart -- was so impressive -- and despite that it was danced to "All By Myself" by Celine Dion, no less -- that I groaned aloud when Katee and Joshua pulled paso doble for their second dance.
The one with the bullfighter, I thought. I can't stand that one.
But this was the best paso doble I've ever seen.
I have to say that Joshua is not my type. He's strong, relatively short and stocky, where I tend to prefer a taller, thinner physique -- even in a paso doble, where power is key, I thought a taller man would be preferable.
But even Dmitri, very tall, very well-built, ripped-his-shirt-off-whenever-he-got-onstage Russian ballroom dancer Dmitri, from a few seasons ago didn't overshadow Joshua. And Katee was superb as his cape.
Twitch and Chelsie danced mambo. The judges raved over Chelsie, as always in Latin dances, and paid respect to Twitch's efforts, though Nigel mentioned a wardrobe malfunction along with Twitch's sub-Chelsie performance: "You lost a bow," he said to Chelsie, "but you lost another beau in the middle as well."
Their second routine was a hip-hop dance choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon, who had them cavorting around the stage as "mad composers" seeking to possess the wand that would control the orchestra -- and each other. It was such an entertaining routine that I didn't notice whether Chelsie was keeping up with Twitch or vice-versa. Definitely a highlight of the night, though Katee and Joshua's reunion stole my heart.
And, if I did that sort of thing, would have stolen my votes.
Get it right this week, America.
**Gah! I've been relying on the blogger at BSYTYCD to give me results, and s/he's quit! I have no idea who was eliminated tonight!!
Comfort and Courtney were in the bottom two girls -- good choice, America.
Will and Twitch were in the bottom two boys -- you're an idiot, America.
Seriously, this was Mark and Comfort's time, and America got it only half right (which is failing): Comfort went home and, heartbreak of heartbreaks, so did Will.
When asked what had happened to cause Will's premature SYD demise, Nigel said he couldn't know, but that it was possible America had assumed that he was so good that he would obviously be safe.
That's my best guess as well.
(Note on weirdness: Comfort and Will are also noun-names, and the only ones on the show. Weird, right?)
At any rate, Will was the most proficient male dancer in terms of technical skill and training, with the best solo routines, and having him off the show makes the end top-guy result a toss-up for the remaining excellent guys, Joshua and Twitch. If the teenybopper contingent is still hung up on Mark after this week, he may make it into the top four.
But if Mark wins the entire competition, there goes all my respect for SYD. (And I have an absurd amount.) I'm not even sure I'd watch again next year.
(No, no, I would, SYD! Don't worry -- you know how I feel. Now let's never fight again.)
So began the week of top 6, the semifinal round: Chelsie and Twitch, Joshua and Katee, and Mark and Courtney.
Mark and Courtney started out with a Viennese waltz, which guest judge Alan Shankman loved. (He loved everything all night.) Nigel called it "romantic," but I was happy with it, figuring Mark and Courtney's time to go had come.
They pulled a jazz routine second, though, and it was perfectly choreographed by Sonja (sp?) to play to Mark's strengths. Courtney is also a contemporary dancer, and the routine was engaging and strange in a way that made me stop stirring (the marmalade) and stare. If Mark and Courtney don't go home tonight, it will be because of this routine.
Katee and Joshua danced a contemporary routine and made me rethink my entire position on partners. Originally, when Katee had drawn Will, another technically proficient dancer, I'd cheered for them, thinking that now they would both be able to shine free of their old partners.
It's true that Will fared much better post-Jessica, and that Katee did a great job, both with Will and with Twitch last week.
But none of the other pairs are Katee and Joshua.
Perhaps their initial pairing and the up-and-down nature of the other pairs in the earlier weeks of competition made it hard for me to pick up on the extraordinary nature of this duo, but even with the contemporary dance they did in the first week I watched, I didn't recognize the greater-than-the-sum-of-the-partners aspect of these two together.
Alan Shankman, pro-everything, broke out the big-gun commentary for this routine: Along with Tyce Diorio, the choreographer, Alan said, "You guys just became the holy trinity of SYD."
The contemporary routine, which features mid-air-arrested jumps and all sorts of intricate and interesting acrobatics -- but with heart -- was so impressive -- and despite that it was danced to "All By Myself" by Celine Dion, no less -- that I groaned aloud when Katee and Joshua pulled paso doble for their second dance.
The one with the bullfighter, I thought. I can't stand that one.
But this was the best paso doble I've ever seen.
I have to say that Joshua is not my type. He's strong, relatively short and stocky, where I tend to prefer a taller, thinner physique -- even in a paso doble, where power is key, I thought a taller man would be preferable.
But even Dmitri, very tall, very well-built, ripped-his-shirt-off-whenever-he-got-onstage Russian ballroom dancer Dmitri, from a few seasons ago didn't overshadow Joshua. And Katee was superb as his cape.
Twitch and Chelsie danced mambo. The judges raved over Chelsie, as always in Latin dances, and paid respect to Twitch's efforts, though Nigel mentioned a wardrobe malfunction along with Twitch's sub-Chelsie performance: "You lost a bow," he said to Chelsie, "but you lost another beau in the middle as well."
Their second routine was a hip-hop dance choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon, who had them cavorting around the stage as "mad composers" seeking to possess the wand that would control the orchestra -- and each other. It was such an entertaining routine that I didn't notice whether Chelsie was keeping up with Twitch or vice-versa. Definitely a highlight of the night, though Katee and Joshua's reunion stole my heart.
And, if I did that sort of thing, would have stolen my votes.
Get it right this week, America.
**Gah! I've been relying on the blogger at BSYTYCD to give me results, and s/he's quit! I have no idea who was eliminated tonight!!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
SYD #2
This week, the judges settled into their respective roles and catchphrases.
Nigel mentioned the choreographer first when he really liked a routine, in the middle when he kind of liked it (after a bit of critique), and not at all when he seemed to feel the routine wasn't very good.
Mary, as usual, screamed when she loved a routine, put one couple on the Hot Tamale train, and continually repeated herself in tag-question format when she really liked a performance. (Did this annoy me? This annoyed me, yes it did.)
Toni Basil, the guest judge, kept up Lil C's tradition of just saying a bunch of stuff, but with her own annoying additions of the words "street," "groove," "connection" and "tough" in gratuitous and random fashion.
Karla and Jonathan – “smooth” hip-hop
Nigel: "There’s no excitement in the routine…I can’t forgive you [Jonathan] then. Because you had no contact with your partner…There’s no great hip hop style in putting your hat back on your head together. Betcha they’re in the bottom three. Do you wanna take bets? You wanna take bets?"
Mary: They had no chemistry, no gangsterism.
Toni Basil: "Street has to have a groove and a funk."
Unfair! Karla’s wearing a bra and a string and she did better than Jonathan.
Note: Also, Cat’s dress doesn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out this week. (Could the wardrobe crew have been reading my blog?)
Vitolio and Asuka – “thrash rocker jazz” to Heartbreaker …out of sync, good lift, but nonsensical choreography on the whole by Mandy Moore.
Note: Boo Mandy Moores. Both of them. Also note that Nigel doesn't mention Mandy Moore's choreography, though he's clearly very pleased with this routine.
Nigel: “He’s strong, he’s macho, he’s throwing her around – I like that! Tonight, you did the work. Fantastic!”
Mary: “It wasn’t really together, and that should’ve been.”
Toni: “Watching that video clip of you caressing her when she was crying…” (Wow. I stopped transcribing here, because I just couldn't think of what might come next that wouldn't scare me or gross me out.)
Melissa and Ade – rumba (in which Melissa wears half a dress). Not bad for a ballroom routine. At least is was more interesting than Vitolio and Asuka’s.
Nigel compliments Melissa’s body rather than her dancing, giving special mentions to her hips and back. Ade was the star of the show, Nigel says. And as is the way with SYD, Nigel compliments the choreographer when he likes the routine.
Mary: “What you’re selling right now, I am buying, yes I am!” And she screams.
Toni Basil fans herself, compliments the choreographer in SYD fashion, and neglects to say anything at all about being “street.”
Brandon and Janette: hip-hop, wherein Brandon represents hip-hop and Janette represents a rocker that Brandon wishes he could be. The wardrobe conception of “rock” leaves something to be desired; it's like Cyndy Lauper-meets-dominatrix. Nice synchronization (finally). Brandon’s winning here.
Nigel: “This is like junior all-stars 50 cent and Cher…and you both worked it.”
Mary: “I think you guys really hit that, yes I do! And I am so proud of you tonight, yes I am.”
Toni: "I think that the juxtaposition of the rock and the hip hop that Dave laid on you guys was strategic on his part and good for you. Street is a really really tough thing to do…[something something] groove, [something something] connection.”
Kapono and Kayla: Viennese Waltz – to a Jewel song(???), which is very distracting (Jewel doesn't even have the faux majesty of Celine Dion, and majesty is necessary for Viennese Waltz), and neither of them are wearing any shoes, which is weird for a ballroom routine.
Nigel: “It’s not one of those routines where you’re going to get a hundred rounds of applause…I hope I’m wrong about that.”
Mary: “That was no nightmare, Jean Marc, no it wasn’t!...and you young lady, you’re just absolutely dead gorgeous to watch dance.” And they got on the Hot Tamale train, and Mary screamed.
Toni: “No shoes in a waltz? Jean Marc, you are pushing the envelope, with no shoes in a waltz!”
Evan and Randi: Mia Michaels' contemporary – “it’s all about the booty”
Nigel mentions Mia then goes on to compliment dancing and Randi’s butt.
Mary does some kind of weird voice, then screams. Then mentions Mia. Then says “…and we went down that path, yes we did!”
Toni talks almost exclusively about Mia Michaels for awhile, and I get bored and stop listening.
Caitlin and Jason: paso doble – Caitlin has hypnotic boobs, for some reason, meaning that she's been wardrobed into a bizarre boob-centric concoction that whirls around only those portions of her chest. (“It looks like something Jafar would make Jasmine wear,” says friend Liz.)
Nigel: “A lot of the things you were doing were exceptionally good in the time you had to do it.” But he didn’t mention choreographers.
Mary: “That was really a strong performance, yes it was.” Jason lost his posture, but “it was fearless, yes it was.”
Toni: says the lack of consistent form “didn’t get in the way of the performance.”
Philip and Jeanine: Broadway – Philip has to jump the couch…and he makes it. They also got to pillow fight, which hasn’t even happened in a Mia Michaels routine. Also, Philip's pants split.
Nigel: “Like so many vaudeville dancers that went before him, Philip now knows what it’s like to dance with his ass hanging out of his trousers. Many of us had to do that, believe me.” [Mary loves this.] He mentions choreography, but then also tells Philip to grow even more than he has.
Mary: “I wasn’t allergic to that routine, no I wasn’t….[to Jeanine] you were fabulous, yes you were!”
Toni: “I think you did better as a couple this week than last week.”
Note: Prince Certainpersonio loses a bet that Toni will mention "street" in her last chance in the show. (I thought she probably wouldn't, since it would have been so out of place in commenting on a Broadway routine, though Liz points out that Broadway is, in fact, a street.)
Nigel mentioned the choreographer first when he really liked a routine, in the middle when he kind of liked it (after a bit of critique), and not at all when he seemed to feel the routine wasn't very good.
Mary, as usual, screamed when she loved a routine, put one couple on the Hot Tamale train, and continually repeated herself in tag-question format when she really liked a performance. (Did this annoy me? This annoyed me, yes it did.)
Toni Basil, the guest judge, kept up Lil C's tradition of just saying a bunch of stuff, but with her own annoying additions of the words "street," "groove," "connection" and "tough" in gratuitous and random fashion.
Karla and Jonathan – “smooth” hip-hop
Nigel: "There’s no excitement in the routine…I can’t forgive you [Jonathan] then. Because you had no contact with your partner…There’s no great hip hop style in putting your hat back on your head together. Betcha they’re in the bottom three. Do you wanna take bets? You wanna take bets?"
Mary: They had no chemistry, no gangsterism.
Toni Basil: "Street has to have a groove and a funk."
Unfair! Karla’s wearing a bra and a string and she did better than Jonathan.
Note: Also, Cat’s dress doesn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out this week. (Could the wardrobe crew have been reading my blog?)
Vitolio and Asuka – “thrash rocker jazz” to Heartbreaker …out of sync, good lift, but nonsensical choreography on the whole by Mandy Moore.
Note: Boo Mandy Moores. Both of them. Also note that Nigel doesn't mention Mandy Moore's choreography, though he's clearly very pleased with this routine.
Nigel: “He’s strong, he’s macho, he’s throwing her around – I like that! Tonight, you did the work. Fantastic!”
Mary: “It wasn’t really together, and that should’ve been.”
Toni: “Watching that video clip of you caressing her when she was crying…” (Wow. I stopped transcribing here, because I just couldn't think of what might come next that wouldn't scare me or gross me out.)
Melissa and Ade – rumba (in which Melissa wears half a dress). Not bad for a ballroom routine. At least is was more interesting than Vitolio and Asuka’s.
Nigel compliments Melissa’s body rather than her dancing, giving special mentions to her hips and back. Ade was the star of the show, Nigel says. And as is the way with SYD, Nigel compliments the choreographer when he likes the routine.
Mary: “What you’re selling right now, I am buying, yes I am!” And she screams.
Toni Basil fans herself, compliments the choreographer in SYD fashion, and neglects to say anything at all about being “street.”
Brandon and Janette: hip-hop, wherein Brandon represents hip-hop and Janette represents a rocker that Brandon wishes he could be. The wardrobe conception of “rock” leaves something to be desired; it's like Cyndy Lauper-meets-dominatrix. Nice synchronization (finally). Brandon’s winning here.
Nigel: “This is like junior all-stars 50 cent and Cher…and you both worked it.”
Mary: “I think you guys really hit that, yes I do! And I am so proud of you tonight, yes I am.”
Toni: "I think that the juxtaposition of the rock and the hip hop that Dave laid on you guys was strategic on his part and good for you. Street is a really really tough thing to do…[something something] groove, [something something] connection.”
Kapono and Kayla: Viennese Waltz – to a Jewel song(???), which is very distracting (Jewel doesn't even have the faux majesty of Celine Dion, and majesty is necessary for Viennese Waltz), and neither of them are wearing any shoes, which is weird for a ballroom routine.
Nigel: “It’s not one of those routines where you’re going to get a hundred rounds of applause…I hope I’m wrong about that.”
Mary: “That was no nightmare, Jean Marc, no it wasn’t!...and you young lady, you’re just absolutely dead gorgeous to watch dance.” And they got on the Hot Tamale train, and Mary screamed.
Toni: “No shoes in a waltz? Jean Marc, you are pushing the envelope, with no shoes in a waltz!”
Evan and Randi: Mia Michaels' contemporary – “it’s all about the booty”
Nigel mentions Mia then goes on to compliment dancing and Randi’s butt.
Mary does some kind of weird voice, then screams. Then mentions Mia. Then says “…and we went down that path, yes we did!”
Toni talks almost exclusively about Mia Michaels for awhile, and I get bored and stop listening.
Caitlin and Jason: paso doble – Caitlin has hypnotic boobs, for some reason, meaning that she's been wardrobed into a bizarre boob-centric concoction that whirls around only those portions of her chest. (“It looks like something Jafar would make Jasmine wear,” says friend Liz.)
Nigel: “A lot of the things you were doing were exceptionally good in the time you had to do it.” But he didn’t mention choreographers.
Mary: “That was really a strong performance, yes it was.” Jason lost his posture, but “it was fearless, yes it was.”
Toni: says the lack of consistent form “didn’t get in the way of the performance.”
Philip and Jeanine: Broadway – Philip has to jump the couch…and he makes it. They also got to pillow fight, which hasn’t even happened in a Mia Michaels routine. Also, Philip's pants split.
Nigel: “Like so many vaudeville dancers that went before him, Philip now knows what it’s like to dance with his ass hanging out of his trousers. Many of us had to do that, believe me.” [Mary loves this.] He mentions choreography, but then also tells Philip to grow even more than he has.
Mary: “I wasn’t allergic to that routine, no I wasn’t….[to Jeanine] you were fabulous, yes you were!”
Toni: “I think you did better as a couple this week than last week.”
Note: Prince Certainpersonio loses a bet that Toni will mention "street" in her last chance in the show. (I thought she probably wouldn't, since it would have been so out of place in commenting on a Broadway routine, though Liz points out that Broadway is, in fact, a street.)
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