Sunday, January 9, 2011

10 Things: Dance Appreciation

I have a confession to make: I hate dancing.  You may ask, how is this possible?!  I love musicals!  I love Heather Morris and Harry Shum and Katee Shean and Mia Michaels!  I love dance movies!  But before you jump down my throat, let me clarify: I do not like when I dance.

But watching others dance?  Oh my goodness, do I love it.  Like, athleticism-meets-grace-meets-amazing-choreography dance just blows my mind.  Hip-hop and contemporary are by far my favorite styles, but all dance is pretty amazing.  


So, to honor my love of (others) dancing, here's a 10 Things.  

X.  Beat Freakz - Okay, so this video is a compilation, but watch any of the first three.  They're all awesome.  Beat Freakz was the best all-female dance crew ABDC ever saw.  If they were up against anyone other than Quest Crew they would have won.


IX. Mia Michaels, "Will I?" - Oh, be still my beating heart.  Mia Michaels is a goddess.  Her sense of ensemble in this is amazing, and the movements are just so rich and heartbreaking.  It always makes me tear up.



VIII. Dancing with the Stars Tribute to Michael Jackson - Okay, okay.  It's kind of cheesy, but this tribute gives me goosebumps.  I want people to group dance when I die.


VII. Joshua Allen Solo - This boy's movements are insane.  A great popper, and he was crazy good at nearly every other style he tackled - even with minimal training.



VI. Wade Robson, "The Chairman's Waltz" - Beautiful.  The stories and characters are woven into every movement the two dancers make.  Just, breathtaking.


V Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden, "Imagine" - Part of what makes this piece amazing is just the two dancers performing it.  They are so technically strong, and they handle the choreography with such grace, strength, and intensity.  Love it.


IV. Dmitry Chaplin, "Hip Hip Chin Chin" - The subject of tonight's lesson is rhythm.  The beat.  (Just watch it.  It's a sexy samba.)


III. Mia Michaels, "Gravity" - Heartwrenching piece about addiction.  Everything about this dance is perfect.  Each movement tells the story of an unhealthy relationship so perfectly. 


II. Lil' C, "Yellow" - Lil' C is primarily a hip-hop choreographer - he even pioneered the crazy technique of krumping - and yet, we have him to thank for this awesome pseudo-contemporary piece performed by the LXD.  The whole thing just blows my mind.  How do they move like that?!


I. Best of Hip-Hop, Quest Crew - You will be hard-pressed to find a better dance crew than Quest.  Their trip through the different hip-hop styles is so sophisticated in its choreography, down to every little detail.  One of the best hip-hop group dances out there.


There you have it!  Now, I am going to crank up some music, close every door and window to my house, and, erm... dance. 

5 comments:

  1. Same here! I love watching people dance, it's beautiful. Have you watched the LXD series on Hulu? Beautiful dancing. They're all amazing.

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  2. I am ashamed to say I've only watched the one about Elliot because Harry Shum, Jr. was in it. The LXD is awesome, though. Crazy talented.

    I need to watch the rest of the series but now I'm overwhelmed by how many there are. Do you have any recommendations for any episode in particular?

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  3. I like The Greater of Two Evils and Duets. All the episodes kind of feature a different dance style so it's a little hard to recommend one in particular. The episodes are all less than fifteen minutes though, I think I watched both seasons in two days.

    If you can't watch those, I'd say you have to see the LXD's Oscar performance if you haven't already: http://vimeo.com/10075224

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  4. Ah, thanks! I'll be sure to check those out. :)

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  5. Glee is definately my favorite sitcom..Great article here by the way. Anyone can watch Glee episodes online here. There's no sign up fees nor surveys either. You can watch other sitcoms and animes too. They got a list of all Glee episodes. I mean where else can you watch Glee online for free? Spread the word and God Bless.

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