Whitney Thore: So She Thinks She Can Dance

[AZChristian]

8 minutes ago, Hana Chan said:

. . . here we have Whitney insisting that she can manage in a single seat if the person next to her isn't too big and they don't lower the armrest.

In my fun fantasy thought of the day, I wonder how it would work if Whitney and BooBear were side-by-side in a window/center seat duo. 

[Maggienolia]

1 minute ago, AZChristian said:

In my fun fantasy thought of the day, I wonder how it would work if Whitney and BooBear were side-by-side in a window/center seat duo. 

They would probably be okay. As long as NO. ONE. was in the aisle seat. No way a third person could fit. With her spillover (I swear there's NO way she fits in ONE seat) and Buddy... maybe they could split the cost of the "extra" seat? 

[Nowhere]

20 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

In my fun fantasy thought of the day, I wonder how it would work if Whitney and BooBear were side-by-side in a window/center seat duo. 

I want them in a window/aisle duo so I can see what happens to the poor soul that has to sit in the center.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Nowhere said:

I want them in a window/aisle duo so I can see what happens to the poor soul that has to sit in the center.

If I had a worst enemy, I wouldn't wish this on them.

[AmyB]

So far no video has been posted by ms. twit regarding that doctor and letter as she said yesterday she would be doing today. 

[auntjess]

5 hours ago, Cherrio said:

I have no doubt the letter from the doctor is a fake.  

I hope the doctor sues her.

And TLC should be a co-defendant.

[Nowhere]

13 hours ago, AZChristian said:

If I had a worst enemy, I wouldn't wish this on them.

Let's put Mama June in the middle lol. Pre-surgery.

[AmyB]

I was looking at my dvr, and the episode after the dance battle had this synopsis, hmmmm could it be the judges score Whitney lower than she felt she deserved?  

Edited March 1, 2017 by AmyB

[TurtlePower]

11 hours ago, auntjess said:

And TLC should be a co-defendant.

So she's now being quiet about the letter? Maybe the doc was like, "Can you please shut up about this because it wasn't me--and you owe me a public apology since you so publicly threw me under the bus without verification."

Well, that's what I'd like to see happen anyways.........

[ClareWalks]

"Fitness competition?" FITNESS COMPETITION. The only competition this lady could win is a cupcake-eating contest, as we have seen. 

Sorry, gang, I just saw that and was like o_O

[AmyB]

43 minutes ago, Runnergirl said:

So she's now being quiet about the letter? Maybe the doc was like, "Can you please shut up about this because it wasn't me--and you owe me a public apology since you so publicly threw me under the bus without verification."

Well, that's what I'd like to see happen anyways.........

Eerily quiet if you ask me. I still don't think the dcotor has any idea about it. But if he did he should speak out about it. 

Twit shared an anti racist/white suprememcy type video last night and one comment said she was an idiot. Whitney responded to that person cool, go unfriend my mom. She wouldn't agree you. Lol too funny! 

[momofsquid]

The great thing about armrests for me is not only about having a place to comfortably rest my arms, but that they define my space. I'm a weirdo who does not like to be snuggled up to strangers. That armrest is a psychological barrier for me as well as a physical convenience. So in the airplane scenario and to a lesser extent in the doctor's office, Her Highness is declaring that I have no right to keep my personal space free of her excess baggage. I'm not okay with that.

[Ocean Chick]

Twit and Buddy are in a fitness competition?  I hope it's just between themselves, as Buddy looks to be one set of sit ups away from a heart attack these days.  And Twit isn't far behind.

[yogi2014L]

35 minutes ago, Ocean Chick said:

Twit and Buddy are in a fitness competition?  I hope it's just between themselves, as Buddy looks to be one set of sit ups away from a heart attack these days.  And Twit isn't far behind.

Yeah Im dying to see this competition, the WHOLE thing and not with the breaks edited out!!!

I wonder if it is a Crossfit competition, didn't Will go to the Crossfit games and compete in the masters division?

Edited: Not only did he compete in the Games, he won his division three times. He is an insane athlete. What is he doing with Whit???????

Edited March 1, 2017 by yogi2014L

[Brooklynista]

43 minutes ago, momofsquid said:

The great thing about armrests for me is not only about having a place to comfortably rest my arms, but that they define my space. I'm a weirdo who does not like to be snuggled up to strangers. That armrest is a psychological barrier for me as well as a physical convenience. So in the airplane scenario and to a lesser extent in the doctor's office, Her Highness is declaring that I have no right to keep my personal space free of her excess baggage. I'm not okay with that.

Yessss!! Don't touch meeee!! 

Even on city transportation it seems to be a given that because I am on the smaller side, the blank space in MY seat is up for grabs and available to larger passengers.  Spillage is not welcome in my area and it doesn't make me a body shamer to not want a Whitney in my seat. 

[Tabbygirl521]

4 hours ago, momofsquid said:

The great thing about armrests for me is not only about having a place to comfortably rest my arms, but that they define my space. I'm a weirdo who does not like to be snuggled up to strangers. That armrest is a psychological barrier for me as well as a physical convenience. So in the airplane scenario and to a lesser extent in the doctor's office, Her Highness is declaring that I have no right to keep my personal space free of her excess baggage. I'm not okay with that.

If you're weird, so am I. 

[ClareWalks]

Re: seat encroachment: I went to a concert with my mom, and we sat close to the front, where there were extra folding chairs set up very close together. We sat down, and a big woman sat down in the seat right next to me. Naturally, she was spilling into my seat and pressing against me a LOT. Under normal circumstances I get RLS from being so close to others and confined, but I was a few months pregnant at the time, so it was way worse. I told mom we need to move, so we got up to leave. No big deal, right? Except the big woman asks me "why are you moving? Why?" What the hell, lady, just let me move! Mom told the lady "oh, she's pregnant, she's not feeling well," and we hightailed it farther back to the arm-chair sections. But jeez, I have no idea why this woman would have demanded an explanation for me not wanting excess ass flab pressing into my side and thigh.

[Hana Chan]

4 hours ago, Brooklynista said:

Even on city transportation it seems to be a given that because I am on the smaller side, the blank space in MY seat is up for grabs and available to larger passengers.  Spillage is not welcome in my area and it doesn't make me a body shamer to not want a Whitney in my seat. 

Count me in too. I'm very picky about my personal space and anyone encroaching on it without permission is likely to lose a few body parts.

It's one thing when someone is apologetic about getting to close and personal, but Whitney's sense of entitlement - that no one should feel uncomfortable if she squeezes in a bit too much - that really steams my buns.

[Brooklynista]

^^and I don't want to be labeled as fat phobic because Manspreading also bugs the shit out of me. Sir I'm positive there's no anaconda down there so you too can close your legs and get out of my space.

[Tabbygirl521]

21 minutes ago, Brooklynista said:

^^and I don't want to be labeled as fat phobic because Manspreading also bugs the shit out of me. Sir I'm positive there's no anaconda down there so you too can close your legs and get out of my space.

Oh, amen to this. Many is the time I have wanted to say (but been too chicken), "Could you please heft your massive balls up a bit so you could close you legs??" Instead I passive-aggressively shove as if I am oblivious to my doing so.  But some guys seem fine with that. 

Fortunately my current commute involves buses with sparse ridership so this doesn't happen to me anymore.

Apparently the NY subway system has informative signage telling guys to knock it off. I wonder if it has been effective.  Perhaps Whitney needs a version about not spreading her buns onto others without permission. 

[ClareWalks]

35 minutes ago, Brooklynista said:

^^and I don't want to be labeled as fat phobic because Manspreading also bugs the shit out of me. Sir I'm positive there's no anaconda down there so you too can close your legs and get out of my space.

I've always wanted to say to those guys "wow, your labia must be REALLY swollen."

[Geekygal16]

On 2/26/2017 at 1:47 PM, abbey said:

I too was called obese by 2 doctors....They weren't heartless, just trying to save my life.  I went back to them and have lost 106 lbs.  Turned my life around.  If only Whitney would do the same.   The weight she is carrying on her knees is causing untold damage.  I have had knee replacement surgery and it isn't fun. Worse than the open heart surgery I have also had.  I pity the day she needs that surgery because the nurses taking care of her are going to need hazardous duty pay. 

First off, congrats on the 106 pound loss!  That is incredible.  I don't think there is anything wrong with being called obese.  What other word is a doctor supposed to use?  It's not fat shaming, it's just the truth.  I also don't find fat or big offensive either.  Now if someone starts saying big tub of lard, that's name calling.  I first tuned into this show because I wanted to be inspired by a larger woman who felt confident and powered IN SPITE of her weight.  But I cannot stand her because everything is an excuse.  I'm also obese with PCOS, but I'm not delusional about why I'm big.  She blamed her weight solely on PCOS and thinks that she can dance away her weight without acknowledging her bad food choices.  And still blames PCOS because she's still this big even though she's working hard.  All lies!!!  She's 32 right now.  I totally agree with you.  I'm big, but been fairly healthy meaning I'm not diabetic and I'm pretty limber and able to move without limitations.  But, in the last couple years I've noticed the weakness in my knees and that I can't get up off the floor as quickly as I used to.  I'm around the same age as Whitney.  This is definitely age as well as the excessive weight hurting me.  Whitney is going to have bigger and bigger problems if she stays over 350.  I'm way way less than her and I'm feeling it.

[abbey]

thanks for the congrats Geekygal16.  It wasn't easy but I am feeling so much better it was worth it.  Only about 50 more lbs to go!

I started noticing knee issues when I was in my 40's. (now 65). Also weighed less than Whitney (296 lbs) . Ignored knee problems for years then did the cortisone shots.  Eventually had to have knee replacement surgery.  Most people I know who have had the surgery either come directly from the hospital to home with outpatient PT, or go to rehab for a week or so and then go home with PT.  I was still in a wheelchair when I left the hospital and spent 3 weeks in rehab before they judged me able to go home and continue the PT on an outpatient basis.  I attribute my lengthier recovery and rehab to my obesity.  If had been thinner I am sure I would have bounced back from the surgery much more quickly and certainly required less time in a rehab facility.  So I look at Whitney and I can only imagine her dealing with the knee replacement surgery which is in her future (and probably at a much younger age than I had it).  They would need a hoyer lift just to get her in and out of bed. She can try and fool herself all she wants but her overweight body and overworked joints are going to have the last laugh and it isn't going to be pretty.  She isn't going to be fat and fabulous trying to do rehab on a new knee while dealing with a whole lot of pain.  Although that might make for an interesting show!

[goofygirl]

I work in rehab at a LTC facility and we have knee, hip, rotator cuff patients all the time.  Whit would DEFINITELY need a hoyer lift to get her out of the bed and some of them safely only lift up to 350 lbs. Over 350,  you have to get a larger hoyer and not all facilities even have these.  We do where I work because we have some residents that weigh over 350 and can't (or won't) even TRY to get up out of the bed to go to the bathroom.  Getting them to bathe or shower is also quite the effort for those caregivers! Trust me!

I feel like Whit is headed straight downhill to a facility like mine because of her complete and total delusion that she's FABULOUS and somehow these physical problems can be DANCED away.  I use the term "dance" loosely.  More like shimmy. Jiggle. Wiggle. NOT dance. At some point, the crap's gonna hit the fan.  Hope she's been saving some of that TLC $$$.  Of course, she could always go to Dr. Now and graduate to "My 600 lb Life".

[AZChristian]

2 minutes ago, goofygirl said:

Of course, she could always go to Dr. Now and graduate to "My 600 lb Life".

Can't you just see him walk into the room and ask, "What do you think has caused you to get to ____ pounds?"

Whit:  "I have PCOS."

Dr. Now:  "PCOS doesn't have any calories.  You don't put PCOS into your mouth.  What do you EAT?"

Whit:  "Almost nothing.  But I have PCOS."

Dr. Now:  "I can't help you.  I don't treat PCOS.  I treat people who eat too much.  See ya."

[ClareWalks]

5 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Whit:  "I have PCOS."

Dr. Now:  "PCOS doesn't have any calories.  You don't put PCOS into your mouth.  What do you EAT?"

You just totally nailed Whit's problem in a nutshell!

[Minivanessa]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

Can't you just see him walk into the room and ask, "What do you think has caused you to get to ____ pounds?"

Whit:  "I have PCOS."

Dr. Now:  "PCOS doesn't have any calories.  You don't put PCOS into your mouth.  What do you EAT?"

Whit:  "Almost nothing.  But I have PCOS."

Dr. Now:  "I can't help you.  I don't treat PCOS.  I treat people who eat too much.  See ya."

OMG, this just nails it. I'd pay a few bucks to watch that episode!!

[AZChristian]

But maybe she really said "pizza."  As in "I have pizza."

[ClareWalks]

PCOS might sound like "greasy dough mess" if you muffle your voice a bit ;)

[okerry]

I'm surprised that Whit, fab dancer that she is, doesn't try Middle Eastern Dance - "belly dancing." Seriously, it's low-impact and is one form of dance where it's actually desirable to carry a lot of curves. And you get to shake your boobs & swing your butt. Sounds perfect for Whit!

[Ketzel]

29 minutes ago, okerry said:

I'm surprised that Whit, fab dancer that she is, doesn't try Middle Eastern Dance - "belly dancing." Seriously, it's low-impact and is one form of dance where it's actually desirable to carry a lot of curves. And you get to shake your boobs & swing your butt. Sounds perfect for Whit!

Judging by the premiere preview scenes, she/they (the producers) are ahead of you. There was a brief glimpse of her attempting to do a hip circle while sword dancing and she looked about as competent at that as she would look attempting Balanchine style ballet. 

[auntjess]

2 hours ago, Ketzel said:

she looked about as competent at that as she would look attempting Balanchine style ballet. 

Now that, I'd pay to see.
And AZChristian, they need to hire you to write the story lines.

[mamadrama]

15 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Can't you just see him walk into the room and ask, "What do you think has caused you to get to ____ pounds?"

 

Except it would be "pound." No "s." :-)

God I love Dr. Now. I wouldn't want to be his patient but I adore the way he throws his subtle shade. I am totally gunning for a Whitney, Dr. N showdown. 

[Hana Chan]

On 3/4/2017 at 5:07 PM, okerry said:

I'm surprised that Whit, fab dancer that she is, doesn't try Middle Eastern Dance - "belly dancing." Seriously, it's low-impact and is one form of dance where it's actually desirable to carry a lot of curves. And you get to shake your boobs & swing your butt. Sounds perfect for Whit!

We discussed this earlier (back around page 23). I did Middle Eastern dancing and it's a lot harder than most people would expect. Yes, it's low impact and it actually is one of the few dance forms that actually looks better on a slightly larger woman since the whole point of the dance celebrates a woman's curves. But Whitney is half-assing it (as she usually does). She thinks that just by making a circle with her oversized hips and waving her arms slowly that she's "dancing".

I'd posted a few examples of dancers who show up Whitney for the poseur that she is, and here is another one. And this girl is of a size with Whitney and is still able to dance properly. She's moving about the floor doing swivels and shivers and undulations and looks pretty darned good.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Hana Chan

[mamadrama]

4 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

We discussed this earlier (back around page 22). I did Middle Eastern dancing and it's a lot harder than most people would expect. Yes, it's low impact and it actually is one of the few dance forms that actually looks better on a slightly larger woman since the whole point of the dance celebrates a woman's curves. But Whitney is half-assing it (as she usually does). She thinks that just by making a circle with her oversized hips and waving her arms slowly that she's "dancing".

I'd posted a few examples of dancers who show up Whitney for the poseur that she is, and here is another one. And this girl is of a size with Whitney and is still able to dance properly. She's moving about the floor doing swivels and shivers and undulations and looks pretty darned good.

My mom and I have been bellydancing for nearly 20 years. She now teaches it at the community ed center. It takes an incredible amount of control, something Whitney has not exhibited in her dancing, and groups of muscles that I doubt Whitney uses.

[Ketzel]

This dancer definitely looks better and more in control of her body than Whitney does, at least in the little clip I've seen, but she really isn't dancing well. A dancer trained in belly dance and sword dancing can isolate every part of her body while balancing the sword, can kneel to the floor and do backbends and full body undulations while balancing the sword,  can do spins while balancing the sword,  and can balance the sword not only on her head, but on her shoulders, across her hip bones, across one hip bone, across the base of her throat . . .  you get the idea. If Whitney can do any one of those things, I personally will eat a sword.

Edited March 7, 2017 by Ketzel

[Hana Chan]

So we have a sneak peak for tonight's episode with the evil choreographer (also a "woman of size") and it's pretty clear now that Whitney's "girls" in the BGDC are just as lazy and uninspired as she is. When faced with anything more than a bit of hand waving and rump shaking, the whines come out. Now it's so hard and they'll never pick it up and this isn't what they signed up for.

Except for this not being what they signed up for, the rest of their complaints are pure hogwash. I get that this isn't a real class and they only show up once in awhile for filming so finding themselves in a "dance battle" is not what they were looking to do. But damn, they are a pathetic bunch, insisting that they will never be able to pick up the choreography. I wanted to yell "It's called practice, you lazy plonk!" If they spent as much time actually working at these routines as they did complaining, they might not have so much trouble. And Whitney isn't going to push them because she can't push herself.

If Whitney had an iota of self-respect, she would call off this farce since her team is in no way ready for it. Take the flack for not being as serious a teacher and for her girls not being serious dancers because putting them up against a class that does take their dance much more seriously is just setting them up to fail. There's no law that says that they must participate in this "battle" and they're clearly not ready. And since this isn't a real class, they're not going to do any kind of real practice so pull the plug and spare us all this pathetic drama. 

[TurtlePower]

3 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

So we have a sneak peak for tonight's episode with the evil choreographer (also a "woman of size") and it's pretty clear now that Whitney's "girls" in the BGDC are just as lazy and uninspired as she is. When faced with anything more than a bit of hand waving and rump shaking, the whines come out. Now it's so hard and they'll never pick it up and this isn't what they signed up for.

Except for this not being what they signed up for, the rest of their complaints are pure hogwash. I get that this isn't a real class and they only show up once in awhile for filming so finding themselves in a "dance battle" is not what they were looking to do. But damn, they are a pathetic bunch, insisting that they will never be able to pick up the choreography. I wanted to yell "It's called practice, you lazy plonk!" If they spent as much time actually working at these routines as they did complaining, they might not have so much trouble. And Whitney isn't going to push them because she can't push herself.

If Whitney had an iota of self-respect, she would call off this farce since her team is in no way ready for it. Take the flack for not being as serious a teacher and for her girls not being serious dancers because putting them up against a class that does take their dance much more seriously is just setting them up to fail. There's no law that says that they must participate in this "battle" and they're clearly not ready. And since this isn't a real class, they're not going to do any kind of real practice so pull the plug and spare us all this pathetic drama. 

Whitney: “This is why I didn’t want to do the battle anyway,” Whitney told Jenzi. “It’s gonna break my f--king heart to see these girls get demoralized and think that they can’t be part of it.”

Most of these women are in Whit's "class" because they get the warm and fuzzies there, no matter what. Everyone wins! Everyone's great! Puppies and Kittens! In that world, no one's precious feeling get hurt because everyone is awesome. I love Jenzi especially when she says "I will not bring my choreography and put it on no foolery." 

These women want to live in a world where they can feel good about themselves with minimal practice. There's no one around to inform them that they're not very good at all. And hey, that's ok--but they should remain in their dungeon and not venture out into the real world.

[Ocean Chick]

Let's face it - these women wanted their 15 minutes of fame and have their faces on a "real" tv show and take a paycheck (however small) home at the end of the day.  They don't care if they're good or not, or if they feel good about themselves or not.  Except that they DO want to look good on tv.  "Look - I'm famous!"  They are just mouthing the attitudes that the producers want them to say to get the storyline they want to play out.  It's only the stans that really care, and THEY are the ones that want puppies and kittens and rainbows and no hurt feelings, because they WANT to believe in No Body Shame.

[Ketzel]

Whitney's hypocrisy is glaring. She proudly touted the BGDC as a "safe space" for everyone, of every size, with no experience, or with negative experience of taking a movement class, to enjoy dancing in a non-judgmental atmosphere. Then she gets the show, and suddenly BGDC is her dance company, expected to learn choreography and to perform in public. Nothing about that is safe or easy for self-conscious people, and she doesn't make it better by not taking it seriously enough herself.

Learning choreography in a dance class is a good thing for beginners - it's an interesting and useful challenge. It wasn't the fault of the class that Whitney is not capable of creating suitable choreography, or of picking up choreography quickly herself, so they didn't learn much. Especially, they never learned how to pick up steps by watching someone else demonstrate them. Apparently they still, as rank beginners do, need slow repetitive breakdowns of each movement, followed by slow repetitive walk-throughs of each movement , followed by questions and confusion, followed by eventually catching on - or not.  They haven't learned how to process movement through their muscles, with no detour through the brain required.  That requires solid technique, which they don't have (because Whitney doesn't have it.)

I danced professionally for many years, in many settings, and I will tell you how trained dancers learn choreography.  The choreographer stood in front of the group and said, "First eight," and demonstrated the moves for the first eight counts of the music. And the dancers did them, once or twice with the  choreographer leading, and once more with him/her watching.  If there was nothing the choreographer wanted to change, it was on to "Second eight." Then what had been covered was danced "from the top."  Rinse and repeat until all counts of the music were done. Then the music went on and we were expected to dance the piece through.

Learning to pick up choreography that way is a skill, akin to being able to play a song on the piano by ear, or to memorize several pages of dialogue on short notice. It takes a ton of work and concentration but when you learn to do it, it's great fun, and can make you feel awesomely competent at a difficult task. 

Whitney is no dancer. She never was. She probably never will be. She is so far from understanding what it actually takes, that she doesn't even get that when she sneers at Jiya because Jiya's students aren't asking questions, she is actually showing her own ignorance.

[ClareWalks]

19 minutes ago, Ketzel said:

I danced professionally for many years, in many settings, and I will tell you how trained dancers learn choreography.  The choreographer stood in front of the group and said, "First eight," and demonstrated the moves for the first eight counts of the music. And the dancers did them, once or twice with the  choreographer leading, and once more with him/her watching.  If there was nothing the choreographer wanted to change, it was on to "Second eight." Then what had been covered was danced "from the top."  Rinse and repeat until all counts of the music were done. Then the music went on and we were expected to dance the piece through.

That is really cool. I am absolutely horrible at picking up choreography, and I've never had opportunity to practice it. But I know the "language" of exercise, so if a trainer demonstrated a series of exercises and I had to repeat them, I'd be able to do so easily. It becomes more and more obvious that Whitney doesn't know much about dance, since as you said she is utterly incapable of picking up choreo quickly. If she knew the language of dance, it'd be easy.

[sATL]

1 hour ago, Ketzel said:

Whitney's hypocrisy is glaring. She proudly touted the BGDC as a "safe space" for everyone, of every size, with no experience, or with negative experience of taking a movement class, to enjoy dancing in a non-judgmental atmosphere. Then she gets the show, and suddenly BGDC is her dance company, expected to learn choreography and to perform in public. Nothing about that is safe or easy for self-conscious people, and she doesn't make it better by not taking it seriously enough herself.

Learning choreography in a dance class is a good thing for beginners - it's an interesting and useful challenge. It wasn't the fault of the class that Whitney is not capable of creating suitable choreography, or of picking up choreography quickly herself, so they didn't learn much. Especially, they never learned how to pick up steps by watching someone else demonstrate them. Apparently they still, as rank beginners do, need slow repetitive breakdowns of each movement, followed by slow repetitive walk-throughs of each movement , followed by questions and confusion, followed by eventually catching on - or not.  They haven't learned how to process movement through their muscles, with no detour through the brain required.  That requires solid technique, which they don't have (because Whitney doesn't have it.)

I danced professionally for many years, in many settings, and I will tell you how trained dancers learn choreography.  The choreographer stood in front of the group and said, "First eight," and demonstrated the moves for the first eight counts of the music. And the dancers did them, once or twice with the  choreographer leading, and once more with him/her watching.  If there was nothing the choreographer wanted to change, it was on to "Second eight." Then what had been covered was danced "from the top."  Rinse and repeat until all counts of the music were done. Then the music went on and we were expected to dance the piece through.

Learning to pick up choreography that way is a skill, akin to being able to play a song on the piano by ear, or to memorize several pages of dialogue on short notice. It takes a ton of work and concentration but when you learn to do it, it's great fun, and can make you feel awesomely competent at a difficult task. 

Whitney is no dancer. She never was. She probably never will be. She is so far from understanding what it actually takes, that she doesn't even get that when she sneers at Jiya because Jiya's students aren't asking questions, she is actually showing her own ignorance.

PREACH !!! Well said.

I'm not a dancer, but from what I see on other dance shows (esp. DCC) that is how dance choreo is taught and done. teach and learn a quick 8-count.

Just what did Whit supposedly learn in dance classes the all years from little girl to before she was diagnosed with PCOS? She can only blame so much on weight. Beginning ballet starts at what age 5/6 ?

Someone else who teaches low impact/Zumba/etc can chime in, but I think the same muscle memory and knowing basic move can apply as well. There is a right way and a wrong way to do something, and one needs to catch on relatively quick. I took step aerobics classes for years, and when the teacher demo'ed a move, she did expect the class to follow. Before long, there was a dance out of it - mainly to keep your heart rate up. If you were new, she placed your step along side of a helper - mainly just so you didn't accidently kick someone. So if Whit's premise to have a exercise class via dance movement, she isn't teaching that either.

Found written choreo notes on step aerobics: "Similar to dance aerobics, step aerobics routines are designed around 32-beat segments that are divided into four-, eight- or 16-count moves. For example, a 32-beat segment can include eight counts right basic, eight counts right V-steps, eight counts turn step and eight counts knee repeater. Many instructors construct routines with 32 counts on the right lead -- stepping with the right leg first -- and then repeat the same 32-count segment on the left lead."

Edited March 8, 2017 by sATL
added choreo notes for step areobics

[TurtlePower]

1 hour ago, Ketzel said:

Whitney's hypocrisy is glaring. She proudly touted the BGDC as a "safe space" for everyone, of every size, with no experience, or with negative experience of taking a movement class, to enjoy dancing in a non-judgmental atmosphere. Then she gets the show, and suddenly BGDC is her dance company, expected to learn choreography and to perform in public. Nothing about that is safe or easy for self-conscious people, and she doesn't make it better by not taking it seriously enough herself.

Learning choreography in a dance class is a good thing for beginners - it's an interesting and useful challenge. It wasn't the fault of the class that Whitney is not capable of creating suitable choreography, or of picking up choreography quickly herself, so they didn't learn much. Especially, they never learned how to pick up steps by watching someone else demonstrate them. Apparently they still, as rank beginners do, need slow repetitive breakdowns of each movement, followed by slow repetitive walk-throughs of each movement , followed by questions and confusion, followed by eventually catching on - or not.  They haven't learned how to process movement through their muscles, with no detour through the brain required.  That requires solid technique, which they don't have (because Whitney doesn't have it.)

I danced professionally for many years, in many settings, and I will tell you how trained dancers learn choreography.  The choreographer stood in front of the group and said, "First eight," and demonstrated the moves for the first eight counts of the music. And the dancers did them, once or twice with the  choreographer leading, and once more with him/her watching.  If there was nothing the choreographer wanted to change, it was on to "Second eight." Then what had been covered was danced "from the top."  Rinse and repeat until all counts of the music were done. Then the music went on and we were expected to dance the piece through.

Learning to pick up choreography that way is a skill, akin to being able to play a song on the piano by ear, or to memorize several pages of dialogue on short notice. It takes a ton of work and concentration but when you learn to do it, it's great fun, and can make you feel awesomely competent at a difficult task. 

Whitney is no dancer. She never was. She probably never will be. She is so far from understanding what it actually takes, that she doesn't even get that when she sneers at Jiya because Jiya's students aren't asking questions, she is actually showing her own ignorance.

This. All of this. It just outs Whit even more as a desperate poser. 

[Ketzel]

1 hour ago, ClareWalks said:

That is really cool. I am absolutely horrible at picking up choreography, and I've never had opportunity to practice it. But I know the "language" of exercise, so if a trainer demonstrated a series of exercises and I had to repeat them, I'd be able to do so easily. It becomes more and more obvious that Whitney doesn't know much about dance, since as you said she is utterly incapable of picking up choreo quickly. If she knew the language of dance, it'd be easy.

Absolutely, it makes it easier to pick up choreography if you are working with a universally known  vocabulary. Like ballet, where all the steps have a fixed French name. And often the beginning of working with a new choreographer is learning what he or she calls steps that you might have been taught to call something else. (One person's "High kick!" can be another person's "Six o'clock!" can be another person's "Leg UP!") But mostly you are looking at what the choreographer is doing, especially since most of them are not bothering to articulate in words, but resort to grunts, and made up noises. To this day, I can dance the "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa ugh dupita ugh dupita ugh pocketa-pocketa-pocketa ugh annnnd scrunch" opening a famous jazz choreographer taught my class when I was around eleven.

I don't know much about Zumba, but most of these types of aerobics classes do have some kind of set vocabulary for exactly that reason, that it makes it much easier to keep the classes consistent, which makes them easier for the students to follow. Whitney's problem is that she doesn't seem to know much of that vocabulary, or maybe it's that she herself can't do much of those steps, so she doesn't bother to teach them to her class. (See, e.g. her anger when Caitie taught the class to turn.)

Edited March 8, 2017 by Ketzel

[3girlsforus]

2 hours ago, Ketzel said:

Whitney's hypocrisy is glaring. She proudly touted the BGDC as a "safe space" for everyone, of every size, with no experience, or with negative experience of taking a movement class, to enjoy dancing in a non-judgmental atmosphere. Then she gets the show, and suddenly BGDC is her dance company, expected to learn choreography and to perform in public. Nothing about that is safe or easy for self-conscious people, and she doesn't make it better by not taking it seriously enough herself.

Learning choreography in a dance class is a good thing for beginners - it's an interesting and useful challenge. It wasn't the fault of the class that Whitney is not capable of creating suitable choreography, or of picking up choreography quickly herself, so they didn't learn much. Especially, they never learned how to pick up steps by watching someone else demonstrate them. Apparently they still, as rank beginners do, need slow repetitive breakdowns of each movement, followed by slow repetitive walk-throughs of each movement , followed by questions and confusion, followed by eventually catching on - or not.  They haven't learned how to process movement through their muscles, with no detour through the brain required.  That requires solid technique, which they don't have (because Whitney doesn't have it.)

I danced professionally for many years, in many settings, and I will tell you how trained dancers learn choreography.  The choreographer stood in front of the group and said, "First eight," and demonstrated the moves for the first eight counts of the music. And the dancers did them, once or twice with the  choreographer leading, and once more with him/her watching.  If there was nothing the choreographer wanted to change, it was on to "Second eight." Then what had been covered was danced "from the top."  Rinse and repeat until all counts of the music were done. Then the music went on and we were expected to dance the piece through.

Learning to pick up choreography that way is a skill, akin to being able to play a song on the piano by ear, or to memorize several pages of dialogue on short notice. It takes a ton of work and concentration but when you learn to do it, it's great fun, and can make you feel awesomely competent at a difficult task. 

Whitney is no dancer. She never was. She probably never will be. She is so far from understanding what it actually takes, that she doesn't even get that when she sneers at Jiya because Jiya's students aren't asking questions, she is actually showing her own ignorance.

Yep. This is how gymnasts learn floor routine choreography too. The more experienced the gymnast, the faster they learn the routine because they've developed that skill. 

[Maggienolia]

On 3/4/2017 at 11:53 AM, AZChristian said:

Can't you just see him walk into the room and ask, "What do you think has caused you to get to ____ pounds?"

Whit:  "I have PCOS."

Dr. Now:  "PCOS doesn't have any calories.  You don't put PCOS into your mouth.  What do you EAT?"

Whit:  "Almost nothing.  But I have PCOS."

Dr. Now:  "I can't help you.  I don't treat PCOS.  I treat people who eat too much.  See ya."

You left out the "Hey y'all doin'?" -that's my favourite! 

[Tosia]

Ok Ketzel, now I am going to say "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa ugh" all week.  

And probably invent my own dance steps. 

I just love saying it.   It's fun. 

[AZChristian]

8 hours ago, Tosia said:

Ok Ketzel, now I am going to say "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa ugh" all week.  

And probably invent my own dance steps. 

I just love saying it.   It's fun. 

Have you read the short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"? This word shows up a lot.

[Cherrio]

Whitney is going on another cruise in Dec. 2017.   From the pics I saw of the last one, most of the cast was there.

I would love to be a fly at the buffet.

[ClareWalks]

1 minute ago, Cherrio said:

Whitney is going on another cruise in Dec. 2017.   From the pics I saw of the last one, most of the cast was there.

I would love to be a fly at the buffet.

Whatever do you mean? Clearly Whitney only eats salad with vinegar, and the occasional grape! *snerk*

Seriously, though, this last episode when she said "I'm gonna taste these grits," then she took this HUGE forkload and popped it in her mouth so quickly and easily. I was like, "mmHMMM."