What the Judges Should Have Said to Lacey & Sabra
Nigel Lithgoe: "Ladies, this dance finally brought us to the truth of what this show is all about: DANCE. There’s a reason that’s the biggest word in our logo, and the word ‘you’ is just as small as the rest of them. There comes a point where we all need to be reminded that the dance is bigger than the personalities, the skills, the technique, the sexuality, and the people, so that we can make it something bigger than the sum of the dancers and choreographer, make it into something bigger, more artful. You both changed your styles completely for this dance - Lacey, you most of all, as I didn’t really notice your rump once during the entire piece - and in doing so managed to turn Wade’s choreography into the larger work of art it is. I congradulate you - all three - for taking this show beyond a popularity contest and into the realm of fine art."
Mary Murphy: "I’m a ballroom dance expert! And as such, everything I say has to have an exclamation point! After it! But it’s to convey excitement - and if there’s one thing about ballroom dance that excites me, it’s connection. Ballroom dance is about establishing and celebrating a relationship between the performers, and letting the audience in voyeuristically on that connection. But there are all kinds of connection, and while we aren’t quite mature enough as an American culture to allow you two to explore a romantic dance with each other, the way you established and told the entire story of parenting - ranging from the tired efforts of a mother to feed her child, the foxling’s curiousity and playfulness, and finally even the support and sorrow involved in setting one’s young off into the world to take their own steps - you both managed to convey all of that, using stylized movements that I’d recognize as somewhat reminiscent of butoh if I wasn’t so busy getting ready to EAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Sorry, that one got away from me, but then again, outside of this alternate Fame or Famine reality your beautiful dance, the comfortable way you combined talents to tell a story, got run over like a hot tamale in the express lane of the tunneled vision."
Dan Karaty: "You’re not dancing any of my choreography tonight, and I’m established and successful in what I do, so I’m not going to say anything much of substance at all tonight except for the fact that I’m really jealous that my bud Wade got to step outside of the crowd-pleasing antics and hypersexing of you talented dancers and create something beautiful, enduring, and edgy. I liked that I had to stretch my aesthetic muscles to appreciate this piece, that I needed to suspend my disbelief and accept the symbolism of the white foxtail, of the red cloth representing food, and of you not being women but rather female foxes, and therefore using a movement vocabulary that was made up of muscles and joints that we’ve never even considered before. With any luck, this piece being in the final performance show will enable me to come back next year and continue to stretch and bring some of the more subtle forms of dance to network TV. Way to go, dude!"
Instead, they had nothing to say. I actually threw my pen across the room at that - ask Ladyfox, with whom I watched it.
In other news, Sabra’s going to win. Why? Because while she and Danny are the best dancers (but damn did Neil give him a run for it, right up until he choked on the Lindy Hop) she’s just cuter and nicer. That last cha-cha was probably the best partner dance of the season, and looking at it in closeup replays he does seem to have better technique - but really, this is about America’s favorite, not America’s best.
But give her the $250k. I want to see what she does with all that creativity and the resources to build.
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POSTED IN: Performing Arts Reviews and Critiques, SYTYCD, So You Think You Can Dance
7 opinions for What the Judges Should Have Said to Lacey & Sabra
Lady Fox
Aug 15, 2007 at 10:55 pm
You didn’t say anything about “falled”…
And Neil’s cool leapy flippy thing in his solo.
I agree.
Maria
Aug 16, 2007 at 8:36 am
Oh my goodness, you are brilliant. You said EXACTLY what I was thinking and in a much more witty way! I was so disgusted by Nigel and Mary last night. I was totally speechless from their ignorance.
b5media - Wanna win something, throw pens at TVs or roast starburst on metal coat hangers?
Aug 16, 2007 at 8:59 am
[...] Gray gets a little excited and ends up throwing his pen at the tv while contemplating What the Judges Should Have Said to Lacey & Sabra [...]
momma2mingbu
Aug 16, 2007 at 4:00 pm
That was Dan Karaty, not Tyce.
I *LOVED* that fox piece and I was so disappointed in the judges comments. That piece went on a journey, telling a complete story. The dancers completely committed to very stylized movement and they interacted well with each other. The piece had many levels and the contrast of the slow and fast movements were interesting. They made it look completely natural.
Beckylooo
Aug 16, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I love you. Really I do. Made my day.
(and just so you know, the douche at the end of the judges table is Dan Karaty, not Tyce Diorio, though they’re certainly neck and neck for The Milquetoast of the Year award.)
Gray
Aug 17, 2007 at 7:08 am
ACK! My bad. Fixed the error. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I confess, for all their faults - and as judges go, there are many - I have to hand it to them for bringing this show to the screen. This is my first season with it, and I was very happily surprised. This is REAL dance. On prime-time network TV, LIVE. It makes me think there might be some hope for the arts yet.
Beckylooo
Aug 17, 2007 at 9:22 am
I’m with you. This show’s given me a lot of hope over the last three years. It at least balances out the karmic injustice Nigel’s heaped on the world with American Idol. I’ve got tons of video up from seasons 1 and 2 if you wanna mosey on over for a catch up session. The judges weren’t lyin’, this was by far the strongest group, but there’s been plenty of “oh shit!” moments in years passed to relive.
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