The Rest of the Russell Ferguson Story
I’m sure that people won’t like me talking about this, but when has this ever stopped me before? First, I should make it clear that when I write posts like this I’m mostly disappointed with the producers of SYTYCD and not Russell. However, one of the problems with writing a blog and being so involved in a show like SYTYCD is that you find out all the background story that the producers have chosen not to tell you. A part of me LOVES to know “the rest of the story” and the other part of me feels betrayed by the producers of the show. Either way, it is what it is and I still LOVE watching the dancers on SYTYCD. I think this is likely to never change.
With that preface, I was disappointed to read about all the formal dance training that Russell Ferguson had before going on SYTYCD. Here’s a short section of an interview Russell did with People.com where he talks about the dance training he had before the show:
You’ve often been referred to as a “street dance” diamond in the ruff but you’ve had some dance education, right?
I’ve been doing hip-hop all my life. So, I figured if I was going to take on any big dance projects later in life, I would have to learn other things to be well-rounded in the dance field. I did four years at Boston Arts and I did a good year at The University of the Arts, so I got a good amount of training in.The judges portrayal of you as this unpolished stone. Was that accurate?
They know I had some form of training. But the thing is, a lot of people that do train, like that is what they do, that is their dance style, that’s their lifestyle. And me, I really did just come from the streets.
5 years of formal training? That’s a little more than just coming from the street. As I think back on some of the comments the judges made about Russell, you can tell that they knew about this information and were trying to maintain the persona that Russell was a “street dancer” without outright lieing. For example, I remember Nigel saying something like, “You’re basically an untrained dancer.” Then, he went on to compare him to Legacy when Nigel said, “You’re like Legacy, but you point your toes.” The interesting part is that I think Legacy actually is an untrained dancer. Russell is not.
Of course, when Russell won I think we all realized where he’d come from was the street. I absolutely adore that he won the show. I also loved how raw and real his reaction was when he won. I know some people didn’t like it too much, but to me it was beautiful. I’m not sure why he took his shirt off, but he was living in a moment that he probably thought he’d never experience. I don’t know all his background, but I bet Russell really does have a story to tell about where he came from and how he made it to an arts college and now as winner of SYTYCD. You could see the story in his face and in the face of his family.
This won’t be the first or the last time the producers don’t tell the whole story about dancers. I remember the outrage about this short post I did about Twitch dancing in Hairspray. No one had an issue that Twitch was in Hairspray. It was that the show acted like he hadn’t done anything like it before. To be honest, I’m amazed that the producers told us that Mollee was the principal dancer on all 3 High School Musicals. I guess they probably figured most people would find that one out anyway.
I don’t think any of this diminishes the quality of the dancing and the entertainment value that their dancing brings to me when I watch the show. All of that is amazing and it’s great that Russell can go out and do a Krump routine and follow it up with some ballroom. Is it just too much for me to wish that the producers didn’t produce the show so much. Probably.
i see where you’re coming from and i do agree.
there is definitely a lot of ‘backstage magic’ that goes on.
Yay! You changed the title. I feel that the tappers also got that wrap of thats all they do which isnt true. I could tell by watching Russell that he has some training. We are heading into season seven now and honestly if I was a “street” dance, I would take as many dance classes I could to prepare. If people knew that about Russell who knows the results could have been different…maybe Jakob would have won or Kathryn.
I think the other title would have gotten more readers;-)
I’m cool with dancers going and taking more classes. I think it’s fantastic. I even love for them to have danced professionally before the show. That’s all cool for me. Just don’t lead me to believe that’s the case when it’s not.
It would have been interesting to know how it might have been different had America known Russell’s full history. Same could be said for Mollee had they not told America she was principal dancer for HSM. Would she have lasted longer?
Russell even said he’d had formal training during his audition.
Mary: “Are you trained in other styles?”
Russell: “Yes.”
Mary: “What styles have you trained in?”
Russell: “Ballet, modern, tap, jazz, African…”
Nigel: “Have you ever krumped and tapped, fused them together?”
Russell: “Actually, yes, I have.”
And it was really evident from his audition that he was drawing on contemporary experience. I was peeved all season long about the attempts to hide Russell’s training. I can’t blame Russell, who was no doubt told to pretend he was completely inexperienced, but Nigel should be ashamed of himself.
Says something about us, too, doesn’t it, though? People bought into it, despite his beautiful form and his audition comments.
In the end, of course, he was a deserving winner (as would any of the top four have been). So I’m happy about that.
Bryant,
I do vaguely remember that during Russell’s audition. However, I didn’t remember it by the time it was at the top 20. We’re quick to forget stuff I guess.
Every reality TV show does it to a certain extent. In fact, it’s bound to happen even accidentally. I wouldn’t have minded it if it was an accident. Reminds me also of Susan Boyle having been found by Britain’s Got Talent and asked to audition. Simon Cowell deserves some credit as an actor since he absolutely knew what was coming on stage before he judged her.
Yeah, I remembered it because Kevin was also in the Boston auditions, and was also a hip hopper with some formal training.
It’s insulting because it implies that folks wouldn’t have liked Russell so much without the fiction.
But, on the other hand, we have a saying in the fiction-writing world. You have to lie to tell the truth. Wonder how right the producers were about how we’d feel if we knew Russell had that much training?
It’s a thought, but we’ll never know how it would’ve gone if they’d been upfront about his background instead of acting like they’d just found him on a sidewalk somewhere krumping.
I had actually forgotten that Russell admitted to having been trained in other styles…now that I read Bryant’s post it came back to me. In any event, it was VERY OBVIOUS to me that he had training in other styles and that Nigel was trying to make him out to be a dance novice. I wasn’t fooled for a second, even though I had forgotten about the interchange between Mary and Russell. There’s no way he would have even been in the top 20 without some form of training…same with Legacy.
You can tell from both Contemporaries, he must have had some sort of training. Not like Legacy who has never had technical training, Hip Hop training I do believe but he only learned how to point his toes from Kathryn. Most of these dancers have been trained outside their specialty but the show makes it seem like they are one trade dancers and are only given 2 days to learn a new style during the show. I don´t blame Russell for the ¨rough diamond¨ tag, the judges and producers do it for ratings.
Russell spoke a few times about having trained in other styles. First at his audition and second during Vegas week.
Aside from that, this is nothing new, they’ve been doing the same thing from the first season. It’s good casting, typical reality tv, and keeps people watching.
Personally I don’t see the harm. If people are foolish enough to completely fall for it to the point it may have changed their voting had they known otherwise then what can you do? This is how reality tv sucks people in. And if it wasn’t for them, there wouldn’t be a show.
Meh, I don’t care either way – I don’t follow dance outside of this show. I distinctly remember Russel’s auditions – didn’t Nigel make a joke about mixing krump and tap? It was a bit confusing when they started pretending like he’d never taken lessons.
I never got the impression that they were trying to fool us into thinking he was untrained. But the fact is, he’s a krumper, predominately self-trainted, who won the show. He has had some exposure and lessons in different styles (don’t think anyone could win without that), but saying he’s a “trained” dancer in those styles is a bit of a stretch.
I don’t feel this is a big deal, tbh.
Beth,
5 years of training is more than “some exposure and lessons” I’m glad he won. He is a great dancer.
It wasn’t exactly 5 years of lessons straight–it was an amalgam of different classes, taken at different levels, during that time. When you take that many different dance classes, while taking school classes, you aren’t exactly focusing and training in one. Plus, you never catch up to those who started when they were 3. That was my point. It’s not the same as saying he’s a “trained dancer” because of the connotations attached to that.
Agreed. He’s not a trained dancer, but he’s not an untrained dancer either.