New reality-tv dancing show

[MadamSamba]

Hi, there's a new reality-tv dancing show starting here in Australia next week called Strictly Dancing...it's an interesting concept that puts five or six dancers through the paces of five or six different dance styles, so, for example, a ballroom-dancing couple might have to dance hip hop or jazz, while ballet dancers have three weeks to learn salsa and merengue _ then they all have to perform the same dances against one another in rounds.

The aim is to see how well dancers used to different dance styles are able to apply themselves to totally dance different styles. The couple best able to fulfill this over 16 weeks will be dubbed "Australia's best dancing couple".

Also, unlike comps, the show allows same-sex couples.

It's absolutely a fascinating watch, any thoughts?

[Sagitta]

Here's mine. Is this something we can watch in the US? I did some searching on the web and all references that I came up with were to Austrailian TV!! :(

[peachexploration]

Speaking of dance reality, wasn't there a Debbie Allen TV show last year that had dances competitions?

[dancin_feet]

Sounds fantastic! Will need to keep an eye on the TV Guide for that one! :D

[dancersdreamland]

Speaking of dance reality, wasn't there a Debbie Allen TV show last year that had dances competitions?

The show was called FAME and it was a contest to find the best triple threat performer (singing, dancingin, acting - overall showmanship). The winner received a recording contract with Jive Records and a starring role in the Broadway muscial "FAME." The winner was Raymond Lee and the runner up was Shannon Bex (very Britney-ish). Shannon also received an unplanned on-the-spot contract from Jive Records.

For more information on FAME checkout the following website: http://www.nbc.com/Fame/

I'm not sure if they'll run another season...it had VERY mixed reviews.

There was also two other dance series the past year:

MTV's The Wade Robson Project: http://www.mtv.com/onair/wade_robson/season1/index.jhtml (I heard this was supposed to have second season, but haven't seen anything about it.)

Dance Fever: http://abcfamily.go.com/dancefever/

Stay tuned to my website for more information on dance movies and shows: www.dancersdreamland.com (fun/movies)

[dancin_feet]

For all other Aussies here, I saw this show Strictly Dancing advertised on the ABC tomorrow night (Friday).

Ironically I will be out dancing at the time, so will have to tape it!

[ShyDancer]

I have watched both weeks so far ..... Im reserving my opinion for a few more weeks!

I do think that Amanda & Jeremy Garner should have one the first week...I thought they were much better than the 1st place couple, my opinion anyway!

Here is the link if you want to have a look www.abc.net.au/strictlydancing

[MadamSamba]

It's an intriguing show...the first week was fabulous, the second questionable and the third, well, it's still on video, like dancin_feet, I too was out dancing while it was on! :)

The judging is causing a lot of controversy.

ShyDancer, I disagreed violently with the judges decision on the
Garners and was seriously disillusioned. I saw the Garners at an event recently and told them so, a lot of people were equally concerned, but on watching a second time, I changed my mind...the Garners did ballroom to everything and lost their dynamism and confidence when doing the hip-hop, which is where they lost marks anyway. Their Argentine Tango wasn't real AT and overall, while their ballroom was bloody better than I could do, the winning couple just had "it" across the board, rather than just in a few of the dances...

[ShyDancer]

You bring up and interesting point MadamSamba ...... I only wish I had it on video to watch again!

I suppose its because I have been heavily into ballroom and latin dvds and videos that I came to that conclusion..... I couldnt identify with a single move in the hip hop. I guess its harder for me to judge something I know little about.

But Ill keep watching!

[MadamSamba]

The show has captured more than 1 million viewers each Friday (that's a lot for Australia where our population is only 20 million). It's doing really well and, I believe, they're already planning a second season.

[Genesius Redux]

Sounds kewl--wish I could get it here in the states. Guess I'll have to be happy with "Average Joe." :)

[ShyDancer]

Ive been reading through the "Have your Say" section on the website, I find it interesting that the same conversations were going on regarding the Garners...

Im still watching every week though . I was pretty disappointed in this weeks show though...there was one couldple that was very good inthe street latin section, but I feel all of them lacked energy (perhaps Ive wathed Burn The Floor too many times over this past week!)


Sounds kewl--wish I could get it here in the states. Guess I'll have to be happy with "Average Joe."

Poor you :lol: I cant stand that show, and I am a serious reality TV junkie!

[Genesius Redux]

Sounds kewl--wish I could get it here in the states. Guess I'll have to be happy with "Average Joe."

Poor you :lol: I cant stand that show, and I am a serious reality TV junkie!

Hey don't knock it, you! They've got the original Average Joe back on, and it looks like it's gonna be a pretty good season! Granted, the resolution of the last season was pretty lame--but we already had a great first show of the new one. I know where I'll be Monday night.... :wink:

[MadamSamba]

Hey, guys. I just posted this (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2844) in the ballroom thread.

Though it focuses on modern ballroom dancing, there's a substantial mention of Strictly Dancing.

[salsachinita]

Any one seen the latest Strictly Dancing...?

:x One of the dances was meant to be salsa, but the band actually played a merengue :shock:....!

I was soooo shocked & outraged......! Even if the people behind the scene has NO idea about music, the BAND should know better!

Grrrrrr.........makes me so mad! What a disgrace!

[SDsalsaguy]

Any one seen the latest Strictly Dancing...?

:x One of the dances was meant to be salsa, but the band actually played a merengue :shock:....!

I was soooo shocked & outraged......! Even if the people behind the scene has NO idea about music, the BAND should know better!

Grrrrrr.........makes me so mad! What a disgrace!
WOW! That's rediculous!!! And worse yet... it even made it to air that way? This isn't a live broadcast, right? Sheesh!

[salsachinita]

And worse yet... it even made it to air that way? This isn't a live broadcast, right? Sheesh!

:x Worse still........I havn't heard ANY complains yet...... :roll: !

[SDsalsaguy]

You're kidding, right? :shock:

Please tell me you're kidding... :headwall:

[salsachinita]

You're kidding, right? :shock:

Please tell me you're kidding... :headwall:

Seriously, I am NOT kidding :headwall: !

That's why I am posting here........I am trying to fish for complains......

ShyDancer, MadamSamba, complains, anyone.....? Where are my Aussie mates...?

[ShyDancer]

Are you talking about week 8 ?

I thought there was something "off" about the music but couldnt place it until I read this! It seemed the dancers were al little off beat and I dont recall any of them finsihing on time either.
(My experience in Salsa is only 2 months long and Ive only had a couple of lessons in Merengue)
Serioulsy some of the music on that show is terrible, they would be better off with a CD than a live band IMO , :shock: :shock: Sure you wouldnt get the full effect of the instuments from a CD but at least the tempo would be right. Id get frustrated dancing off tempo.

I noticed a lot of the Cha Chas are slow too...or is that just me?

[salsachinita]

The real problems, IMO, is that the competitors focus soley on their routine, quite often forgetting to dance with the music.

I am going to drive everyone nuts about this one, but dancers really need to get out there at the clubs for real experiences....at least a little bit, to really test their abilities in coping with a few different thrown-in elements not present in a controlled environment.

The ability to improvise (comfortably) is a huge plus for something like this......

*yes, I agree with you, ShyDancer, the band really isn't the best.......any of our regular latin bands from Melbourne will kick their @$$......*

[johnnywalker]

I was quite interested to read through this thread which I stumbled upon as, having been in the studio audience a few times and watching it on tv on the other occassions I have to agree that the dancing can be quite bad and not often performed in time with the music. This is especially so with the salsa where the dance is barely recognisable from some of the contestants. Apparently the contestants are told three weeks in advance what dances they will be competing in but I don't think they are told what music they will be performing to. I like the idea of having dancers of various backgrounds (ie styles) competing on a 'level playing field' (although I think they could have included some styles and excluded others). There will also be a second series as the ABC have apparently signed off on it. Janice, one of the judges and also an instructor of mine was kind enough to give me the gossip. I'm not certain, Salsachinita, if you know or have heard of Oliver from Latin Motion Dance Academy in Sydney. He was also an instructor of mine. He had apparently entered the competition but was unsuccessful. Interestingly, he will be in episode 11 despite failing to qualify (don't know how that worked out). Considering he has competed internationally and has won various competitions it doesn't make sense to me how some of (dare I say) lesser ability have managed to qualify. Anyway, just my two cents worth.

[Pacion]

Hmmm. I wonder if the reason Oliver "didn't make it" was because he would have shown up the other contestants? :roll:

[johnnywalker]

Hmmm. I wonder if the reason Oliver "didn't make it" was because he would have shown up the other contestants? :roll:

Don't know the answer to that one but it couldn't have been his credentials because one of the contestants (who has recently had to pull out due to other commitments) has performed in Burn the Floor. By the way, she pulled out because she is going to perform in the same show again. There are also Ballroom dancers who have competed in various titles and quite a number of teachers from various schools and styles. I feel sorry for the female/female dancers as some of the judges seem to hold some kind of prejudice.

[salsachinita]

See, sometimes I really don't blame a lot of our local legends (who put in the time out there on the club floors for no other reasons other than the love of salsa as a lifestyle) who simply will not take part in cometitions of this nature....!

I've yet to dance with Oliver......, but everyone I know who have danced with him said that he is an amazing lead. He has taught some of my friends too. Pacion, did you get to dance with him in Syd....?

I'm sure they didn't put Oliver out there for the reason stated by Pacion..!

*Off topic: My personal favourite (besides all the recently arrived Cubans) from Sydney is Ricardo, from Salsa Repubic. He dances Cuban Casino like a true Cubano 8) *

[Pacion]

Pacion, did you get to dance with him in Syd....?

Yes I did :banana:

I also have some photos of him and Natalie when they performed at the Paris Salsa Congress 2003, which I will upload to the Photo Album when I came, hopefully over the next few days. From recollection, I got a few nice ones of them :D

[dancingdragon]

I'm not certain, Salsachinita, if you know or have heard of Oliver from Latin Motion Dance Academy in Sydney. He was also an instructor of mine.

Oooh, you're so lucky! Oliver and Natalie came over here last year for Jambalaya, which is a new South American music and dance festival held in Taupo at Easter weekend. They're back this year I believe, but unfortunately I can't make it to Jambalaya this year. I was lucky enough to go to three of their workshops and not only were they fantastic dancers but extremely funny and fantastic teachers. :notworth: We were tempted to move to Sydney just so we could take his classes! I can't believe he didn't make it into the show. I wish we got it here in NZ so I could check it out - but from reading all the posts, it sounds like it would be more frustrating than enjoyable to watch! :shock:

[johnnywalker]

Yeah, Oliver and Natalie are pretty cool. I fixed a couple of PCs for them ages ago and talking to them outside of the dance environment is interesting. They're good people. I don't know if this is common knowledge but Natalie was near the opening scene of Mission Impossible 2. She is the Flamenco dancer; a style she has performed and taught for years appearently.
To me, Oliver is such a fluid looking dancer. His moves appear so effortless and smooth. I'd love to be able to dance like that.
I think part of the problem Salsachinita has raised is possibly (and I might get flamed for this) that those sorts of 'competitions' and other events are dominated by the ballroom, jazz and ballet community. Mind you, I also learn ballroom and Swing. But I say this because I attended a dance expo some years ago in which many schools and styles were represented. Oliver and Co were there and most schools were given an opportunity to perform for approx 5-10 minutes on stage. It was disheartening to see that when they were on performing their wonderful salsa moves the crowds thinned. It was only when the schools teaching jazz and ballet performed that the area filled with people wanting to watch the performances. It was almost as though salsa was not understood by a lot of the people there. However, at least there is more involvement and exposure during the Bacardi Festival in January. That really draws a lot of people which is great for salsa and other latin styles.

[Pacion]

It is my understanding that Oliver has an extensive ballroom/latin background (was competing and winning in his early teens?) therefore, he would be more well rounded than some of the other competitors, I think. I could be wrong, as I don't know the other dancers involved, but that is my suspicion. :?

[johnnywalker]

It is my understanding that Oliver has an extensive ballroom/latin background (was competing and winning in his early teens?) therefore, he would be more well rounded than some of the other competitors, I think. I could be wrong, as I don't know the other dancers involved, but that is my suspicion. :?

You're right Pacion, he is definitely well rounded. I used to attend a Dancesport Ballroom school which Oliver previously attended. The owner and teacher, who was himself an international champion, mentioned Oliver competing in Latin in the UK. Can't recall what year that was. I have yet to ask Janice who is one of the judges on the show what criteria the people must meet. There just doesn't seem to be any standardisation for selection and point scoring. It's a bit messy but will hopefully be addressed in the second series. With luck they'll take on board many of the suggestions on from the feedback on their site. Also, I hope they included more Swing/Rock and Roll styles as there doesn't appear to be any representation there other than jive.

[ShyDancer]

Just thought Id pop on here and share with everyone that on the last episode they had their first Male couple....and they won!
Not by their technical score, although they did a pretty mean Tango! , but by their X-factor (ie presence as a couple, appeal to the audience). They beat the 2nd placed couple by less than a point.

I have to admit that watching their first dance felt strange, but getting into their technique, they were pretty good!

[EatSleepDance]

Too bad there aren't any dance reality TV shows (to my knowledge) in the United States... that would be awesome! :D

P.S. Check out my post in the Ads forum... I'm performing!

[salsachinita]

Just thought Id pop on here and share with everyone that on the last episode they had their first Male couple....and they won!
Not by their technical score, although they did a pretty mean Tango! , but by their X-factor (ie presence as a couple, appeal to the audience). They beat the 2nd placed couple by less than a point.

I have to admit that watching their first dance felt strange, but getting into their technique, they were pretty good!

Yep, I thought they were cool, a bit comical at times, too!

I had actually witness gay guys dancing salsa at this club (just for them!) in L.A. They were pretty cool 8) .

Back to the show, I reckon the boys might have faced bigger challenges if the other couples were stronger. One couple got injured before the show, and out of the 3 couples competed, one couple were near newbies. So there really wasn't that much real competition there.

On the other hand, Oliver faced much tougher competition on the previous episode. He could (and deserve to) have won if he had better X factor with his partner :? .........

What do you all (Aussies) think?

[MadamSamba]

I missed it, SalsaChinita, but that's pretty slack...sheesh. Mind you, you'd think the judges would know better and it's not like the show is live...

[ShyDancer]

I felt terrible for that newbie couple! They were way out of their league, I dont know how they made it past the auditions...maybe they were lacking applicants.

I agree that it wasnt much of a competition though :?

[Sagitta]

Too bad there aren't any dance reality TV shows (to my knowledge) in the United States... that would be awesome! :D

P.S. Check out my post in the Ads forum... I'm performing!

There will be. Check out this thread....http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=3487 :D

[ShyDancer]

Did anyone catch the Grand Final?

I really thought that Tanya & Andy should have won after it came down to the X-Factor score. They had it won at the end of the technical scores (wasnt their Samba awesome!)
I thought that Tony Gauci was very biased toward Linda and Adrain all night, he top scored them in everything, I think they are great dancers but that X-Factor of 18 was too high. Their audience appeal wasnt all that great.

Oh well congrats to Linda and Adrian anyway,,they worked just as hard as anyone else!

[salsachinita]

I thought Tanya & Andy should have won too!

To be honest I find the entire show extremely ballroom bias. Especially with a band that seemed to play all the wrong music when it came to the 'Street' category......I mean, the best club dancers (or any dancer, for that matter) can't possibly work with music not right for the dance (no clave whatsoever for salsa*)......!

*we ALL know the clave is NOT ALWAYS audible, but it should still be THERE.......this band seemed to play easy-listening tropical holiday music instead*

[ShyDancer]

Have you seen they have a CD out salsachinita? its on the abc's website.
I dont think Ill be rushing out to get it :lol: :lol:

I was thinking along the same lines as you about the show being Ballroom bias...but I love Ballroom so it doesnt bother me :lol:
And I didnt see one couple that excelled ,or in my somewhat uneducated opinon on jazz and hip-hop, were good at it. The one couple I remember saying that Hip-Hop and Jazz was their style scored the lowest against the Ballroom couples.

[salsachinita]

Have you seen they have a CD out salsachinita? its on the abc's website.
I dont think Ill be rushing out to get it :lol: :lol:

Great Christmas pressie for someone you don't like :lol: :lol: :lol: !

I wonder if we DF members know anyone who actually went to the audition for the second series :? .
GianCarlo & Liz (Latinissimo) went to the audition for the first series but pulled out. I wonder if any of their students might go this time...? Or any of Oliver's students...(updates, JohnnyWalker?)?

How about people in the ballroom scene? Anyone you know?

This time they'd better have a band who knows their stuff :evil: ! Or just play CD music instead!

With soooooo much talented musicians here, it's no excuse having a band like that :x !

[Ashley]

I'm jealous that you Aussies get to watch a show with ballroom, and there's also Strictly Come Dancing in the UK. All we get in the US is "The Bachelor" :P

[salsachinita]

To all you Aussies out there, I'm reviving this thread 8) !

Anyone caught the new episode of Season 2 (was it the first one? Did I miss any?) last Friday?

I thought that the quality of the dancers just wasn't as strong as the first season. Could it be just an isolated incident, or are there (I know for a fact that some people I know could do well but won't enter) stronger dancers out there who (judging by the first season) decided not to enter :? ?

Thoughts? Comments?

*I like the inclusion of Jaime Jesus (a well-known salsero in Sydney) as part of the judging panel, about time they have some real representation from a non-ballroom backgroung*