Really BRAVO?
Confession: I love dance. I love seeing dance theatre, I love dance movies, I love dance reality shows. I know nothing about dance however, I just like watching people do tricks and move to a beat. It’s the same part of me that loves acrobats.
I also love reality television.
So I am totally a giant fan of all these new dance reality shows. “So you think you can dance” and “Americas next top dance crew” are absolutely horrific time sucks. I mean, they’re amazing and heart warming but if they have a marathon on TV my time is G.O.N.E.
I’m also a huge fan of Bravos “Top Chef” and “Project Runway” so I was super excited for “Step it up & Dance” Bravos version of the dance reality competition.
In theory dancers are perfect reality TV fodder. They’re pretty, they’re athletic and they are even more dramatic than actors. What makes ProRun and Top Chef so entertaining is 75% watching talented people use their talent and 25% watching them explode at each other. So if you just put 14 talented dancers in a room together it should make for pretty good television.
Except Reality Television actually does take talent. From casting, to arranging challenges to finding interesting judges to editing the whole thing together in an interesting way requires skill. Say what you will about Tyra Bank’s “America’s Next Top Model” but her producers and editors manage to pack a ton of drama into an hour and the editing cleverly sets up heroes and villains but in a subtle enough way that the winner is hard to guess.
Which gets at the increasingly fabricated nature of reality tv which has not been “real” for a long time. The editors are in charge of finding stories and putting footage together to fill that story. The participants are probably acting or at the least exaggerating in the hopes of developing a spin off series. In 2005 Tyra Banks’ editors went on strike to join the Writes Guild. Its difficult to argue that what an editor does isn’t crafting story. And today reality tv show workers are suing for overtime pay. Reality TV at its best is as finely crafted as any scripted show.
The people who made “Step it up & Dance” do not know that. From the choice of host (Elizabeth Berkley, famous for “Show Girls,” is sweet but uninteresting) to the Judges (catty yet unmemorable) to the selection of challenges (so far a Spice Girls challenge and a Burlesque challenge) just seem boring and uninspired. But while the problems permeate every section of the show its never more clear than during judging.
Early on each episode the characters are give a piece of choreography and then divided in to two groups. One group is the elimination group. This is a problem, everyone should be up for elimination, why would you let 50% of the participants off the hook? Why? They then learn some more choreography, go into an empty theater before the judges perform. In the other dance shows the performances occur in packed arenas. Would it really be so hard to bring in an audience? Its just awkward listening to that smattering of clapping. Then the Judges judge, which occurs while the dancers stand on stage and awkwardly fidget.
During judging the contestants of ANTM and ProRun are sent to a back room we have never seen while the judges cackle about their flaws. On Top Chef we see the back room where the contestants drink and bitch at each other about who should be eliminated. On Step it up & Dance the judges are hushed and not particularly mean because the contestants are standing RIGHT. THERE. Why not send them off stage? Why must it be so awkward?
Then one gets immunity for the next challenge and one is sent home and that’s the end of our show.
Why they should care about getting sent home is confusing however. All that is at stake is $100,000. Which is, I admit, a nice chunk of change but really? You couldn’t even line up a guaranteed part in the tour of “The Lion King”?
The whole thing seems shoddly thought through and poorly executed which is a shame because the dancers themselves are a fascinating mix of ballet and hip hop, prude and exhibitionist, catty fag (this is how he describes himself) and girl next door. Despite being tortured by the stupidly of the producers while watching the most recent show I might tune in again next week just to see if cocky Manuel finally gets cut down to size or if Jessica has that break down she’s been threatening for two episodes now.
Last thoughts:
1. One of the reasons why Bravos formula might not be working here is because unlike food or fashion dance is interpretive and not creative. None of the contestants are a choreographer. They are told what to do and then judged on their interpretation.
2. One of the reasons why I love top chef so much is because they are all drinking all the time. They love good food and good wine. They’re my kind of people.
3. Here are some links on the transitioning of reality TV.
Reality TV show workers sue for overtime pay
Are Reality-TV Actors Professional?
4. The successful Dance Reality shows have all been “American Idol” style call in vote shows. I don’t know why that is but there have been at least three “So you think you can dance,” “Dancing with the stars,” “Americas next top dance crew.”
I also love reality television.
So I am totally a giant fan of all these new dance reality shows. “So you think you can dance” and “Americas next top dance crew” are absolutely horrific time sucks. I mean, they’re amazing and heart warming but if they have a marathon on TV my time is G.O.N.E.
I’m also a huge fan of Bravos “Top Chef” and “Project Runway” so I was super excited for “Step it up & Dance” Bravos version of the dance reality competition.
In theory dancers are perfect reality TV fodder. They’re pretty, they’re athletic and they are even more dramatic than actors. What makes ProRun and Top Chef so entertaining is 75% watching talented people use their talent and 25% watching them explode at each other. So if you just put 14 talented dancers in a room together it should make for pretty good television.
Except Reality Television actually does take talent. From casting, to arranging challenges to finding interesting judges to editing the whole thing together in an interesting way requires skill. Say what you will about Tyra Bank’s “America’s Next Top Model” but her producers and editors manage to pack a ton of drama into an hour and the editing cleverly sets up heroes and villains but in a subtle enough way that the winner is hard to guess.
Which gets at the increasingly fabricated nature of reality tv which has not been “real” for a long time. The editors are in charge of finding stories and putting footage together to fill that story. The participants are probably acting or at the least exaggerating in the hopes of developing a spin off series. In 2005 Tyra Banks’ editors went on strike to join the Writes Guild. Its difficult to argue that what an editor does isn’t crafting story. And today reality tv show workers are suing for overtime pay. Reality TV at its best is as finely crafted as any scripted show.
The people who made “Step it up & Dance” do not know that. From the choice of host (Elizabeth Berkley, famous for “Show Girls,” is sweet but uninteresting) to the Judges (catty yet unmemorable) to the selection of challenges (so far a Spice Girls challenge and a Burlesque challenge) just seem boring and uninspired. But while the problems permeate every section of the show its never more clear than during judging.
Early on each episode the characters are give a piece of choreography and then divided in to two groups. One group is the elimination group. This is a problem, everyone should be up for elimination, why would you let 50% of the participants off the hook? Why? They then learn some more choreography, go into an empty theater before the judges perform. In the other dance shows the performances occur in packed arenas. Would it really be so hard to bring in an audience? Its just awkward listening to that smattering of clapping. Then the Judges judge, which occurs while the dancers stand on stage and awkwardly fidget.
During judging the contestants of ANTM and ProRun are sent to a back room we have never seen while the judges cackle about their flaws. On Top Chef we see the back room where the contestants drink and bitch at each other about who should be eliminated. On Step it up & Dance the judges are hushed and not particularly mean because the contestants are standing RIGHT. THERE. Why not send them off stage? Why must it be so awkward?
Then one gets immunity for the next challenge and one is sent home and that’s the end of our show.
Why they should care about getting sent home is confusing however. All that is at stake is $100,000. Which is, I admit, a nice chunk of change but really? You couldn’t even line up a guaranteed part in the tour of “The Lion King”?
The whole thing seems shoddly thought through and poorly executed which is a shame because the dancers themselves are a fascinating mix of ballet and hip hop, prude and exhibitionist, catty fag (this is how he describes himself) and girl next door. Despite being tortured by the stupidly of the producers while watching the most recent show I might tune in again next week just to see if cocky Manuel finally gets cut down to size or if Jessica has that break down she’s been threatening for two episodes now.
Last thoughts:
1. One of the reasons why Bravos formula might not be working here is because unlike food or fashion dance is interpretive and not creative. None of the contestants are a choreographer. They are told what to do and then judged on their interpretation.
2. One of the reasons why I love top chef so much is because they are all drinking all the time. They love good food and good wine. They’re my kind of people.
3. Here are some links on the transitioning of reality TV.
Reality TV show workers sue for overtime pay
Are Reality-TV Actors Professional?
4. The successful Dance Reality shows have all been “American Idol” style call in vote shows. I don’t know why that is but there have been at least three “So you think you can dance,” “Dancing with the stars,” “Americas next top dance crew.”
Labels: i watch too much tv
posted by Lark(e) at 5:10 PM
2 Comments:
As long as you don't watch "Groomer Has It."
Cause... man.
I'm not that bored.
...
yet.
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