Why SYTYCD Will Never Be the Same

This is a clip of an audition of Donyelle Jones from season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance:

Notice something?  No fancy leg extensions.  No 5,000 turns.  No flips.  No tricks.  Just pure and honest dancing.  And what's best is that the judges sent her to Vegas right away.  And what's even BETTER is that this wonderful woman made it all the way to the Top 4 finale show.  She took 3rd place.  Donyelle is one of my favorite dancers of all time, and inspires me so much.  However, I get the feeling that if she were to audition for the same show today, judges would not give her second looks.

Watching this show today, I think that dancers have to try a lot harder to get on this show.  There's nothing wrong with that.  Previous contestants have raised the bar, and that is great, and I love that they do that.  However, I am kind of upset to see numerous amounts of what appear to be just "dance tricks", and no real dancing.  When I see someone dance, I want to see their soul laid out on the floor, not their legs going in places that really shouldn't be humanly possible.  Although these kids are VERY talented, I just wish they would show more of themselves in their dancing.  I'm not feeling the same kind of emotion that I did in past seasons.  

If Brian Freedman loved her, she must be the sh*t!

Oh Hai, Blogger Dot Com!

[If you don't get the title reference, I have two words for you: Tommy Wiseau]

This is just an update blog, to let my zero followers know what I have been up to.  First, I have decided to discontinue the current blog layout that I have been using.  The highlighting of the keywords with different colors was pretty cool, but I figured it might begin to get obnoxious since I completely changed the look of my blog.

Second, I have changed the title of my blog.  I just thought this sounded nicer, and it just rolls off the tongue easier.

It's also not a quote from a Billy Idol song. 


Third, I actually have been keeping up with So You Think You Can Dance.  Like I predicted, everything got better after the Top 10.  I still don't find the show as gripping as past seasons, but it has been doing a fairly good job so far.  I have to say that I even have a few favorites!

But seriously, if Sasha or Melanie doesn't win, I will be PISSED!


Fourth and finally, I have decided to start my own little internet review show.  It will be called "On Pointe", and I will be reviewing the worst of the worst dance movies out there.  I already finished my script and filming.  All that's left is for me to record my voice-overs and edit everything together (these are the hard parts).  I will try to have it up by Saturday.  I really hope it will get positive reviews.  I get about 80% percent of my video-making inspiration from the producers at ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com.  It would be my dream for someone from the site to see my work and praise it.  But I think that's a long shot; I have a few big steps to take before that ever happens.  Plus, I would really have to impress them big time to be considered for the site, seeing as they are not hiring at the moment.  Oh, well!  A girl can dream, can't she?
DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'!

Ugh, that was not the image I wanted in my head...

Songs Made Better Through Dance: "Rock That Body" by The Black Eyed Peas

I have noticed something:  If I take a song that I either really dislike or never cared for, and combine it with certain circumstances, there is a chance that I will begin to enjoy that song because of the event that I associate it with.  This happens to a lot of people with songs that are featured in movies, TV shows, or video games.  With me, it happens through dance also.

Many of the songs on my MP3 player are songs I never would have been interested it if it hadn't been for a certain dance routine or combination.  One of them just so happens to be "Rock That Body" by The Black Eyed Peas.  Now, I won't rant too much about this group's music.  Just know, that they tend to have hits and misses (mostly misses, in my opinion).  "Rock That Body" is not a song that I would immediately find appealing.  It's not all that bad, but it's also not all that good.  I am not a big fan of synthesizers and that all around "computer-generated" sound that this decade loves so much.  I'd rather listen to real musicians rather than Fergie's "chipmunk voice".  If you don't know what I'm talking about, just listen to it yourself:

To be honest, I actually kind of dug the hook in the beginning ("I wanna rock right now" repeated 10x times). It make me think a little of B-boys in the 80s doing their thing on the streets.  So basically, whenever this came on the radio, I would listen to the first 30 seconds, then turn away.  This song was not clicking with me.

Then this happened:

These lovely gentlemen call themselves S**t Kingz, however their dancing looks nothing like "shit".  They dance so smoothly that all you can say while you watch them is, "Shiiiiiit!".  Watch them.  They are the amazing sauce on top of perfection!  The way they move is not even close to human.  Also, if you look closely, you will see how they transition through formations like ninjas.  So.  Unbelievably.  Smooth.  This is hip-hop dancing.  This is brilliance.

Every time I think of this song, I think of these men and their powerful movements.

Alas!  This is the reason why I can tolerate "Rock That Body" for a few more minutes.

"Meh": or, Why I Stopped Trying, and Learned to Watch SYTYCD Casually

Remember when I said I was going to keep myself updated on all the episodes of this season of So You Think You Can Dance?  Well, if you don't remember, just look below at the previous blog post...

Well clearly I have not been making regular blog posts about it for a few reasons, which I will post now:

1.  I'm never around when the show comes on

Apparently I have a busy life (or something), and always seem to miss new episodes.  I would watch them on Fox's website, but since the episodes aren't posted until days later, I tend to forget.

2.  I'm too damn lazy

I'll admit it.  I'm partially too lazy recap shows, which brings me to my next point...

3.  I don't like recapping

That's just not something that I do.  If you want a recap, I'm sure you can find one on Fox's website, IMDB, or some other site.  I'm here to give my thoughts and opinions, and that is all.

4.  America's best dancers?

In my honest opinion, I believe there are dancers in the world that are far better than some of the contestants on this show.  I'm not saying that the contestants are bad, because that are FAR from it.  They are all amazing, but I think that I have seen better dancers.  And when dancers appear on the show that actually can be considered "The Best" in my eyes, they never win (*cough,cough*Jakob...).  Later, I think will be posting a list of the best dancers and choreographers that I have seen in my short life.

5.  It doesn't get good until the Top 10

When the stakes get raised, everything gets more interesting.  I'm going to wait until it gets down to the last 10 or so dancers, and then maybe I will try to tune in more.

6.  I'd rather be dancing

Yes.  I am one of those people.  It's not that I hate to see other's dancing, but it depresses me to some extent to see so many amazing dancers do all these things that I can only dream of doing.  I went to a dance recital recently, and I literally could not stand still.  I was all ready to jump out of my seat and do leaps in the aisles.  I can sit down and watch this show just fine, but I have a problem.  I need to be dancing while I watch it.
Yeah, I'm a weirdo...


Please understand, that this list does not mean that I am not a fan of SYTYCD.  I am, and will always be a fan of this show to some extent.  It's just that I do not have the same passion for this show as I had back in the earlier seasons.  I promise I will still watch it from time to time, and if something happens this season that inspires me to write, I promise I will.

Until then, keep dancing!