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.
Since I was one of the people mentioning Evan in my comments, I’ll clarify that I wasn’t comparing Peter and Evan in my own comments. I was comparing the potential popularity of Nathan/Mollee and Evan’s from last season, and using that as an explanation for Nigel’s rant. A few of Evan’s dances last season (his ballrooms, for example) fell flat, and he didn’t find himself in danger any one of those times. And now Nathan/Mollee had a bad dance, and didn’t have to answer for it through the voting process. With season 5 still fresh in his mind, I think Nigel got caught up in the moment and said some rash things. It’s not excusable, and I’m glad he apologized.
Evan, as you said, is an incredible performer and an extremely hard worker. I never doubted that he put in 100% effort for every dance he did. He’s charismatic to boot. I was just comparing his extraordinary popularity to what might have saved Mollee/Nathan last night.
And, subjectivity in all of this is key, as your post explains. Different people react to different things, and there are differences between technicians and performers. For some, a technician can evoke strong emotions, while it’s a performer for another. I tend to like a blend of both myself, which is why I enjoyed Kayla and Kupono’s Addicition piece so much last season, for example. Perfect blend of technique and art in my opinion.
James, we must be on the same wave-length because I was thinking the same thing as I watched last night. As soon as I saw Nathan and Mollee’s dance, I knew they still weren’t going anywhere bc Nathan is so popular. I was never an Evan-hater last year, but it was unfortunate that dancers like Jason and Janette got eliminated before he did. You have to hand it to the guy, he’s a brilliant performer. I don’t know if Mia’s Butt Dance would have worked quite as well if he wasn’t the one dancing it. His unassumed dorkiness just worked so well, and he and Randi had a fantastic partnership.
I’m also with you on loving the blend of technique and performance. Kayla was the more talented dancer technique-wise, but Kupono just sold it when he performed. That smirk at the end of Addiction was just haunting.
@James G: Point well-taken. ;”) And I agree on the Mollee/Nathan side. I’ve enjoyed them, but I need them to prove they can step it up.
@Margaret: I agree entirely, especially about Kupono’s smirk.
I get that you can be a brillant dancer and technician, and have no performability (channeling Lil C here ;). I get that you dont have to be the BEST dancer, but if you are a GREAT performer – that can outweigh the talent I get that.
However….why does favorite have to outshine the best so much? I was kind of an Evan hater last season, im not gonna lie. He grew on me though. By the time I was watching the live tour and meeting him after the show, I was an Evan fan like the rest of them.
I understand that it’s America’s FAVORITE dancer (You don’t need to remind us AGAIN Nigel) I am just frustrated that one can outshine the other sooo much sometimes.
What this show can turn into though is the search for America’s CUTEST dancer. Hence- Mollee & Nathan not being in the bottom 3 last night. I don’t think they showed neither talent nor performance in that Salsa last night. They should have been in the bottom 3.
I was a big big Kayla fan last season. I thought she was soooo captivating in all her dances. She committed, and the fact that she is brilliant doesn’t hurt. I thought she was a great mix of performance and talent. When she hit that stage – something special was there.
I think Jeanine won because she just had a bigger personality and since she was also a fantastic dancer – it was a perfect mix for America. If I couldn’t have a Kayla win, I wanted a Jeanine win.
The fact that the target audience is teenage girls – obviously M & N are going to be fan favorites. They are adorable and young. But that shouldn’t carry you through the competition. I thought their disco was pretty good. I really enjoyed the Bollywood. And the salsa – well- it was more like bean dip (ba-zing!) They haven’t blown me away yet. I’m hoping to be proved wrong. They shouldn’t get to skate through the competition just on adorableness. I thought Nigel was harsh on them….but I thought he was right. They haven’t had to prove why they are there.
And that is my rant. at least some of it 😉 Hopefully it is coherent.
@Kayla: Thanks for your rant! I’m right with you re: Mollee and Nathan. It may knock better dancers out earlier than they should go, which does suck, but I have faith that *no one* will win merely on looks. If they don’t step up, they won’t make it. I went back and showed videos of their disco and Bollywood to a friend of mine (before I’d show her the salsa, she doesn’t watch the show) and I hate to admit it, but I just did not love the dances as much as I remembered. Whereas, Pauline/Peter’s Wade Robson gets better every time I watch it. :'(
Am I in the minority that really didn’t like their Bollywood routine? Maybe I was distracted by the background, or maybe I just couldn’t get Katee and Joshua’s out of my head. Something about Nathan and Mollee’s routine just didn’t perk my interest the way the other 2 Bollywoods did. I even liked Caitlin and Jason’s from last year better! K&J still takes the cake for me though.
Sometimes I think that when the judges are too harsh on dancers after a routine that they accidentally cause people to vote for that routine. I mean just before they opened the lines Nigel says “I think Nathan/Mollee are in trouble” I mean what a better way to get their supporters to go crazy voting? Anyone remember in s3 when Cedric/Shauna didn’t land in the bottom 3 after their contemporary routine that got torn apart by the judges?
Agree totally on the Bollywood – M&N routing was not as good as Caitlin &Jason and certainly not as good as Katee & Joshua. I really think it was a mistake to put Mollee & Nathan in the top 20 this year. They need a year to mature – but I guess the Producers “knew their audience” and put them in for all the young girls to vote for. Too bad. BTW, nice to see Nigel apologize via Twitter and also acknowledge that everyone hates the new set. Blech –
What a great discussion! I’d just like to sound off on a problem that I think SYTYCD has.
After watching this week (P&P going home, N&M being safe), I feel as if SYTYCD is becoming quite superficial, and Nigel was calling that out on the results show. Certainly the way he did so was quite rude, but I think that he is also realizing a fundamental problem.
As @Kayla pointed out, this is becoming “Ameriker’s Cutest Dancer” which is not the same as “Favourite Dancer”. I think to a certain extent, this is why Nathan and Mollee are coasting. They can do no wrong, because legions of fans will continue to vote for them. And that’s sort of scary as other very talented dancers are going to be cut.
I’m not trying to detract from how N&M are great dancers, but if you imagined any other couple pulling that sort of a performance, I’m pretty sure they would have been B3. N&M, I hope, will learn from this week, be thankful that they were saved by their impressive fans and work to validate the support of their fans.
@Mel, that’s a very interesting point. I was wracking my brain for a couple who was as young as N&M and the only 2 I could think of were Katee and Joshua (19 and 18) and Allison and Ivan (18 and 19). Putting all three of those couples next to each other, the couple I would take every time is Katee and Joshua. They had everything, personality, consistency and talent.
@Matthias: Yeah, I think there was a backlash against Nigel’s comments. Hopefully, if they don’t step up, they won’t continue to garner votes for likability/sympathy/cuteness. I think they can grow as dancers and together as a couple–but whether they can accomplish enough growth fast enough is the real question.
@Amie: I think Nigel just said he shouldn’t have yelled at the audience. I don’t think he’s actually apologized for the rough nature of his remarks to Nathan. Perhaps he will on Tuesday.
@Mel: I don’t think M/N have done badly enough before this past week to earn the Bottom 3. They certainly earned it this week, of course (and were saved because of an enormous popularity), but we’ve yet to see anything that indicates they’ll coast on looks or likability. The possibility is certainly there, but I think they both probably realized they were VERY lucky and will hopefully really step up their dancing from here on out.
@Margaret: It’s so strange to realize that M/N aren’t younger than so many other strong dancers, because they tend to seem MUCH younger. Wow, I forgot Katee and Joshua were about the same age. We’ll see if M/N can disappear into their characters and dances (like Katee/Joshua and other dancers), make us forget that they’re young goofy kids occasionally.