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This month's
guest spin is from Scott and Amy Anderson. They are
instructors from Minneapolis and the organizers of
the Twin Cities Open dance competition, held in Minneapolis
in July. Thanks for the spin!
Showdance / by Scott Anderson
More and more competitions are offering a Showdance
category which could be very exciting and positive,
or stir up much controversy and not be very entertaining.
I, personally, have witnessed both and would like
to give an opinion and a few suggestions and then
hear from others.
First of all, the positives as I
see them. Any professional team has the opportunity
to be spotlighted and make a lasting impression with
the judges and audience. With the Professional Showdance
Division, a Friday or Saturday night which usually
draws the biggest crowds potentially, could be more
exciting. More and more creative and original choreography,
costumes, and themes could inspire others to try to
top what they’ve seen. Many times with complete
artistic freedom, music selections can be outstanding
due to recent editing technology. Couples that are
rarely defeated in their division of choice, many
times are defeated in Showdance – for these reasons
and more, I love this category. What I personally
don’t care for in this division is the immaculate
“feather” and “three step,” or
the latest interpretation of the American Bolero -
I want to see something new and be surprised, or made
to laugh, or maybe cry. I know the talent is there
and this division can make stars of several couples
if the proper steps are taken. . .
1) – Brainstorm a theme, a
look. 2) – Find your strengths and use them.
3) – Find a great choreographer & pay them.
A few names come to my mind (Gary Pierce, Rufus Dustin,
Peri Adair, Bruno Collins & Luann Pulliam, Tony
Meredith & Melanie LaPatin, Jean Marc Genereaux
& France Mouseau, Victoria Regan, Eddie Simon,
Steven Knight, Wendy Johnson – Just to name a
few) I'll end now with a couple rule suggestions.
1) – Length of music – 4 minutes from when
one person touches the floor (this might eliminate
long, drawn out entrances before the dance/music begins).
2) – Any props that can be physically carried
on & off the floor by the couple in one trip –
and nothing that could be deemed harmful or dangerous
to the audience (i.e.: smoke machine, swords, etc.)
3 – A defined scoring system for Judges...
Showmanship 1-10
Entertaining 1-10 Risk Factor 1-10
Technique 1-10 Originality
1-10
Lastly, I personally don’t
mind if a Theatre Arts/Cabaret couple is also in this
division – the judges can still see great showmanship,
entertainment value, risk factor & technical difficulty
and be able to mark accordingly. As those of you know
who are married, sometimes we have different opinions
than our spouses – this subject is no exception,
so here goes “Amy’s Spin” on the subject.
. .
Although I agree with the
majority of what Scott said regarding the Showdance
Division, I do not believe the couples trained in
Theatre Arts should be in this division. To me, the
Showdance is just that – a SHOW, similar to dance
numbers we see in movie musicals, Broadway shows –
numbers that may contain other styles of dance whether
it’s lyrical or soft-shoe to interpret a certain
entertaining piece of music. To me, Theatre Arts routines
could also contain some of those elements, however,
concentrating intricate lift work and should be judged
on the difficulty and execution of those lifts. When
you combine those two styles together in one division,
it becomes very difficult to judge. Who says that
dancers that do not specialize in lifts or Theatre
Arts are less of a dancer than those that do? That
is why I think there should be two separate divisions
with specific criteria.
Scott Anderson
03-19-2001
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