World of Dance, By the Numbers – Week 5

No World of Dance this week due to the Fourth of July – Happy Independence Day everyone!! Despite there not being a show this week I figured I would post this now and give people time to think about it.

Another incredible week last week on World of Dance. Still a great show. But I have to make a comment on some complaints I’ve seen on social media.

Complaint number 1: “Derek, shut up, confidence is all part of Les Twins style, it’s part of battling, yadda yadda yadda” combined with some version of “you don’t know what you’re talking about” or “you’re just racist”.

Heidi’s answer: Oh grow up. When the “confidence” is against an opponent of a similar style and who was as successful in the first round as you were (like, say FIK-SHUN – you scared, Les Twins??)…and it occurs ONLY during the dance, then you might have a point. But I don’t think there is any question that the self-proclaimed “best dancers in the world” chose a dude at the bottom of the leader board doing a style they have little respect for and absolutely nothing in common with INSTEAD of a guy who’s style is very similar to theirs and who was also close to the top of the leader board. Les Twins had first pick and they went to the bottom of the leader board and proceeded to be arrogant as hell which was a complete turn off.  Even Ne-Yo questioned their choice – it’s an obvious question to ask, especially combined with the “confidence” that Les Twins was showing (that WAS off putting).  How do “confident” men pick a tapper at the bottom of the leaderboard? What were they afraid of?? The confident “best dancers in the world” would have picked Fik-shun. But they didn’t, which begs the questions. Read more..

July 4, 2017 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

World of Dance, By the Numbers – Week 4

I have to say, I really like the duels concept. I also appreciate that the high scoring duelers get to pick their competition in their category. And that means that for this upcoming week, Les Twins – the high scorers in the upper division – picked Kyle Van Newkirk who is the LOW scorer. That seems….unsporting, to say the least.

Of course, this is a reality show. Do we really believe that, A) Les Twins are actual competitors and not ringers brought in to bring eyes to the show (like the Jabbawockeez), and B) that the contestants REALLY picked their competition with no outside influence?? Ordinarily, I would give it more of a chance – for one thing, it needs to get as much attention as possible in order to continue to exist. And for another thing this show BENEFITS anyone who appears on it, regardless of how far they go. For that reason, I appreciate it. But we can’t lose sight of the fact that it IS a reality show. So I can’t give Les Twins too hard of a time. Yet. 🙂 Also…the matchup of Les Twins with Kyle seems tailor made to get a ton of PR, which is exactly how they’re promoting it. It seems so…set up. Contrived. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how it goes down. And if Kyle REALLY wins. Despite these questions, I still LOVE the show…the dancing is first rate.

Anyway, let’s look back and the Qualifying scores in each Division:

So, if they go in order, Les Twins had the first pick in that Division and picked the low scorer, Kyle. By the same token, Eva Igo picked Kyntay…but if they really went in order, Eva had last pick and could only pick the last remaining dancer(s) in that Division – Kyntay. She would have had no choice. Swing Latino would have had second pick and they picked the last place team in their division (correction, second to last) – a somewhat logical choice in this instance, but still it seemed like David versus Goliath. It actually ended up being close.

Another duel was a heartbreaker – Keone and Mari versus Quick Style. Again, they likely had no choice. Neither team was in the top five, so they were likely the last two groups standing in that division. But in looking at the tables, I realize that the Upper and Team Divisions currently have odd numbers. It makes me wonder if some of the 45 dancers not shown so far are going to make an appearance in the duels as cannon fodder. Kinda hard to have duels with odd numbers. Based on what we know so far, Pasion has to pick either Luka/Jennalyn or DNA – and whoever is left doesn’t have a dueling partner. Hmmmm…..sure enough, watching the show again reveals that there are indeed people on the roster that we didn’t see in the qualifiers.

I also take back what I said earlier. Eva didn’t have last pick but second to last.

Anyway, let’s look at the Duel scores.

Fik-Shun was high scorer so he picked and went first. Swing Latino was higher than Miami All Stars and they also went first. Then they switched it up and had Kyntay and Keoni/Mari both go first in their duels despite being the lower scorers. Of course, we don’t know if that is the true order…it could have changed in editing.

Basically, I think the right picks were made and the right people went through. Love Quick Style and I’m bummed out that they went against Keone and Mari, who are one of my absolute favorites. That one was too close. Scores I disagree with while agreeing with the winner was Eva versus Kyntay – there was NOT that much of a difference score-wise between them, although I do think Eva won.

Some people improved on their qualifying scores and some didn’t – no idea yet if that is going to mean anything in the long run. I suspect not. Some of the difference between qualifiers and duels were very minor, like Fik-shun versus Nick Daniels. Others were quite massive – Miami All Stars gained 7 whole points while Swing Latino lost a couple points. Unfortunately for Miami All Stars it wasn’t quite enough. Kyntay also gained a few points while Eva lost one – not enough, once again. Keone and Mari gained 6 points also, while Quickstyle lost a couple.

I’m not seeing any patterns here, yet. You?

June 26, 2017 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Pure World of Dance Season 1, Week 4 (Duels) – Power Rankings

NOTE: Once again, apologize for the lateness – although I’m afraid this might become a regular thing for the time being.  With one team member at work on maternity leave, and the other more inclined to whittle fidget spinners out of wood (true story) than actually help me with the work load, my days at the office are…hectic.

So the first round of duels was both interesting and a bit refreshing. While I will reserve judgment on how much the contestants may have been influenced by the powers that be when picking their duel opponents, I felt like the pairings were fair for the most part, and I commend all of the competitors for being really good sports and having a lot of respect for their opponents. I also found myself agreeing with the outcome of each of these duels – I don’t think the judges got any of it wrong. Will that continue to be the pattern? Guess we’ll see.

The love affair with contemporary dancers continues, but the fact that they didn’t seem to have qualms letting Nick go (while gushing over Eva) makes me wonder if the judges might be realizing that “there can be only one” in the finals and it’s probably gonna be Eva. I actually really liked how Jenna got more heavily featured in the duel rounds – we actually got to see her in her element as a dancer, actually working with the contestants a bit, rather than just providing moral support (albeit very adorable emotional support 🙂 ) to their families backstage, like she did in the qualifier round.

So what’s on the agenda next week? Looks like the featured “duel” is Kyle Van Newkirk vs. Les Twins – a pairing that I don’t necessarily think is fair on paper, but given that they seem to be touting some “big shock” and a “David & Goliath” storyline…my guess is that Kyle ends up beating them 🙂 I feel like I saw a promo that showed more of the duel pairings, but for the life of me I cannot recall where – but it looks like D’Angelo & Amanda, Super Cr3w, The Posse, Diana Pombo, & Pasion are on the roster. I’m rooting for D’Angelo & Amanda to make it through, but it looks like they’re either gonna have to beat Diana or The Posse – both contemporary darlings much adored by the judges. Then again, I don’t know that there’s really another decent ballroom act in the junior division, so I wonder if the judges might be inclined to keep them for variety’s sake… Read more..

June 21, 2017 I Written By

Medical device sales by day, reality TV blogger by night. Makeup artist, baker, hair model, and wannabe DIY-er when time permits, and a potty-mouth 24/7. Read more of me at puredwts.com, and follow me on Twitter & Instagram: @putuincespence

Pure World of Dance Season 1, Week 4 (Duels) – Music from Tonight’s Show

Here it is – the music from tonight’s episode, in chronological order. I’ve included a description of when in the episode it played in parentheses. If you’re looking for music from previous episodes, all music lists can be found here.

“Get Down Tonight” by KC & the Sunshine Band (opening intro)

“This Girl” by Kungs & Cookin’ On 3 Burners (judges intro)

“Unsteady” by X Ambassadors (Fik-Shun qualifier recap)

“Secrets” by OneRepublic (Nick Daniels qualifier recap)

“Human” by Rag ‘n’ Bone Man (Fikshun vs. Nick Daniels intro)

“Fragile” by Tech N9ne feat. Kendrick Lamar & ¡Mayday! & Kendall Morgan (Fik-Shun performance)

“Wicked Games” by RAIGN (Nick Daniels performance)

“The Days” by Avicii (Fik-Shun vs. Nick scoring and results)

“Bemba Colora” by Celia Cruz (Swing Latino qualifier recap)

“Dance Again” by Jennifer Lopez (Miami All-Stars qualifier recap)

“Light it Up (Remix)” by Major Lazer feat. Nyla & Fuse ODG (Swing Latino vs. Miami All-Stars intro)

“Lo Que Trajo El Barco 10 (Siempre Pa Lante/Hagan Silencio)” by D. En D, La Cali Salsa Big Band (Swing Latino performance)

“Jumpin’ Jack” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Miami All-Stars performance)

“River” by Bishop Briggs (Eva Igo qualifier recap)

“Panda” by Desiigner (Kyntay qualifier recap)

“Just Like Fire” by P!nk (Eva Igo vs. Kyntay intro)

“Bang Bang” by Jessie J & Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj (Kyntay performance)

“It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World (The Voice Performance)” by Juliet Simms (Eva Igo performance)

“Alive” by Sia (Eva Igo vs. Kyntay scoring & results)

“Happy” by C2C feat. Derek Martin (Keone & Mari qualifier recap)

“Jolene” by Dolly Parton (Quickstyle qualifier recap)

“Paris” by The Chainsmokers (Quickstyle vs. Keone & Mari intro)

“Like Real People Do” by Hozier (Keone & Mari performance)

“Guidance” by Travis Scott (Quickstyle performance)

June 20, 2017 I Written By

Medical device sales by day, reality TV blogger by night. Makeup artist, baker, hair model, and wannabe DIY-er when time permits, and a potty-mouth 24/7. Read more of me at puredwts.com, and follow me on Twitter & Instagram: @putuincespence

‘World Of Dance’ Season 1, Week Four – The Performance Videos

Below are the performance videos for World Of Dance Week Four courtesy of @Idolxfactor1 and WOD Official You Tube! We’re posting them as soon as we can, so, keep checking back….

You tubes… Read more..

I Written By

Just a music and dancing fan here ....and a lover of life, nature, animals, and spending as much time as possible camping all over in our travel trailer. Favorite Quote at the moment: "Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching, and live like it's heaven on earth." ~ William Purkey. Follow me at: Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud. To view my photography site, see Lisa Kay Photography.

World of Dance, By the Numbers – Week 3

So…why are the Jabbawockeez allowed to be mellow and Ian Eastwood isn’t? Just asking. They didn’t get a significantly higher score than Ian did, but the commentary was very, very different. I think that even these judges are susceptible to star power – and make no mistake, the Jabbawockeez are already stars. Well established stars who had their own Vegas show, am I right?

So that begs the question that I’ve seen floating around the internet: is it fair to have well established dance stars compete against complete unknowns? It’s hardly the same as DWTS, where the public votes and therefore it gives the a leg up in terms of fanbase. And, unlike some other sites, I do draw a pretty hard line between Jabbawockeez and someone like Fik-shun. I don’t think Fik-shun is either well established nor a millionaire so I don’t have a problem with him competing at all. But having the Jabbawockeez compete is almost like having Derek himself compete – he’s famous and probably no longer needs the money, although it’s always nice. 🙂 So…is it “fair”? Read more..

I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Sneak Peek Of Fik-Shun In The World Of Dance Duels

Below Fik-Shun performs his Upper Division Duel. He’ll be going up against Nick Daniels. Yikes. I don’t want to see either of these two leave this competition too soon. They are both so good.

June 19, 2017 I Written By

Just a music and dancing fan here ....and a lover of life, nature, animals, and spending as much time as possible camping all over in our travel trailer. Favorite Quote at the moment: "Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching, and live like it's heaven on earth." ~ William Purkey. Follow me at: Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud. To view my photography site, see Lisa Kay Photography.

Pure World of Dance Season 1, Week 3 (Qualifiers) – Power Rankings

NOTE: Apologies on the lateness of these rankings – work was a nightmare today, as I’m now down one team member due to her being on maternity leave; additionally, I found myself having to go back and rewatch some acts – there were just a crap ton on last night’s show.

Holy “wow, maybe we should have thrown more acts into the first two episodes!”, Batman – last night felt a tad frantic, as if they were trying to cram in a ton of acts after only really featuring less than ten in both of the previous weeks’ qualifiers.  And we STILL did not see all of the 45 acts on the full list of contestants – so does that mean we aren’t actually going to see some of the acts at all? Or are some of the acts coming into the battle rounds without their initial qualifier performance being shown, and they’re gonna tell us more about them in the coming weeks? I don’t really know how all of this is going to shake out, but if watching a few seasons of AGT has taught me anything, it’s that if they don’t show your initial audition on the air, and you just kinda show up in the Vegas week rounds, then your odds of advancing are probably not that great. If they don’t see fit to show you from day 1, then they likely don’t think you’re worth it. I hope I’m proven wrong in the case of World of Dance. Read more..

June 14, 2017 I Written By

Medical device sales by day, reality TV blogger by night. Makeup artist, baker, hair model, and wannabe DIY-er when time permits, and a potty-mouth 24/7. Read more of me at puredwts.com, and follow me on Twitter & Instagram: @putuincespence

World of Dance, By the Numbers – Week 2

Well, week 2 was every bit as spectacular as week 1 was on World of Dance. As a veteran DWTS blogger, I must say it’s a breath of fresh air to see judges give constructive comments and criticisms when it’s needed. And you can tell that all three of them are seriously into dance and not just all about themselves, unlike a couple other dance shows that shall remain nameless. 😉

I will say that most of the dancers I liked MORE on re-watching – which is typical for me with these shows. I tend to be hypercritical when watching live. When I go back, the dances tend to have a bigger impact than they did on the original viewing. I certainly had a greater appreciation for The Lab (loved them from the start), Fik-Shun (was only so-so when live) and Quick Style (appreciated the song choice the first time around, loved it all this time).

On the other hand, Luka and Jenalyn did not really increase my positive view. They were alright and the tricks looked cleaner on the second viewing. I still don’t get how Miami All Stars made it through on that performance – not one of my favorites. I also found myself agreeing with Courtney’s assessment of Nick Daniels on a second viewing.

As I said last week, there’s not much work for me to do for this show, when it comes to the numbers – at least not yet. More like presenting the standings before the next show happens and see if we can spot any trends, etc. So here’s this weeks standings along with last weeks for comparison:

As I said in my live blog last week, I certainly hope this show doesn’t devolve into having the very same problem as So You Think You Can Dance – the fawning over ANY contemporary performer, regardless. The favoritism towards contemporary dance is evident…yet the contemporary is the one genre that easily all begins to look the same after a while. We’re not there yet with this show, but the fact that they closed this show two weeks in a row with contemporary dancers is NOT a good sign. Love Diana, but only so-so on Nick. The Lab, Fik-Shun and Quick Style were all equally good choices as closer. We’ll see. But I’ll be disappointed.

That said, Nick didn’t score as high as some of my favorites so maybe I’m worried for nothing. Ne-Yo continues to be the tough scorer while JLo is more of a light touch. Derek is somewhere in the middle. He tends to go harder (at least verbally) on the ballroom or ballroom adjacent folks, which should be no surprise.

So, what did you all think? Anything on the show surprise you? See a trend that I don’t?

June 12, 2017 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

World of Dance, Week 2 Screencaps

Just a few screen caps from Week 2 of the competition. 🙂

June 11, 2017 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)