Comments on: So You Think You Can Dance? Week III (6/7) http://theoryculture.com/55/so-you-think-you-can-dance-part-iii/ Just another WordPress site Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:17:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Anonymous http://theoryculture.com/55/so-you-think-you-can-dance-part-iii/#comment-104 Anonymous Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:22:59 +0000 http://theorymyculture.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/so-you-think-you-can-dance-part-iii/#comment-104 Men and women are paired, so a man and a woman are eliminated each week, whether or not that makes sense in terms of the best dancers. We can’t have men dancing with men, women dancing with women - perish the thought! while i agree with the majority of points that you made, i must say: this statement is not entirely correct. the final four dancers--two men, two women--all dance with one another in pairs and as a group, at the end of the season. yes, for the most part, the dance pairings, styles, movements, costuming, etc. are rather heteronormative, as is customary in many dance forms, and perhaps most obviously in classical ballet. however, though by no means 'transgressive', this show does open up a bit towards the end of the season with multiple partners/pairings. Men and women are paired, so a man and a woman are eliminated each week, whether or not that makes sense in terms of the best dancers. We can’t have men dancing with men, women dancing with women – perish the thought!

while i agree with the majority of points that you made, i must say: this statement is not entirely correct. the final four dancers–two men, two women–all dance with one another in pairs and as a group, at the end of the season. yes, for the most part, the dance pairings, styles, movements, costuming, etc. are rather heteronormative, as is customary in many dance forms, and perhaps most obviously in classical ballet. however, though by no means ‘transgressive’, this show does open up a bit towards the end of the season with multiple partners/pairings.

]]> By: So You Think You Can Dance? Week IX (7/26) « Theory my culture http://theoryculture.com/55/so-you-think-you-can-dance-part-iii/#comment-103 So You Think You Can Dance? Week IX (7/26) « Theory my culture Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:11:10 +0000 http://theorymyculture.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/so-you-think-you-can-dance-part-iii/#comment-103 [...] So, it didn’t surprise me to hear chatter about “chemistry” and “connection,” as if five days of choreography training and practice led to marriage. To my ears, and I admit that I’m reading quite a lot into it, the judges were asking for a lot of effeminate movement and expression, yet tempering any transgression of masculinity with assurances of that masculinity by “connecting” with the woman in front of them. That’s why I’ve called this whole masculine/feminine game on So You Think…? the show’s pharmakon. [...] [...] So, it didn’t surprise me to hear chatter about “chemistry” and “connection,” as if five days of choreography training and practice led to marriage. To my ears, and I admit that I’m reading quite a lot into it, the judges were asking for a lot of effeminate movement and expression, yet tempering any transgression of masculinity with assurances of that masculinity by “connecting” with the woman in front of them. That’s why I’ve called this whole masculine/feminine game on So You Think…? the show’s pharmakon. [...]

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