I am an unabashed amateur fan of dance and have to declare my total addiction to
So You Think You Can Dance Australia. Season Three of the show again highlights the agonising physical and emotional demands made on dancers if they wish to succeed in show biz. The profession is a cruel one, unforgiving, with space at the top only for the best of the best. Public adoration doesn't come cheaply.
I think the three judges do an excellent and entertaining job sifting through the wanna-be's and the crazies and gently urging on and encouraging those who have potential but struggle with personal issues, real and imagined. Emotional stamina in a dancer is clearly as critical as their athletic prowess and musicality. Some of the hopeful's stories are extremely moving and I find it compelling viewing. So do my children who have picked up some snazzy solo and partnered dance moves that they would not have otherwise even contemplated. My boy giggles bashfully and swings into his Hip-Hop routine;
Check It Out Man. The girls trill-de-trill in spirals with arms aloft. They waltz with gusto, and grunt on the lifts.
While it is a basic TV talent quest, the show also gives some
bonus exposure to dance as an art form that can be enjoyed across many 'genres', as they say. Great word ! The show's website has a helpful description of the various
genres choreographed on the show. Take yer pick.
Afro-Brazilian
Ballet
Ballroom
Bollywood
Boogaloo
Breakdancing
Burlesque
Capoeira
Cha Cha
Clowning
Contemporary
Contemporary Jazz
Disco
Foxtrot
Hip Hop
House
Jazz
Jazz, Funk and Hip Hop
Jive
Krumping (Kingdom of Radically Uplifted Mighty!)
Lambada
Locking
Lyrical
Musical Theatre
Popping
Quickstep
Rumba
Salsa
Samba
Swing
Tango
Tap
Waltz
In the words of the judges, I totally 'buy it'. Love it. Love it. Love it.
... remembering my own recent experience as a' dance mum' with possibly more to come.
Play-back!
