Get ready for a rant before you continue. Last night on So You Think You Can Dance, we were treated to the new salsa dance choreographer on the show, Gustavo Vargas (a.k.a Alex Da Silva’s replacement). The performance was a train wreck (see video below). While I think Mollee and Nathan are amazing dancers, I was extremely disappointed with their performance last night. However, I do not think it is all their fault, and some of it lies in the choreography…
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This weekend I took some time to revisit the great musical called “West Side Story“. For those who have not seen the play or movie, its plot is very similar to “Romeo and Juliet” except placed in the era of the mid-1950s during which time there was a period of migration from Puerto Rico to New York. The two lovers in the film are not only separated by race, but also by the gang violence between two feuding groups: The Sharks and The Jets. Given the popular social discussion of foreigners and immigration nowadays, I find this particular musical performance interesting as it highlights the fact that history always repeats itself and is often expressed through great art forms! For those who watch “So You Think You Can Dance“, you will notice that this was the choreography used in the audition process during what is called “Vegas Week”.
I have received several emails from fans letting me know that while they may not have time to watch “So You Think You Can Dance”, they catch up by watching my favorite picks. While I have been doing this on our addicted2salsa Fan Page on Facebook, I decided to be more proactive and post it here as well.
First, there is the interpretation of the “Love Lockdown” by Phillip and Jeanine. This routine was one of the few where the prop used in the choreography, the locked chain between their ankles, actually was used properly for the performance. Phillip of course is probably one of the best pop-and-lock artists that I have ever seen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm21r3PcrvI
This next choreography is from my favorite couple, Brandon and Janette. Every week they come and just know how to sell a performance (show that it is fun to dance). This is their cha-cha-cha routine that is full of energy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmy8HydaQA
Now, the most surprising performance of the night was from Ade (pronounced ‘A-Day’) and Melissa, a female dancer who’s core style is in classical ballet. Their performance was an interpretation of the ballet version of “Romeo and Juliet” which was done exquisitely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwnqn1I-S4
I finally took time to look into this new form of dancing called: “JumpStyle”, which in its simplest form is a mixture of ska-jumping, river dancing and techno. From watching SYTYCD, I learned about Gold Inferno – the mask wearing wrestler wannabe who loves to jump. He is the (supposedly) American Jumpstyle Dance Champion. I could not find out through my research how many people competed for that beloved title. However, for those extremely excited to integrate Jumpstyle dancing into their salsa footwork or those looking for a few smiles today, Mr. Gold Inferno has a set of super tutorial videos that will have you jumping for joy.
Now, after I had finished laughing for a few hours on his videos – I ended up discovering that it is more popular than expected, especially overseas. I may not be a fan of the dance style or costume usage, however, I’m happy that he will make some people step up to try dancing. While I can’t tell what is the current state of jumpstyle in the world, maybe our visitors overseas can send us an email about it. Until then, you can have a few more laughs at the golden warrior on his youtube page.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this contest! We received lots of excellent videos, and had hundreds of people stop by the website to vote for their favorite one. This was Addicted2Salsa’s first contest, hosted in association with SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Check out the show Thursday 8/7c on Fox), and we are very pleased with the turnout! We received videos from all over the world, demonstrating the extensive influence of salsa, and likewise, its ability to unite dancers as a community.
The first place winners will receive the grand prize of $150 VISA giftcard plus merchandise from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE! Second and third place winners will receive iTunes giftcards, compliments of Addicted2Salsa.
And the award for best dance video goes to………….
VOTING IS NOW OPEN to all Addicted2Salsa visitors and will continue until May 25th, 2008 11:59pm PST!
We are very happy to have received a lot of great entries. The videos are posted, and YOU get to cast the final vote! Just click on the contest link, or go to http://addicted2salsa.com/contests . You can view all the videos before making your vote.
Good Luck to everyone!
Here are the contestants in alphabetical order:
- Achilles & Milagro (Al Asad, Iraq)
- Daniel (Atlanta, GA)
- Marisa Castillo & Oliver “Ollie” Tan (San Francisco, CA)
- Natasa Dudar & Lukasz Jarzyna (Vienna, Austria)
- Oskar Beata (Opole, Poland)
- Pete Fischetti and Linda Sais (San Diego, CA)
Bloch is carried here as well,...
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