So You Think You Can Dance – the 7th season June 9, 2010
My review after watching about 5 minutes of it
WHY are the judges crying??
Seriously, I tried to give this show “So You Think You Can Dance” another chance, especially when I heard that Alex Wong was back on the show. Don’t get me wrong – there is a lot of absolutely jaw-dropping amazing dancing on the show. But certain things I can’t stand – for instance, the judging has been like listening to nails on a chalkboard. A ballroom dance expert judging hip hop is not an expert opinion, no more than mine is. And it really pushed me over the top when Nigel Lythgoe, one of the judges, said, ”You don’t just need a formal training. It’s because you have a great feel for dance.” And one of the judges lost my respect in his bone-headed arrogance in the documentary of A Chorus Line, Every Little Step, made even sweeter by the fact that he didn’t get the role despite his confidence in that he can do anything.
And crying has become so ubiquitous on reality TV, it’s not shocking or heart-tugging anymore. People cry when they win and move onto the next round, and they cry when they don’t. And now, the judges cry. A lot.
Is it weird that a lot of the dancers are already professionals? I’ve even blogged about two of them, who were in professional companies. Is the point not about getting a job or guiding professional dancers, but widespread promotion and branding yourself?
It feels like a TV show can start off well, and it gets worse, season after season. It’s like the show becomes a caricature of itself, being more and more outrageous. Maybe this show doesn’t even know its point anymore. They’re not trying to find the diamond in the rough, or promote the amazing dance that comes with years of training.
Or maybe the thing that bugs me the most is that this show doesn’t project an image of the world that I know and love. They promote the breathtaking beauty of dance, but now it’s looking more like a sport or a string of tricks. That is fine in itself – fouettes, sky high split jumps, and a dancing body is a wonderful thing to behold. But that enough isn’t enough to engage my attention and my heart and my brain – not for long, anyways. The dance that I see on TV has ceased to be about subtlety, or complexity. Or perhaps my hopes for TV are just too high.
I’m just going to hope now that someone posts Alex Wong’s solos somewhere on the internet. Would that person mind just muting the judges’ words for me?
Well, if anything, this show got me to blog again. I’m currently buried up to my neck in writing my PhD dissertation, and blogging after writing 70 pages of neuroscience jargon has been a bit much. I did recently enjoy a fun show of A Chorus Line on tour. The dancing was superb, and it was nice to see a Cassie that I liked. A singular sensation, indeed.
That’s why I hate this show. I watched one episode this season because two of the Latin dancers that made it through were from Burn the Floor.
Isn’t Alex still under contract in Miami (which was his problems last year)?
I watched Season 2 because I have taken a master class from him (Benji Schwimmer) but yah I hate this show, not to mention Nigel is a homophobic person.
To Katrina: Alex Wong is no longer under contract with Miami Ballet, he has left his Principal Soloist position at MCB to appear on SYTYCD show.
To Jolene: If you would like to watch SYTYCD show, it is impossible to watch it as whole in youtube because of copyright violation, but here is the link to watch it commercial free (on facebook, you must have a facebook account). Please follow instructions:
1. Check out this link on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_7VFWql1Cw&playnext_from=TL&videos=Xctp3XVHKwk
2. Go under the page and click on the video info link
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=123709157643072&ref=mf
3. Voila, you can watch all season 7 of SYTYCD. Or you can just skip step 1, follow step 2 as soon as you sign in your facebook account
As I watch, lots of judges’ comments make me laugh and wonder if these judges see much of dance at all. Some of the comments are: you are the most beautiful dancer I’ve ever seen, or I have never seen such an extraordinary arabesque penchee like yours in my entire life, or I have never seen anything like that in my life (referring to a Rhythmic gymnast).
I watch TV less than 3 hours a week, most of the time I spend at the studio, training, rehearsing, and working. So when I would like to see something I want, I prefer the short-cut (commercial-free version). I hope this helps, you will see a lot of Alex Wong’s dancing, and Billy Bell too (he’s good). Until next time, take care and good luck on your study.
J.A.D
Step 2:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123709157643072&ref=mf
Click on Video and watch SYTYCD
Hi guys! It’s good to know that I’m not the only one – the judges are so horrible. You’re right, I also wonder if the judges see a lot of dance. I don’t think that they do. They might know a thing or two about their own specific type of dance, but they have a difficult time jumping across genres.
JAD, any thoughts if Alex Wong will return to MCB? My hope is yes… hopefully. Thanks for the links!