SKY’s Pineapple Dance Studios

What can I say, I think that Pineapple studios is great I actually admire Pineapple studios as most of the auditions I attended where held there, I have had classes there and I used to go in the shop every Sunday that I went down to dance at the Urdang even though I never bought anything. It has an incredible reputation as it holds daily classes for professionals and non-professionals to go there and dance their socks off and it has a huge success rate not to mention the amazing choreographers such as Lynne Page and teachers like Linda Dadd and Andrew Stone that have been in and out of that building.

However, the programme on TV really irritates me i think the majority of it is embarrassing. The information tells you that it “continues to lift the lid on the lives of Pineapple’s twinkle-toed talents”. I am starting to think that it isn’t about what Debbie Moore (founder) has created or that it actually films much of the twinkle-toed talents at Pineapple I feel like it’s the big queen Louie Spence’s claim to fame by being a prat on TV and talking and filming him wanting and having Botox. Yes ok that was a bit harsh but come on this is a professional industry and I don’t think he is being professional advertising his cleavage or wearing a tutu with his Calvin Klein’s on (Thursday 5th March 2010) he is meant to be an artistic director of a successful business.

What annoys me more than the fact that he can’t help draw attention to himself is that I feel that he is giving people an impression that that’s what a lot of male dancers are like, it annoys me because I have recently being having a discussion with my male friends that male dancers are just as manly (physically and mentally) as rugby players. Yes rugby players are built like machines and like to play pile on however male dancers can execute their legs in the air whilst turning on the spot.

Besides all the annoying things he says and ridiculously stupid attention seeking things that he does on the programme it is quite nice to see that there is a programme that reflects a small amount of footage about the reality of the dance life and the process of elimination in auditions (even when Louie is being unprofessional and saying inappropriate comments). I know that auditions are harsh and I’d actually like to hear what the panel said about me when at their auditions as it probably would have helped me as opposed to frustrating me.

I only wished that it was more about the dancers and not about the blonde divorcee Trisha that sang out of tune for people in a club and for my own ears! (and they wonder why this isn’t on ITV or the BBC). It should be about the dancers that what Pineapple studios is there for I’m sure it would be much more interesting if you heard about how far they travelled for the audition, how long they danced for before they were cut, how much it cost to attend the audition, if they got the job how long for, pay, and general lifestyle of a dancer. That way the public can see how hard the industry is and that we train like footballers for a place to perform what we love to do and yet get not even a quarter of the pay packet or lifestyle.

Well I keep watching because one episode made a reference to Pole dancing when Louie made a comment about a girl called Tatiana that was giving her all in an audition that was fairly "exotic" and was the only dancer who wore heels and he said “just give her a pole and send her off down to Stringfellows" which i thought was a little unprofessional but will be great for my research for my project and I keep watching in case there might be more useful quotes and comments for my project. I’m just going to have to grit my teeth when Louie is speaking!!!