World Of Dance - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Move of the week by Super Cr3w:

[surreysmum]

There have been a bunch of skating shows with live singing accompaniment in the past few years where I have spent half my viewing time shouting "Just show the damn skaters!" at the screen.

If I stick with this show (not decided yet whether the irritants outweigh the dance quality), I predict I'm going to be yelling "Just show the damn dancers!" all the time.

Also, it would be nice to have some music that doesn't hurt my ears. But that's just old fuddy-duddy me.

[Canada]

I don't understand the hype over Les Twins.  Maybe it's because I'm not in the YouTube generation?  I think they're dull.  I also wasn't impressed by the husband and wife.

Loved the first group (B-Boys) who danced.  I thought they were amazing.

Disappointed at the lack of actual world dancing styles for a show entitled World of Dance.

Overall, found the show kind of.... blah.  I'll tune in if I'm bored, but I won't be disappointed if I miss anything.

Edited June 3, 2017 by Canada

[Wings]

Frantic pace!  Jesus.   It is like watching 100 people multi tasking on speed.  

I like the minimal  judge commentary as compared to DWTS but I could do with even less.  The more complex number score is very good. 

My favorite dance styles are hip hop and contemporary.  My least favorites are ballroom, ballet and dance troupes so this show may work for me with a lot of FFing.  

I like JLo and Derrick but don't know the other guy.  

The word "world" in the title is akin to the word "star" in DWTS.  It is to be ignored!  They can't show every style of dance in the entire world, for cryin' out loud.  

Edited June 4, 2017 by wings707

[crowceilidh]

It's very like the "world" in "world series" baseball.

[Badsamaritan]

This is my first time watching this show, and so far I'm enjoying it. Not a pro dancer, I just like what I like. I loved Les Twins and Kinjaz. Didn't really care for the bboy breakdancers - I feel like I've seen better. Also the young contemporary girl - I am so tired of the flailing and HMV and over emoting. Had to FF. If that's gonna be the typical contemporary dancing, I'll be fast forwarding it a lot.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

NBC has posted some clips of this week's performances on their youtube channel!

Fik-Shun:

The Lab:

Nick Daniels:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Derek Hough discusses the show on Build:

[njoh]

just got done watching the first episode on hulu

The kinjas, the married couple, and the les twins are the only ones that stood out for me.

The little girl that did the contemporary dance was good, but I have a feeling that she'll get repetitive real quick. She deserved to get through though. 

[njoh]

i wish we could see the judges' individual scores for each category. how will the acts know what they need to improve on to get higher scores? 

[crowceilidh]

Hated Fikshun's script and narrative.

[Pickles]

Jennifer Lopez has the most beautiful skin.

[Keekski]

1 hour ago, crowceilidh said:

Hated Fikshun's script and narrative.

Really? I loved him on SYTYCD and liked his performance. Way more so than the Maddy from Dance Moms wannabe who closed last week's show. Which has nothing to do with much but they're both soloists. 

Fik-Shun is pretty heavily promo'd, so I'm sure he makes it pretty far. 

[crowceilidh]

I also loved him on SYTYCD - but I'm sick of the sad narrative dance that's meant to twist my emotions.  I watch WAY too many dance shows to still be impressed by that manipulation.  Actually, I thought the music was a bad choice for reals.

[Duke Silver]

FFWD'ing through the kid acts.  Sorry, I know YMMV, but kids on tv, especially talent shows, just makes my skin crawl . I derive zero entertainment nor interest from their inclusion.

I'm figuring out quickly that what I really want to watch is a reprise of ABDC.  The hip-hop/urban dance groups are the only thing of interest for the most part.  Fik-Shun's performance...just didn't feel quite in his lane, though cool to see him try different things.

Edited June 7, 2017 by Duke Silver

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Actually I thought the Lab (okayeee) was pretty good and watchable for a giant group of tweens/preteens. They kept me interested, which is more that I can say for some of the later acts. Cough cough, random trio that did exactly zero things that impressed me. Why the heck did they clear the 80 mark with ease?

Fikshun was Fikshun. I thought he was very good on SYTYCD, although he was over pimped and therefore mostly got passes when he couldn't pick up the techniques in other styles. I still haven't decided whether I think the soloists are at an advantage or a disadvantage in this format.

I thought for sure the Cabaret tricksters were set up to be fodder. To me that was totally an act that would've wowed the judges on AGT and they could've advanced to the Top 40 or 48 or whatever they are doing this season.

Too many freaking people in the Salsa Miami group. They could've cut it half (or more). At a certain point on the curve the ability to wow with synchronicity is overridden by the fact that my eyes have no natural place to focus in on.

Skipped the final kid. Through two episodes the advance rate is like 75%. We've seen 12 acts (iirc) advance, and only 4 acts fail...

[GaT]

Only the 2nd week & I'm FFing through the sob stories & the judges. It also seems like it's mostly hip hop. They keep calling it different things, but they're just another version of hip hop.

WTF was that ad for The Mummy at the bottom of the screen during the show? What is this, YouTube?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

That's why I love youtube - I can watch the dances and skip the backstory. Thank goodness World of Dance is posting most of the dances online.

For what it's worth, I totally agree that Fik-Shun was lobbed major softballs when he was on SYTYCD but I also think that he's really great in his style. He has beautiful musicality and unlike some hip hop dancers who can only hit hard or be fluid, he can do both which I really like.

The big salsa group was just okay for me. They weren't bad or anything but I felt like parts of it were a bit too frantic. I also got the feeling that someone created this group to showcase one or two girls who got to do most of the flashy tricks.

You know how you guys were complaining about HMV being overused in routines? My reaction to this week's contemporary guy was okay, you have a flexible back. He seemed like a typical competition kid. He had lots of tricks but some of his technique was sloppy. His shoulders were really hunched when he did a pirouette and sometimes his feet were lazy (as in half assed pointed instead of fully pointed).

The Lab gets demerits for using that terrible P. Diddy song, but my biggest disappointment is that they are a hip hop dance group from West Covina but I didn't get to see Josh Chan dancing.

Luka and Jenalyn

5 hours ago, Duke Silver said:

I'm figuring out quickly that what I really want to watch is a reprise of ABDC.  The hip-hop/urban dance groups are the only thing of interest for the most part. 

If you haven't already, check out the original World of Dance Youtube channel (WoD originally started as a dance crew competition in southern California about ten years ago - many of the groups competing on the tv show have competed in the original WoD competitions). You can also find lots of routines from other dance crew competitions like Fusion, Vibe Body Rock. This is Kaba Modern before they were on ABDC:

Full routines from this week's episode:

Fik-Shun:

 

Miami All Stars:

 

Nick Daniels:

 

The Lab:

 

Quick Style:

 

Luka & Jenalyn:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

In the final round of "The Qualifiers," the world's elite dance acts from all ages and dance genres enter the "World Of Dance" arena to face off in the challenge of a lifetime. The acts have one chance to showcase their artistry, precision and athleticism in order to move forward in the competition and ultimately win a grand prize of $1 million dollars.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm a little confused. According to the press release, this is the full list of competitors. If episode three is the final round of qualifiers, there's no way that we will get to see everyone left on this list during the third episode (the crossed out names are the groups we already saw in the first two episodes)

Junior Division:
801 Squad, Ballroom/Jazz group from Oren, UT
Alaman, Tapper from Los Angeles, CA
Boys of Temecula, Jazz group from Temecula, CA
D’Angelo & Amanda, Ballroom dancers from Miami, FL
Diana Pombo, Contemporary dancer from Miami, FL
Eva Igo, Contemporary dancer from Inver Grove Heights, MN
ImmaBEAST, 12-member Hip Hop group from Los Angeles, CA
JJ & Joey, Hip Hop duo from Johnson, RI
Kaeli and Brandon, Ballet duo from Ashburn, VA
KynTay, Hip Hop duo from Memphis, TN
Mini Request, Hip Hop dance crew from New Zealand
The Lab, ten-member Hip Hop dance crew from Los Angeles, CA
The Maya Boys, Breakdance group from Phoenix, AZ
The Mihacevich Sisters, Contemporary dancers from Brunswick, OH
The Posse, Contemporary dancers from San Jose, CA

Upper Division:
Al Taw’am, Hip Hop dancer from Twin Cities, MN
DNA, Ballroom dancers from New York, NY
Femme Fatale, Popping dancers from Los Angeles, CA
Fik-shun, Hip Hop dancer from Las Vegas, NV
Keone & Mari, Urban Dance duo from San Diego, CA
Kings Unite, Hip Hop dancers from Los Angeles, CA
Kyle Van Newkirk, Tap dancer from Morrill, NE
Les Twins, twin Hip Hop duo from Paris, France
Luka and Jenalyn, Cabaret Ballroom dancers from Toronto, Canada
Nick Daniels, Contemporary dancer from Miami, FL
Pasión, Flamenco dancer from Santa Barbara, CA
Quick Style, Hip Hop group from Oslo, Noway
Slawek and Juliet, Ballet duo from Phoenix, AZ
The Nitty Grittyz, Tap group from Los Angeles, CA
Trent Jeray, Memphis Jookin dancer from Memphis, TN
Vibration, Belly dancer from Miami, FL

Team Division:
Chapkis Dance Family, Hip Hop group from Bay Area, CA
Fuze, Ballroom Fusion dancers from Los Angeles, CA
Ian Eastwood and The Young Lions, seven-member Jazz Funk group from Los Angeles, CA
JabbaWockeeZ, nine-member Hip Hop group from Sacramento, CA
Kinjaz, 13-member Urban Dance group from Los Angeles, CA
Miami All Stars, Ballroom dancers from Miami, FL
NXT LVL, Clogging dancers from Myrtle Beach, SC
P.L.A.Y., Contemporary dance group from New York, NY
Prodijig, Irish Step group from Cork, Ireland
Rhythmatic, Tap group from New York, NY
Rouge, Hip Hop/Jazz dancers from Los Angeles, CA
Royal Flux, Contemporary dancers from Los Angeles, CA
Stroll Groove, Stepping dancers from Los Angeles, CA
Super Cr3w, Break-dancers from Las Vegas, NV
Swing Latino, 16-member Salsa group from Cali, Colombia
The Kingdom, Dancehall/Hip Hop group from Los Angeles, CA

Edited June 11, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[NYCNJbear06]

2nd Episode and reconciled that I will be FF to only see the dancing.  

[crowceilidh]

I really liked the Norwegian quick style guys, but quite a bit of that fascination was due to the song they picked.  The two styles (the dance and the song) together said different things then they would apart and the dissonance didn't allow you to look away.  I am completely unsure that the same fascination would occur with music that was more expected for the style of the dance.

[marykat71702]

One of the guys in the Miami group reminded me of Ryan from High School Musical.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Just to set the stage (so to speak) after two weeks:

Success!

-Diana Pombo

-Nick Daniels

-Fikshun

-D'Angelo and Amanda

-Luka & Jenalyn

-Keone & Marie

-Les Twins

-Quickstyle

-The Lab

-Kinjaz

-Miami All Stars

-Super Cr3w

Failure!

-JJ & Joey

-Kaeli & Brandon

-NXT LVL

-Fuze

**31 acts yet to see....

[saber5055]

I was happy to see Fik-Shun, I liked him on SYTYCD. This routine wasn't his best IMO, but he's still excellent and what a great smile. I would have sent the Miami team home. Didn't like them at all. I did like the Norwegian trio though. Too funny, their comments about how small Norway is. No kidding! I hope they continue to do well. Meanwhile, I would have ended this show last night by giving Nick the million bucks. Okay guys, show's over!

[Lunula]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

but my biggest disappointment is that they are a hip hop dance group from West Covina but I didn't get to see Josh Chan dancing.

Bwahaha! I thought the same thing. :)

So, I didn't watch the first episode, but thought I'd give this one a try. I'm a long-time SYTYCD viewer (opted out last season because I had zero interest in watching children dance for an entire season). 

My initial impressions...it feels like the show is on crystal meth - SO flashy and in-your-face, just completely overdone and so much of it was completely unnecessary. It was like I wasn't sure what to look at, or listen to, or watch and I felt almost tired at the end. 

And why the hell do they keep flashing to the judges while people are dancing? I don't want to see them, I want to see the dancers...

Edited June 7, 2017 by Lunula
Grammar

[chabelisaywow]

Is this show filler for the summer?

Dance. Commercial. Dance. Commercial.

I thought it was a joke that Jabbawockeez are competing - they have a show on the Strip!

Really - is it a contest when they (Jabba) go up against the likes of Fikshun (another Really?) 

They cut the two little boys who looked like they were auditioning for the 3rd grade talent show - come on, why even show them?! 

This show is all over the place - the Miami group moves on, there whole combination was a lot of "shimmy-ing."

I find myself agreeing with more of Ne-Yo's critiques. 

[hnygrl]

Welp. There ya have it.

I'm going to have to quit this show. Two episodes in and I'm already over it.

Thank God for YouTube. I can watch the dancing without all the crap in between.

Seriously. This show needs to be 2 hours long and more than just one day a week.

One hour once a week, and 31 acts to go isn't doing it for me. 

I tried....

[Shades of Red]

I'll stick around for a little longer, but am very thankful for my PVR.    So much filler when they should be showing the dancers or could show more routines.  I don't need to be reminded endlessly on how the judging works, watch one of the judges say "time to lock in our scores", or watch the scores be shown individually along with several other annoying things that don't need to repeated and shown.  For a dance show, they really don't show much dancing.

[Whimsy]

I agree, tons of filler but I am happy to see talented dancers focusing on their own styles.

I love Fik Shun but thought it really humorous that they were trying to sell the narrative that there was a chance he wasn't going on. I think he and Jabawokeez are the most commercially well known acts on this show.

i surprisingly really liked The Lab. Kinda hated the Miami group, didn't really understand the Norwegian group (guess that's not my style) and am over contemporary. 

[srpturtle80]

I thought the Norwegian guys were fantastic. Their synchronicity was absolutely incredible. Wow.

With the exception of the "junior" season, I have faithfully watched every season of SYTYCD since season 4, and Fik-Shun is my favorite winner by far. He is always so joyful, it was different to watch him do such an emotional piece. I still enjoyed it though as he can do no wrong in my book!

[Court]

I still adore Fik-Shun.

For the love, quit panning to the judges during the performances. I want to see the dancing not their faces.

I was surprised the Miami group got through. I would have sent them home.

If I have to see the judges scoring,  could I please see the specifics? That would be interesting. 

[lavenderblue]

They really ought to provide the judges' scores online, as an extra. Saves some wasted time on the show itself while shedding more light on how each has evaluated the dancers.

I rolled my eyes hard at the drama over the sheer possibility Fik-Shun wasn't sailing right through. And agree that sending the Miami troupe through was a surprise -- when J.Lo asked if they danced full-time, I momentarily wondered if that wasn't a kind way of indicating that their sloppiness was apparent. A little surprised not only that Fuze didn't make it through, but that they weren't even shown in full, because I feel like I saw quite a bit of them in pre-show press...but Alan Salazar is becoming a commercial name (does a lot of work ghost choreographing on DWTS -- this was revealed in a big way when he claimed co-credit for some Emmy-nominated dances for which only the pro was nominated) and the group included some SYTYCD alumni as well as two sisters-of Lindsay Arnold of SYTYCD/DWTS. Basically given commercial dance politics as they otherwise seem to work, I can only figure the Fuze folks dropped people on their heads to have been significantly worse than the Miami group, or the Miami group got through as a token "feel-good amateurs!" story and also for dancing to J.Lo.

[realdancemom]

We also saw Fuze and JJ & Joey.  They didn't make it.  There are still a lot of contestants left.

[saber5055]

For some reason, dancing/singing groups now require flashing strobe lights, fire shooting in the background, neon lights going off and on, changing graphics displayed on the wall behind, hordes of dancers distracting viewers from the main act, ADHD camera work that switches from close ups to aerial views to judge/audience faces -- and on and on. On PBS I watched Simon and Garfunkel's Concert in the Park, and was struck by how the cameras focused on two guys standing and signing, no theatrics, no flashing anything, just two talented men. It was SO enjoyable. Recently I watched PBS's JKF Inaugural Gala and it was the same: one camera stayed on the dancer for his entire routine. What happened that now TPTB for EVERY show wants to give viewers epileptic seizures?

[Mason]

DNA is Denys Drozdyuk and Antonina Skobina!!!!!! I'm so excited (and, I admit, couldn't believe they would let this opportunity go by.)

[SnarkyTart]

8 hours ago, saber5055 said:

What happened that now TPTB for EVERY show wants to give viewers epileptic seizures?

'Tis a question for the ages.  Plus it makes it so much harder to appreciate the actual artists doing the performance.  We don't get to see a large portion of what they're doing on the stage because we spend so much time looking at the judges' faces.  It's the same thing on The Voice, America's Got Talent, and as it was on the old American Idol.  It's one of the things I most like about Dancing With the Stars...they never show judges' or audience's faces while the performers are dancing.  I'm holding out a slim sliver of hope that the producers won't start doing more of that on the new season of SYTYCD.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Move of the week with Fik-Shun:

[Allison1]

This show seems so frantic!  The dancing almost seems to get lost.

Did they ever explain how they chose who would participate?  

[atlantaloves]

Well, I love this show...and those three guys from Norway KILLED IT....must have watched it four times. I don't understand hip hop dancing, it seems like it is more movement than dancing, but man, those guys were fabulous. And, doing it to an old Dolly song, perfect interpretation.  They stood out to me. 

[Quickbeam]

I get show fatigue when I see the same acts over and over again on different shows. What that tells me is that the prior exposure wasn't enough to get them work. Which is too bad but enough already. 

I liked the Norwegian guys and the contemporary dancer with the button down shirt. I kept wondering why he didn't go into ballet. 

I like Hough, I can't help myself. I appreciate when he demonstrates stuff like the dramatic hand/ head gesture he wanted the huge football guy to improve on. Although they must have shown that 10 times during the episode. 

[realdancemom]

On 6/8/2017 at 1:23 AM, lavenderblue said:

They really ought to provide the judges' scores online, as an extra. Saves some wasted time on the show itself while shedding more light on how each has evaluated the dancers.

I rolled my eyes hard at the drama over the sheer possibility Fik-Shun wasn't sailing right through. And agree that sending the Miami troupe through was a surprise -- when J.Lo asked if they danced full-time, I momentarily wondered if that wasn't a kind way of indicating that their sloppiness was apparent. A little surprised not only that Fuze didn't make it through, but that they weren't even shown in full, because I feel like I saw quite a bit of them in pre-show press...but Alan Salazar is becoming a commercial name (does a lot of work ghost choreographing on DWTS -- this was revealed in a big way when he claimed co-credit for some Emmy-nominated dances for which only the pro was nominated) and the group included some SYTYCD alumni as well as two sisters-of Lindsay Arnold of SYTYCD/DWTS. Basically given commercial dance politics as they otherwise seem to work, I can only figure the Fuze folks dropped people on their heads to have been significantly worse than the Miami group, or the Miami group got through as a token "feel-good amateurs!" story and also for dancing to J.Lo.

I agree with what you wrote.   I wished that they show more breakdown of the scores on-line for each group.  They can specify not only what they scored for each category but each bullet-proof of each category.  Then they can also put some feedback on there.  I liked that the judges gave more useful feedback this time.  Last week, I only remember Derek saying something to Amanda about her hip movement.  

Can't wait for DNA next week because so far, I haven't been impressed with the ballroom dancing.  The Miami group was a mess.  When JLo asked if they were a full-time group, I thought she was going to say that they needed more work together.  I'm guessing that Fuze did not make it because they had synchronization problems which Derek mentioned.  Alan just got a bunch of his former students from the Vibe and other people he knew but they don't always dance together.  It also seems that Ne-Yo didn't like that they did a fusion of jazz, Latin ballroom, and probably hip-hop.  But that's what type of dances the Vibe did.

At first, I thought the cabaret couple looked like a high school dance pair but then they started doing really difficult lifts with smooth transitions.  Also, since they are adults, they showed more emotion than couples that are younger.  So I did like them for ballroom but still can't wait for DNA. 

I enjoyed Fik-Shun's solos on SYTYCD.  He has great musicality and they were humorous.  I wasn't rooting for him to win that season since I didn't think he was versatile in other styles.  I'm not used to him doing an emotional hip-hop dance for his solo.  I liked it but I prefer his other ones more.  I also enjoyed The Lab as a children's group and the Norwegian guys.

Nick dances similar to Ricky and Derek from SYTYCD.  So I had to check if he was trained by the same teachers since they said he was from Miami.  He was.

[realdancemom]

3 hours ago, Allison1 said:

This show seems so frantic!  The dancing almost seems to get lost.

Did they ever explain how they chose who would participate?  

They didn't but they had auditions.  You audition in front of producers and other judges like NappyTabs.  If they knew you, you could skip some of the auditions.

[Mamabug]

Regarding the 'world' in WOD - the original competition really is 'World of Dance' in that they hold competitions across the globe then bring all the acts to LA for a final showdown.  From what I can see, a great deal of the time America doesn't even make the cut in the top three.  Last year the top three upper division (adult) acts were two from Russia (2nd and 3rd) and Japan.  It is mostly HH and some contemporary - basically more urban/commercial/pop styles.

[Mamabug]

1 hour ago, Quickbeam said:

What that tells me is that the prior exposure wasn't enough to get them work.

Or could just be indicative of the fact that even successful dancers don't make a ton of money and have to constantly battle to get exposure and work. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, Mamabug said:

Or could just be indicative of the fact that even successful dancers don't make a ton of money and have to constantly battle to get exposure and work. 

I agree. If anyone at their ordinary non-dance job was offered the chance to do it on tv for the chance to win $1 million, I think a lot of people would be interested in the opportunity too. Some people assume that if you're on tv or you're technically considered a professional dancer because you got paid for a job, suddenly you're rolling in cash. Dance is not a lucrative field, even for most full time dancers who have year long contracts with dance companies. Many of the dancers you see on these shows spend their time taking dance classes and auditioning for commercials and music videos in between working jobs to pay their rent. Even if you get cast in a music video or go on tour with someone like J Lo, the pay isn't great. Hell, if someone offered me a chance to win $1 million, I'd consider it because who couldn't use that kind of money? Plus for performers, exposure on tv is always a good thing. It can increase the number of their followers or result in being hired for more high profile jobs and then hopefully the dancers can charge more (you'd be surprised at how little some of these dancers charge to perform at events - sometimes it doesn't even cover the cost of their costumes).

[Guest]

On 6/7/2017 at 11:59 AM, Lunula said:

Bwahaha! I thought the same thing. :)

So, I didn't watch the first episode, but thought I'd give this one a try. I'm a long-time SYTYCD viewer (opted out last season because I had zero interest in watching children dance for an entire season). 

My initial impressions...it feels like the show is on crystal meth - SO flashy and in-your-face, just completely overdone and so much of it was completely unnecessary. It was like I wasn't sure what to look at, or listen to, or watch and I felt almost tired at the end. 

And why the hell do they keep flashing to the judges while people are dancing? I don't want to see them, I want to see the dancers...

I would bet that it's literally in JLo's contract, that they have to show her watching often.  

I also suspect she makes the two other judges hold her hand while she steps up to the judge's table, as if she's royalty.  She's supposed to be a dancer, I'm pretty sure she doesn't need a hand to go up one step at a walk, on a pre-taped show.  

On 6/7/2017 at 9:17 PM, Court said:

I still adore Fik-Shun.

For the love, quit panning to the judges during the performances. I want to see the dancing not their faces.

I was surprised the Miami group got through. I would have sent them home.

If I have to see the judges scoring,  could I please see the specifics? That would be interesting. 

I thought Fik Shun was disappointing (given that I love him) and the pimping of family 'tragedies' is so annoying.  As if he needed a sob story.  And the majority of people grow up with divorced parents these days.  Was that his?  I FFed a lot of it.

Regarding the scoring specifics, I kind of figure they really don't actually score them on multiple scales, that's just an act to make it seem more credible.  I suspect the 'judges' don't even pick the scores but some producers do.

On 6/8/2017 at 10:17 AM, saber5055 said:

For some reason, dancing/singing groups now require flashing strobe lights, fire shooting in the background, neon lights going off and on, changing graphics displayed on the wall behind, hordes of dancers distracting viewers from the main act, ADHD camera work that switches from close ups to aerial views to judge/audience faces -- and on and on. On PBS I watched Simon and Garfunkel's Concert in the Park, and was struck by how the cameras focused on two guys standing and signing, no theatrics, no flashing anything, just two talented men. It was SO enjoyable. Recently I watched PBS's JKF Inaugural Gala and it was the same: one camera stayed on the dancer for his entire routine. What happened that now TPTB for EVERY show wants to give viewers epileptic seizures?

This is my gripe with the show.  It's waaayyy too much.  SYTYCD and DWTS have lights and videos backgrounds and props and lasers, but not all turned on at once in every dance.  And the camera work is terrible.  Just hold a shot for more than two seconds.  It's not a music video.  

19 hours ago, realdancemom said:

Can't wait for DNA next week 

I'm sure it's some dance show I don't have the channel for but what is DNA?

Edited June 10, 2017 by Guest

[lavenderblue]

DNA are ballroom dancers Denys Drozdyuk and Antonina Skobina.* In commercial dance, he's also a winner of SYTYCD Canada, and both tried out for the US show a couple of years ago (he was invited to the top 20 but declined, attributing it to the show's choice to essentially drop ballroom). They're legit champs in Latin dance and fantastic to watch, so they're pretty much what's keeping me viewing at this point.

*Their bio page includes a minor World of Dance spoiler that's I guess not much of a spoiler based on what we've seen the first two weeks, but fair notice.

Edited June 10, 2017 by lavenderblue

[anniebird]

I'm so over the contemporary dancers - some are obviously more talented than others but honestly, their routines all look the same. Look at me! I'm angsty and flexible!

[Canada]

Okay, I'm really bored of the hip hop.  You can give it as many different names as you want to, it's still all pretty much identical.  The hip hop kid group was great.  Otherwise, yawn.  The Norway group irritated me by doing what a lot of these dancers do... They could be dancing to any song.  Their choreography has nothing to do with the song at all, it's just a bunch of random movements.  I don't need some long emo story to go with the choreography, but I would like there to be a little connection between the music and the dance moves.  The Norway group just did a bunch of random moves.  Boring.

Flaily, arm-reaching choreography = yawn.  I laughed at the dead-dad guy because he was just such a caricature.