It's Contest Time
By Jennifer Toles
Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Choreo or no?

Grrrrrrrrrrrr

I'm just gonna say it. I find choreographed Steppin' D-E-P-L-O-R-able… unless and of course I don't know its choreographed. It loses it's believability for me unless the effort has been put in to make sure it doesn't (which isn't often). Your traditional ballroom dances - fine…. latin dances - fine…. broadway, contemporary, ballet, jazz - fine. I'll even go as far as to say… group steppin' performances - fine. But single couples & choreography - you lost me.

There is an organic quality to steppin'… it lives, breathes, and emotes when two people are out on the floor "getting' it", inspired by the moment, the music and even the competition. Battln' is rich, and raw and I love it. That's what I want to see in a "steppin'" contest, that's what I want to feel, draw me in! Whatever it is the contestants are seeing, feeling, and experiencing in the moment - that's what I want to see, feel, and experience; NOT whatever they're regurgitating from days gone past. Yuck.

Furthermore, I find choreography most effective (if not most authentic) when it 1) is motivated by the music and 2) tells a story, elicits some emotion from the viewers. So if you don't know what you're going to be dancing to, how do choreograph? It seems it would just be a series of random patterns strung together with no rhyme or reason. Boooooooo. And as far as telling a story? I've not yet experienced any Steppin' contest choreography that endeavored to make me feel any particular way or paint any specific picture. So what, I ask, is the point of contest choreography as we now experience it? Step it up or stop it altogether. Runandtellthat.

This is also to say that I am a proponent of not being able to pick your own music. If you've got the gumption to get in on the throw down, have then the confidence to take what comes your way and work it out. Assuming the Maestro of Music is keeping the field level regarding quality of music - I want to see you make the most of it and show me whatcha got.

How about you? How do you feel about overt choreography in Steppin' contests? Am I the only one wishing to BAN it? Lol.

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Posted Comments

Name: Mistalocks
E-mail: Mistalocks@yahoo.com
Date posted: August 12, 2010 - 02:06 pm
Message: Bravo Jennifer, I think if the contestants can choose their music, their routine should be a performance that will make me believe I'm looking at a music video or concert perfomance. Why can fraternities, cheerleading squads and marching bands do great performances to choosen music? Atleast if you take the music choice away from the Steppers we can lower our expectation on the quality of their perfomance. If they don't know what's coming then they can atleast complain about getting a bold song that don't fit their style. Now they will have an excuse for not performing at their best. Great article it really inspires one to think.