sad dilemma; SYTYCD
Aug. 9th, 2007 11:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alonewiththemoonI just learned that Amira Jamal's fall Monday class will be held in the room we used during the summer, which has a linoleum floor, undoubtedly with concrete underneath it. Even though we didn't do much dancing during the summer course, what little we did aggravated my knee noticably. I get so much out of her classes performance-wise, but I honestly don't know if I can dance on that floor for two hours every week without leaving myself in regular pain. Last year, we used a classroom with a carpeted floor, which is not great for its own reasons but at least was gentler on the joints. I really don't know what to do. Dance sneakers aren't really a good option because they feel so different from performing barefoot, I'm afraid they'll throw me off.
Seti has a habit of scratching the inside of the nightstand next to my side of the bed which is usually annoying when you are trying to sleep, but this morning I was grateful for it, because if he hadn't started up with it I'd probably still be sleeping now. I set the time on my alarm last night, but didn't slide the switch to turn it on. So I was quite late for work, but on the positive side, I did get 8 hours of sleep!
Holy hip hop, Pasha! I couldn't believe that was him doing that routine. I've made this same observation about other dancers in the competition, once you give them a character to work with, a lot of the dancing seems to fall into place and I think that was true for him. Though I rather unavoidably thought of Dexter. I did think the routine was unnecessarily raunchy, but maybe that was a nod to Lacey's style (meow!). The routine did suit her as well, though--it made her slow down and concentrate on hitting isolated bits of music, and I think her technique was showcased nicely that way. Their smooth waltz was, well, smooth. They did give it passion and flare. The lift was a bit clunky, guessing from what they showed of rehearsals I'd say Lacey was a bit afraid to let go of the ground. I deeply covet the dress Lacey was wearing--I wouldn't want it in white, but in some other color with a little few more dangly bits added it would be a great belly dance dress.
Lauren and Danny's Mia Michaels number was dramatic. I think dancing with Danny brought Lauren's dancing up a level, for the most part this was the best dancing she's done all season. He did a better job of connecting with his partner. The disco number was fun, but I thought that lift was pretty clunky too. Lauren's not a big girl but Danny made it look like he was heaving a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. Slight hints of that arrogance again--"why on earth are we blocking everybody's view of me with her body?"
I was not at all convinced by the description of Sabra and Neil's 80s jazz number, but I really liked the piece. Good evocation of the original video to Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics, and Neil's lift over the table was just gorgeous. Their pasa doble was quite hot, Sabra had some good flamenco-style stomping in there which given how ethereal she generally is impressed me. Neil's partnering was much better than anything he'd done before and he worked out some of his posture challenges--again, I think having a character made a big difference. I also appreciated actual Latin music, which made facial expressions, body language, etc that might have seemed ridiculous set to non-Latin music (i.e. as with Dominic and Jaimie) seem appropriate. The pasa doble ending was super dramatic, though I wonder what Sabra's left hip was looking like by the time they were done with the piece.
Sabra's solo I'm afraid did not do a lot for me, it seemed like a regression to her characterless-ness at the beginning of the season. I noted a group of girls in the audience with a "such and such gymnastic club loves Sabra" which I think explains what she was doing until four years ago when she became a dancer. Knowing that, I started watching her routine for gymnastic stuff and it was then easy to lose sight of it as a dance. Her partner dances were so much better this episode
Pasha's solo was I thought a very creative way to deal with his being a partner dancer with no partner--the mannequin gave him something to circle around and come back to, as one might a dance partner. Probably his best solo to date. Silly song though.
Lauren's solo and Neil's solo were about the same to me--too much jumping and flailing around. I really wanted them to reduce some of the flash and sizzle in favor of showing that they were interpreting the music. Felt about the same with Lacey's solo, although she had a bit more interpretation going on. Have to say though with all those butt pops and that costume she was pretty much pure hoochy mama. I do think it's good that dancers can be sexy on the show and not be pristine ballerinas up on a pedestal, but she's just so unrefined about it, to the point of not being sexy at all.
Danny's solo was the best of the bunch--he had that quality that I wanted to see in the others, musicality and interpretation. He still got in all those leaps and spins and drops, but he knew how to work the spaces in between. To me, his solo was really a dancer's solo. I'm still rooting for Sabra, but there's no denying that Danny is a very mature dancer not just in terms of technique but in terms of his ability to listen. (I do wonder if the dancers write their own choreographies, or if once they know they are in the show they start preparing a bunch of short solos with their teachers and coaches)
Seti has a habit of scratching the inside of the nightstand next to my side of the bed which is usually annoying when you are trying to sleep, but this morning I was grateful for it, because if he hadn't started up with it I'd probably still be sleeping now. I set the time on my alarm last night, but didn't slide the switch to turn it on. So I was quite late for work, but on the positive side, I did get 8 hours of sleep!
Holy hip hop, Pasha! I couldn't believe that was him doing that routine. I've made this same observation about other dancers in the competition, once you give them a character to work with, a lot of the dancing seems to fall into place and I think that was true for him. Though I rather unavoidably thought of Dexter. I did think the routine was unnecessarily raunchy, but maybe that was a nod to Lacey's style (meow!). The routine did suit her as well, though--it made her slow down and concentrate on hitting isolated bits of music, and I think her technique was showcased nicely that way. Their smooth waltz was, well, smooth. They did give it passion and flare. The lift was a bit clunky, guessing from what they showed of rehearsals I'd say Lacey was a bit afraid to let go of the ground. I deeply covet the dress Lacey was wearing--I wouldn't want it in white, but in some other color with a little few more dangly bits added it would be a great belly dance dress.
Lauren and Danny's Mia Michaels number was dramatic. I think dancing with Danny brought Lauren's dancing up a level, for the most part this was the best dancing she's done all season. He did a better job of connecting with his partner. The disco number was fun, but I thought that lift was pretty clunky too. Lauren's not a big girl but Danny made it look like he was heaving a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. Slight hints of that arrogance again--"why on earth are we blocking everybody's view of me with her body?"
I was not at all convinced by the description of Sabra and Neil's 80s jazz number, but I really liked the piece. Good evocation of the original video to Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics, and Neil's lift over the table was just gorgeous. Their pasa doble was quite hot, Sabra had some good flamenco-style stomping in there which given how ethereal she generally is impressed me. Neil's partnering was much better than anything he'd done before and he worked out some of his posture challenges--again, I think having a character made a big difference. I also appreciated actual Latin music, which made facial expressions, body language, etc that might have seemed ridiculous set to non-Latin music (i.e. as with Dominic and Jaimie) seem appropriate. The pasa doble ending was super dramatic, though I wonder what Sabra's left hip was looking like by the time they were done with the piece.
Sabra's solo I'm afraid did not do a lot for me, it seemed like a regression to her characterless-ness at the beginning of the season. I noted a group of girls in the audience with a "such and such gymnastic club loves Sabra" which I think explains what she was doing until four years ago when she became a dancer. Knowing that, I started watching her routine for gymnastic stuff and it was then easy to lose sight of it as a dance. Her partner dances were so much better this episode
Pasha's solo was I thought a very creative way to deal with his being a partner dancer with no partner--the mannequin gave him something to circle around and come back to, as one might a dance partner. Probably his best solo to date. Silly song though.
Lauren's solo and Neil's solo were about the same to me--too much jumping and flailing around. I really wanted them to reduce some of the flash and sizzle in favor of showing that they were interpreting the music. Felt about the same with Lacey's solo, although she had a bit more interpretation going on. Have to say though with all those butt pops and that costume she was pretty much pure hoochy mama. I do think it's good that dancers can be sexy on the show and not be pristine ballerinas up on a pedestal, but she's just so unrefined about it, to the point of not being sexy at all.
Danny's solo was the best of the bunch--he had that quality that I wanted to see in the others, musicality and interpretation. He still got in all those leaps and spins and drops, but he knew how to work the spaces in between. To me, his solo was really a dancer's solo. I'm still rooting for Sabra, but there's no denying that Danny is a very mature dancer not just in terms of technique but in terms of his ability to listen. (I do wonder if the dancers write their own choreographies, or if once they know they are in the show they start preparing a bunch of short solos with their teachers and coaches)
