Bollywood on SYTYCD!!!!
OH. MY. GAAARRRSH!!!! I NEVER thought I'd see the day. SYTYCD and Bollywood!!!! Dude, they did Bollywood on So You Think You Can Dance. I'm seriously running around my living room and screaming. I LOVED it. LOOOOOVED it. As soon as I can get a Youtube link, it is SOOOO going on this page.
Okay, but funny thing? Bollywood has been doing "music videos" via films for, like, EVER, right? And in, oh...I think the eighties, maybe earlier (clearly, I am not up on my Bollywoodology) the choreographers over the pond started adding moves straight out of American movies and music videos. Moves my Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and who's that other guy? Justin Timberlake! But I think he has the same choreographer as Janet... Anyway, my point is that tons of "western" moves got totally "borrowed" by Bollywood choreographers and have become completely mainstream in Bollywood dance numbers nowadays. Check out many of the most recent Bollywood films and you'll see dance moves straight out of Hip-Hop videos.
I just thought it was the funniest thing (hmm, irony anyone?) to see this, um...(ethnic? International?) -- as the judges referred to it, "world" -- dance style brought onto this very American, very mainstream stage. The choreographer, Nakul Dev Mahajan, did a decent job of putting together many of the moves found in most recently released Bollywood numbers; a sort of fusion of, as Mia Michaels said (and I'm paraphrasing) a mix of African, Hip-Hop, and world styles. I think Nigel threw in "Russian" as well.
It was so, totally exhilarating to watch that dance on prime time television, danced by one of my favorite couples on the show. And knowing that the piece was beaming all across North America -- this little, hidden, guilty pleasure I've treasured all these years (Bollywood, that is). ROCK FARGIN' ON, man!!!!
Edited to add -- Wait, I found it on Youtube! (Wow, they work really fast). Here it is:
Okay, but funny thing? Bollywood has been doing "music videos" via films for, like, EVER, right? And in, oh...I think the eighties, maybe earlier (clearly, I am not up on my Bollywoodology) the choreographers over the pond started adding moves straight out of American movies and music videos. Moves my Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and who's that other guy? Justin Timberlake! But I think he has the same choreographer as Janet... Anyway, my point is that tons of "western" moves got totally "borrowed" by Bollywood choreographers and have become completely mainstream in Bollywood dance numbers nowadays. Check out many of the most recent Bollywood films and you'll see dance moves straight out of Hip-Hop videos.
I just thought it was the funniest thing (hmm, irony anyone?) to see this, um...(ethnic? International?) -- as the judges referred to it, "world" -- dance style brought onto this very American, very mainstream stage. The choreographer, Nakul Dev Mahajan, did a decent job of putting together many of the moves found in most recently released Bollywood numbers; a sort of fusion of, as Mia Michaels said (and I'm paraphrasing) a mix of African, Hip-Hop, and world styles. I think Nigel threw in "Russian" as well.
It was so, totally exhilarating to watch that dance on prime time television, danced by one of my favorite couples on the show. And knowing that the piece was beaming all across North America -- this little, hidden, guilty pleasure I've treasured all these years (Bollywood, that is). ROCK FARGIN' ON, man!!!!
Edited to add -- Wait, I found it on Youtube! (Wow, they work really fast). Here it is:
Click to view