Rant about “Favorite” and “Best,” Peter and Evan

Hi gang –

I’m still mad about the elimination last night! Judging by how many of you have already commented, I probably don’t need a spoiler, but just in case…

Alright, I can get over losing a favorite. I can. I mean, I loved Kherington, who got… Kherington’d. And I mostly got over wanting to see more of Paris so early last season. And I did eventually stop talking about Natalie Reid getting cut.

Lemme get this out of my system and let me know if you agree. Or disagree.

Several of our readers have been comparing Peter to Evan, saying things like, “Nigel didn’t want another Evan, didn’t want another not-so-strong dancer going so far.”

Unfortunately, what I hate most about that comment (and those like it) is that I’m afraid it might be right. The idea that Evan didn’t earn his place in the Top 4 last season is alien to me, though. Evan is an incredible performer! I don’t think anyone said (even him) that he was as technically strong as someone like Brandon. But I (and many others agreed with me here, cause they voted) couldn’t take my eyes off of him when he danced.

And in that, he and Peter are similar. He has so much charisma and personality in his dances. He’s cute, yes, but it’s more that he lights up when he performs. And you want to watch him dance, which I just used as my definition of the “best,” in the comments here. I think we’d be lying to ourselves if we tried to find America’s “Best” Dancer, because we’ll all eternally disagree over who that is. And what that is.

While Kayla is a technically strong dancer, a beautiful dancer, I don’t invest in her performances as much as someone like Jeanine. The same goes for a dancer like Brandon, who is a gorgeous, technically skilled dancer. I’d much rather be looking at the goofy Broadway guy next to him. It’s early days yet, but I suspect that the same may be true of Ryan. Technically gifted dancer, but will he perform, disappear into his character and his dance, on the same level of some of the other guys. Sound off, if you’d like. 🙂

It reminds me of an argument I’ve had often with my writing friends (because writer is my day job and who I am). I maintain that there is a HUGE difference between a storyteller and a wordsmith. Some writers are lucky enough to be both – they get you invested in their character and story and they wrap it all up in artful word choice, powerful themes and beautiful language. But if I’m ever forced to choose between them, if there is gorgeous language, but no story or character for me to get carried away with, I’m going to choose the storyteller every time.

So I miss Peter. I want him back on the show, because his dancing captivated me and I was looking forward to seeing what he’d bring to the show. But I have faith in what Adam Tweeted – he’s gonna have a career. And I’m gonna keep watching him dance. Because he’s a dancer I can’t look away from – the best kind of dancer.