Originally posted by Mary Chambers
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*Tick*My life, each morning when I dress, is four and twenty hours less. (J Richardson) -
I loved the South Asian final, and thought the standard seemed very high. I don't know much about Indian dance, but have been vaguely interested in it since the time of Ram Gopal. It seems to me to have a tradition, beauty and discipline akin to classical ballet. I don't like the music much, but I think that is just because of its unfamiliarity.
There seemed to me me to be at least three worthy winners. It must have been very difficult for the judges. I'm happy with the one they chose, though I'm still bemused by the thought of Dance as a university subject.Comment
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I quite enjoyed the ballet final, though the emphasis on ballet as gymnastics rather than art offends me a bit - technique isn't everything, or at least it used not to be. How anyone can use the word 'sport' in connection with ballet I can't imagine! It was good to see more male than female dancers, and on the whole I thought the standard was high. I'm not sure I agree about the winner, though he undoubtedly had a strong personality, which is important. His Don Quixote solo was excellent, and I felt sorry for the other young man who danced it, but so much less well.
(Not sure if I'm allowed to mention appearance - not politically correct - but the winner will really have to sort out his teeth if he's going to pursue a professional career.)Comment
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I dimly remember a TV Ballet "If the Crown Fits".
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I'm grateful for your comment, ardcarp - I was beginning to be sure I was talking to myself.
I don't really agree about the overall winner. He was quite good if you like that sort of thing, but ballet and Indian dance (which I know little about but admire) are far more interesting to me. It just shows the absurdity of judging one type of dancing against another. It doesn't really matter - I'm sure the other finalists will do well in their careers if they choose to go on with dancing. The winner of the ballet final already has a place in a professional company.Comment
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It's the same sort of thing with music competitions. How weird for a culturally sophisticated society to want a competitive element. I suppose winners (well, some anyway) benefit...but the rest?Comment
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I think it all depends on how these things are run and what happens to those who don't "win"Originally posted by ardcarp View Post
I used to be totally against these things but have been involved in a number where the "competition" part isn't necessarily the most important thing.
Good feedback, mentoring, support with future projects are all things that can (and DO) happen to encourage youngsters.Comment
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Yes, all the dancers at all the stages of the competition said how worthwhile the experience had been, with the mentoring, performances before large audiences amd in front of tv cameras, new choreography and the mix of dance styles.
The competitive element only features in the last three minutes of each programme, so squeamish viewers could switch off without missing much.
It was only in yesterday's Grand Final that the four dance categories were presented together, although the offstage selection of the two wildcard Grand Finalists (one of whom was awarded the title!) obviously also involved judging dancers in all disciplines.
The high quality of the Category Finals and the even higher quality of the Grand Final show how well the BBC Young Dancer was planned, and was a wonderful public showcase for dance in the UK.
Comparing this BBC Young Dancer event with the longstanding BBC Young Musician event demonstrated that dance is so much more accessible than classical music, so it seems to me a real anomaly that dance features so little on tv while classical music has most of a 24-hour radio station devoted to it. Funny old world ...Comment
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