We’ve been waiting (baited breath style) for last night’s So You Think You Can Dance ever since we saw last week’s preview about the return of two male dancing partners … that got judge and exec producer Nigel Lythgoe in a tizzy. This time around, let’s just say his comments weren’t as divisive.
Lessons learned, y’all. Willem DeVries and Jacob Jason, both gay, even got Mia Michaels tearing up. As for Nigel? The two gents showed “same sex ballroom can be very strong and very good.”
Glad to hear it Nigel, since this season you’ll be sitting next to a gay — full-time. Fox just announced Adam Shankman, the film director exploiting Miley Cyrus, will move from “guest” to “permanent” judge this season.
NativeNYker
Call me a traditionalist but even as a gay man I still stink this dance is a man and a woman!
xo
Rants, Thoughts & Merde
Cam
Nygel gave his message to the world that the show isn’t anti-gay by letting these two through. Watch for them to be dumped in later episodes.
It was very phony, LAST year Mary Murphy was saying things like “Well how am I supposed to judge a same sex couple? I can’t tell which one is playing the man or the woman.” and THIS year she’s all pretending to tear up about their bravery etc… Dance is more homophobic than people think. They are CONSTANTLY telling male dancers to be more masculine, “You aren’t masculin enough, we don’t believe it” etc… They are all terrified of that reputation that “All male dancers are gay” so they act like the judges in Male figure skating did for decades and mark down anything that comes off “Gay-ish”
They’ve let ballroom dancers go straight to Vegas several times before, these two were the U.S. champion same sex pair and the international champion same sex pair and they had them go to coreography because they weren’t sure they could pick up other steps? Trust me, they’re going to dump them soon, I hope they don’t but I’m not holding my breath.
queerunity
i thought it was beautifully done and it was a sincere effort to show that being gay involves love and emotion as well and not just sex sex sex
http://queersunited.blogspot.com
jason
The thing I want to know is this: were they portrayed as flamboyant stereotypes designed to make straights feel safe or were they portrayed as regular guys?
scott ny'er
@Cam: U bring up really good points about Mary Murphy, who I like and now have to rethink that.
Yeah, I agree… they will be dumped in Las Vegas. I was surprised that the shorter, more fem dude actually got thru. So, that was more than I thought was going to happen.
Cam
@jason: You said “The thing I want to know is this: were they portrayed as flamboyant stereotypes designed to make straights feel safe or were they portrayed as regular guys?”
____________________________________________
One was definitly more flamboyant, but he did what the LOVE on SYTYCD and he gave them a camera moment in which with tears in his eye he said how great it was for gay people to see this and etc… it Made Mia the judge tear up and Mary Murhphy said she did too. (Again, after her comments to the same sex pair from last year I don’t really buy it).
But after they danced They put them through to coreography to see how they did dancing with female partners. AGain, give me a break, these guys have won international medals…they know how to partner dance, and I just love these professional judges that have supposedly been in the dance world for DECADES pretending not to know that a gay man can dance with a woman….if they have been in dance for Decades they have come across THOUSANDS of gay male dancers who have danced with woman.
I just found it disingenuous. I really hope they don’t boot these gys, but again, I’m not getting my hopes up.
Hmmm
I think they danced very well. One of them came across as more feminine than the other, although they tried to mix it up. What I predict will happen is that the more feminine one will get cut in Vegas, and the more masculine one will make the top 20. Once they are split up, the one that is left will not be thought of as “half of the gay pair.” He will just be a dancer.
Besides, splitting up couples who audition together in the Vegas round is part of the show’s schtick (like Evan and his brother last season: Evan made it to the top 20, brother did not).
Personally, I have no problem with male dancers being feminine and I think if the dance world (and this show) were fair, they would both make it through to the top 20. But as other people have said, they keep insisting that the male dancers be masculine, and I think that will spell doom for the more feminine one.
Matt
It’s bated breath not baited breath.
sebastian
the shorter one was a woman to me.
alan brickman
Just reinforces the stereotype that all “dancers are gay”…great…
Mike L
It trully is wonderful that they are not afraid to be who they are and dance with whom they chose to dance.
Breaking away away from the stereotype that all couples dancers shouldd be opposite sex.
Cam
@alan brickman: You said “Just reinforces the stereotype that all “dancers are gay”…great…”
_________________________________________
You mean just like the OTHER stereotypes we are forced to live with that are constantly crammed down our throats?
All athleats are straight, all holyywood actors are straight, all politicians are straight unless they’re outed in embarrassing ways. etc…
SYTYCD needs to suck it up and deal with the fact that a large percentage of dancers ARE gay. Now if only all those closet cases in Hollywood would wake up.
Hmmm
I’ve noticed that SYTYCD focuses far less on the personal lives of the dancers than, for example, American Idol focuses on the personal and home lives of the singers. I wonder if this is because focusing on the personal lives of the dancers would force them to showcase the fact that half the male dancers are gay.