Pure World of Dance Season 1, Week 1 (Qualifiers) – Power Rankings
Well after the manipulation headache that was the most recent season of DWTS, I’m happy to say that the premiere of WOD was a nice palate cleanser last night 🙂 There was nary a whiff of manipulation to be found, and on the whole, everybody on the show – from the contestants, to the judges, to the host, to the audience – just seemed really excited to be there, and grateful for the opportunity. My, what a difference a lack of arrogance and entitlement in the cast of dance show makes to my enjoyment! 🙂 Was also kinda nice that it was only an hour long, and we only saw seven acts in this first episode, which makes blogging a brand new show seem a bit less daunting.
That being said – bear with me (and Heidi, and Vogue) because we’re still trying to figure this show out, and how we want to approach it in our coverage. If you have any suggestions, PLEASE – do share them, because we are quite literally making this up as we go along 😛 If there is some aspect of the show you would like us to cover, let us know – we are open to suggestions. In case you missed it, you can check out Heidi’s live blog of last night’s show here; if you’re looking for a list of music from last night’s episode, go here. We are still working on getting profiles posted for all of this season’s contestants, but you will be able to find all of them here.
Now, onto the power rankings – these are obviously going to be different than the ones I do for PureDWTS. Since the contestants are currently only competing against other contestants within their division, it really only makes sense to rank them against the other acts in their division on a given episode. Since there were only six acts last night (that actually advanced to the next round), there were only two acts in each division – so it’s really just a matter of “which of these two acts did better?” And when I say “better”, I mean “more likely to stick around in this competition and possibly win”. So I just ranked the two acts within each division and gave my thoughts – and at the bottom of the page, I did “Court’s pick”, which was just my personal favorite from the episode, and also who I think fared the best out of all the acts on a particular episode. I also threw in the “eliminated” category to give my thoughts on any acts eliminated from last night’s show. And again – I’m totally open to suggestions if you think there’s a different way to do it that might work better. Shall we begin? 🙂
Junior Division:
1.) Diana Pombo – As I mentioned on Twitter, I LIKED Diana – but I didn’t LOVE her, and I think it was in good part due to her choreography (which isn’t really her fault). There was unfortunately a good degree of the “contemporary flailing” I tend to roll my eyes at on DWTS – additionally, I thought she maybe relied a bit too much on her gymnastic abilities/shows of flexibility rather than actual choreography. No doubt Diana’s extraordinarily talented – amazing extensions and impressive height on her leaps – but I would caution whoever is doing her choreography not to fall back too much onto tricks and general angst. She could be the next Maddie Ziegler, but she needs the choreography to show it. I personally preferred D’Angelo & Amanda to Diana (I’ve got a ballroom bias, sue me), but I think the judges preferred Diana to D’Angelo & Amanda.
2.) D’Angelo & Amanda – I was really excited to see their names on the master contestant list, because I’ve followed them on so many other reality shows (if you haven’t yet, check out the profile I did on them here). And I love how they have matured these last few years – there’s definitely more of an adult “polish” to their dancing now. Loved that they opted to do a medley with bits of paso, cha-cha, and salsa, and saw a few fun tricks (like the patented Sasha Farber cartwheel) that felt like they were inspired by DWTS). I think the only issue I had (and it’s one Derek also brought up) was Amanda’s hip action – and I feel a bit bad for her, because I think she’s just gone through the typical changes a young woman’s body goes through as she matures into a woman, and she’s got a bit more hip to move now than she did four years ago on AGT. Back then, she was actually the one that the better hip action, and it was D’Angelo that struggled a bit more; but she also was a bit more wire-y back then, and she’s just a bit curvier now. Now it seems like D’Angelo has really hit a nice stride, and Amanda may have to work a bit harder to catch up to him. But I still think they’re going to be big contenders this season in the junior division, so watch out.
Upper Division:
1.) Les Twins – I noticed kind of an interesting pattern when browsing the #WorldOfDance tag on Twitter last night – the people that seemed to really like Les Twins, didn’t seem to like Keone & Mari; the people that liked Keone & Mari seemed to dislike Les Twins. And I think it boils down primarily to this: Les Twins appeals more to those who really look at hip-hop technique, while Keone & Mari appeal more to those looking for stage presence and overall performance quality. I personally preferred Les Twins, because I felt like they were doing much more innovative and intricate choreography, and I liked that they went with a routine that had a darker, edgier theme than what they typically do – but I can see how some may not have been as impressed, because it did move a bit slowly and required more attention to detail to really appreciate what they were doing, I think. But they got the most generous scores and critiques from the judges last night, so I believe we’re probably going to see them make it pretty far this season – I think Fik-Shun could be in some trouble, because what they do seems to overlap quite a bit with his style – we’ll see what he’s able to pull out. I just think they’re adorable, too, on top of being talented 🙂
2.) Keone & Mari – I thought Keone & Mari were pleasant to watch and had a fun routine, but I didn’t find myself incredibly impressed by the choreography. It seemed to take awhile to really get started, and once it did, it seemed a tad repetitive – but it was fun to watch and had good energy, so I’ll give them that. I didn’t hate it, but I’m not sure it’s really going to stick out in my mind a few episodes from now. I think they’ll probably need to get out of the box a bit with their choreography in future routines in order to set themselves apart – I’m hoping we see something slower and a bit edgier from them later on. I do think they’re probably going to be more popular with the viewing audience than Les Twins, though – but since there isn’t actually any audience voting on this show, and it’s all been pre-taped, I’m not sure that it’s going to really have an impact on the competition itself.
Team Division:
1.) Super Cr3w – I remembered that they had been on America’s Best Dance Crew several years ago, but I had completely spaced that they actually won season 2 and came in third on ABDC’s all-stars season. So they’ve got some definite chops – and I think they did a good job of showing us what they were made of last night. Lots of impressive stunts, and I had never seen that unfolding fan/paper doll stunt that they did – and that’s the kind of innovative stuff I’m hoping we get to see on this show. My only concern is that b-boy routines can sometimes come across as a tad disjointed – just a lot of moving parts, and sometimes there’s just so much going on that it gets a bit hard to appreciate all the cool stuff they’re doing. It’s a good problem to have, because it means you’ve got a lot to work with – and it should be easy to fix: just simplify it 🙂
2.) Kinjaz – I actually thought Kinjaz had a bit of the opposite problem going on as Super Cr3w – they didn’t quite seem to have enough going on in their routine. It was cool, but it felt pretty slow-moving to me – you had to really focus in order to appreciate what they were doing, because they seemed to rely on very subtle, very refined moves rather than off-the-wall stunts like Super Cr3w had. I have no doubt that they, too, have moves – I just don’t know that this piece of choreography really showed us what they were capable of. I hope they add a bit more “oomph” to things in the coming rounds, because I do think they’ve got the talent.
Eliminated:
NXT LVL – Fun fact: this same group of guys (or most of this same group of guys) was on America’s Got Talent a few seasons back, but billed themselves as “All That!” and ended up making it to the semifinals – and it always kinda puzzled me, because I felt like they basically just did the same routine each week, to a slightly different song. And I think that’s the big problem clogging has with respect to other disciplines of dance – there’s just not a ton of variety/flexibility to it. Ultimately, I think that’s what the judges saw, and realized that these guys probably wouldn’t be able to hang with some of the powerhouse teams they have this season…hence, the low score and them being sent packing. Strange observation: that routine felt REALLY short – like it was only 30 seconds or so long. More like a bumper of Dancing with the Stars than a full-length routine. Part of me wonders if the editors maybe cut down their performance a bit, since they already knew they wouldn’t be advancing.
Court’s pick for this episode: It’s a tie between D’Angelo & Amanda and Les Twins – I just felt that they both were doing some pretty unique, impressive stuff that we don’t see on a regular basis in dance today.
Who Court thinks will do the best in the long run: I think they set it up such that we will likely be seeing a lot of Diana Pombo – the judges seemed really enamored of her.
So those are my thoughts – what are yours? Who was your favorite/least favorite on last night’s episode? What do you think of the judges? The overall format of the show? Let’s hear it 🙂
Yay, rankings! I was hoping you’d do one, Courtney, not just sure how you’d format it since there are different divisions. I think what you’ve come up with is the smartest way to do it.
My picks would be Diana, Les Twins, and Super Crew. Can’t wait to see the other qualifiers.
I’m with you on the show being a refreshing change from DWTS. Loved that it focuses a lot less on drama, but more on the dancing and the dancers. Loved that it’s only an hour-long.
One thing I noticed was that Jenna had little screen time on the premier night. But I think that will change once the qualifying round is over because she’s also going to be mentoring the contestants.
First of all, great job ladies, for making a decision to start with this blog 🙂
I’m a huge DWTS fan and my boyfriend is a hip hop dancer, so I know hip hop stuff too. And to say that I was shocked to see someone like Kinjaz or Keone (my bf is obsessed with him!), less alone Les Twins (they danced with a Beyonce, for God’s sake!), is an understatement. But then again, it’s billion dollars, so maybe I shouldn’t be.
Super Cr3w – really impressed, because I’m usually not a fan of breakdancing. It just gets so boring after a while (I know it’s super hard to do it, but still) and I have to agree with JLo, they made it exciting and fun 🙂
D’Angelo & Amanda – wow, awesome! So many different styles of Latin and I really liked that. I don’t really know a lot about technique, so I appreciate your comment about it, Courtney… It looked great to me 🙂 And I would also like to thank Jennifer for making Derek demonstrate the hip action (and by the way, how AMAZING was Derek??? So proud of him) 🙂
Les Twins – people love them and I know they are one of the best dancers in the world. Their style is really special and unique…it’s just not my cup of tea, it never was. But they will go veeeeery far in this competition (wouldn’t be suprised if they come out as winners at the end of it).
Keone & Mari – like I said, my boyfriend is obsessed with Keone, so he made me watch A LOT of his videos. I have to say that I saw much better routines from them than the one they did yesterday, but I know what they are capable of and I wouldn’t write them off just yet.
Kinjaz – I LOVE KINJAZ!!! Have to agree with you Courtney, that was a little slow, but man, you have to appreciate the attention to details and how they are moving as one. I’m currently obsessed with the video they just released, dancing to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Humble’ and if they do something like that in the finale (there’s no doubt in my mind we’re gonna see them get so far), they can win. I have high expectations for them!
Diana – what a cutie and so so so talented. There was passion in her movement and on her face and I was amazed by her.
Love love love this new show!
Thanks Courtney
I loved the show but I think I need to watch and REWATCH it more in order to make an intelligent comment. D’Angelo & Amanda are my favorites so far but then I am a ballroom fan.
Great rankings. I really don’t have any suggestions about format for the rankings. I think things will organically fall into place as the show goes on.
I do feel like Diana Pombo is tailor made for a televised dance competition. She’s talented, charismatic and seems genuinely sweet. I agree that she needs better choreography. I’d like to see her do a really powerful, strong SuperGirl type routine rather than watch a typical, cliched contemporary.
I really liked Les Twins. It’ll be interesting to see how they change up their rather impressive technique as the competition goes on in order to keep things fresh.
Just excellent, Courtney!! I was so looking forward to your rankings! Right now my faves are Diana, Kinjaz, and Les Twins. I was so impressed with D’Angelo & Amanda and Super Cr3w too. After doing a profile on them, I was kind of disappointed in Keone & Mari, but, I think they have a lot more to their act than what we saw last night. So, I’m hoping we see some better routines from them in the future. Anyway, what a super first night!
I agree with your rankings. I really liked D’Angelo and Amanda. The show is a nice breather from DWTS. I’m looking forward to seeing more!
My top 3 were D’Angelo & Amanda Diana and Super Cr3w I also liked Keone and Mari
I’m not quite sure what I think of Les Twins yet as their dance style is not one I typically enjoy though it is very popular. As time goes on and I see more I suspect I will better appreciate all the different styles but for now that’s where I’m at.
Put me in the column that was not as impressed by Les Twins as others, and I also think it was the material. There were times I felt myself bored by what they were doing, and I suppose it could have been the subject matter.
The show is very smart to bring on people who have already been on other shows to demonstrate how they have progressed in their dancing, so I found myself rooting for the grown Amanda and D’Angelo and Supercrew and their rolling fan was just awesome. I also loved Keone and Mari, and I think their story was more relatable. I also was a fan of their choreography on SYTYCD.
If I have one criticism the show feels highly overproduced, I would have liked a little more banter from the judges so I liked that Derek did a Bruno demonstrating hip action, it’s the kind of thing that makes it a bit more fun and less mechanical watching them key in scores. Already the scores show that Derek is cast as the nice guy giving the cloggers enough to go through. I also hope Neo does a little demo of his hip hop isolations and not be solely cast as the stern one.
It’s not “over produced”, it’s highly edited, as it has to be since it only has ten hours of TV to get in everything they want to get in. DWTS is highly produced. I think once we get past the Qualifying round, it will be less fast.
Actually, I felt it was overproduced, the opening credits to the whole slickness of the production took away any sort of spontaneity, so that if a dancer or dance team has a “moment” in their dance it will either be overly dramatized or it could be edited out, depending on the direction the show wants to take. In that respect they are messing with the dancing. That’s why I liked the live aspect of DWTS, what we got was happening in the moment. I agree the show had a heavy hand on everything, but that minute and half performance was the only real thing that the viewer got. And I liked the clunky moments because they were real. From David almost dropping Lindsay, to Marie Osmond passing out was amazing live tv. This show definitely doesn’t do clunky.
Ha! I think these dancers don’t do “clunky” they are so good. I personally like the professionalism of the show and the lack of judges babbling. While DWTS has its place so does SYTYCD and WOD. The shows are really very different. I liked the Kinjaz this first round.
Yeah, there ain’t going to be any “clunky”. LOL. Maybe they will do live in Season 2 – there just isn’t enough time for more judges or a live aspect with 10 one-hour shows. You have to decide, do you go Live and only get to see five dances in an hour, or do you edit to fit an hour and get 7 dances in??
DWTS was good for live because those were (mostly) amateurs learning to dance – part of the excitement of live is that they could seriously fuck up in the moment of the actual dance. That is far less likely here as these are well trained dancers. And really, I would take an hour of WoD’s type of “over produced” over DWTS’s version any day.
I think I’ve already watched Kinjaz dance five times. That didn’t happen for any dances on DWTS last season. I also love all three judges and the chemistry they have with each other. None of them seem like they are there just to provide “drama”, nor do they seem to make it all about them.
That’s cool, they are good they should be, but they don’t do clunky because the show rehearses multiple times for the best camera angles. They are good, but for sure the show is going to rehearse the bejesus out of the contestants for that one perfect take. In that respect I much prefer the odd out of focus camera angle, or the lights go out, or the sound goes wrong, if we get that authentic in the moment brilliance. And for me, DWTS did that with Rashad’s contemporary this season. Every season there is a nugget that you can’t rehearse, or that pithy quip from Tom that is just so spontenous in it’s delivery. and that’s what gives the show it’s amazing sustaining power. I just don’t see that with this show. And that’s unfortunate.
You know all this how, Casanova??
BTW, DWTS also rehearses multiple times for the best camera angles, but don’t have the chance to edit out the stupid shit that happens every season when a camera guy screws up. Let’s not romanticize it – DWTS has been doing live tv for 24 seasons and “clunky” in terms of production should not be a part of the vocabulary.
I enjoyed the “overproduced” intro, and I think it had the desired effect. My roommate walked behind me when I was watching the WoD intro, and it caught his eye and he said, “Well, this looks like it beats Dancing With the Stars out of the water.” It did, and it does!
I miss the spontaneity and surprises of DWTS but appreciate that all the filler and crap are cut from WoD.
For a million dollar prize, NONE should be allowed to be clunky on the show. I prefer this “overproduced” show over the highly-manipulated one. Still can’t forget how badly Simone was treated and the OTT judging.