S12.E05: Vegas Callbacks #1

[Canada]

I don't understand how you can compare dancer vs. dancer (i.e. Stage vs. Street) when they're not dancing the same routines.  I think this whole season is going to drive me crazy.

[pamplemousse]

I hope that Standin' O won't be kept out of the top 20 solely for concerns about whether or not she could partner successfully. I think smart choreographers could work around that without too much problem, they don't have to put in above the shoulder lifts. I think the taller, stronger guys like B1, Asaf, etc. could partner her fine. If it would make the choreographers get a bit more creative, I think it's all for the better. I'm tired of seeing Sonya's ugly contorted lifts and other contemp choreographers' lift-happy, angsty running across the stage and throwing yourself into your male partner's arms routines. They're so trite and partnering is about much more than that. I'd like to see more side-by-side unison work, for a start.

 

And I know this isn't the point of the show, but I'd rather have Standin' O in the top 20 and basically standing around during contemp routines if it meant I could see her dance more hip hop. I really like how she picks routines up and makes them her own, like they were created solely for and on her. Yes, Yorelis is good, but she's still kind of cookie-cutter sexy fly girl or music video girl, Standin' O and JaJa have their own unique flavor and style -- they're sexy but in an unexpected way. They remind me of the hip hop females I've liked the most on the show such as Donyelle and Comfort.

Edited July 2, 2015 by pamplemousse

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I think knowing that this season they will have group dances (as opposed to strictly partner dances) will help increase the chances of Standing O making the top 20. I understand that having partner dancers is partly because they used to do ballroom dances regularly in the earlier seasons and because it makes the weekly episodes shorter since they don't want to do 20 solos every week (or pay to have 20 dances choreographed every week). But there are a lot of things I dislike about the partner format, including all the lifts. You can be a great dancer without doing lifts. You can also be a great partner without doing lifts.

 

Side note: I started dancing when I was very young but it wasn't until I took a swing class in college that I realized what it meant to have good partnering skills. We had to switch partners constantly so I danced with everyone in my class. We had a massively unbalanced M/F ratio which meant all of the girls had to take turns dancing as the guy so we all learned how to be partners in both roles. I had some great partners and some terrible partners, and I could tell almost immediately even though we didn't do ANY lifts.

 

The other thing is that we tend to see the same lifts on this show. If they're so insistent on having lifts, they could at least mix it up a little. In high school, I was in show choir and we had people who were all shapes and sizes, but we still managed to do lifts that didn't require being lifted over someone's head or launching ourselves blindly into someone's arms.

 

But I agree that it would be great to see female dancers like Standing O and Jaja who are not the typical hair flipping type of dancers. They are still sexy but in their own way without being overtly sexual.

[SilvaVocat]

My favorite moment here was watching Marissa squirm and pout all over the stage in a truly superb show of hairography -- and then they cut to the judges, and Paula's face was just STONE. In the most awesome way. And then when the judges conferred, you could hear Nigel perving it up with something like, "She's beautiful!" and Paula responding, "But she didn't dance!"

 

That solo was the worst. Before the dance she said her dances are normally "strong" but this time she was going to be "sexy" and then she proceeds to roll around on the floor and make "O" faces at the panel. I'm sure Nigel loved it, but Paula was exactly right, she didn't dance. 

 

I'm pretty sure she's one of the producers favorites, so we're going to be subjected to her for a while. LoFro did that gawdawful "Hee, look at me, I'm sexy" nonsense during auditions, but she backed it up with real dancing. 

[Rahul]

But I agree that it would be great to see female dancers like Standing O and Jaja who are not the typical hair flipping type of dancers. They are still sexy but in their own way without being overtly sexual.

What about the way Standing O gyrates and thrusts her ample bosom, blows kisses, winks and licks her finger before touching it to her ass isn't overtly sexual? I'm sorry but I don't get all the hype around this woman, aside from a couple of moves she does well.

If she actually makes it to the to 10 I'd love to see her paired with Moises, who would be required her to hoist her above his shoulders for a routine. I might has well get a laugh from this show since it seems to have devolved into a hot mess.

[Thog]

 

But I agree that it would be great to see female dancers like Standing O and Jaja who are not the typical hair flipping type of dancers. They are still sexy but in their own way without being overtly sexual.

They should make the women audition with their hair in a bun. If they can dance sexy without flipping their hair, I might take them seriously.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, I would love if everyone had to have their hair pulled back!

 

As for Standing O, I would rather see 5 seconds of overt sexuality (which I'm fine with) than an entire solo of sexy walking, sexy rolling around on the floor, sexy facial expressions, etc. For the record, I find Standing O and Jaja to be sexy even when they aren't being overtly sexual. I find that more appealing than the hair flinging and the come hither looks and the "ooh I'm so sexy!" stuff we usually get from the female dancers who play up the Sexy Dancer aspect.

[rollerblade]

I'm so confused with this format. The Street team only had to learn hip-hop choreo? Stage had to learn contemporary, jazz and broadway? At least contemp and jazz are kinda same-ish, on this show at least.

 

For live rounds, will the dancers have to do all kinds of dance styles or what?

[Pallida]

I will also take Standing O's flirtatious dance over the underwear that so many female contemporary dancers wear. If there is a function to wearing so little, I would like to be informed. I get distracted by the prominent ribcages and wondering if they're going to have a wardrobe malfunction.

[feverfew]

I will also take Standing O's flirtatious dance over the underwear that so many female contemporary dancers wear. If there is a function to wearing so little, I would like to be informed. I get distracted by the prominent ribcages and wondering if they're going to have a wardrobe malfunction.

Ideally it's to show a dancer's lines or muscles, but for some it seems a baffling fashion statement. I don't know; for the girls relying on hairography and the come hither looks, it makes sort of a frustrating sense to wear as little as possible, but mainly it seems to be about what's in right now, fashionwise. It's a bit of the same with male dancers dancing with their shirt off: It makes sense for routines like Jiri Kylian's Petit Mort, but most of the time just seems like showing off.

 

I'm not fond of overt flirting from either contemp girls or hip hop, but at least Standing O seems to have fun with it.

[Pallida]

I appreciate the response.  I had a hunch it would be that, but to my untrained eye, it seems to detract from lines and especially showcase what looks like a lack of muscle on a lot of the dancers.  

[pamplemousse]

I have to say that Alyssa Guerreri (sp?) is a very good and incredibly technically proficient dancer, but what I notice most when she appears is how she's always wearing a bra top that looks like the bathing suit two piece top for a baby or toddler, it is literally that miniscule. She is not large-chested by any stretch of the imagination, but the bra tops she wears are excessively and distractingly tiny, and not in a good way, it looks very inappropriate and ill-fitting imo. Both in her audition and when she was shown in a group performance of the broadway choreo, her top was so small I was cringing and expecting a nip slip. She is a very good dancer, but her choice of attire does her no favors imo.

[emmapants]

They should make the women audition with their hair in a bun. If they can dance sexy without flipping their hair, I might take them seriously.

On the one hand, yes definitely. On the other though, some girls have such bananas long hair that they're dancing around with. I'm always pretty impressed cause I constantly get my hair caught in my purse strap and such, and it's maybe half as long as theirs.

[castillar]

I totally agree with what others have been saying about the choreography: even when everyone's doing the same routine, it's tough to tell who's doing it right and who's screwing up, which leads to surprises when people get cut who looked great to me but were apparently doing it wrong. I would love it if they'd put a snap in the corner of the choreographer or a little 3d figure doing the choreo right, so we could actually compare it visually. Failing that, if they could just go to a wide angle on all the group rounds it would be nice: I don't want extreme closeups of this or that Chosen One, nor am I really after extended closeups of Nigel smiling pervily--I just want to see the whole group dance!

[Rahul]

Oops. Wrong thread

Edited July 22, 2015 by Rahul