The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Who in your opinion, is the best African American dancer of all time? (2.0)
bychance
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I made an error last time, so I'm fixing it.
Heres a list of some of the most prominent dancers (you can add to the list for the "other" option)
-James Brown
-Jackie Wilson
-Michael Jackson
-Sammy Davis. Jr
-Josephine Baker
-Debbie Allen
-Janet Jackson
-Tina Turner
-Cab Calloway
-The Nicholas Brothers
OTHER
Its a shame that there aren't any other black female dancers besides the few I named, that can qualify as the best of the best. All the others I can think of are way too new and unworthy to be listed among these greats (Ciara, Mya, Aaliyah, Rosie Perez, Beyonce, etc). That includes male as well (Usher, Chris Brown, Ginuwine, Omarion, etc). A lot of today's acts lack distinctiveness, and just plain copy off of the previous generation point blank.
For me personally, my choice is Michael Jackson. I'm basing this on versatility, stage presence and charisma, originality and uniqueness, and just plain awesome. (I hate that word 'awesome' but its the only adjective I could think of at the moment). I don't think anyone will surpass Michael Jackson when it comes to dancing, honestly. No bias. Theres no current dancer who has yet to be able to do what he has down; and thats mixing styles together. Street dancing; pop and lock, tap, ballet, James Brown and Fred Astaire-esque movement (which he made into his own) so on and so for forth. A major part of what makes his performances more captivating to watch than others, is his dress. Its simple (okay, despite the ocasional excess glitter); black jacket, white t-shirt, high water slacks and penny loafers. Its not something that distracts you like common and trendy, clothing. I've only just realized that the main reason he wears his pants higher is not really because he's a dork (okay, a little) but because it brings more attention to his feet. His footwork is amazing, that rivals James Brown. I don't know if anyone has seen the Motown Jackson 5 audition, where they perform "I Got That Feeling" but its a must see in order to gasp on what I'm referring to, really.
Essentially, dance is the movement in between steps and/or posses that are meant to be hit upon at certain given times, what happens in the interim of the posses. Basically, it is the motion which takes you from point A to point B. The steps themselves don’t matter so much, but rather how well you put the steps together, how well you connect them. How good of a dancer you are depends on what you look like moving between each position you’re meant to arrive at, And how well you move is determined by these factors; fluidity, speed, control, precision and lines. What makes Michael Jackson such an exceptionally fine, extraordinary dancer is the fact that he is incredibly quick and be is incredibly clean, two qualities which most dancers possess only one of, if even. It is part of what makes Michael exceptional in the field.
His control is phenomenal, he stops his body solid coming off of full motion, then flows seamlessly and without hesitation into the next step, at all times keeping himself tight and in erratic. His lines are absolutely beautiful. He gets full extension on each pose, and holds it there long enough for it to be seen clearly. Take any still photograph of him snapped while he was dancing, place a cut out of it behind a white backdrop, and it makes a perfect silhouette. He is always positioned perfectly to go into the next step; each angle clearly defined and strongly pronounced, his whole body straight and neat. And then, there is his subtlety. He moves every aspect of his body, from head to fingers, able to put the full force of his energy into each movement, no matter how small, giving it an unwavering intensity. But he does it in such as way that it blends perfectly with whatever other motion he is engaged in, never looking out of place or trying too hard. Its second nature.
Enough with my blabbering. Tell me who is in your opinion, and explain why IN DETAIL please.
Heres a list of some of the most prominent dancers (you can add to the list for the "other" option)
-James Brown
-Jackie Wilson
-Michael Jackson
-Sammy Davis. Jr
-Josephine Baker
-Debbie Allen
-Janet Jackson
-Tina Turner
-Cab Calloway
-The Nicholas Brothers
OTHER
Its a shame that there aren't any other black female dancers besides the few I named, that can qualify as the best of the best. All the others I can think of are way too new and unworthy to be listed among these greats (Ciara, Mya, Aaliyah, Rosie Perez, Beyonce, etc). That includes male as well (Usher, Chris Brown, Ginuwine, Omarion, etc). A lot of today's acts lack distinctiveness, and just plain copy off of the previous generation point blank.
For me personally, my choice is Michael Jackson. I'm basing this on versatility, stage presence and charisma, originality and uniqueness, and just plain awesome. (I hate that word 'awesome' but its the only adjective I could think of at the moment). I don't think anyone will surpass Michael Jackson when it comes to dancing, honestly. No bias. Theres no current dancer who has yet to be able to do what he has down; and thats mixing styles together. Street dancing; pop and lock, tap, ballet, James Brown and Fred Astaire-esque movement (which he made into his own) so on and so for forth. A major part of what makes his performances more captivating to watch than others, is his dress. Its simple (okay, despite the ocasional excess glitter); black jacket, white t-shirt, high water slacks and penny loafers. Its not something that distracts you like common and trendy, clothing. I've only just realized that the main reason he wears his pants higher is not really because he's a dork (okay, a little) but because it brings more attention to his feet. His footwork is amazing, that rivals James Brown. I don't know if anyone has seen the Motown Jackson 5 audition, where they perform "I Got That Feeling" but its a must see in order to gasp on what I'm referring to, really.
Essentially, dance is the movement in between steps and/or posses that are meant to be hit upon at certain given times, what happens in the interim of the posses. Basically, it is the motion which takes you from point A to point B. The steps themselves don’t matter so much, but rather how well you put the steps together, how well you connect them. How good of a dancer you are depends on what you look like moving between each position you’re meant to arrive at, And how well you move is determined by these factors; fluidity, speed, control, precision and lines. What makes Michael Jackson such an exceptionally fine, extraordinary dancer is the fact that he is incredibly quick and be is incredibly clean, two qualities which most dancers possess only one of, if even. It is part of what makes Michael exceptional in the field.
His control is phenomenal, he stops his body solid coming off of full motion, then flows seamlessly and without hesitation into the next step, at all times keeping himself tight and in erratic. His lines are absolutely beautiful. He gets full extension on each pose, and holds it there long enough for it to be seen clearly. Take any still photograph of him snapped while he was dancing, place a cut out of it behind a white backdrop, and it makes a perfect silhouette. He is always positioned perfectly to go into the next step; each angle clearly defined and strongly pronounced, his whole body straight and neat. And then, there is his subtlety. He moves every aspect of his body, from head to fingers, able to put the full force of his energy into each movement, no matter how small, giving it an unwavering intensity. But he does it in such as way that it blends perfectly with whatever other motion he is engaged in, never looking out of place or trying too hard. Its second nature.
Enough with my blabbering. Tell me who is in your opinion, and explain why IN DETAIL please.
bychance on
0
Posts
But really, I know, like, nothing about dance. Michael Jackson's dancing is pretty visually impressive though.
I anticipated this.
His footwork, like the OP points out, is sensational, it's so fast and fluid. He can look like he's completely lost in his own music and movement, while his ridiculously tiny feet skitter around the floor perfectly. I guess a lot of same technical qualities that Jackon embodied, Brown showed too. Speed, and even when he was lurching like a demented fuck god, precision were always with him.
More than Michael Jackson, I think, James Brown always moved like his music felt. It look like this guy is gonna burst into flame, and smash through the stage, and have sex with my sister all at the same time. The guy embodied the funk and sex and danger of his music. He didn't look like a guy doing a perfectly choreographed routine, he looked like a guy who had to move because he couldn't hold it in anymore.
Same with Vin Diesel.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KzFAHv5iHmc
Actually, I have to agree. If someone made a best white dancer thread, there would be cries of outrage. I HATE double standards.
I hate your face, so shut the fuck up.
Jackson 5 Motown audition tape
One and Two dancing montages I've seen on YouTube.
Okay, let me give you an example.
On average, how many women of color are in a "100 most beautiful women of all time" list? Yeah, under 10 if that many. And they're always the same, predictable A-list/well known ones (Beyonce, Halle Berry, etc). This is why some people op to make on exclusively for minorities since they get no representation in general.
Because there's no such thing as white culture.
African American is a relatively specific term.
If someone made a "Who is your favorite German dancer" thread, nobody would cry racism.
As for this thread: The man made Thriller.
Oh yeah, no doubt. Michael Jackson had tricks Brown couldn't possibly do, and you're in a better position than me to say that he was the more technically proficient of the two. And it doesn't really signify that so much of his style came from JB. Both of them were incredibly gifted in that kind of pilfery; to take a movement and incorporate it and variate it and own it totally.
I guess what set James Brown apart for me, probably unfairly, was how his dance was part of the overall performance. Whether he was crooning, or partying or in full on Godfather of Soul Sexy Funk Demon mode, his dance was always a complete part of the performance. Looking back at videos of him in action and listening to people who saw him perform, you can kinda how the man in action was an explosion, a threat. He'd sing stuff like Say It Loud; I'm Black and I'm Proud and he danced like a race riot.
Jackson's performances never quite reached that for me. They're amazing to watch, and for such a slight, softly spoken man he grew a sneer in his voice that was impressively menacing when he wanted it to be, and obviously was pretty effective for him seeing how it displayed itself during the big hits era in songs like Billie Jean and Beat It, and later on right up till They Don't Really Care. But his dancing, especially when performed with those second two songs, doesn't quite live up to the material. He sings with a real power and urgency, but he dances like an incredibly gifted rock eisteddfod performer. That's just the feel I personally get from the two performers, and what sets James Brown a little above for me, but they were both outrageously talented.
Janet Jackson is a great dancer, but early in her career, Paula Abdul was her choreographer, so I would give Paula the nod over her.
I wish I could give a better opinion on this, but my knowledge of dance is extremely shallow and limited to mainstream dance.
- "Proving once again the deadliest animal of all ... is the Zoo Keeper" - Philip J Fry
No there wouldn't be. There'd be sniggering.
edit: fafjan, we are not going down that path in this thread. If you want to whine about how hard done by the modern WASP is, start another one.
- "Proving once again the deadliest animal of all ... is the Zoo Keeper" - Philip J Fry
*edit: I don't know a thing about dancing, but I can do that standing on your toes thing Michael Jackson does, so I'm giving him my vote.
...
Yeah, Paula Abdul did help a few things for Janet in her early career but...
She didn't do Rhythm Nation.
I like and respect your point 8-) I'm not too sure about Beat It (live) but I think everyone can say that Billie Jean live is always something to look forward to. He always adds something new, and most notably the freestyle at the end. I know a lot of people say that Michael gets a lot of his material from James, and while thats true (and he has said it himself that James his idol since adolescence) there is nobody who bites off of James Brown than Prince. Its a shame Michael doesn't sing live anymore. And he could do it so well, not a single crack in his voice. Ever since the late 90s, all he's been doing is lip syncing. :x
As much as I love Thriller video, I think Smooth Criminal is better by a single jheri curl strand of hair.
I really don't understand why it's so hard for people to understand this.
those guys right thur.
Yeah, I specifically mentioned Billie Jean, because even though the performance doesn't really feel like it belongs with a song about psycho stalkers, it's still the Michael Jackson live act. I mean, how can you not worship the performance that gave the world the moonwalk? Beat It live, from what I've seen is very similar to the clip. Weirdly enough, this thread landed me in a conversation with one of the New York stepping guys we've got hanging out at the dance studio at work currently, and he reckons Beat It was the first song to really put breakdancing out there and on tv. I don't how true that is though.
And oh man... Smooth Criminal. That is the greatest piece of cracked out brilliance ever. Starting the jukebox from across the room, the cat playing the piano, the dancing orphans... the lean. God I wish Michael Jackson was still crazy in the good way.
However, James Brown had that thing where you'd be all like...
"Oh man, he's out, he's got nothing left - yeah man, put that blanket on him and take him home..."
But then "OOOOOW!" the dudes back!... And you just dont know what to think.
I miss the days where Michael had a better hair piece but anyway...
Has anyone caught the news of the James Brown's funeral? It was covered a lot, but not in an Elvis Presley sort of lot. Not that I was surprised..
The epitome of greatness on one stage: James Brown, Michael Jackson and Prince altogether. It sounds like the beginning to a funny joke but its real. The strange thing is though, this concert was never aired for some reason. Anyway, James asks for Michael to come up here and 'say something' (repeat 10x). After he sings and dances for a bit he tells James to ask Prince to come too. Of course Prince is high and he's having sex with his guitar or something, isn't really speaking any incoherent words, and when he walks off stage he knocks over a big light pole besides him over. Good times
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0y4Xzel1MKk and http://youtube.com/watch?v=M9BxLYXmXvw