AKICOLJ

[oyceter]

Would anyone who watches a lot of Bollywood movies be willing to watch this and tell me how the dancing is? (possible spoilers for So You Think You Can Dance Top 12)

I am really really happy about more cultures being represented on the show (Chinese folk dancing pleeeaaaseeeee?), but I haven't watched enough Bollywood dancing myself to be able to tell about technique and etc., and I'm pretty sure the judges haven't either. Also, I think a lot of the praise from the judges is coming from just having a Bollywood dance on the show; I remember when a couple did lindy hop last year, the judges so did not pick up on a lot of the little technique problems that they would have for a more familiar genre like ballroom.

(Also, while I like Katee and cheer for her, my reaction was also, "What, how can you not know what Bollywood is?!")

Also also, while I am here, commentary on the African jazz piece very welcome!

Comments

[oyceter]

Wouldn't it be great to see every couple doing one Bollywood number over the course of the competition

YESSSS! Although it would also be made of AWESOME if they brought in Indian classical dance choreographers too! I've only seen a little (my college roommate danced), but I liked what I saw.

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

I would so love to see more authentic world dance choreographed by people from and trained in the traditions. Indian, Pacific Islander, Chinese, African, North American aboriginal... there are so many different dance traditions from each of these cultures.

I have been a little bit, well, unsure about some of the African-influenced dances they've done. The dancing itself has been great, and I think the choreographer(s) involved have been respectful, but... why are the dancers always, it seems, dressed as Hollywood "savages"?

Mind you, I struggle with cultural appropriation issues all the time, because I'm a white person who is drawn to a great many cultural, artistic, philosophical and spiritual traditions from other cultures, many of which have been colonised, oppressed and exoticised by the West. I can only hope I'm being respectful, not appropriative. But it makes me perhaps hypersensitive when I see representations of other cultures in Western media.

[oyceter]

*nods* I am glad to see more African-influenced dances on the show, but arrrrrrrgh the commentary drives me crazy! Ditto with the commentary on a lot of the hip-hop pieces ("it's not aggressive like so much hip hop! It's actually sweet!" @@).

I ... am still struggling with how to differentiate between comments about animal-style dances, because the little I do know about African-based dance brought over to the US is that there were a lot of "animal" dances (turkey dance, off the top of my head) and that one of the characteristics of African influence in dances like Lindy is an angled body (as opposed to upright, like ballroom) and bent knees. Still, I don't think that means people can say the dances and/or dancers are "animalistic" or "savage" or "primitive," as that's a very different connotation!

Sigh. I really wish that they would bring in someone who specializes in African dance, as that would make me feel a bit better...

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

Re: dance that is based on animal movement

It just struck me that while Western culture represents dance from African traditions that draws on animal movement as "savage" and "animalistic," movement in the martial arts - primarily from Asian traditions - which also draws on animal movement is not characterised that way. Even though movement that is both a fighting style as well as (often) a meditative art has potentials for violence that dance doesn't. Because white Western culture has a different set of stereotypes for describing Asian culture.

I haven't seen enough Western comment on/representation of the fighting styles developed in Central and South America from a fusion of African and American Aboriginal traditions to know if they are more likely to be characterised as savage, primitive or animalistic.

But it wouldn't surprise me if they were.