Dear Jenny,
I'm starting to think that maybe Step It Up and Dance is a good show, which scares me, like I might be overlooking something egregious. Remember when you liked Joe Lieberman so much? It's like that.
Yes, this show is definitely a Project Runway clone, but I'm finding it to be a well-conceived, and relatively well-executed one. Casting is good -- both judges and dancetestants -- and so far hasn't interfered with the competition. I don't get the feeling I sometimes do on say Top Chef that people are being sent home strictly for being uninteresting to the producers, and not because of lack of talent, or that others (ie, Wendy Pepper) are being kept around for story's sake.
A few minor quibbles . . . I wish it were edited better. The performances are a little hard to follow because the cuts are so choppy and disorienting. I wish sometimes the camera would just sit somewhere on a relatively wide shot so we could see the damned footwork, already.
I'm not sure I agree with the strange and confusing multi-tiered challenge process. In fact, I'm not sure I can explain it. Here goes, however: first there is a challenge. Then the dancetestants are divided into winning and losing teams. Then each team has to compete in a further challenge, with the best of the winning team being named winner for the week -- which comes with immunity from elimination for the following week -- while the worst of the losing team is sent home, or wherever out of work dancers go [insert your own queeny joke here]. The problem with this is that it seems unfair -- the very worst dancer in that second, critical challenge could be someone from the winning team.
This week, though, threw out that structure -- for good, we can hope. This was another week in which hip hop dancing has been a big feature. (The first week featured freestyling, as well as . . . wait for it . . . Scary Spice.) Fine by me, but I'm not sure I understand why -- will we see a lot of other types of dance in the future? Are we trying to find the most well-rounded dancer or someone who's just really spectacular at a few different types? This seems like a question that Top Chef and others have struggled with in the past and never resolved . . . and, I don't think I care. It was fun to watch. At least a handful of these people are just really talented.
Elizabeth Berkley is very good, so far -- she's like Heidi Klum, only imagine if Heidi Klum expressed emotions other than disdain. This week, Elizabeth brought the dancetestants muffins and coffee (and possibly other pastries -- it was a little awkward) and then broke out crying. It was really touching and strange.
Work it, cousin!
-- Pete
