Thank you so much for this post! It's so nice to read a different perspective, some great points and discussion about DANCE which rarely happens in this forum. You made some great points! :)
I agree completely. Honestly, Chang never really got the hang of a true dance style. Most of his dances were pretty basic steps. It's of course commendable that he performed these dance steps well despite being a non-dancer. However, the fact still remains that most of his performances were pretty basic only.
Chang's groW*H seems really huge because he went from a complete non-dancer to being able to perform confidently on stage. And yes that's worth getting appreciation for. But winning a DANCE contest? đ¤ And if you look at it, yes Chang grew from his initial stage to where he is at currently. But is that current stage the BEST in the competition? It's really not! Of course for someone who has NEVER attempted any dance steps/style before it will be challenging to attempt SOMETHING on stage. I think Marisha is a clever choreographer in the sense that she brought creative aspects to their performances. Like the box example you gave. But the fact remains, that the dancing was very basic in Chang's performances. It was in no way even close to the level that Sushant and Shampa had.
Talking about Sushant and Shampa now, as you said Sushant did indeed grow and challenge himself throughout the competition as well. And he showed much more groW*H, much more variety, much more THOUGHT into his performances than the other two finalists Chang or Yaana. People around here are constantly cribbing about Sushant being a trained dancer and all that. Yes he was trained from Shamak Davar's institute which I believe trains you in contemporary and bollywood dance style. That too individual dancing. Sushant definitely wasn't trained in couple or ballroom styles and whenever he and Shampa performance these styles, he pretty much nailed the stance, the form and posture! To the best of my knowledge about these forms of dance anyways. You can probably correct me if I'm wrong. But Sushant totally had that personality while leading Shampa in these dance forms. Completely confident, and great posture and technique.
Chang got to do a paso doble style once. And this was well into his 'improved' stage. I'm not even counting the tango round since that was pretty early in the competition. But in no way was Chang even close to being able to pull off the paso doble style. He didn't even get the basic stance, personality and form right. Which goes to show, that when it comes to PURE dance forms, Chang doesn't really have it. He can do some basic steps right but he's not at the level of Sushant yet.
About Yaana, I completely agree as well. Her limitations as a dancer are quite clear anytime she even remotely does footwork or any kind of a solo away from Salman. Most of the time, he's lifting her around only. But when we see her perform solo at any point of time, you can clearly see where she lacks. Her expressions and steps are always all over the place. I totally agree that Ankita DANCED far more than Yaana in this competition. And whatever she took on, she did well. Ankita had the grace, which Yaana lacked (made quite apparent when we see her perform solo). Ankita also showed much more variety, different dance styles, SO many dance steps/moves, and she had individuality and stage presence! Still she was never given her due. For all the praise Yaana got, I actually think Ankita is a better dancer all aspects considered. All I remember Yaana for is her lifts. Sure lifts are a part of dance, but lifts don't really allow you to express yourself. You can't really DANCE and express when doing just lifts. Ankita danced her heart out many times on the show whereas Yaana only got lifted around. Which is probably why I remember Ankita's distinct individuality and personality she brought on stage...whereas I remember nothing distinct about Yaana for her dance.
Coming back to the groW*H point...I think people only notice the obvious. Of course if someone goes from absolutely nothing to SOMETHING, it is an obvious observable improvement. But like you said, maintaining that high standard is MUCH more difficult. Something Sushant always succeeded in doing. For those who argue Sushant's training advantage, I remember reading a post which stated that Chang and Yaana also had the time advantage. Sushant had various other commitments such as his daily soap and award shows due to which he didn't really get as much time to rehearse. Despite that, he displayed such great technique, form and finesse in his dancing which can only be perfected through vigorous practice. Sushant continued to challenge himself with various dance forms he had in no way been exposed to prior to Jhalak. Dances like hip-hop, ballroom styles and Indian classical. For people who love to praise lifts performed by Salman and Yaana, Sushant and Shampa had plenty of those as well plus much more. And their lifts actually went in tune with the music, whereas Salman and Yaana loved to add in random lifts throughout their performances for no rhyme or reason. Not to mention, the amazing concepts Sushant and Shampa brought to the table through their dancing. But even without their concepts, as you said, their dancing was simply awesome and well above the level of either Chang or Yaana's.
So you raise an excellent question of what should be looked at while choosing a winner of a DANCE show? Simply improving from nil to something is enough and worth of winning? Does excellence and that TOP quality does not matter at all? Shouldn't we look at THE BEST while judging? It's like sympathizing with someone for simply attempting something. Why should credit be taken away from someone who actually stood high in the level of the competition. It is a dance competition after all and the BEST deserves to win. Sushant simply was the best! Why should any other excuses be given to justify the winning of a less deserving contestant? When people criticize Sushant for having his back injury, being trained and all that...shouldn't we, based on the same criteria criticize Chang or Yaana for not delivering the best? Why should excuses be made for certain people because they are not trained? In a fair competition, everyone should be judged on an equal level. Only on the basis of how they deliver in their dance performances. Whether people choose to believe or ignore this is upto them, but Sushant was very obviously the BEST contestant of this show...or any other season for that matter. đ
Edited by cute2stay - 14 years ago
Arjun
Cricket
