Superstars of Dance--What Were They Thinking?

So, I watched the new NBC show Superstars of Dance, and I have to ask, "What were they thinking?" We never needed another dance show, especially not one of poor quality.

I think Annie Barrett from Entertainment Weekly put it best when she described the show as "a forced SNL sketch." 

First of all, how can you judge so many styles of dance fairly? You can't. Most of these judges have probably never seen all of these styles, so they can't be compared sufficiently. 

Second, isn't it a tad self-serving how Michael Flatley (the show's host) featured his group, Lord of the Dance, for the first Irish group piece? Absolutely. And, unfortunately, it now features a soloist (who also performed by himself for Ireland) with no expression or smooth movement like Flatley himself. Not a great way to start off the show.

Third, why isn’t this a live show like the rest? Probably because there are too many performers to move on and off stage and too many set changes for a two hour production. But this makes the whole show appear awkward, especially in the way it is cut and filmed. While Argentina’s soloist performed a Cabaret piece that lacked in movement and concept, it didn’t help that the camera crew forgot to film her footwork. The crew keeps doing this throughout the show, sometimes cutting off the performers from view completely.

Fourth, shouldn’t this be more of a showcase of styles, rather than a competition? Yes! But NBC thinks it needs its own dance competition show like ABC and FOX.

I must admit, there were a few exceptions to the bad performances, including Austria’s modern group piece that featured strong ballet technique and ground-work, and China's athletic group piece. But besides these few pieces, I was not entertained, informed or able to stay awake. 

What did you think? Could anyone actually like this show?

Speaking of Michael Flatley

All this chatter about Michael Flatley has made me want to watch some old-school Lord of the Dance. 

Here you go: 

Dancing With The Stars Week 6, watching/writing live

Yes, group routine. Oh and no Glen tonight either, Michael Flatley has decided to join us instead. I used to watch a tape of "Lord of the Dance" over and over. I always wanted to be that evil girl in the red dress, she danced to the cooler music. :~)

Oh no, Cherly has her worked cut out for her with Maurice tonight, at least from the video. Okay here comes their waltz. He definitely doesn't have the fluidity, but he looks like he's enjoying himself. Humm...lets see what the judges think. I agree with what Carrie Ann said about their lack of chemistry, they have none. I think Maurice still lacks confidence on stage, he needs to start having fun out there. 

Love seeing Lance in his old studio. I was such a big Nsync fan back in the day. Oh they are good. Happy feet. Fun outfits too. Thank you Lacey for letting Lance show off a little. Oh and he put in that slide move where he fell last time...good for him. I still don't know if he will be able to beat Brooke. 

Susan, I really don't know if you're going to make it much farther than this. Please, oh please put on some personality tonight! Hopefully that outfit puts her in the mood. Yikes, the movement looks way too fast for her. Nope, didn't break out of her shell tonight either. I completely disagree with the judges, she didn't bring any attitude to that piece at all. 

Can I just say that Michael could say anything with that Irish accent, even something horrible, and it would sound delightful.

Poor Brooke, her foot must be pretty painful. Hopefully she can dance through the pain. Rumba time. She can act sexy, that's for sure. Now these two have chemistry. As much as Derek irritates me, he has worked well with Brooke. Yes, I do agree with the judges, she looked a tad off, especially during the turns. Good for Brooke for staying so positive though. WOW and a 10 from Michael! HA! I guess he hasn't watched Brooke dance before to see what she can really do. 

This hip hop routine looks ridiculous on the video. I'm ready for the silliness to begin. 

It's Cloris time, in a bright, sassy, yellow outfit. Vintage cha cha cha. Oh, now that she's moving she looks good, even when its fast movement. OOOO my...a death spin...ha! Wait a go Cloris! And she can't stop laughing. Love her. Oh please Carrie Ann, Toni was nonsense compared to Cloris who at least knows how to put on a show. Many of the people commenting on the Dancing With the Stars live blog agree with Carrie Ann. One irritated viewer said, "This is a DANCING contest, not a popularity content." Actually, 2/3 of dance is performance-based, it's not about technique. So, especially when you are putting a celebrities on the dance floor, 2/3 is a popularity contest. 

Warren has such grace. Unfortunately, he basically walked around the entire routine. 

Awesome hip hop routine ahead. This is where Cloris can bust a move! Ohhh Cloris I love the orange leggings. Poor Susan, she looks so out of it. I'm not sure what that was, but at least it was fun. 

Another week of celebrity dance complete.