Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

TELEVISION Paula Abdul: So she thinks she can judge
by Jerry Nunn, Windy City Times
2015-06-17

This article shared 6175 times since Wed Jun 17, 2015
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Season 12 of the Emmy-winning TV competition show So You Think You Can Dance just kicked things off on Fox.

It features open auditions around the United States, then more testing rounds eventually leading to finalists. A variety of dance styles are usually featured but this season there's a twist, with two teams of stage versus street. One contestant will be eliminated each week from each team until the finale. The top-rated show is hosted by Cat Deeley and veteran judge Nigel Lythgoe—and they're joined this season by Jason Derulo and Paula Abdul.

Abdul was a judge on So You Think You Can Dance Australia last season. She brings tons of experience to the table, including past competition shows like Live to Dance, X Factor and, of course, American Idol. Also, she choreographed films such as American Beauty, Jerry Maguire and Coming to America. She has sold more than 60 million records worldwide, with hits such as "Forever Your Girl" and "Straight Up."

Abdul talked with Windy City Times and other publications recently about the new season of You Think You Can Dance.

Q: Start off talking about your background with studio training as a kid.

Paula Abdul: Well, it all started when I was 4 years old, when I first watched Singing in the Rain with my family. I fell in love with Gene Kelly. My parents said that I stood up and proclaimed that I'm going to be an entertainer and, honestly, I never stopped. I never looked back. I started at 7 1/2, which is considered kind of late because kids today, when we're auditioning them, say like 2 1/2, 3 years old.

So, I fell in love with dancing, and I did training in some ballet, tap, jazz, modern and musical theater.

I just knew from an early age that I would be a choreographer.

My first audition was a Laker girl. That was my first job. I took that seriously and transformed the Laker girls into a legitimate dance team. That's where I got my break, and I was discovered by The Jacksons. That was my first tour; I went on when I was a teenager, still choreographed my very first film, which was with Mr. McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey. I did Can't Buy Me Love, and went on to do Bull Durham and Coming to America, I did the big African dance scene, and Jerry Maguire, The Doors, so on and so forth. I did tours from The Jacksons to Janet Jackson, ZZ Top and George Michael. I've had a wonderful experience and went on to choreograph the Academy Awards while I was doing my pop music as well.

Q: How different is judging singing as opposed to dancing?

PA: Well, I've been very fortunate to have an extremely successful career as a choreographer, and the spirit and psyche of dancers are unlike any other performer I've ever witnessed. Because of my success as a choreographer, my perspective looking at this show and judging the talent on this show comes from a background that actually started my whole career as an entertainer, and I see the finished product of the raw, untapped talent that we get, and I can see what their experience through the show will be—but I was always considered a ball-buster as a choreographer. I'm a stickler for cleanliness and people really stretching their boundaries and getting outside their comfort zone.

Q: How different is judging American Idol from You Think You Can Dance?

PA: I'm not discounting the panel that I loved so much on American Idol; it's just completely different, a different set of skill sets and backgrounds as we have on So You Think You Can Dance. That's what I love about this business is that I don't try to find or re-create an experience I had. I always welcome the new experience, and the chemistry is fantastic on this panel, just as it was on American Idol—but it's just completely different.

Q: Did you previously know Nigel Lythgoe or Jason Derulo?

PA: Well, I feel like Nigel is part of like my family. Nigel is one of the executive producers of American Idol, so I've been working with Fox and with Nigel Lythgoe for [more than] a decade. I've known him for quite some time and I'm enjoying immensely working with him and loving the fact that Jason Derulo is part of the panel.

Jason, I'm a huge fan of. He has a background that totally exemplifies, as a young kid, wanting to be a performer. He went to a performing-arts school. He has a lot to offer. He's an incredible songwriter. He has the element of currently being out there performing as an artist.

We all get along extremely well and are having maybe a little bit too much fun at times.

Q: What do you learn about yourself from different judging styles?

PA: For me, this is part of my DNA. I've been searching, scouting and finding and mentoring raw talent for decades, and I've been very fortunate to have an astounding career as a choreographer in the dance industry. I just let things happen the way they happen and I'm always pleasantly surprised to see amazing talent emerge and start setting new bars for excellence, and as far as finding out more about myself as a judge, I find myself to be more patient I suppose with the process.

Q: Is there anything during the audition process that sets apart one dancer from another?

PA: Absolutely, and it's that inner confidence—that belief to go out there and just do their best. One of the things that I really thrive on is telling these dancers to be bold; be daring and show your unique ability. Because of the show doing so well, you see all these dance conventions and all these kids who come into audition, they're merely imitating the standards of what So You Think You Can Dance has set as the bar. Unless you're going to do it better or a different twist, don't do it because we've seen it all.

Show us something that makes you stand out completely as a unique ability that we're going to be able to remember that move and can't wait to see it again because that's what's going to set you apart.

It's the same thing as a judge when I was on American Idol. I wanted to see unique ability because, again, we already have the superstars like Gaga or Mariah or anyone who can achieve those amazing vocal licks and things like that.

It's the same thing with dancing. If you have the ability, technical ability to whip up the 12 pirouettes or the grand jetes, what are you going to do that just flips everything on its side or shifts the paradigm to make us go, "Wow?" That's what I look for.

Q: With this season being street versus stage, does one side have an advantage?

PA: I'm really excited about the new twist of format because we have team captains. Twitch [is] the team captain of the street side, and Travis [Wall] is the team captain of the stage side. This time it's not about the top 20. It's the 10 best on the street side, 10 best on stage, and it's not necessarily about equal female to male—it's whoever the best is. I think with the two team captains, there's going to be a competitive edge that we haven't seen on this show in addition to the contestants competing. I don't think one is more advantageous. I think you're going to see a tremendous amount of competition on both sides. It's going to be fun.

Q: I write for an LGBT publication, so how is the diversity on the show? Do you have some gays auditioning?

PA: We absolutely do. We have tremendous diversity and very colorful, wonderful, extremely talented dancers. It's been an amazing showing of just all different culture and backgrounds, diversity, styles—everything. It's a wonderful season.

Q: Do you plan on dancing onstage this season?

PA: Nothing planned and concrete, but you never know what happens, especially when it comes to dancing. I can't contain myself. Sometimes I just have to dance with them!

Watch who dances away with the prize Mondays on Fox.


This article shared 6175 times since Wed Jun 17, 2015
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

RuPaul finds 'Hidden Meanings' in new memoir
2024-03-18
RuPaul Andre Charles made a rare Chicago appearance for a book tour on March 12 at The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Presented by National Public Radio station WBEZ 91.5 FM, the talk coincided with ...


Gay News

Oprah, Niecy Nash-Betts honored at GLAAD Media Awards
2024-03-15
Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts were honored at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards that took place in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton on March 14. Winfrey received the Vanguard Award, introduced by iconic Chicago ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it
2024-03-13
The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer
2024-03-08
Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret
2024-03-05
Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor
2024-03-01
Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

SAG Awards honor Streisand, few LGBTQ+ actors
2024-02-25
Queer entertainers made their mark—although not a major one—at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, held Feb. 24 in Los Angeles. The event was live-streamed on Netflix for the first time. Indigenous and Two-Spirit actor ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical
2024-02-19
Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros'
2024-02-12
Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

GLAAD finds missed chances for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Super Bowl ads
2024-02-12
--From a press release - Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 — GLAAD is reacting to a lack of LGBTQ storytelling in ads that aired duringSuper Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 and is reminding brands, corporations and advertising agencies why including the LGBTQ ...


Gay News

SAVOR 'The Bear,' new pizza lounge, Chicago Black Restaurant Week
2024-02-11
"Bear" necessities: The third season of the Chicago-set series The Bear will debut in June, per Variety. FX chairman John Landgraf made the announcement during the network's presentation at the Television Critics Association's winter 2024 press ...


Gay News

Quantum Leap reboot springs into LGBTQ+ representation
2024-02-09
Through the magic of television, Quantum Leap is once again jumping into the past to bounce back into the future—and in a recent episode, "The Family Trasure," non-binary artist and performer Wilder Yuri and writer Shakina ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue
2024-02-09
In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ JoJo Siwa, Tom Holland, Bowen Yang, Pet Shop Boys, Mariah Carey
2024-02-02
In the wake of Nigel Lythgoe exiting So You Think You Can Dance, queer personality JoJo Siwa is returning to the series, per Deadline. Siwa, who was a judge on season 17 of the Fox show, will replace Lythgoe, who left ...


Gay News

DANCE Choreographer Dwight Rhoden talks David Bowie, Alvin Ailey, queerness
2024-01-31
In "STAR DUST: A Ballet Tribute to David Bowie," Complexions Contemporary Ballet co-founders Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson—backed by their Alvin Ailey lineage—and their dance troupe tackle many of the ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.