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I think Nigel was disappointed that Evan didn't adapt to other styles as well. The thing is, he did, but he's unfortunately being compared this season to dancers like Brandon or Kupono that can step inside a character. Any other season, his body of work would have fine. Timing is everything! I too was disappointed in the uncalled for mean-spirited judges comments directed at Evan.
I think they're far too hung up on the "solo" definition. But it's not fair to the ballroom dancers at all.Originally Posted by Fierce Critter;3644618;
Thanks
It would be a great way to get the viewing public involved. People could vote right after elims Thurs night. They would just have to announce the new couples early...or if they have a set rotation (my personal choice!!), we would already know who is dancing with whom. Just think, we could have given Evan one more B-way to hit it out of the park (hopefully WITHOUT garters!)
Uh, maybe just my own combination of chutzpah and delusional overconfidence?Well, that explains the certainty, anyway.
If we were talking about Brandon, I would go along with your scenario. Yes, as Jason and Ade leave, I would think that some of their fans would look at Brandon and decide to vote for him. (Although they were probably sharing votes with Brandon all the way through the competition. You can see that in the see-saw effect: When Jason did well in the Travis number, Ade fell to the bottom; when Ade did well in the Breast Cancer dance, Jason and Brandon fell.)
But Evans fans love what is unique about Evan. They weren't voting for anyone else. Good news for Evan, right? But the flip side of that is that Evan is polarizing. You are either won over by his winsome flights of nostalgia, or you are unmoved and notice that his upper body isn't really working very hard. People that have been watching the show most of the season have made up their mind already one way or the other about Evan.
And Evan was able to win people over to his side up to and including the "Butt Dance". But after he and Randi did the Mia number - they ran into a mess 'o trouble. Joey Dowling Broadway, multiple ballroom numbers that were either boring or unconvincing.
When you are on a run of bad routines, you can keep your fans if you are unique and charming. But you can't win new converts without dazzling routines. Evan desperately needed another Butt Dance to bring the public over for another look. And he hasn't had it. The My Fair Lady number was not the home run Team Evan required to expand the franchise.
So, that's what I base my Theory of Evan on. And I watched this exact (well, pretty much) scenario play out this year on American Idol. Danny Gokey got fans early with his backstory, shared them with no one, and kept them happy all season without winning any new converts. To the bitter end many assumed that he had an unbeatable fan base. Well, he did. But once the competition came to the phase where it was crucial to woo previously undecided voters - he didn't have the killer songs to make his case.
Of course, I may be totally wrong.
Well, last night shows you were pretty spot-on.
Good call.
I'm still reeling from the inappropriateness of many of the details associated with the routines thrown his way. Fosse Broadway instead of Kelly Broadway. Boxer shorts & stocking feet. Country music & crap wardrobe. I still can't quite get myself to cry "evil plot" because that would require getting the choreographers & wardrobe in on the scheming, and I just can't wrap my head around something that "sinister."
Yeah - and those were for the routines that were conceivably in his wheelhouse. I can understand the frustration. Evan has a unique magic and it seems criminal that he never had the chance to cast that spell inside the Top 10. Personally, I don't think the costumes were the problem in those numbers. They could have been great routines, but both of them were very blah choreography. The fact that they didn't really register was hardly Evan's fault - his partners didn't come out with glowing reviews either.
If I could re-arrange the season in any way to Evan's advantage, somewhere in the final weeks I would give him Tyce's Moses Supposes number that Phillip and Jeanine did in week 3 (same week that Randi and Evan did Butt Dance). I'm sure Tyce was hoping he would get Evan for that. (Wouldn't it be great if Evan and Jeanine do that routine on tour?!?!)
But this leads to the inevitable fairness issue. Evan's treatment on the show was fair because he was treated like any other dancer. He had the same range of routines that Brandon did, for example. What Evan needed to succeed was to have something tailored to his special gifts. But, is that fair to the other dancers? Essentially this is the Melissa Pas de Duex question. That's where the producers "broke the rules" and created something especially for her. That's a slippery slope I don't think they should travel down.
I think the "fairness" would be more along the lines of choreographers who would pattern routines to work a given dancer's strengths into a given style.
Seeing more of that in the early seasons I'm re-watching than I have over the past season. I'm seeing more egotism from choreographers this year than I ever have before.
I don't want to see bland, "dumbed-down" routines, not at all. Just more adapting the piece to the dancer.
I agree with that completely. To me, really good choreographers will tailor the routine to the strengths of the dancers they are given. That way, everyone shines, including choreographer. I hate it when the judges say so and so gave you a great routine but you failed to deliver. In the past couple seasons, this show has gotten more and more about the choreographers than the dancers, it seems.
I completely agree. It seemed like this used to be about the dancers and the choreographers were in the background more. I remember the judges sometimes acknowledging them, but not always. Then it shifted more to first acknowledge the choreographer then the dancer.
Evan was my favorite dancer this season. I know there were several others that were stronger and more versatile, but Evan always put a smile on my face. I loved watching him dance. I know he will have a great future, he will bring joy to many.
I totally agree with #1!I would have to agree that the show as is needs some revamping to "freshen" it up. By now we all know the drill.
My suggested changes:
1. have a male and female winner. the whole season is set up this way, why change at the very end?
2. rotate couples and assignments every week from the beginning. Using a spreadsheet, this is easy to figure out (don't ask me how I know this)
3. For Top 10, extend solos by 15-20 secs. Let us really see what they can do (and yes, if they are supposed to dance in their own style, then the ballroom dancers should be able to have a partner!)
4. Here's a radical idea: viewer's choice week! Let the viewers vote on the style for each couple. That would be FUN!
I'm sure I have plenty more ideas, but you get the idea!
#2 I'm not so sure about. I tend to get attached to power couples and I hate when they get detached. But, then again your suggestion would prevent me from getting attached in the first place. It would also prevent a dancer from being partnered with a weaker partner time after time.
#3 I agree decrease the juudges babble time. I swear on Youtube there would be an 8 min clip...and the shortest segment is the actual dancing. The judges babble takes up a good 5 min. The intro 2 min and the actual dances 1 min. Also, the ballroomers do look stupid dancing with a shadowpartner. They always get the short end of the stick when they have to dance a solo. I secretly wish they dance a style they learned while on the show because ballrooming by yourself is always the kiss of death. Cough Jeanette.
#4 Sounds good to me. Or have a genre night so all couples get a fair chance. Folk dancing night. Latin ballroom night. Hip hop night. Contemporary night. Social ills/Public awareness night. I'm sorry but an Irish folk dance and a hot sexy salsa are not fair to the dancers.
Ironically, when the show was more about the dancers than the choreographers, we actually got better choreography. Go figure. I feel sesaons 2 and 3 had the best choreography and it has deteriorated. Those two seasons, I had so many favorite routines, I lost count of them. This season--far fewer. Still love the show and hoping for the best in the future. And yes Evan got a raw deal this year. Garters! Cowboy boots! Ay-yi-yi! Plus a dancer of his physical type should not be required to wear a skin-tight lace shirt--not even in a rumba (or whatever it was). I guess some of these ballroom dances have sort of standard costume styles, but in this case wouldn't a simple black dress shirt and slacks have been acceptable. IJS
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