That’s entertainment
Yes, another “So You Think You Can Dance” post.
I watched a video of another animator on YouTube. How this guy moved astonished me. Just–wow.
And yet, after a few minutes, after my marvel of the technique had worn off, I switched it off. That’s when I realized just how important it is to be an entertainer, why the judges of SYTYCD are so adement about that. Because Cyrus is an entertainer. It isn’t merely dance and technique. There’s more there.
This week, the dancers reprised famous Mia Michels dances from past seasons, many Emmy nominated or winning choreography.
I went and found the original that Cyrus and Eliana did. And while I agree that you can tell that Cyrus isn’t the dancer that the original dancer, Twitch, is — Twitch, at least in the two routines I’ve seen him do, doesn’t have Cyrus’ strength of personality, nor is he as much of an entertainer as Cyrus. Cyrus has so much presence on that stage. He doesn’t have the smooth flow of a dancer, but he has such strength and power. I’m really glad that he made it into the top twenty.
One of the things the judges commented on were the obvious additions of Cyrus to the piece, the robotic twitching, for example. But there were other things as well: he purposefully moved like a black man, with the one hand holding up his trousers and that hitching walk, his jumps were much higher, his strides, much longer, and because Eliana is his usual partner, it was also obvious that they were more comfortable with each other, much more of a couple.
Plus, looking back at the original routine, to me it seems that Eliana is a much better dancer than the original. She had her own jumps and spark. Both Eliana and Cyrus were more precise than the original pair, and I think if the judges went back and compared the two routines, they’d see that, and if this was a scoring competition, they’d score Cyrus and Eliana higher than they had.
But to get back to the entertainment value: Cyrus is fun to watch. Nigel had said that in the past, and now I understand it better. I’m still trying to figure out what it is that gives him that stage presence, but he has it. (It’s the same thing Jeremy Renner has: While he isn’t traditional leading man material, he still has an interesting face and he’s charismatic. In some AU, instead of becoming an actor he’s a very success evangelical preacher.)
To take it back to writing, entertaining is also my job. Maybe sometimes to educate and provide thinking material, but honestly, I’m here to tell you a story and to entertain you while I do it.
A few last comments: Last episode’s routine was basically choreographed for Cyrus and Eliana, as a ballet dancer and a robot. While it was good, honestly, I didn’t like it as well as the other things they’ve done, because it was already in their wheel house. I much prefer it when the dancers have to stretch and try new things.
Also, Nigel’s critique of last ep’s routine bothered me. He said Eliana was better at the hip hops stuff, because she popped so hard. Cyrus was more mechanical. I honestly wonder if that was choreographer’s direction, for him to remain more robotic.
Anyway, in my life, I’m enjoying my time off from writing, though it isn’t really time off, that is, lazing and not working. I have far too much to do and too much running around. But that’s okay. About 1 1/2 weeks of craziness, then things should settle down again, and I’ll get back into a writing routine.
I’m trying to make my workspace more ergonomical. I just bought a separate wireless keyboard and mouse, so instead of typing on my laptop in my lap, I have it placed higher on a table so I can sit up straight. I love the new keyboard, and I like being able to sit up, instead of always bending and hunching. I am still figuring out logistics with the mouse. I got a wireless Apple trackpad, because I prefer that so much to a mouse.
And speaking of running…time to go buy flags, and chocolate, and coffee beans for my trip as bribes and treats.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
