(08-21-2012, 08:20 PM)My Alter Ego Wrote: LDH, I have watched those solo vids of Cyrus that you posted above. Yes, his ability to isolate his muscles/action so that it's like it's like watching a scene by riffling through a series of cards or some mechnical device is absolutely astonishing. But my question to you (and others) would be: as fascinating as this mechanistic movement can be to watch, why is this truly considered "dancing?"
Are you talking figuratively MAE? Or is that really all you see, "this mechanistic movement"?
Why is this considered dancing? Maybe we should start off with a closer examination of what dancing is.
I don't consider Wikipedia to be, "Thus sayeth The Lord", but they do have a nice, somewhat short and to the point blurb on dance:
Wikipedia Wrote:"Dance is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, performed in many different cultures and used as a form of expression, social interaction and exercise or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.
Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans, and is also performed by other animals (bee dance, patterns of behaviour such as a mating dance). Gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are sports that incorporate dance, while martial arts kata are often compared to dances. Motion in ordinarily inanimate objects may also be described as dances (the leaves danced in the wind).
Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic and moral constraints and range from functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet. Dance can be participatory, social or performed for an audience. It can also be ceremonial, competitive or erotic. Dance movements may be without significance in themselves, such as in ballet or European folk dance, or have a gestural vocabulary/symbolic system as in many Asian dances. Dance can embody or express ideas, emotions or tell a story.
Dancing has evolved many styles. Breakdancing and Krumping are related to the hip hop culture. African dance is interpretative. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are classical styles of dance while Square Dance and the Electric Slide are forms of step dances.
Every dance, no matter what style, has something in common. It not only involves flexibility and body movement, but also physics. If the proper physics are not taken into consideration, injuries may occur.
Choreography is the art of creating dances. The person who creates (i.e., choreographs) a dance is known as the choreographer."
Did that answer your question of why the Cyrus mech thing is considered dancing?
As for what I think about Cyrus, there are so many layers to what he does in all of his dancing, especially in his own material, much more than simply impressive "mechanistic movement". I see genius choreography, awesome timing and rhythm, fascinating stories, great interpretation, powerful conveyance of emotion, and very rich entertainment value. I love, enjoy and respect Cyrus for his talent and what he does with it, not for his personality (although I do like his personality too).
And Grant it MAE, I agree with you, compared to some of the people who've been cut, Cyrus doesn't do as well with the various styles of traditional mainstream dance; However, make no mistake about it, he's still in it for a far greater variety of reasons than just congeniality (although I do also agree that he wouldn't still be in it without that factor being as strong for him as it is. But hells-bells MAE, all of the contestants better have some congeniality in this type of competition if they're going to make it very far, and especially a Cyrus type dancer.).
I have no worries about the cuts getting too ridiculous according to how I see it all, but I would imagine Cyrus makes it through another week or two. But whatever- The show is what it is and I take as such and still enjoy it immensely.
