Would anyone who watches a lot of Bollywood movies be willing to watch this and tell me how the dancing is? (possible spoilers for So You Think You Can Dance Top 12)
I think Katee and Joshua did a great job. There were times when they nailed the movements. I'd like to see them do a better job of emoting and acting the flirtacious aspects of the dancing. But, they may not have had the translating. But really, I think they nailed it.
Nigel, otoh, doesn't know much about Bollywood. It's been biting off of hiphop since Thriller (at least).
Yay! I really wanted them to, because they're my favorite couple right now, but just could not tell from my limited knowledge! Though I think you are right and the emotion didn't quite get through, probably because the two were concentrating on the technique.
I hope this is successful enough that they get the choreographer as a regular.
I adore them (as Katee is beauty when she dances) and after seeing little bits of Joshua learning the moves to this number, I don't believe that he hasn't put serious time in at various studios. He's a rat. He can't possibly be untrained. That man was falling back on some basics as he was breaking down various moves. (Love it
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Katee is one of my absolute favorite dancers this year (along with Will and Mark), and ohhhh, now I have to watch again to see Joshua learning moves! I am really really really hoping he goes far, because I really want a hip-hop dancer to win. (Well, I am rooting even more for a winning b-girl, but maybe next year...)
I was so irritated with the commentary about the African jazz piece, and I really hope they'll try to bring in someone who specializes in African or Afro-Caribbean dance.
Does the show let dancers who were in the top 20 re-try out? That would be cool. Also, I am hoping the show opens doors for people, particularly the ones without formal training.
That was really impressive! I'm happy to see the culture represented too, though I agree that the judges seemed to be overly excited about having the dance at all, to the exclusion of talking about execution much.
Based on my limited experience, I'd say that they did a lot of adaptation to get a similar feel to a big Bollywood dance number, since they only had two people. It seemed like Katee was acting largely as a sub for 100 backup dancers with the abrupt, "masculine" moves that fit with the section of music they used. I'd usually expect more of the veil business and slinkier moves from a leading woman. I'm not sure they really expressed the story they were going for. Normally there's a sort of dueling boy/girl alternation, where they flirt for a long time before doing anything in sync, so I didn't get any sense here of playing hard-to-get. I think the feel of a larger cast came across, but at the expense of the story.
(Wow, the judges were cold to Comfort and Chris! I thought they did great, though the judges have a point that the intensity declined a bit during the number. Maybe it's my lack of dance knowledge that makes me a bit mystified as to how it's jazz.)
I really liked that number too! Especially Comfort. And I keep wondering if she's being held back by aversive racism (via her partners or the judges or the voters, who knows), and I am irritated that she probably was voted off this week and that means no more black women. I am slightly mollified b/c Sabra won last year, but I still wish there were more women of color, esp. in the top ten.
I was sad to see Comfort go, but at the same time, I'm not sure that she was keeping up as well as she could have - and I'm not sure why that might have been. At times she hasn't seemed to be as confident as she needs to be, and I think that's shown in her dancing.
Actually, I haven't really been overwhelmed by many of the women this year other than Katee. I'm not sure why none of the others have really stood out for me. Maybe it's because I've been so very overwhelmed by Will and Twitch...
I haven't seen any other Bollywood pieces, but I did love watching them do that dance. I was getting tired of the usual genres they have on the show and wanted to see some world dance. (Although, as a user above commented, watching it again makes me realize that they didn't quite get the story across.) I'm still hoping that someone will choreograph another Cuban Rumba this year; I loved seeing the combination of African and Latin dancing.
Hee. I don't know anything about Lindy Hop, but I did enjoy Neil and Lacey's last season. I felt so bad for Neil, though, because he seemed like he was smiling through his exhaustion. (He was my favorite dancer.) I'm glad that he and Lacey worked better together in that dance than they did in the Latin Jazz, which I thought would have been great if they'd had more chemistry.
It was fun (and I took a class with the choreographer at a swing camp!!!), though I think like a lot of the SYTYCD routines, it was trick-heavy, so sometimes the basics were ignored. Ex., both Neil and Lacey should have been much deeper into the floor with bendier knees. But I am impressed by the aerials! (Though I think whoever decided on their costumes should have been shot.)
I was so happy to see them doing a Bollywood-style dance. I only know what I see in the movies, so I can't really say how good the technique was, but it seemed to be pretty good. Although as others have said, I thought it was more of a chorus dance with just two people than a romantic dance between two leads.
I really do hope that they can continue to work with that choreographer, or other choreographers out of Bollywood. Wouldn't it be great to see every couple doing one Bollywood number over the course of the competition?
Wouldn't it be great to see every couple doing one Bollywood number over the course of the competition
YESSSS! Although it would also be made of AWESOME if they brought in Indian classical dance choreographers too! I've only seen a little (my college roommate danced), but I liked what I saw.
I would so love to see more authentic world dance choreographed by people from and trained in the traditions. Indian, Pacific Islander, Chinese, African, North American aboriginal... there are so many different dance traditions from each of these cultures.
I have been a little bit, well, unsure about some of the African-influenced dances they've done. The dancing itself has been great, and I think the choreographer(s) involved have been respectful, but... why are the dancers always, it seems, dressed as Hollywood "savages"?
Mind you, I struggle with cultural appropriation issues all the time, because I'm a white person who is drawn to a great many cultural, artistic, philosophical and spiritual traditions from other cultures, many of which have been colonised, oppressed and exoticised by the West. I can only hope I'm being respectful, not appropriative. But it makes me perhaps hypersensitive when I see representations of other cultures in Western media.
*nods* I am glad to see more African-influenced dances on the show, but arrrrrrrgh the commentary drives me crazy! Ditto with the commentary on a lot of the hip-hop pieces ("it's not aggressive like so much hip hop! It's actually sweet!" @@).
I ... am still struggling with how to differentiate between comments about animal-style dances, because the little I do know about African-based dance brought over to the US is that there were a lot of "animal" dances (turkey dance, off the top of my head) and that one of the characteristics of African influence in dances like Lindy is an angled body (as opposed to upright, like ballroom) and bent knees. Still, I don't think that means people can say the dances and/or dancers are "animalistic" or "savage" or "primitive," as that's a very different connotation!
Sigh. I really wish that they would bring in someone who specializes in African dance, as that would make me feel a bit better...
kintail sent me over because I am a Bollywood freak. =) (I was a bit surprised Katee didn't know what Bollywood is; however, many people don't. I have to refrain from slapping those who don't know what it is, because I'd be slapping half the population of this city. *g*)
I watched this number a couple of times, and overall, I think they did a decent job capturing the essence of the dance style. Capturing it as a duo without all the backup dancers is difficult. jinian hit the nail on the head about the masculinity of many of the moves, as well as the need for more flirtation on Katee's part.
Because I enjoy spreading my love of Bollywood, I went digging in YouTube to find a few numbers to share. =D
Full clip of ‘Dhoom Tanaa’ - the flirtation and playing hard to get is more obvious here, and the moves they dance together are less masculine.
’Kangna Re’ - From the film Paheli, it’s a good example of the synchronicity of a large chorus of dancers. It also shows the flirtatiousness of
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Nigel, otoh, doesn't know much about Bollywood. It's been biting off of hiphop since Thriller (at least).
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I hope this is successful enough that they get the choreographer as a regular.
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I was so irritated with the commentary about the African jazz piece, and I really hope they'll try to bring in someone who specializes in African or Afro-Caribbean dance.
Does the show let dancers who were in the top 20 re-try out? That would be cool. Also, I am hoping the show opens doors for people, particularly the ones without formal training.
Reply
Based on my limited experience, I'd say that they did a lot of adaptation to get a similar feel to a big Bollywood dance number, since they only had two people. It seemed like Katee was acting largely as a sub for 100 backup dancers with the abrupt, "masculine" moves that fit with the section of music they used. I'd usually expect more of the veil business and slinkier moves from a leading woman. I'm not sure they really expressed the story they were going for. Normally there's a sort of dueling boy/girl alternation, where they flirt for a long time before doing anything in sync, so I didn't get any sense here of playing hard-to-get. I think the feel of a larger cast came across, but at the expense of the story.
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Actually, I haven't really been overwhelmed by many of the women this year other than Katee. I'm not sure why none of the others have really stood out for me. Maybe it's because I've been so very overwhelmed by Will and Twitch...
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I really do hope that they can continue to work with that choreographer, or other choreographers out of Bollywood. Wouldn't it be great to see every couple doing one Bollywood number over the course of the competition?
Reply
YESSSS! Although it would also be made of AWESOME if they brought in Indian classical dance choreographers too! I've only seen a little (my college roommate danced), but I liked what I saw.
Reply
I have been a little bit, well, unsure about some of the African-influenced dances they've done. The dancing itself has been great, and I think the choreographer(s) involved have been respectful, but... why are the dancers always, it seems, dressed as Hollywood "savages"?
Mind you, I struggle with cultural appropriation issues all the time, because I'm a white person who is drawn to a great many cultural, artistic, philosophical and spiritual traditions from other cultures, many of which have been colonised, oppressed and exoticised by the West. I can only hope I'm being respectful, not appropriative. But it makes me perhaps hypersensitive when I see representations of other cultures in Western media.
Reply
I ... am still struggling with how to differentiate between comments about animal-style dances, because the little I do know about African-based dance brought over to the US is that there were a lot of "animal" dances (turkey dance, off the top of my head) and that one of the characteristics of African influence in dances like Lindy is an angled body (as opposed to upright, like ballroom) and bent knees. Still, I don't think that means people can say the dances and/or dancers are "animalistic" or "savage" or "primitive," as that's a very different connotation!
Sigh. I really wish that they would bring in someone who specializes in African dance, as that would make me feel a bit better...
Reply
I watched this number a couple of times, and overall, I think they did a decent job capturing the essence of the dance style. Capturing it as a duo without all the backup dancers is difficult. jinian hit the nail on the head about the masculinity of many of the moves, as well as the need for more flirtation on Katee's part.
Because I enjoy spreading my love of Bollywood, I went digging in YouTube to find a few numbers to share. =D
Short clip of ‘Dhoom Tanaa’ - the song Katee and Joshua used
Full clip of ‘Dhoom Tanaa’ - the flirtation and playing hard to get is more obvious here, and the moves they dance together are less masculine.
’Kangna Re’ - From the film Paheli, it’s a good example of the synchronicity of a large chorus of dancers. It also shows the flirtatiousness of ( ... )
Reply
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