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Student ,'Touched'


Non-Fiction TV: I Reject Your Reality and Substitute My Own

This thread is for non-fiction TV, including but not limited to reality television (So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef: Masters, Project Runway), documentaries (The History Channel, The Discovery Channel), and sundry (Expedition Africa, Mythbusters), et al. [NAFDA]


kat perez - Jun 13, 2012 8:05:10 pm PDT #19386 of 23273
"We have trust issues." Mylar

( continues...) the judges in a sea of blonde competition studio trained girls and make an impression - prove that she was bringing more to the table than extensions and acro tricks. I was set to dislike her, but on the real? She was kind of tearing it down. I could do without the outfit which was a parody of what corny white kids think "hard" kids wear in the hood, but the dancing was for the most part on point. She hit hard. She brought attitude and a quirky kind of swagger and I, like Shankdaddy, totally bought it from her. From the looks of the choreo, she's pretty cross-trained so she may have a shot in Vegas, though I need to see more.

Gene Lonardo (6 on the fabulosity scale) - I'm tired of this fool already. He has really good technique. He is a solid dancer. He didn't even need all the green painted rigamarole that he put us through. Why? Also, I think watching him do hip hop would be more painful than watching Billy Bell krump and nobody wants to see that again, so I am thinking he's a no go to Vegas. I gave him the 6 rather than the 5 for faking me out and not winding up a joke audition.

Murphy Yang (4.5 on the fabulosity scale) - Bored now. Yawn. I've seen way better poppers than that on the subway. And I do not care at all about your sob story. Seems like pops may be right, hmmm? He may just not have the chops to be a professional dancer. Many people don't.

Leroy Martinez (4 on the fabulosity scale) - And he got a point just for the name. Snaps, mom. That name is awesome. Anywho, big man can move it, move it. But everybody in that auditorium knew that he would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, make it on the show. So what was the point of putting him through to choreo? Exactly.

Rachel Applehands(?)(2 on the fabulosity scale) - And if that's not her real last name than please don't tell me differently because it makes the hating even sweeter if that is her actual last name. Anyway, this is SYTYCD not Stripper Idol. Ewww. I would've forgiving Leroy all if he'd actually managed to take this fool out when he partnered her in the choreo round. But she made it through to be ignominiously sent home in round one or two of Vegas. Eh.

And Finally:

Good and Bad Feet (a la kat p) = Yes a lot of it is a nice toe point. That always helps. Also, high arches. Either god gave them to you or you work your ass off rolling your feet over the top of soda bottles and such. But it's not just about the look of the feet. Some dancers forget their feet when they dance (some do the same with the hands) and the feet kind of dangle on the end of the ankles like dead fish. They don't dance all the way through their toes, so they have nice tension through the legs, through the calves and then you get to the feet and they are just kinda . . . there. This is not good. It also means, especially in ballroom, that the movement of the feet is sharp and precise and there are a lot of elements (heel leads and such) that are very specific and if done wrong in ballroom, then the shit is just wrong. In jazz/modern/ballet, dancers can use their feet well, for example, when they are not heavy. Often when you see a dancer and her lifts and kicks look labored (a la horse face Ryan) it's more about the feet than about the legs. You can't get that light as a feather feeling without using the feet well. Or they cheat the steps so if you're just looking ankle up, it's gravy, but if you really pay attention to the feet, they slide through the steps, skid when they should hit solid, hop on turns . . . and that's bad feet with kat. I'm sure there's a more standard explanation than that.


Jesse - Jun 14, 2012 2:59:51 am PDT #19387 of 23273
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

I agree with the judges that the choreography on display was jank, but that's not Kenickie's fault.

It was his fault, because he made it up, but it doesn't matter -- he'll be doing other people's choreography and he can just cut it out when he dances for his life.

Thank you for the lesson on feet!


kat perez - Jun 14, 2012 3:45:02 am PDT #19388 of 23273
"We have trust issues." Mylar

Ah, I totally missed that. Lucky for him the show is not So You Think You Can Choreograph (though I would totally watch the heck out of that show!)


Jessica - Jun 14, 2012 3:50:56 am PDT #19389 of 23273
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

I think my bosses are spying on my dreams - our new show is basically the love child of Top Chef and TAR:

[link]


brenda m - Jun 14, 2012 4:06:16 am PDT #19390 of 23273
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there

I think Bravo scooped you: [link]


sumi - Jun 14, 2012 4:13:39 am PDT #19391 of 23273
Art Crawl!!!

A friend of mine watched the first episode of Around the World in 80 Plates and hated it.


Liese S. - Jun 14, 2012 7:09:45 pm PDT #19392 of 23273
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."

In addition to the feet (which were bad y'all), I was wanting a little bit more openness in the upper body - really stretch out from the center of chest and open through the back and shoulder blades.

SO MUCH THIS! He has too much tension in his shoulders, and so they're extending a bit above where they should be. It's hard when you're muscular, but he needs to learn to relax through the shoulders and upper body. The rest of his motion will flow much more fluidly if he can learn to do this. Unfortunately this show has less mentoring than I wish it did, because somebody could sort that out really quickly if he had someone working with him.

The feet were seriously bad. Part of it is the same deal with the shoulders, too much tension, not relaxing all the way through. A movement should extend all the way through the body, and that includes the feet all the way to the toes. A dancer who is not in control of his toes is not in control of his body.

That's part of what makes good lines, is that extension all the way through the extremities.


kat perez - Jun 16, 2012 4:27:49 am PDT #19393 of 23273
"We have trust issues." Mylar

Dancing through your tippy toes. Testify!

I do wish we got to see a little bit more of the dancers working with the choreographers as I think they probably do mentor the kids in just the way you mention, Liese. I would watch a whole night of just the three or so days they learn, practice and block the choreo and one combined performance/results night. That would be excellent.


Jesse - Jun 16, 2012 4:53:24 am PDT #19394 of 23273
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

I feel like I read someplace that they only get like 4.5 hours to work with the choreographers -- 3 on one day and 1.5 on the next, or something similarly short.


meara - Jun 16, 2012 10:10:39 am PDT #19395 of 23273

I suddenly feel like we need TyTy up in here saying "H2T!!"

And I agree I would watch so much more than they show us. Like, I would watch every hour of Vegas week real time and love it. This has been one of my criticisms of "breaking pointe", that there's tons of semi-manufactured personal drama but I'd rather see the dancing and dance drama! (Though the lady ep did show more of that in some of the rehearsals)