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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 3:41 am
I guess I just saw the first show and didn't record if it was on tonight. I wasn't overly impressed with the show and the judging, though I thought the monks were good. I think "contrived" is a good word for it, at least the first show that I saw.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 7:44 am
Nothing else was on so I watched. Lol the judges crack me up with their comments an I was like dayummmm. I do like how the Chinese judge doesn't comment at all, just gives his score lol. I enjoyed the US group dance.
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Shelb724
Member
10-20-2002
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 7:59 am
I don't know that I'll watch this again. I do like the Indian dancing though. I have seen that live and it is really an amazing thing to watch. I am entirely done with the Irish riverdancing though. Every dance they have done is from Riverdance. I know that music and it is all from there. I figured I'd give it a chance (and it was something that my daughters and I watched together while they were home from college), but once they are back at school, I don't think i'll be watching anymore.
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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 8:14 am
no comment on the south african duet? boy was that young man hot to watch i thought the second night was much better than the first and loved the US group along with the south african duet - and even though the argentina duet got booted and probably deserved it for a lack of actual dance, i enjoyed watching their goucho (sp?) routine loving the russian judge 
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 8:31 am
Oh yeah I forgot I loved the Indian dancing.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 8:51 am
I haven't seen last night's episode yet, but from finally watching Sunday's... 1. Michael Flatley has no business hosting ANY show, ever. Egads, he's horrible. 2. The camera people need to learn how to be camera people and get the shots. There was a point when the cabaret dancers (towards the end) were doing some really creative moves, and the cams were on a long shot. So far away, you couldn't see the intricacy of the moves. Eejits. 3. I'm not so sure I'd call most of what these people do "dancing." At least, not in the normal sense of the word. It's more like "exhibitions." You know, like the exhibition skating that they do at the Olympics after all is said and done, and there are no rules and you can lift and toss and do whatever? So many of the "dancers" just did tricks. And while tricks are cool, an entire routine of all tricks and no dance? Yawn... Not liking the South African judge at all. He seems way too arrogant ("we've seen much better in our country") and is almost constantly (so far) the lowest scoring judge of 'em all. I'll watch last night's episode, but that may be the last one I watch. Too bad, too, as I was really looking forward to this show!
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Danzdol
Member
04-21-2001
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 9:30 am
watched very little of this. The minute Pasha and Anya came on and she kept stumbling out of her turns and several judges gave them a 10 I knew it was time to change the channel. Still bitter from the SYTYCD judges calling Anya the "best" ballroom dancer they have ever had on the show..huh? what? the best? didn't think it then, still don't think it now. How do you get a 10 when you stumble out of your turns and dance clunky the entire time? I also agree, this is NOT the best from each style. I mean, seriously, c'mon. Not wasting my time.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 10:08 am
Yeah, I don't think she's all that, either. And I did catch her stumbling out of at least one turn (mostly I wasn't really watching them at all). She's also not got a fluid body when she dances, which bugs me no end. (Maybe she needs more Pilates? )
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 11:09 am
I'm in the middle of watching last night's show and I'm realizing why I'm not enjoying this, other than enjoying watching the different styles. All of the judging is subjective. There is no criteria (at least not that we know of). And the styles are so different, how can someone judge a style with which he or she is not familiar? I know this is beating a dead horse but I'd like to see a dance competition like this where they put the countries up head to head. Each pair must do a specific ballroom style, each group must do a dance same as all the others, and so on. And then each country can do one dance that is in the style unique to their country. For example, I'm bored out of my mind watching the Irish step dancers (single, pair, group... they all step and only step). How can you compare a woman doing Irish step to the African woman who danced a story from her heart? Maybe this is a relic from watching so much ice skating during my formative years, but they had some very specific things on which to judge, and then there was one "presentation" which would have been subjective.

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Ketchuplover
Member
08-30-2000
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 12:48 pm
Robert Muraine over that Argentina gal? Really?
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Allietex
Member
08-16-2002
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 2:12 pm
Too much to watch last night to even record it. Between the Fiesta Bowl, the Spurs, and reruns of Lost, I couldn't watch. Actually forgot about it anyway. Was not impressed the first night.
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Curlyq
Member
07-10-2002
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 7:24 pm
I loved the group Indian dance. I guess it wasn't complicated enough to impress the judges, but that's why I liked it. They were so joyous. It didn't just make me think "Heck, I could do that." It made me think "I want to do that, too." Didn't enjoy the lady who was screaming and shaking, but that's probably a cultural thing. To me it felt more like acting than dancing. Who are Pasha and Anya? Was that the Australian couple with the girl who looked just like Tracy Ullman? Nevermind. I found the clip online. Oddly enough, I have no memory of watching that the first time. Either it was that forgettable or I fast forwarded it by accident. I think Costacat's right. It's uncomfortable to have a competition where one culture's dance is considered superior to another's, and for that judgment to be based on nothing but the personal taste of the judges. The Chinese performances are always entertaining, but they're getting creamed because their idea of dancing isn't like that of other countries. Instead of having "superstars" come out and compete for personal pride, it's the cultures that are competing.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 8:01 pm
Pasha and Anya are the Russian ballroom dancers. Both of them were on SYTYCD. Pasha went further than Anya (who seemed to have a wee bit of an attitude) mostly cuz he danced with his shirt unbuttoned down to THERE. The Chinese seem to be more involved in martial arts. Which, while it may have aspects of dance in it, is definitely NOT a dance style. There was also a Russian dance, wasn't there, with weapons? Sorry, not a dance either, if you bounce around brandishing a weapon! Also there was the acrobat team. While what they did was absolutely PHENOMENAL (on pointe? on his SHOULDERS? while he MOVED????), it was in no way dancing. Acrobats, while incorporating dance moves, are not dancers. I doubt I'll watch much more of this unless I catch it by happenstance. (Also not impressed Robert Muraine made it thru.)
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Curlyq
Member
07-10-2002
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 10:22 pm
That's just it, though. What is dancing? Do we judge it by our western standards, or is it one of those things that means different things to different people? Was the South African woman screaming and vibrating really dancing? She felt she was, and the judges seemed to think so although all they could point to was the emotion she expressed. It's so subjective. That leads to another question. Who decided which acts qualified to compete on the show in the first place, and based on what criteria?
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Catfat
Member
02-27-2002
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 12:36 am
And are these acts really the best in the world? Bleh. No more for me, this was just awful.
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Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 8:18 am
Yes, the South African woman "screaming and vibrating" was really dancing.
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Smokey
Member
07-08-2003
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 10:43 am
I'm glad I read about this show in here. I'd recorded this show and still haven't had time to watch it. I think I'll just delete it because I really don't need another show. I guess I was hopeful since the producers are the same as SYTYCD, which I love.
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Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 11:07 am
Smokey, I'd advise you to watch it for yourself. I don't necessarily care for the judges (except the Russian judge) but I enjoy the dancing.
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Beachcomber
Member
08-26-2003
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 4:48 pm
I loved the South African dancer, her dance told a story and you could tell she felt it in every fiber of her being. I do wish I could do that yodel/yell (not quite sure how to describe it) because it seems like it would be such a great stress relief! Can you imagine a woman letting loose with that in the grocery store line? LOL!
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Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 5:20 pm
For some reason, I really like the Chinese judge... in the small bits I've seen. I like when he gives his vote. Very authoritarian. (But, I'm not really watching it)
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Prisonerno6
Member
08-31-2002
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 5:51 pm
I enjoyed watching the South African gumboot dancers. I liked the history behind that dance, and understand a little more about step dancing now.
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Prisonerno6
Member
08-31-2002
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 5:52 pm
OH, and I think the female tapdancer suffered from bad song choice. I was distracted by the sounds of her taps not matching the sound of the typewriter in the song.
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Roteach
Member
06-01-2003
| Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 7:23 pm
Prisoner, I also liked the gumboot dancers. I could see some of the evolution of stepping there. I too enjoy the Russian and Chinese judges.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Thursday, January 08, 2009 - 8:16 am
I don't think the Chinese judge speaks any English, if at all. He never comments when he gives his score, and when Chinese dancers are on stage, he never talks about them. He just gives a score and that's that.
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Thursday, January 08, 2009 - 8:57 am
Prisoner, I agree about the female tap dancer. She not only didn't match the sound of the typewriter, she didn't match the beat at all. Her taps sounded sort of "mushy" to me, not crisp and precise like I usually hear with tap dancers. I also didn't like her attitude about the scores, and basically saying the judges didn't know what they were talking about. I didn't mind a bit seeing her eliminated.
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