Los Angeles Times-
"American Idol" isn't the only talent competition with a new judge on the block.
Fox has announced film director and choreographer Adam Shankman will be added as a new judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" starting Oct. 27.
A frequent guest judge and choreographer on the show since the show's third season in 2007, Shankman most recently helped guest judge the audition rounds for the dance competition's inaugural fall season. He will permanently join current judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy beginning with Season 6's Top 20 performance special next month.
-- Kate Stanhope
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Martha Graham Was Weird
I watched a documentary on Martha Graham on OVTV the other night. I can appreciate her passion for the art of dance, but dang...she was weird.
Her early work was quite disturbing. I felt that all of the beauty of the human form was lost. I will investigate further to see how her style evolved.
I also watched Tap Dogs. I liked about 30% of the dancing. Most of the performances took place on some kind of stage hardware/apparatus that I felt got in the way of the dance. Some of the ideas were innovative, but the dance technique suffered because of the clunkiness of the apparatus. I did appreciate that every one of the dancers was tremendously skilled.
Her early work was quite disturbing. I felt that all of the beauty of the human form was lost. I will investigate further to see how her style evolved.
I also watched Tap Dogs. I liked about 30% of the dancing. Most of the performances took place on some kind of stage hardware/apparatus that I felt got in the way of the dance. Some of the ideas were innovative, but the dance technique suffered because of the clunkiness of the apparatus. I did appreciate that every one of the dancers was tremendously skilled.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Ovation TV
Ovation TV (OVTV)-
With a mission to "Make Life Creative," Ovation TV is a multiplatform network focused on entertaining, inspiring and engaging the artist in all of us by offering original and acquired programming focused on art, culture and personal creativity.
Ovation TV's primetime programming features a different theme, or "genre," each night -- performance, people, visual arts, music and film -- with weekends devoted to original and event programming. The network showcases the world's greatest artists in theater, dance, opera, literature, film, visual and fine art, music, design, photography and architecture. In addition to original programming, the schedule also leverages an extensive library of high-caliber programming amassed from major studios, independent producers, leading American performing and cultural arts institutions, arts education organizations and other sources from around the world.
Some of the dance shows slated to show on OVTV are:
Martha Graham: The Dancer Revealed
Monday, September 14, 2009 10:00AM 01:00PM
Friday, October 30, 200908:00AM11:00AM
Modern dance owes more to Martha Graham than to any other single figure. As dancer, choreographer and teacher, she conceived and shaped the major dance form of the 20th century. Martha Graham died in 1991, at almost 97, having towered over American and world dance for seven decades. THE DANCER REVEALED is the definitive documentary on her life and work. Includes interviews with leading figures such as Agnes de Mille, Erick Hawkins, Ron Protas and many others.
Tap Dogs
Monday, September 14, 200902:00PM05:00PM
Tap Dogs have taken the world by storm with their unprecedented tap show that combines the strength and power of male workmen with the precision & talent of tap dancing. The show starts with six guys from a steel town north of Sydney, Australia. Award winning choreographer Dean Perry headed the team of designers, directors and composers and created Tap Dogs; a reinvention of tap.
With a mission to "Make Life Creative," Ovation TV is a multiplatform network focused on entertaining, inspiring and engaging the artist in all of us by offering original and acquired programming focused on art, culture and personal creativity.
Ovation TV's primetime programming features a different theme, or "genre," each night -- performance, people, visual arts, music and film -- with weekends devoted to original and event programming. The network showcases the world's greatest artists in theater, dance, opera, literature, film, visual and fine art, music, design, photography and architecture. In addition to original programming, the schedule also leverages an extensive library of high-caliber programming amassed from major studios, independent producers, leading American performing and cultural arts institutions, arts education organizations and other sources from around the world.
Some of the dance shows slated to show on OVTV are:
Martha Graham: The Dancer Revealed
Monday, September 14, 2009 10:00AM 01:00PM
Friday, October 30, 200908:00AM11:00AM
Modern dance owes more to Martha Graham than to any other single figure. As dancer, choreographer and teacher, she conceived and shaped the major dance form of the 20th century. Martha Graham died in 1991, at almost 97, having towered over American and world dance for seven decades. THE DANCER REVEALED is the definitive documentary on her life and work. Includes interviews with leading figures such as Agnes de Mille, Erick Hawkins, Ron Protas and many others.
Tap Dogs
Monday, September 14, 200902:00PM05:00PM
Tap Dogs have taken the world by storm with their unprecedented tap show that combines the strength and power of male workmen with the precision & talent of tap dancing. The show starts with six guys from a steel town north of Sydney, Australia. Award winning choreographer Dean Perry headed the team of designers, directors and composers and created Tap Dogs; a reinvention of tap.
Juilliard vs. SYTYCD
Last night I watched a three-part series about Juilliard School of Dance on the Ovation Channel (awesome channel by the way. Look it up). It followed the lives of the senior graduating class, which consisted of only 16 students! Wow!
Here's a link to the Ovation TV website: http://www.ovationtv.com/
The show took an inside look at the style of dance taught at the school. It is much more creative than a traditional dance academy. A jazz performance training program was established in 2001. But here's the deal, I wasn't that impressed with the technique of some of the dancers. I believe that I saw better technique on the last SYTYCD. Seriously. Jeanine's turns looked far more controlled and centered than most of the students at Julliard. I was really suprised.
I guess this is why I am hooked on SYTYCD. The quality of the dancer's techniques are superb. And you can't beat the variety of styles.
Here's a link to the Ovation TV website: http://www.ovationtv.com/
The show took an inside look at the style of dance taught at the school. It is much more creative than a traditional dance academy. A jazz performance training program was established in 2001. But here's the deal, I wasn't that impressed with the technique of some of the dancers. I believe that I saw better technique on the last SYTYCD. Seriously. Jeanine's turns looked far more controlled and centered than most of the students at Julliard. I was really suprised.
I guess this is why I am hooked on SYTYCD. The quality of the dancer's techniques are superb. And you can't beat the variety of styles.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Pick On Someone Your Own Size
Yesterday I stumbled upon a blog dedicated to SYTYCD. It’s at soyouthinkyoucandancefever.blogspot.com. The blog’s author, SoYouThinkUCanDance, has written a post that states exactly how I felt about the way Evan Kasprzak was treated all season. You can read it here:
http://soyouthinkyoucandancefever.blogspot.com/2009/08/sytycd-finale-america-hearts-evan-but.html
In addition to what she wrote, I'd like to point out a few things I noticed this season. I'll try to post as many photos as possible to illustrate my points. Incidentally, I don't recall one instance of the judges commenting on the things I am about to share.
LINES OF ACTION:
If you’re like me, you watch Gene Kelly movies on DVR and pause the film during the dance scenes to watch his moves frame by frame. You especially compare his technique when he dances with a partner. All of his partners were fantastic, but you just can't deny that Gene's lines were superb.
I am an artist by trade, so sometimes I see things that others don’t; especially how lines relate to the flow of movement. I am reminded of a book I had when I was a kid. It was called “Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair”. There was a section that showed the best way to illustrate movement in a character. They had a correct and an incorrect version side by side. The correct version had long, curved lines illustrating the flow of movement. The incorrect version showed a character all angular and discombobulated. These lines are called “lines of action”.
Boy, does Evan Kasprzak have correct lines of action! This photo illustrates not only Evan’s beautiful lines, but how much more graceful he is than his partner. Randi was a fantastic dancer, but look at the differences here. Look at the way they hold their hands, where they are looking, and the bend of the knee. For me, a dance is made up of a sequence of snapshots. I remember particular moments that standout because of the emotions they evoke. My Evan snapshots are all technically beautiful. Even though Randi & Evan were praised for this particular routine, I don’t think these good points were ever brought up by the judges.
More beautiful lines……
And one more…
EVAN HANDS:
How many of you have noticed that Evan uses many of the same hand positions as Gene Kelly? I noticed in his first audition for SYTYCD. He uses the relaxed finger-pointing-to-the-ground position often. The arm and finger are aligned with the upper body and leg. I think this technique helps to elongate the body and bring subtle attention to what the feet are doing. The hand position reminds me of the way the Old Masters painted hands (again, my artist’s brain sees dance as it relates to art). Painters like Michelangelo and Raphael used hand position (among other things) to draw the viewers eye to a particular spot.
The next time you watch Evan doing a solo Broadway routine, watch his hands.
HEIGHT:
According to Wikipedia Evan is 5’6” tall. This fact seemed to be of constant interest to the judges.
I say, “Leave him alone!” There is only an inch or so difference between Evan and Brandon for cripes sake!
http://soyouthinkyoucandancefever.blogspot.com/2009/08/sytycd-finale-america-hearts-evan-but.html
In addition to what she wrote, I'd like to point out a few things I noticed this season. I'll try to post as many photos as possible to illustrate my points. Incidentally, I don't recall one instance of the judges commenting on the things I am about to share.
LINES OF ACTION:
If you’re like me, you watch Gene Kelly movies on DVR and pause the film during the dance scenes to watch his moves frame by frame. You especially compare his technique when he dances with a partner. All of his partners were fantastic, but you just can't deny that Gene's lines were superb.
I am an artist by trade, so sometimes I see things that others don’t; especially how lines relate to the flow of movement. I am reminded of a book I had when I was a kid. It was called “Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair”. There was a section that showed the best way to illustrate movement in a character. They had a correct and an incorrect version side by side. The correct version had long, curved lines illustrating the flow of movement. The incorrect version showed a character all angular and discombobulated. These lines are called “lines of action”.
Boy, does Evan Kasprzak have correct lines of action! This photo illustrates not only Evan’s beautiful lines, but how much more graceful he is than his partner. Randi was a fantastic dancer, but look at the differences here. Look at the way they hold their hands, where they are looking, and the bend of the knee. For me, a dance is made up of a sequence of snapshots. I remember particular moments that standout because of the emotions they evoke. My Evan snapshots are all technically beautiful. Even though Randi & Evan were praised for this particular routine, I don’t think these good points were ever brought up by the judges.
More beautiful lines……
And one more…
EVAN HANDS:
How many of you have noticed that Evan uses many of the same hand positions as Gene Kelly? I noticed in his first audition for SYTYCD. He uses the relaxed finger-pointing-to-the-ground position often. The arm and finger are aligned with the upper body and leg. I think this technique helps to elongate the body and bring subtle attention to what the feet are doing. The hand position reminds me of the way the Old Masters painted hands (again, my artist’s brain sees dance as it relates to art). Painters like Michelangelo and Raphael used hand position (among other things) to draw the viewers eye to a particular spot.
The next time you watch Evan doing a solo Broadway routine, watch his hands.
HEIGHT:
According to Wikipedia Evan is 5’6” tall. This fact seemed to be of constant interest to the judges.
I say, “Leave him alone!” There is only an inch or so difference between Evan and Brandon for cripes sake!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Fantastic Website
All of you Gene Kelly fans need to go to this fan website. It is the best one (by far) that I have ever seen:
Gene Kelly, Creative Genius
Gene Kelly, Creative Genius
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