S12.E03: Auditions #3: Los Angeles

[kechara]

I could look this up, but I'm lazy. Did anyone think, when seeing ballet Jim, about Cole Horibe?  I'm pretty sure he had something a bit similar in his audiditon with a martial arts flair...or did I just imagine that?

[WhineandCheez]

Asaf Goren is a model, with Wilhelmina:

http://wagnerla.tumb...odel-asaf-goren

 

WARNING--link is NSFW (not safe for work).  Not because of nudity but because it's not best to have an orgasm at your desk in an office environment. For some reason, looking at his photos made me remember that I have to get my lawnmower blades sharpened.

 

Waacker was meh, but I liked her fashion sense.  I thought someone who partnered with Comfort would be outstanding but she 

underwhelmed.

 

I STILL don't understand that once they have the Top 20, are they going to make everyone do every style? Nigel keeps teasing and I  think is being purposely obtuse.  He keeps saying that in LA they only have to do their own style, but (AM I WRONG?) no one has yet mentioned what happens after LA.

[needschocolate]

I watch the dancers and usually fast forward through the judges comments, so maybe I had the misfortune of not fast-forwarding at the wrong times, but, based on what I saw, Paula needs to stop trying to be sarcastically clever "You were horrible, showed no emotion, and you really need to work on your kicks - no! you were amazing and I couldn't take my eyes off of you."  She did this almost every time I forgot to fast-forward.  

 

 

Lord, save me from female contemporary dancers with red lipstick, and bra tops who brazenly look right at you in a seductive fashion. Blerg.

 

Sometimes it seems more like an audition for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.  There have been a few times where I thought they should add a pole and become a new category.

 

I didn't see any dancing with the girl who brought her dad.  Just a few flips and some posing.  I stopped watching her because I was bored.  She wasn't exactly riveting.  

 

I got the feeling that the judges weren't planning on sending her to Vegas, but they spent so much time with her dad that they were kind of forced to give her a ticket.  After letting her judge (and her comments were funny) and joking with her father (he was pretty funny too), what were they going to say "Well, you dance better than your dad, but your aren't good enough for Vegas" or "Your dad was bad, but you weren't much better."

[damnman]

I thought the girl with the dad had amazing hairography...

[crowceilidh]

 

Avo had great ballon in his leaps and jumps. I just wasn't too impressed by what he did when he wasn't en l'air. His transitions, what few there were, were clunky and his whole piece seemed disjointed.

 

Yes, possibly true -- thanks for reminding me of the technical term ballon, it's not part of my lexicon.  I think when I see beautiful ballon, my brain freezes with joy (particularly those meringue landings) and I don't see the rest of what is in front of me.  I also really love dancers who can give the impression of hang time (like Danny could).  

[realdancemom]

With the new format, I'm afraid that both ballet guys won't make it.  I can understand if they can't do other genres.  However, if they can but they don't want two ballet guys, then that would be a shame.  When Danny was on, wasn't it Shane that thought he was arrogant?  It might be somebody else, possibly Mia, but I specifically remember Shane saying something after Danny was announced in the Top 20.  Since Danny didn't have an over the top reaction (which isn't his style), Shane said that Danny thinks he's too good for the competition.  During the season, Nigel said that he didn't think Danny was arrogant.  He said that he could see Blake from Season 1 as possibly being arrogant but not Danny.  I thought Danny was a beautiful dancer and just seemed shy.  He used to teach the ballet portion of the NYCDA intensives and my DDs adored him.  They said he was quiet and an amazing ballet dancer.  One of my favorite Mary moments was when she stuck up for Brandon.  Mia was saying cruel things like she didn't see what was the big deal about him.  And Mary said she was sick of his treatment and that he was amazing/brilliant (don't remember her exact words).

 

 

Was Brandon the same kid who performed with Brittany on DWTS when they were 13. I know Brittany got cast in sytycd and was paired with Bluprint. Anyway I agree that he was sloppy, actually I think he did better when he was on DWTS and when he partnered Lindsay.

 

Yes, Brandon and Brittany were the DWTS kid champs a long time ago.  He's rusty from not dancing for two years.

 

 

Brandon did seem a little unpolished in his audition, but I thought he was amazing for having taken two years off of dancing. I'm sure he trained intensely for Vegas, and I won't be surprised if he gets his polish back and makes it through. I really want to know the backstory behind the Mormon dominance of contemporary US Dancesport, too..

 

I live in Utah and I'm Mormon.  There isn't really a backstory.  Most of the Vibe directors/teachers used to work at CenterStage.  The Houghs, Chelsie Hightower, Jenna, Ashley Degrosso, etc. went there.  So did the Vibe dancers before the split.  Both studios teach other genres besides ballroom.  That's why the students are heavily cross-trained.  The Vibe studio likes to do big productions that combine jazz, hip-hop, and ballroom.  That's what you saw in Paula's Live To Dance.  It has nothing to do with being Mormom.  I suspect the Florida studio where Rudy and Nick went is the same.  Didn't Janette go to the same studio?  I will say that there are a lot of dance studios in Utah.

Edited June 17, 2015 by realdancemom

[Kat From Jersey]

Yes, there have been so many of these dancers, your description is so on point, and I've seen their boring samey-samey routines so many times, that I can visualize it with crystal clarity. They're all studio kids from places like Abby Lee Miller's and the other ones shown in Dance Moms and the routines they use seem to be the same rote by numbers 'sexy jazz' routines with little content (mostly just posturing, strutting 'sexily', and doing some superfluous acro) that they've trotted out a million times at competitions like Showstopper, MOVE, Jump, etc. They're all a bunch of Maddie Ziegler clones only less famous...

 

IMO, Jessica from last season was exactly this.  I was amazed she made it into the top 20, and went as far as she did after that.  In our house, we call them hair-flipper-stripper-dancers.

[realdancemom]

IMO, Jessica from last season was exactly this.  I was amazed she made it into the top 20, and went as far as she did after that.  In our house, we call them hair-flipper-stripper-dancers.

 

Jessica can at least turn.  The girl with the non-dance dad did a single.  She didn't do any other turns and I really didn't see any other technique.  Maybe, they're all trying to be Lauren F. but Lauren can do other genres really well.  I remember Jessica was terrible in the Vegas hip-hop round.  I think NappyTabs specifically choreographed a house number for her since she couldn't hit hard.  She lacked the bounce for house too. I don't remember if she did ballroom well either.  Benji gave Nick and her a swing number but it was too lifty and difficult for them. 

Edited June 17, 2015 by realdancemom

[Lemons]

Jessica can at least turn.  The girl with the non-dance dad did a single.  She didn't do any other turns and I really didn't see any other technique.  Maybe, they're all trying to be Lauren F. but Lauren can do other genres really well.  I remember Jessica was terrible in the Vegas hip-hop round.  I think NappyTabs specifically choreographed a house number for her since she couldn't hit hard.  She lacked the bounce for house too. I don't remember if she did ballroom well either.  Benji gave Nick and her a swing number but it was too lifty and difficult for them. 

I don't remember Jessica or most of the contemporary dancers, they all blend together.  I do think that a lot of them use turns way too much.  Sooo boring to see endless fouettes.  They are outdated (except ballet) and you won't see them anywhere outside of ballet and dance competitions.

[realdancemom]

I don't remember Jessica or most of the contemporary dancers, they all blend together.  I do think that a lot of them use turns way too much.  Sooo boring to see endless fouettes.  They are outdated (except ballet) and you won't see them anywhere outside of ballet and dance competitions.

 

Jessica was third last season.  She had blonde hair and tried to do sexy jazz.  She did seem like a competition dancer and did do too many turns in her solos.  Nigel called her on it.  When I mentioned that she could at least turn, I want to clarify that I wasn't a fan.  That's why I mentioned that I don't think she was great at hip-hop and ballroom so she's not versatile.  But I still think she was better than the non-dancing dad girl. 

[Lemons]

I can't remember Jessica's face but I think there were a couple of them who did "sexy jazz" dances and got pretty far somehow even though they weren't versatile.  I think the competition dancers get away with bad hip hop because they are good at picking up the choreography, even though they look so bad doing it.   Nigel has a thing for blonde teens.  Kind of gross.

[sara416]

Jim...OMG Jim. That was amazing. Not only was he amazing, but Jason DeRulo used an actual dance term when critiquing him, which gives me a little bit of hope for him as a judge this season. 

[crowceilidh]

 

However, I can't remember a time when Nigel ever stopped "screwing around with the narrative".

 

What I mean is that they were considerably more amateurish with the narratives -- they hadn't honed them to the incredibly dull, consistent force that they are now.  I believe that they settled into extreme dullness when they got rid of Mia for taking them too far (a signal to other judges about what you're allowed to say in the segments that are more difficult to edit), but the editors have got the stories defined and on file now.  Oh look at this guy - let's do story #31 with a soupcon of 17...

[pamplemousse]

LOL yes, the set narratives that the show has honed to an exact science. Brothers and only one of them can make Top 20! Arrogant technical dancer's icy reserve finally melts after connecting with audience in a piece about cancer/war/daddy(mommy) issues! Street dancer with heart of gold and pointed feet! Sexy red-lipped hair flipping jazz dancer reveals sensitive artistic nude-lipstick side in contemporary dance about natural disasters/cancer/the Holocaust! Plucky contemporary dancer beat coma/cancer/car accident to flail and roll on the floor in triumph!

 

I'm sure there's quite a few I'm missing, those are just the ones off the top of my head.

[WelcomeStranger]

Car crash girl was better than Mary Kate so Nigel wanting to pass on her came across as clearly superficial. I did keep wondering if she had a leg length discrepancy while I watched her, though.

 

 

"Car crash girl." Hahahaha...

[Pestilentia]

 

That first ballet dancer tonight was breathtaking in the way he took the air and spectacular in his imperceptible landings.  I haven't seen the second yet, but it was beautiful watching the Armenian.

 

I loved Avo.

His air was breath taking and he just kept on and kept on and kept on going. That was amazing.

 

Second Asian guy was OK to me but I was terribly distracted by his disproportionately skinny thighs- he just looked hungry to me.

Eat something, hon.

[gik910]

I have been so bored with the auditions so far this season that I just caught up. LA really did improve the auditions.  

 

So beyond happy that Jaja is back.  Also loved that we saw a bit more variety.  I'm still ok with Paula.

 

The other thing I would say (about this episode in particular and from the shallow end of the pool) many of the guys actually look like men, not boys.  Most of my favorite male dancers have been the older contestants that had some mileage on them- I appreciate that for so many reasons.  Most of them superficial, but I'm easy and so okay with it.  

 

I was pleasantly surprised with how they handled Cody- who actually was not bad (and certainly better than some of the ridiculous auditions we have seen before...do we remember the debacle "Sex" that they foisted upon us for several seasons!?) Jason has not quite clicked for me yet- but his treatment of Cody is defiantly in his favor.

Edited June 26, 2015 by gik910

[Kromm]

Not that I'd personally know TIght-Eyez from a hole in the wall, but shouldn't a man judging and producing on a show that's had Krump dancers on it for like 7 or 8 years know the moniker of the founders of the style by now?  I mean it's not like Krump is one of the million offshoots.  As far as Street goes, it's one of the big 2 or 3, right?

[ToxicUnicorn]

I enjoyed many of these auditions a lot and am not complaining about the number of gorgeous men.

 

Jaja improved tremendously.  I didn't see what the fuss was all about the last time she interviewed, but I get it now.  I like many of the female "street" dancers thiis season.