NextIteration

Lyrical used to be called Lyrical Jazz, it also used to employ more jazz technique. Jazz is turned in, ballet is turned out. Modern Jazz dance is based on ballet technique, but that is not the only type of "jazz dancing" that exists. Some would consider tap as part of the jazz umbrella, there is a lot stylizing involved and it's a dance style that changes a lot with changes of American music. A very classical jazz choreographer is Bob Fosse. Lyrical is primarily a made up dance genre specifically for competitive dance. As noted above, it incorporates ballet and jazz technique, but is almost always performed with the lyrics or the flow of the music in mind, and emotive facials are a key part of it. There are balletic lyrical pieces and there are hard hitting lyrical pieces - some of us dance moms refer to the more hard hitting lyrical style as the "angsty pound the floor" pieces. Contemporary, this is a tough one because this style or term has been wholly hijacked by So You Think You Can Dance and somehow that definition has been accepted and adopted in the dance world, especially competitive dance - it's become the term that often applies to the above mentioned angsty pound the floor lyrical type dances. Real contemporary is the style of choreographers like Martha Graham or Dwight Rhoden at Complexions, it's a modernized version of ballet, often females are not en pointe, but they can be. Modern is the antithesis of ballet - it's the rejection of the rigid form and technique of ballet. This where the flexed feet and "herky jerky" obscure movements are seen as described in the excerpt of the not so accurate wiki post above. Martha Graham is also associated with Modern but I would put her more in the contemporary world, Horton, Limon, St Denis, Duncan and Cunningham are better examples of Modern. There is a lot of crossover between true contemporary and modern, but they are two distinct genres, which is why the co-opting by SYTYCD is so annoying. These are my definitions and opinions of course, I'm sure many will come along and disagree and nit-pick what I've written but hey, I gave it a try off the top of my head. :P

Wow, her face looks dirty not made up. Or like she had a bad spray tan, or a real tan that's pealing or something. She makes a valid point though - there are enough antics and jealousy in most competition dance studios that the drama occurs naturally, no real need to amp it up. She looked pretty evil saying what she did though "I know exactly what to do to make a child cry and run to their mother". Blech.

On this we are pretty much in total agreement, this time and last time too - her team was shit-tastic. She's doing a terrible job, especially when she's expecting a coronation... she has a lot of liberals to try to convince and all this shenanigans is not going to to do it. Sirota is going after her and is pissed that he's getting criticized on Twitter - I saw it yesterday when I was following my feed to see what was happening in Baltimore. I cannot believe that having all the people on her team this time - supposedly the best and brightest from both the Obama and the previous Hillary campaign that they are doing so poorly out of the gate. As to the email thing, I think that it's another example of the Clinton's doing what the Clinton's do, just barely come down on the line of what is sort of okay without crossing over. I realize that where that line actually falls is always debatable, which is what is so freaking annoying about them. She knew she still had presidential aspirations possibly when she took the job at State - why not make sure she dotted her Is and crossed her Ts and didn't repeat any of the shenanigans that she had to have known would get dug up - simply because it's such a joy for her opposition to do. But the Mika thing, goes back to before the 2007 primaries even heated up. That was all I was trying to point out. Sure, Mika will take down low hanging fruit like Fiorina in "protection" mode for Clinton but that was just too easy - anything else, she'll be a yapping dog much like you'd hear from the FoxBots. eta: So who does everyone think Joe was referring to as being "breathless" in their coverage last night - possibly further igniting violence in Baltimore? I thought perhaps he meant Rev. Al - but here is Rev. Al on the show and everyone is in much agreement. Chris Hayes? Who? Inquiring minds would like to know - I didn't catch Hayes or Maddow last night.

I've no interest in re-litigating the whole mess because there was crap in both campaigns, Mark Penn was a much bigger and more offensive liability to the Clinton campaign than Bill, but that's all in the past. The point is, Mika dripped nasty on Hillary long before any of that heated up, as did most of MSNBC. And secondary to that, a lot of nonsense is getting thrown about on MJ right now in the wake of the Clinton Cash book. Expect a lot more of that as long as the book is in the news.

@pivot, That's one perspective of course. But rewatch the Jackson Jr declaration - because that is exactly where things turned and it was ON, the Obama campaign started accusing the Clinton campaign of racism on a daily basis in their conference calls. Lewis didn't flip as a super-delegate until weeks later, and Edwards did anything he could to kiss Obama's ass, he wanted to be on that ticket. As to the sloppy foundation stuff, yup - it's a mess. Shuster deserved what he got for being inappropriate - and he was suspended for two weeks for that - he got fired for testing with CNN years later.

I didn't say that she did, I was speaking of the phenomenon itself. It's not just some teachers that do it, it's parents and more often than anything, team mates, it's a sign of entitlement. It's a shame too, because being able to appreciate a talented peer and what to strive for is an important lesson in humility. Which is why the judges with tell you and the best teachers will reiterate, different day, different judges, different competitors, just strive to do your personal best and let the chips fall where they may. What Abby does do that is insidious is go into a competition insisting that they sweep every time they walk in the door.

Flag lovin' Bitsy does it again! Hasselbeck opened with video of former USAF Staff Sgt Michelle Manhart giving instructions on flag etiquette to students who walked on an American flag during a protest at Valdosta State University. The video then showed Manhart being arrested after she refused to return the flag which she took from the students. The banner: "Fight for the Flag." Hasselbeck said "wow" and informed us that this "intense video of an Air Force veteran arrested after standing up to students who were stomping on the American flag has gone viral." She reported that the school has closed for the day "in anticipation of a massive rally" by real Americans who support the flag. She introduced the flag defending Manhart but didn't mention that Manhart posed for Playboy, in 2007, while holding the Stars and Stripes across her naked body - a photo for which she was reprimanded by the Air Force. Hasselbeck, breathlessly, noted that more than 4,000 patriots are expected at the rally and asked Manhart if she would be attending. To Hasselbeck's question of whether Manhart, who has been banned from the campus, should be permitted back on the campus, Manhart said she hoped that the ban would be lifted. We shouldn't be surprised because, well, Campus Reform! smh

Huh, I guess I completely missed the assertion that they co-mingled funds. That would be a huge story and very unethical. I think the point the panel was making was that there appears to have been a quid and quo but no pro, and the the Clinton's can just be sloppy about things in general. They pointed out that Bill took speaking fees from questionable sources at questionable times in relation to big donations to CGI, or that the State Department appeared to be amongst several agencies that approved things in relation to the timing of big donations to CGI, without any regard to the truth. Rachel did a piece about considering the source of the Clinton Cash book the other night - and I think it's interesting that his next hit is on Jeb Bush since he's a known Ted Cruz supporter. It's like the twilight zone, the difference between Morning Joe and MSNBC's prime time line up.

That "robbed" stuff is so gross. A good teacher will always say, different judges, different day, do your best and always work to do better against yourself not others. And this recent plethora of perfect or near perfect scores lately? Fantasy for the most part.

@gimipizzauoldtroll - no need for apologies, I just wanted you to know that I understand your point of view and did not want to go stomping all over something that you already acknowledged upsets you, because I was going right back into that territory again in my response to your post. Also for the record, that circle of folks that Collins keeps tapping that included Blake McGrath that i referred to in the episode thread? Shannon Mathers, the choreographer of that piece with Madelyne and Chloe is Blake's sister. I think that Blake really liked Chloe a lot and could not stand Abby's treatment of her which is why just weeks after the last episode of season 4, Chloe was up in Canada assisting him at a workshop.

@Landsnark - I don't get the hate for Hillary that Mika has either - because it just drips from her and it did in 2007-08 as well. Half the time it was Joe indicating that Mika should back the hell off it with his silly "I LOVE Hillary" shtick. I get a sense that it may be related to ZBig in some way - and that still doesn't make a lot of sense since Albright was a sort of ZBig protegé - but Albright and Hillary are bffs - somewhere something went off the rails between the Clintons and the Brzezinskis, maybe ZBig felt slighted by Bill not bringing him in as an adviser? If you remember, ZBig was out of the gate in support of and an adviser to Obama very early on in the primaries. I think Mika got away with it in 2007-08 because MSNBC was very anti-Hillary the minute the 2006 elections were done, I mean it started the very next day with vicious things being said by Matthews about her. The only people actually defending/supporting Hillary at that time on MSNBC were Tucker Carlson (I know, right?) and Dan Abrams. Olbermann and Schuster were particularly noxious towards her as well. MSNBC is where Jesse Jackson Jr pulled the race card against the Clinton campaign and got away with it, even Eugene Robinson made some pretty nasty accusations, mild mannered Eugene! The whiplash I have from Ed and Chris M actually hurts - but back in the 2007-08 time frame MSNBC was actually more liberal - often having people like Jane Hamsher of Fire Dog Lake on as a guest.

I don't think the Studio 19 use of Chandelier represents any sort of dig against the ALDC or Maddie, I'm not sure whose acoustic version of Chandelier that was - but versions like this get used all the time when a studio wants to do a piece to a very recent very popular song without being one of 20 using the song at any given competition the season after it was on the charts. @gimipizzauoldtroll, I sense that you're upset with me about my thoughts about the use of a straitjacket as a prop, but I'm telling you - it's not that rare, symbolism is used all of the time in creative pieces, whether it's based on a trope or truth, straitjackets get used to represent being held in, restricted - and most often when you see them, you'll see the dancer break free of them - which is the general story of the dance, breaking free. (You are correct about them mostly being illegal as a restraint device anymore.) In the second piece where you are seeing BDSM inspiration - is it the buckles or the rope? Madelyne and Chloe explain in the beginning that it is a piece about a depressed teen that is ready to end it - whose best friend is going to do anything and everything to stop her. The buckles on the the back of Madelyne's top do represent a straitjacket (this is a young suicidal girl, straitjackets were used to stop people from harming themselves), and the rope, well there are two things, the lyrics are "hanging by a thread" so the rope represents the thread - also, Chloe throws the rope at her again and again - trying to save her (throw me a rope, save me!). At the end of the video, Chloe talks about going through a really hard time and not giving up - there is also a suicide hotline number given. I thought it was a beautiful piece. I'm sensitive to your experience with mental illness, believe me, it runs deep in my family. Remember though, that oftentimes with mental illness comes a deep well of creativity and artistry - some people work out their mental illness therapeutically through art forms, one of them being dance. There is a great book by Kay Redfield Jamison, Touched by Fire that is all about the phenomenon.

I cannot wait to see Nia's full video - the snips they showed of her were beautiful and powerful. Clearly there is producer machinations involved that drove all the mama drama, one video having such high production value from the "names" and glitz involved while the other was supposed to be more "pure" but had to have had close to the same costs involved with using the location, I'm thinking anyways. I do not believe for one second that photos weren't instagrammed from Kendall's shoot just as they were from Nia's, the jealousy and shenanigans were kicked up by the difference in glitz and glamour involved. More drama is being created by "leaking" Kendall's full video and just tidbits of Nia's which is building up higher demand for Nia's. I'm assuming all to keep the drama on high and the audience tuning in. I don't doubt that part of Holly and Nia's reward for being the kicked dogs this season was getting the much better video. Also, Nia has her own app, I think the other girls are getting them as well, but Nia had hers first.

While I generally appreciate your concerns about this and agree that the subject matter was to mature for JoJo's age, she did a really good job of it. Here's a creative use of a straight jacket used more creatively with a more mature duet: So it's not unheard of and can be done very well. I think Abby is starting move more because she actually can with her weight loss, just my opinion. I don't think from a knowledge stand point that Abby is a bad teacher, it's her methodology that concerns me. Audrey O'Day was in Dannity Kane a reality based competition looking for the next great girl band by Sean Combs if I remember correctly, she also at some point became involved with Robin Antin (Pussy Cat Dolls) who hired Mikey Minden (Pussy Cat Doll Choreographer) for her reality show, "Looking for the Next Pussy Cat Doll" or some such. Mikey is buddies with Blake McCrath who choreographed for the Candy Apples last season and Robin Antin judged at least once for Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition. So it's all a big circle - that Collins has been tapped into for awhile for this show. Yup, see above comment. JoJo was too young for that dance, she did a very good job and I felt terrible for her when she got teary about not placing. It was Christi's idea, she thought the drama of crazy dance moms would be great for reality television, she submitted a video of Chloe and it went from there. Nope, not at 12 but the switch over was prior to 18.

She was awful on DWTS, she honestly made Sadie Robertson look like a floozy costume wise. I almost threw a shoe through my teevee when she stayed and Danica McKellar left that season, there was no comparison about who was the better dancer. When I saw the photo of what she purchased, that's the first thing I thought. Her choices were just so obnoxiously Gwyneth. I think it's great she participates, but seriously - could she take a week away from the extreme diet? I agree that you can make better choices in food if you don't live in a food desert and have the cook on staff, er I mean time to cook from scratch.

Oh boy, Nicolle gets to team up with previous co-worker Dana Perino? I'll expect a full report! Why was Whoopi yelling about food stamps? Nicolle was whipped up, snarky and essentially nasty on MJ; Mika wasn't there so she and Joe teamed up on the daily Ailes fax talking points.

!!!Don't Scare Me Like That!!! I was going to snark earlier this morning about Sherri not knowing her Halal from her Kosher - but I didn't want to offend anyone. That idea would be a great show, just not with ignorant Sherri.

I'm not from England, but the small wooden floor on carpet is not that rare of a thing even at US competitions. Oftentimes, even large competitions have overflow solo, duet, trio rooms that do not have elevated stages and just a patch of parquet set down on the carpet in another ballroom (which of course would also be put down for something like a wedding reception for a dance floor) or such at a convention center or hotel. For the record, they are usually slippery as hell and relatively dangerous. It should be required that they overlay that crap with Marley but usually they don't. The competitions in the UK are often set up as festivals, and many of them follow the ISTD standards. Don't ask me any details lol, everything I know about British dance competitions I learned on Dance.net. (This illustrates both Marley rolled onto a stage and the stupid parquet that's taped to the carpet all in one, it's a workshop class from the Convention/Competition NYCDA.)

I thought you were, I was just speaking about dance in general and the meme being applied to dance teachers, because it really does happen often. Justifiably so for a lot of Dolly Dinkle type studios, but not quality ones. I always chuckle when I look at a studio website, check the faculty and every single teacher started dancing at 3 at said dance studio and never performed beyond competing with the studio.

Since we rarely get kid talking heads anymore... I always thought that Mackenzie was the one that belonged on Nickelodeon, her talking heads and facial reactions always cracked me up. That's the biggest part I miss about this show, the kid talking heads.

The more I've thought about Holly and her PhD in Education really? The less I really think it's that big of a deal, in my state, if you want to reach the top tier of salary it's an expectation that you complete your PhD in teaching. The first bump is for a Masters but to reach the top level salary you need a PhD.

Reminds me of another Former View Host and the timing of childhood vaccines being in the same timeline as developmental delays presenting themselves naturally.

First of all, lord help me I do not want to be the defender of all things Hillary, now that I have that out of the way... Isn't Hillary getting pushed to the left and embracing Elizabeth Warren's message and policy positions exactly what the liberal wing of the Democratic Party wants? She only announced five days ago, and it's clear that she's embracing a more populist message, I am a bit confused about the media's expectations, no I'm not really - they are building a stupid narrative, just like they always do. As to being pro-Wall Street as a senator from New York where Wall Street is located, does this surprise anyone? Do we all remember that Obama's contributions from Wall Street far outstripped McCain's in 2008? It was different in 2012 of course, but that's still a fact.

This particular meme gets a little old for me when it comes to dance, not for someone like Abby, but so many dancers move on to teaching after their performance careers are over - it's just too broad to apply to all dance teachers. Look at the NYCB system, almost all of the "teachers" are previous company members. Look at dance faculty on the university level, read their bios, almost all of them were performers, it's what makes their résumé along with where and under whom they trained.

Blah, Harold Ford has been let out of his cave. We want Dorian, we want Dorian! @oakville, while I appreciate the Mediaite write up and it's mostly spot on, seeing infamously snide on the down-low Hillary hater, Mika, take down smug Fiorina is about the only reason that I hang around this show anymore. Fiorina is detestable on the best day - which is the bottom line reason that she was thrown off the McCain campaign - when she showed her true colors.