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Can’t believe this.

Can’t even believe I’m going to say this.

Monday nights I used to do beginner ballet class; but now, since my teacher has in effect “graduated” me out of beginners.. ..

..I’ve been sucked in by Channel Ten’s Dance program!!

How to be sure it’s tragic: To mixed shame and amusement I must admit that tonight I cheered as the 2 dancers I consider the best (Talia & Gianne) were included in the Top 10.

Any other honest suckers for this programme out there?

TZ.

Not a sucker for dance programs,  but I’ve watched ‘Lost in Austen’ avidly, and found it highly diverting.  Is that tragic enough?

I’ve watched ‘Lost in Austen’ avidly, and found it highly diverting.

Yes that is highly tragic! 

But that comes from a person who watches Dance regularly, if you count Sunday nights and the last 15min of Monday nights regular.

I normally back the underdogs, and I know it’s bad to wish some people got eliminated but I was jumping with joy when Danny got eliminated.  However that joy was short-lived when I found out that Lamb got eliminated too…oh well.  Go Timomatic!

Hope no-one’s offended if I say that it seems a little unusual to hear of guys being interested in a dance competition program (unless they’d been involved in dance themselves when younger - do you have any background in dance Arthur?).

Or else the world is changing too rapidly and I don’t get out enough anymore to notice it!!

I should clarify a few things.

I like some of the choreography on Dance (some of them are a bit icky though), I’m mostly unimpressed with the costuming (due to perceived lack of modesty most of the time), and half the time I press the mute button so I don’t have to hear the words of the song used for any routine (because many songs used are too mushy and I could do without hearing them)!!

(Although I liked that routine done to “So What?” a few weeks ago. That looked like fun.)

TZ.

Tia Zheng - 17 March 2009 10:36 PM

Hope no-one’s offended if I say that it seems a little unusual to hear of guys being interested in a dance competition program (unless they’d been involved in dance themselves when younger - ... ).

Or else the world is changing too rapidly and I don’t get out enough anymore to notice it!!

No, not offended Tia - just surprised that such a sexist opinion could be held by anyone living in modern metropolitan Sydney ;)  After all it’s only about watching a TV show - usually with a spouse or daughter - it’s not as if us guys are rushing out to enrol in ballet school en masse ;) Perhaps you are under a misunderstanding of the role of the ‘feminine’ side of men’s brains ?

Why we even visited another ‘big’ church on Sunday - and, immediately after the sermon, two young ladies did an interpretative dance - to a very moving song. The whole congregation were moved to applaud at the end - and not one male member walked out in protest ! Yes, the world has moved on - and, as you suggest,  you really oughta get out more often ;)  Been to the NRL or AFL ballet lately ?

Haha I actually watch it myself.  I find it a good watercooler topic for church and work, and enjoy most of the routines too.  In fact I reckon the quality this season is better than the last one, in the sense that there aren’t any flat out lousy routines this time around.  Some stood out and are favourites of course, as Tia has previously pointed out.

Don’t have any formal dance background but have extensive musical background, funny I don’t watch the Idol shows anymore though.  And intend to remain a couch potato when it comes to dance!

Arthur Lee - 18 March 2009 08:39 AM

I actually watch it myself.  I find it a good watercooler topic for church and work…

That’s a good point Arthur. As we have been reminded about the need to connect with people, the old “watercooler topic” approach is an excellent way to engage with people and build on relationships. Do any folk try to demonstrate the best dance moves from the night before ? That would be a “kodak” moment - or a chance for You Tube.

Kevin Goddard - 18 March 2009 05:09 AM

Been to the NRL or AFL ballet lately ?

Not in person, if you mean going to the footy - too expensive for me (even when I’m employed!). I watch it sometimes on TV, esp. if it’s State of Origin - but it looks a lot more dangerous and injury-prolific than pure classical ballet!

TZ.

Footy isn’t expensive, $22 gives you General Admission into most games which covers the undercards.  So typically up to three matches and half-time entertainment.

When I go to footy there are plenty of females there too.

i like the footy, but i also like what Matt Chandler says about them. “Grown men paying money to cheer and wave flags at 18 year olds playing with a ball, there has to be something wrong with that”

Steve Carlisle - 20 March 2009 05:34 PM

i like the footy, but i also like what Matt Chandler says about them. “Grown men paying money to cheer and wave flags at 18 year olds playing with a ball, there has to be something wrong with that”

Do you know what’s wrong with your statement, Steve ? Matt talks about ‘grown men’ - note that he doesn’t use the phrase “grown-up” men ;)

Free tickets to a concert in which your son is playing beautiful music and a chauffeur driven ride through the streets of Sydney, courtesy of your son-in-law enthuses me much more.

David McKay - 21 March 2009 11:24 AM

Free tickets to a concert in which your son is playing beautiful music and a chauffeur driven ride through the streets of Sydney, courtesy of your son-in-law enthuses me much more.

Tell us more David. We are looking forward to reading your ‘review’.

Fantastic concert. We knew Danny was a great guitarist, and now know Zoe Black is a terrific violinist.

See D’aujourd’hui

Phew!  I didn’t want Loredo or Gianne to go (they were hard done by by bad choreo), but at least Timomatic survived for another week :=).

Don’t know if I have the correct program, but I saw Ian Dicko Dickson interviewed about being on this or a similar program.

Did you see the interview? Pretty sobering information.

I was disappointed that Gianne had to go - but at least Talia’s safe for another week. Felt sad for Loredo, just because he himself looked unhappy about leaving.

Dicko was definitely present at one of the competition nights for SYTYCD. I know because I’m a true tragic - looking over Gianne’s blog on the website, she’d made a comment recently that Dicko had come up to her after a performance and told her that he thought her dancing was the best.

What was the interview about, David?

TZ.

P.S. Viva Gianne!! (At least I’m not screaming wildly like all the girls in the live audience.)

I don’t know how to say this delicately, but Dicko said that the dancing makes the dancers very horny and sometimes they have to stop the dancing to get relief. Don’t mean to be rude.

He also said that being on the show has broken up relationships and upsets people’s partners when they see them doing the raunchy dances with others.

I am wondering if this is something Christians should promote.

I’m sensing some sort of disconnect here.  Never knew about Dicko being involved on this show, it’s not like he’s one of the three adjudicators or something.

As for the raunch factor, my opinion is just that and may offend but it’s more whether you want to think of that when you see people dance.  [Lust] is not a mindset that naturally goes to my head when seeing this, but rather the quality of the dances.

David,

“You’re a brave man, Charlie Brown”  for telling it like it is, is all I can say in response. However, you have reminded me of why Baptists don’t have sex standing up - because it might lead to dancing !

I’ve never heard of Ian Dicko Dickson, but I googled and found the interview with Andrew Denton.  It was ‘Dancing with the Stars’, and the Rumba (?) was the dance he said was very sexual.  I think David is thinking of the effect on the participants, rather than the audience?  Questioning whether we should be in favour of a form of entertainment if it has such unhelpful effects on the participants?  I don’t know whether the dance on ‘So you think you can dance’ is comparable.

Kevin, it’s a great joke, but I think that some kinds of dancing are undeniably sexual, and ought to be done only with your spouse and I’m not only talking about the horizontal cha cha.

David, you are so right. Some of these TV dance shows should only be ‘seen’ on the radio ;)
But would the reception be better on FM than AM ?

Maybe Anglican Media could produce a dance show itself with Christian themes. What sort of new dances can we think of ? Bishops a-go-go, Curate’s novice step, Parish Council’s passing-the-buck, Warden’s Wiggle, Choir-robe rag, Vestry vamp…. Any others ?

Hi all,

David McKay - 24 March 2009 10:30 PM

I am wondering if this is something Christians should promote.

Apologies if I’ve given anyone the impression I’m “promoting” this dance program. It was not at all my intention.

As I said earlier, I’m not always comfortable with the choreography the dancers must rehearse/perform on SYTYCD. I’m not in favour of the more lurid styles (ie. really any dance style of Latin American origin, incl. rumba, salsa, samba, tango, etc.). Nor am I often comfortable with the music used for routines. But having started ballet training 5 years ago, it’s interesting to watch the dancers’ expression, especially their heads and shoulders - and occasionally, sifting through the worldly muck, there is a routine - or solo - that has decent (=raunch-less) choreography to decent backing music, which dancers like Talia, Gianne (even with her Brazilian dance roots) and Chanelle (before blondes were voted off the show) can do just beautifully.

My true preferences are to pure classical ballet set to the music of Tchaikovsky and the like - unfortunately the closest that Ten’s program ever gets to this is probably “lyrical” (and to borrow an expression from the willow-and-leather world, lyrical is “just not ballet”).

If we discuss TV programs, which we’ve done in the past on the old http://www.sydneyanglicans.net fora, maytheyrestinpeace, is that equated with promoting those TV programs?

Perhaps this is something we could clarify?

Regards,
Tia Z.

If we discuss TV programs, which we’ve done in the past ......, is that equated with promoting those TV programs?

Most definitely Tia - ‘guilt by association’ etc - you know how judgemental we can be . How dare you lead us astray ;)

No, it’s all right. Besides, ‘to the pure all things are pure’. Appreciation of the arts has always been ‘questioned’ by the un-arty.

He also said that being on the show has broken up relationships and upsets people’s partners when they see them doing the raunchy dances with others.

Well normally the tabloids and related websites would be all over this “jealousy” issue with a myriad of articles if there were one, but I don’t see any such articles.  May I suggest that Dicko - who is not of Channel Ten - is overblowing the situation.  Though as an aside, there was some controversy some while ago about one of the SYTYCD contestants posing for a men’s mag.  While wrong, I choose to simply support someone else.

If you’re looking at the dances themselves, the majority aren’t even subtly sexual (though maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention).  That compares sharply with M+ classification rated programs with sexual content.  May I suggest watching the show before making your mind up.

My true preferences are to pure classical ballet set to the music of Tchaikovsky and the like - unfortunately the closest that Ten’s program ever gets to this is probably “lyrical” (and to borrow an expression from the willow-and-leather world, lyrical is “just not ballet”).

Thought there was a dance near the end of Sunday’s show that was classical-style, or perhaps I’m confused about the types of dance :=).