Limes with Orange

Leaving behind politics for now, I'm heading back to the pop culture arena for this post...

I'm just watching the "encore presentation" of So You Think You Can Dance Canada (whatever happened to the term "re-run"?), and I'm annoyed all over again at the fact that Izaak is still on the show.

I was upset that Arassay was voted off the show but, quite frankly, the top four women were all amazing. I've been a little worried that Canada hasn't been feeling Lisa the way she deserves. And I had thought that Arassay had the edge over Natalli until I saw Natalli and Vincent dance their contemporary routine. By the end of the dancing this week, I figured it was anybody's game for the women.

Having said that, I firmly believe that the reason Arassay was the one who went home was because she had Izaak as a partner and Izaak always makes his partner look bad. But does Canada vote him off for being both the worst dancer and worst partner last week? No, they vote off Vincent who is one of the most talented dancers on the show. Could someone please rein in the little tween hormones and stop them voting for CUTE LITTLE BOYS and make them understand that they're supposed to vote based on the DANCING.

Remember Strictly Ballroom: "It was the dancing that mattered."

Labels: dancing, tv

I've been watching the audition shows for the Canadian version of So You Think You Can Dance, because I got quite caught up in the American version this summer (and if Katee couldn't win it all, I'm glad the title went to Joshua). I was impressed that the show actually included some world dance this season, in the form of Bollywood routines and a Russian trepak with its impressive kazotskys. I hope they continue that concept in the Canadian version but expand on it... after all, we have some fabulous "world dance" right here in North America.

There's a movement in Native American dance that is taking off at the moment: dancers are combining traditional Indigenous dance practices with contemporary techniques and creating an exciting fusion of form. I would LOVE to see someone like Santee Smith of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre on the show as a guest dancer or guest choreographer. (Speaking of guest choreographers... I thought Sonya was a fabulously fierce addition to the SYTYCD arsenal.) I also hope to see some Celtic flavour included in some of the routines. This is Canada, after all, and whether you're from the Maritimes or you're Métis, Highland dance and jigging are part of the Canadian identity as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, I certainly hope that the show's producers here in Canada will continue to expand on the tradition started by their American counterparts this season and incorporate more world dance into the So You Think You Can Dance repertoire.

Labels: dancing, pop culture, tv

I've been toying with signing up for another dance class this fall. I've danced on and off for most of my life… some tap and ballet as a kid, and a bit of contemporary when I was in university, but my big love has always been jazz. I've taken several different classes at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks here in Calgary, including a hip hop class that was lots of fun but ended up with me having to resign from it after injuring my ankle. And, unfortunately for me, joint injuries are particularly difficult to heal from with my health problems… so no more intense dance styles, I guess. Which sucks because I've been watching "So You Think You Can Dance" which inspires me to try my hand at all sorts of cool styles.

I'm thinking of maybe taking DJD's Funk/Stretch class which combines 45 minutes of grooving and 15 minutes of stretching to improve joint mobility and reduce stress. Hopefully my body can handle Funk under those circumstances. Or, of course, I never get tired of Jazz, so I might just stick with that old standby.

The question now is what to wear. Don't laugh, that's only partially as vain as it sounds . I find that I dance better if I like what I see in the mirror. And I like what I see in the mirror better if I'm wearing something that I like. I tend to like funky dance leotards and some jazz or yoga pants (yep, even when I'm doing Funk or Hip Hop… I just wear different shoes then). So my ideal outfit would be this lovely little Mirella Halter leotard and this Body Wrapper low rise V front pant… yeah, I think I'd like what I see in the mirror then and it would inspire me to dance just that little bit better.

Labels: cool sites, dancing, fashion