I apologize for not updating recently (or within the past 2 months). My summer schedule to my fall schedule always hits me like a ton of bricks, and I tend to let things like this blog go the wayside. However, with the holidays coming up, I have more inspiration to write and the growing desire to write about my passions.
So for today, I am inspired by Thanksgiving! It is only 3 days away, and I am so excited! Since November 1st, I have been posting on my personal Facebook page statuses about what I am thankful for this year. It's been a way for me to remember that yes, there is a holiday between Halloween and Christmas, and a way to keep myself grounded. Thanksgiving isn't just about the gluttony of the season. It's about the people who made the long journey from England to a land unfamiliar to them. It's about their sacrifices and their survival; their determination to make a new life, even though they lost over half of their original crew. It is about being thankful for all that they had after they had lost so much.
In this spirit, I would like to talk about what I am thankful for in the dance world. And there is SO much to be thankful for!
I am thankful for ballet. As the base for all dance, I am thankful that I can pass on its importance to so many students. Even if they don't love it, they learn to appreciate it.
I am thankful for shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars. When I was younger, they didn't have shows like that. If you wanted to see dance, you had to go to the ballet, or find out when the modern dance companies were coming into town, or be a dancer yourself. I didn't have websites like Youtube to search for dancers for hours. I was considered different because I danced. I am so thankful that those shows brought dance to the mainstream's eye. Even for people who don't dance themselves, it brings it into their homes. Even my grandmother watches So You Think You Can Dance!
I am thankful for my students. Not only are they all beautiful dancers, but they are beautiful people as well, and will grow up as beautiful people. Their love for dance is almost unsurpassed compared to other places that I have seen.
I am thankful for the extensive knowledge I have of dance. It allows me to take care of myself and to take care of my students. I can answer most questions about random body aches and pains. I am no doctor, but I have helped to fix multiple questions of "why is my knee hurting when I do this?" or "I have a pain in my foot, what's wrong?" It helps me to prevent common injuries in dancers that don't work correctly, and it helps me to help my students.
I am thankful for all the teachers I have had in my life. From my first teacher Miss Debbie to the master class teachers that I take from today, and every single teacher in between, I have learned something from all of them, and have taken the good and put it into my own teachings.
I am thankful for still being able to have dance in my life at the age of 27. Not only does it keep my passion burning for it, but I attribute much of my youthfulness to it. I don't look 27 (thanks mom and dad!), and parts of me aren't as serious as some of my peers at 27. Dance helps me to bring in to focus what is important to me, and it is often not similar to what my peers consider important.
I am thankful for the opportunities dance gives everyone, both young and old. Whether it's an 8 year old going to the ballet for the first time, or a 55 year old taking a beginner modern dance class, it gives people a joy and a love that is unlike any other. When I was in high school, I got to perform for an AIDS benefit (one of my future goals is to create a show as an AIDS benefit) and even though at the time I just saw it as another performance, I realize now how important it was, and is, and will be, to be able to share my gifts for a good cause.
I could go on all day, but that is all I have time for today. I hope many of you out there will contemplate what you are thankful for this week! I know most of our minds will be on turkey and stuffing and family gatherings, but take a moment, however brief, and just remember how amazing it is to have the life that you have!
And if you are dancer, remember how lucky and happy you are to have dance in your life!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Showing posts with label SYTYCD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SYTYCD. Show all posts
Monday, November 21, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The Great Choreo Capers
Last week, the warm weather started rolling in. Bright sunshine, temperatures in the 70’s, outdoor patios opening up and tops down on convertibles. The other sign of summer? The premier of So You Think You Can Dance!
However, with the opening night has already come a controversy. Brothers Deon and Damon were featured as being a quirky duo with charm up the wazoo. The judges were delighted by their humorous performance and their fun personalities. They were given tickets straight to Vegas, which anyone who watches the show knows is the main goal.
What the judges did not know is that their “choreography” was not so original. Many people after watching the first episode began to spread a video that put Deon and Damon against a duo only listed as “the Les Twins”. Side by side videos of both pairs were shown doing choreography that was almost identical in nature, besides a few tweaks here and there. At the end, the video publicly denounces Deon and Damon for “stealing” choreography, and asks that everyone spreads the images so that they can be kicked off the show.
This video has sparked a controversy not just within the public that knew the videos, but from So You Think You Can Dance’s own All-Stars. D-trix and Neill started debating over whether taking the choreography was right. D-trix claimed it was frowned upon in the hip hop world. Neill claimed that it was similar to ballet- the same choreography has been passed down from company to company over the years.
Personally, I can understand both sides of the argument. It’s not appropriate to put unoriginal choreography on tv. However, at the same time, they are not being judged on their choreography, but rather their dancing. I would say that maybe they explained it to the judges at some point, but Nigel Lythgoe, the executive producer and beloved judge, even posted on his twitter that he wished the brothers had told them the choreography was not their own. Perhaps it was not their intention to “rip off” choreography. They say that copying is the sincerest form of flattery, right? So wouldn’t this be the case?
But how do the Les Twins feel about this? The videos have been posted by others on their Facebook page. It is not mentioned whether or not they are actually aware of it (they are also French, so a lot of the page is in French!). Is it possible for them to sue Damon and Deon? Is it possible for them to sue the television network?
What bothers me most about this is that this will make it harder for the show So You Think You Can Dance. Instead of just pulling together reels of dancers and putting together audition segments, they will now most likely have to cross-reference all the choreography to make sure that it is original. But then that brings up another thought- many of these younger dancers are part of the competition scene. They are getting their solos from big name choreographers, and showing it throughout the competition circuit. Would that count as “unoriginal” choreography?
I do believe that while the viral video was good to make the public aware of what happened, it is not appropriate for them to get kicked off the show. They did get here based on their own merits. With not being judged on choreography, their personalities were their own, and their style was their own. While they may not have done it the right way, they still EARNED their way to Vegas (not to mention the couple rounds of improvisation that is required before any dancer even gets to show their solo!). If they are not on the show by the time it gets down to the wire in Vegas, then perhaps they will learn for next time. If they are there, then clearly they have proven that they are meant to be on that stage. With every mistake must come some understanding, even within the dance world.
I do not condone what the brothers did, nor am I backing the idea of kicking them off the show. My intention is merely to get everyone thinking. How right is it? Should So You Think You Can Dance make a formal apology? Should the Les Twins speak up about it? It’s interesting to contemplate, and I’m sure that everyone has their own opinion on it!
However, with the opening night has already come a controversy. Brothers Deon and Damon were featured as being a quirky duo with charm up the wazoo. The judges were delighted by their humorous performance and their fun personalities. They were given tickets straight to Vegas, which anyone who watches the show knows is the main goal.
What the judges did not know is that their “choreography” was not so original. Many people after watching the first episode began to spread a video that put Deon and Damon against a duo only listed as “the Les Twins”. Side by side videos of both pairs were shown doing choreography that was almost identical in nature, besides a few tweaks here and there. At the end, the video publicly denounces Deon and Damon for “stealing” choreography, and asks that everyone spreads the images so that they can be kicked off the show.
This video has sparked a controversy not just within the public that knew the videos, but from So You Think You Can Dance’s own All-Stars. D-trix and Neill started debating over whether taking the choreography was right. D-trix claimed it was frowned upon in the hip hop world. Neill claimed that it was similar to ballet- the same choreography has been passed down from company to company over the years.
Personally, I can understand both sides of the argument. It’s not appropriate to put unoriginal choreography on tv. However, at the same time, they are not being judged on their choreography, but rather their dancing. I would say that maybe they explained it to the judges at some point, but Nigel Lythgoe, the executive producer and beloved judge, even posted on his twitter that he wished the brothers had told them the choreography was not their own. Perhaps it was not their intention to “rip off” choreography. They say that copying is the sincerest form of flattery, right? So wouldn’t this be the case?
But how do the Les Twins feel about this? The videos have been posted by others on their Facebook page. It is not mentioned whether or not they are actually aware of it (they are also French, so a lot of the page is in French!). Is it possible for them to sue Damon and Deon? Is it possible for them to sue the television network?
What bothers me most about this is that this will make it harder for the show So You Think You Can Dance. Instead of just pulling together reels of dancers and putting together audition segments, they will now most likely have to cross-reference all the choreography to make sure that it is original. But then that brings up another thought- many of these younger dancers are part of the competition scene. They are getting their solos from big name choreographers, and showing it throughout the competition circuit. Would that count as “unoriginal” choreography?
I do believe that while the viral video was good to make the public aware of what happened, it is not appropriate for them to get kicked off the show. They did get here based on their own merits. With not being judged on choreography, their personalities were their own, and their style was their own. While they may not have done it the right way, they still EARNED their way to Vegas (not to mention the couple rounds of improvisation that is required before any dancer even gets to show their solo!). If they are not on the show by the time it gets down to the wire in Vegas, then perhaps they will learn for next time. If they are there, then clearly they have proven that they are meant to be on that stage. With every mistake must come some understanding, even within the dance world.
I do not condone what the brothers did, nor am I backing the idea of kicking them off the show. My intention is merely to get everyone thinking. How right is it? Should So You Think You Can Dance make a formal apology? Should the Les Twins speak up about it? It’s interesting to contemplate, and I’m sure that everyone has their own opinion on it!
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