On last night's So You Think You Can Dance, Melissa and Ade performed a Tyce Diorio contemporary piece inspired by breast cancer. "I just felt compelled to talk about breast cancer, and…a friend, who was faced with it," was the explanation Tyce offered in the pre-package. The performance itself, embedded below, was lovely and well-danced. But like TV Watch writer Tanner Stransky and plenty of EW.com commenters this morning, I found the ensuing circus of weepy praise to be a bit overwrought.
There's nothing wrong with tears, and I understand that in Mia's case she's more personally connectedto the subject matter than the others, but this was all a bit much. Nigel swiveling hischair around because he (presumably) just couldn't bear to face forward anymore…the scores of quick cuts to white-capped Tyce in the audience…I know, I'm a terrible cynic, but it all just seemed so pandering. And not only to viewers/voters, but to the freakin' Emmy committee as well. "If this isn't nominated for next year, I'll be truly surprised." Are you kidding me? Nigel, that was obnoxious. I'd have preferred if the judges had just toned it down a bit and let the dance speak for itself.
Do you prefer dances with specific, emotionally charged backstories, or would you rather just interpret the performances on your own? And was last night's "breast cancer dance" overpraised? Could it give Melissa and Ade a free pass at tonight's elimination show?
(Which, by the way, I'll be TV Watching for tomorrow morning. 100th episode, featuring…uh, Katie Holmes. Get ready.)
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I stated in the comments section of the recap, I thought the dance was lovely and the scarf Melissa wore brought home the theme of the dance. The weepy praise of the judges did seem a bit much and then seeing Tyce tearing up about his choreography ended up with my eyes tearing up.
yes it was WAY too much… if it has to be explained to bring the emotion then the dance hasn’t done it’s job
I myself loved it! My mom had lung cancer and I cried during the piece before the judges even began, and while I agree with Tanner that we may not had known had we not heard the explanation but I did and I was moved. And YES Nigel was ridiculous!
I don’t think the cancer number was overpraised at all. In fact, it’s the only number from last night I can remember in any kind of detail. Also, it might have been much more moving to watch the dance in person, which could explain why some TV viewers feel like they don’t get all the tears.
I don’t think it was overpraised. It was beautifully done and had me in tears. I saw nothing wrong with the judges telling us how strong they felt about it. I do admit before the dance I was ready to see Melissa go, but I do think that dance will allow her to stay at least another week, and I think it should.
I watched it once and didn’t get what the judges saw in it, so I watched it again and still didn’t get it. I can’t say it was for lack of trying, but beyond being pretty, I thought the “cancer dance” was just kind of meh.
I do not think that the dance was overpraised. I was just as touched by it as the judges were and I saw nothing wrong with them telling us how strong they felt about it. It was a beautiful perfomance. I will admit before that dance I was ready to see Melissa go but now I am not sure. I prefer to see the dances that have story to them..it makes them much more touching.
Just what I needed, a screen full of sob sisters. TOO! MUCH! DRAMA! Save it for your Mama. Personally I’m looking forward to a dance whose choreography is inspired by the over-use of botox on this show. No one will move. At all.
I was completely touched by the dance as it was happening, I think, in large part, thanks to the perfectly appropriate music (“Women’s Work” always gets me). I thought Ade and Melissa were wonderful and their grace and strength was fantastic. Unfortunately, the judges turned it into a PSA about cancer and the magic of Tyce (deserved, but the show is not So You Think You Can Choreograph?). I thought the wonderful dancing was lost.
Thank you for writing this. It was a perfectly fine dance, but nothing spectacular other than the theme of it. Check out Jason and Jeanine’s dance from last week. That was amazing choreography and amazing dancing.
It annoys me further that Melissa and Ade will get “sympathy” votes, when it should be them that gets booted.
Jason is in danger of getting booted when he was the best male dancer last night.
I felt like a monster for not weeping and rending my clothes over the dance. Good to know I’m not alone.
I was frustrated because I thought that Melissa and Ade did such a great job and danced beautifully, but were completely overshadowed by the judges hysterics. I found it touching, I’m glad they did too, but I wish they had kept it in perspective. I felt that the dancers got almost no credit for how well they performed (besides Ade being strong, and Melissa being….”mature??”).
And I 100% second blah’s comment, it’s nice to acknowledge the choreographers, but they’re not the ’stars’ of the show, the dancers are. Bring the attention back to them.
So, I watched it twice and it was sweet, but not really compared to some other dances that have moved me to tears. I theorized that it that dance had been longer (you got that they were trying to do the range of emotions, but too quickly) and the placement of more of the dance in the front of the stage and they hadn’t told us it would have made me cry. But they set it up too much and it kind of took away from the dance.
Take away the scarf and don’t give the background story and what do you have? An strictly ok dance routine with some good lifts. Jason and Jeanine’s dance last week told a story and spoke volumes on its own. This cancer dance was alright and I do think Melissa picked up her game a bit but was it OMG, Amazing, I can’t speak through the tears? No.
I am sorry, but what is wrong with you people? Almost everyone has been touched by the awfulness that is Cancer. All of the judges sitting up there have had full lives and I am sure have been impacted by cancer (we know Mia’s story). They are dancers, not actors. So if those tears were flowing, it probably was coming from a place of pain in their lives.
I lost my mom to cancer. It was AWFUL to watch the disease and then the chemo rip her apart until she finally had no more energy to fight. So You Think You Can Dance just brought that topic to 8 million people. WHY on earth would you not be happy for the exposure? Why would you not want more people to be aware?
If you are acting in a negative way about this, then you are not looking at what good this can do. Why do people always have to be cynical? Yes that is directed straight at you Annie. I challenge you to do something good for cancer, since you seem so down on a show trying to expose light on an awful disease.
You can bet if the dance had been in honor of pancreatic or colon cancer survivors, it wouldn’t been received the same way….
If I hadn’t watched the rehearsal part I probably wouldn’t have known it was about breast cancer. Then with all the praise, you know they got a free pass. Just like when Mia choreographes a routine, you know whoever dances that will get through.
I don’t think it was overpraised at all. Maybe you need to have gone thru the loss of someone close to you from cancer to really understand why it was such an emotional piece. I couldn’t stop watching it over and over again because of what the story behind it was. Yes, I originally thought that those 2 would be the 1’s to go home, and yes, this piece will probably save them tonight, but it was an absolutely beautiful piece, and I think after that, they deserve at least 1 more week.
If i hadn’t had watched the rehearsal than I probably wouldn’t have known it was about breast cancer. And with all the praise you know they will get a free pass to the next round. Just like when Mia choreographes a routine you know whoever dances it will get through.
Of course I cried because my friend is fighting this illness and I’m so proud of her and want to be that person who strengthens/holds her up. It was beautifully danced but I agree that the tears were more about the subject than the dance. I found it a bit annoying that Ade and Melissa ‘magically’ picked their pairing out of the hat…with Ade being the only dancer strong enough to do those lifts. I mean, what would Tyce have done if Jason or Evan had been chosen…it was totally framed. I was irritated that Nigel referenced the Emmy’s twice in his little shpeil and agree the dance could have spoken for itself without him shining the spotlight on it ‘for your consideration’.
I actually believe Melissa will go tonight. I also didn’t like their first number, and found her too bouncy.
Ade’s solos are always amazing and I think that might save him tonight but Melissa, not so much.
anmh…Mia lost her father to lung cancer, not breast cancer. I lost my mom to lung cancer and my uncle to colon cancer, not breast cancer. It moved me and it moved Mia.
Again, celebrate that Cancer was being brought to the forefront. QUIT being a cynic. It needs exposure so more people get involved with the fight.
Join Team In Training…do an event and raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma.
Do a Susan Komen Breast Cancer walk.
There are 100s of Cancer organizations out there. This dance moved many people who may not have been personally touched by cancer yet to possibly get involved. Celebrate that fact instead of trying to create negative plot lines that do not even exist until you bring them up.
The negativity you are all bringing to this subject, is just as bad as the cancer we and our loved one have fought, are fighting now, or will fight in the future.
Again, if you are so negative I challenge you to go out and do something in the fight to stop Cancer.
It was a lovely number danced very well, and there is nothing wrong with a dance with a theme.
The problem is whomever made the costume decisions and their ridiculous need to make the dance so LITERAL. It’s dance – it’s evocative, suggestive, allegorical. Putting a scarf on a deathly pale, emaciated woman who overplucks her eyebrows was disgusting and exploitative, not to mention distracting.
I do wish the judges could have pulled it together to address the dancers’ performances. These two were headed for cutsville this week and this performance should save them – because they danced so well, not because of cancer awareness.
Texas105: Having also lost family members to breast cancer, and having a father who has battled lymphoma for the past 7 years, I too welcome the possibility for others to become educated about the horrific disease in all its incarnations. But there was nothing about this dance that broadened anyone’s awareness about breast cancer. Did anyone learn anything they didn’t already know? I like spreading awareness, but it’s not awareness unless something new is communicated. Breast cancer is a very, very well known disease and we all feel the same way – cure it! – but I would have so rathered seen a depiction of the disease that brought something real and new and emotionally hard-hitting to the table. Otherwise, for the viewer it’s just another pink ribbon drawn on the corner of their cereal box.
The message was more important and better than the dance itself. Of course highlighting cancer awareness is a good thing. Was that dance the most emotional or best dance ever on the show? Not even close. I believed Ellen and Mia’s reactions, especially Mia as she lost her father not that long ago. Nigel and Mary? please. That was straight out give us a nod next year!!!! To the emmy people. Those two ruined a rather nice moment with their pandering.
I do hate cancer. But I did think it was bit overwrought. I think these dances that are about some specific disease or tragedy get way overpraised (Mia’s flower dance for example). Also, how long did it take to get to Mia’s comments? It was a while. I thought it was odd that after all that time she seemed to just have one tear on her cheek. Unless it just happened to fall a second before Mary you’d think she would have had time to wipe it away? Unless she wanted that tear to stay there. Maybe I’m over analyzing? But to sum up. Cancer horrible. Dance good.
My Mom died of breast cancer and its eradication and support for its victims are subjects near and dear to my heart. It was a lovely piece and well-danced. However, it is manipulative of the audience to have such an ott reaction and judging. It simply prejudices the voting in a way that nothing else does and I don’t think it is fair to the other contestants.
I agree with many who’ve posted here. It was less the actual dancing and more the background clips and the judges’/Tyce’s reactions that made it so emotional. I wasn’t moved much, really, until it got to Mia, and even then, no tears. Glad to know I’m not the only ‘monster’ out there watching. Now the “Addiction” routine from a couple of weeks ago. Kupono and Kayla danced that fantastically well, and was very powerful indeed.
I don’t think anyone is saying that cancer isn’t bad, shouldn’t get exposure, etc etc. What is being said is, had that simply been danced with no explanation of what it was about they would have gotten nice praise from the judges and would more than likely be going home tonight (let’s face it, everyone left is talented and these two haven’t been real popular this season). Because we were told the dance was about cancer ahead of time it took away from any real ability to criticize it.
Kate
I totally agree with where you are coming from. My one challenge to your theory though is this….has it caused discussion after the show? Does it make people question the validity, and then make them ask and learn more about the topic? I think it does.
I might not agree with the negative backlash, but if a dance/show can illicit so many emotions from a 3 minute piece, then something good has to come out of it. Did they have time to go into all of the information about Breast Cancer or any other form of the disease, no? Should they have maybe directed everyone to a webpage or something giving more information..yes!! Where the show lacked, people like you and I can pick up where they left off and continue to educate.
At least they are allowing us to talk about it now.
Btw. I am so sorry for your loss and I wish your father the greatest strength in his battle.
I thought it was beautiful (love Ade and Melissa together)…but I do think it was overpraised!! And than people say I’m a robot with no emotion…
I think the dance should speak for itself…and adding the scarf and Tyce comments seemed like an easy way to get the message out there!