Live To Dance - Premiere Review

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Oh Paula, oh Paula…how your fans missed you. Our wait is over, as Paula returned to our airwaves January 4, on CBS’s Live to Dance, a real dance competition, unlike some others we know. If you’re a fan of competition dance, this show did not disappoint. Those of us who were embroiled in the Dancing With The Stars controversy are pleased to see that Live to Dance clearly defined itself from the opening sequence: it is looking for the best dance act, and by best, they mean the act that breaks barriers and gives us something we’ve never seen before. A tall order, but we know the journey on which we embark.

The premiere night gave us auditions from L.A. and New York, with an hour devoted to each city. The auditions were pre-produced and pre-packaged in front of a studio audience; some were full 30 second auditions, while others were shown in lightning speed montage sequences, along with a quick clip of some injuries and snafus (always fun). Live to Dance moves at an extremely fast pace, keeping the contestant back stories and judge bantering to a bare minimum. If you blinked you would have missed an audition.

Two or more gold stars by the judges moves a contestant to the “short list” of consideration for the semi-finals, while 2 or more red stars mean better luck next time. A judge has a chance to change his or her vote, and the first and only one of the night was a change from Travis Payne, who caved to audience pressure for an aging trio of former Solid Gold Dancers. While the show lacks the nitty gritty of the raw auditions we are so familiar with from American Idol, it does show us that the judges are clearly within their element. Travis Payne, a dancer from the age of 9, was a choreographer for Michael Jackson, while Kim Wyatt, also a choreographer with a long list of credits, is the founder of the Pussycat Dolls. Paula of course, is an esteemed dancer and choreographer in her own right. The judges clearly work as a team. Their comments were warm, uplifting and professional, while criticisms were positive, encouraging and helpful. No nasty tirades to talentless hopefuls, and no backbiting or controversy at the judges table. Even the host was a sweetheart, humorously admitting to knowing the Solid Gold dance routines as a child.

Live To Dance Premiere ReviewContestants ranged in age from 9 to 90 (yes!). There was the cute kid groups, the elderly couples, the darling ingénues, and while many forms of dance were represented, tonight’s contestants relied mostly on hip hop, ballet, beat box and break dancing. Naturally, there was the funny character who performed to the requisite Paula Abdul song “Forever Your Girl”, which succeeded in bringing Paula to tears. He wasn’t voted through, but he did get to share a sentimental moment with Paula on stage. As she hugged him, she revealed that the song was and will always be about her Dad, who was sitting in the audience. Perhaps the most heartbreaking audition was the quartet of little girls, somewhere between toddler and pre-teen age, who danced their hearts out to Justin Bieber’s Baby Baby Baby. They were so cute, but alas, the judges felt they needed to work on their cohesion as a group. The standout act of the night was the pre-pubescent boy/girl Latin dance couple who treated us to an amazing rumba complete with splits and lifts. Not only did they earn 3 gold stars to see them through to tomorrow, they earned a rousing standing ovation from the audience and judges as well.

While I agreed with most of the judges picks for the semi-finals, there was one I did not understand. One young man was a contortionist as opposed to a dancer, and they sent him through. “Innovative and different” was the comment from Travis and while it is in keeping with the "breaking the barriers" theme, to me it just wasn’t dancing.

Perhaps the most refreshing element about Live to Dance is that it is an extension of Paula Abdul’s vision of dance competition. It reflects love, encouragement, and gentle criticism but without the snarkiness that so embodied her previous show which clearly upset her more often than not. I have the feeling that this show’s overall aura was at her insistence. Live to Dance radiates heart, light and soul. Pure Paula. Tomorrow night’s show is all about the suspense as the judges review their short list to see who makes it to the semi-finals: January 5, 8pm on CBS.


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