Wow! It’s incredible to see the new shows on television! I guess you could say Biggest Loser may have paved the way, the arrival of Oxygen’s Dance Your A** Off and Fox’s More to Love signal the arrival of more real sizes on TV! Now what you think of these shows is another story…
I watched Dance Your A** Off the week of pole dancing. I am a huge fan of this movement but I felt the show and it’s choreography fell flat in terms of presenting pole dancing as a tasteful and meaningful movement option. What struck me most was the reaction from the judges about “not using the pole enough.” Right…
Skills on the pole do require upper body strength, but it also requires the knowledge and understanding of what could anatomically be possible for the larger body. One female contestant was able to successfully maneuver a “swirl” down the pole, but unfortunately, many of the other contestants were left to gyrate in ways that I honestly believe could have been much better choreographed.
Sexy, sensual movement is a cornerstone for any person’s movement program. It can make you feel powerful, seductive, attractive and alive. The movement has to feel right on your body and have a deep sense of connecting from within. Many of the movements originate in the pelvis and flow up and out. Without this connection, the movement can appear, and at times feel, haphazard and silly.
I don’t know how the contestants learned their movement for the pole, but the authenticity seemed to be lacking – no fault of theirs. In my opinion, pole dance teachers have to assist the person in bringing the movement out and creating a piece that works best with his/her body. Throwing oneself around the pole without a connection from within can lead to injury and further disconnect from an incredibly sensual experience.
I’m thrilled to see dance as an expression of movement for all people. I’m thrilled to see real bodies doing the work. I only wonder when a contestant throws herself onto the floor in a split without any professional training, if teachers are after the shock and WOW factor without any thought to the overall physical health of the contestant.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of the shows…and Emme will be a beautiful host for More to Love. Stay tuned!
I would love to hear your comments…
Personally, I can’t stand these shows. Just think about the titles-The Biggest Loser, Dance your A** Off, etc. They are a play on words designed to conjure up negative images of the contestants and large sized individuals. It’s sad that as a society we are entertained by watching people humiliate themselves.
It’s sad that you’re judging these shows before the people ON them have had a chance to speak about their experiences. Reality shows have been in the mainstream for a decade now, why is it NOW an issue for humiliation? Because more obese people are participating? That’s a sad stance to take.
These are real life people doing things on TV that just haven’t been represented before. That is something we should be applauding. Who said people were being humiliated? The Biggest Loser rewards those who lose the biggest % of weight. Dance Your Ass Off is a common enough expression. Are we to change all idioms of the english language because they *could* be interpreted one way or another? These people are breaking barriers and changing misconceptions about obese people. So what if the title can be taken this way or that way, once you’re watching the show, you’re watching these human beings doing something real for themselves.
BIGGEST LOSER, DANCE YOUR * OFF focus on weight loss and drastic weight loss with BIGGEST LOSER. The focus on the highest %age of weight lost from week to week is a farce, and the challenges are made-4-tv-sensationalism. The message going out to our tv-viewing culture is that large sizes and shapes are shameful and must be made smaller at any cost… even at the cost of exercising 6+ hours a day. C’mon, this is not progress. What would a show be like if it featured enormously underweight people who were competing to gain weight? Also not a body-loving television segment.