Were I one of the dancers during Mia Michaels week, and were I to draw "Hometown Glory," there would likely be a few minutes of breathing into a paper bag. First, Mia Michaels choreography in general. Second, the deeply atmospheric Adele song. Third, it was originally performed by Katee and Joshua. Fourth, and possibly most important, the assisted run. Granted, I'm not a professional dancer, so I have no idea what goes into actually executing something of that nature, but from an audience sort of seat, it's amazing, so conjecture is allowed.
This is one of those performances that sticks with me years after first seeing it, and the lyrical dissonance of the claustrophobic cloud looming over the melody, compared with the rather well adjusted lyrics teeters on the line of something amazing. Or maybe that's only me. I'll grant that I don't get the choice of mock mohawk on Katee, but small quibble.
While Mia says this is the story of two people on their own journeys, who then collide, my brain insists this takes place in the hours before dawn, a pair of characters desperate to escape their current situations. Maybe not sure that was even a possibility, but they clash, collide, and ultimately the two struggles become one, and continue. I love the grim determination on both Katee and Joshua's faces, the straightness of the initial movements contrasted with the frenetic struggle of the rest, and then the assisted run - I'd never seen anything like that. Amazing.
When I first saw that this would be performed by Tiffany and George, I wondered if it would have that same sense of impending peril. Tiffany and George seemed perfectly suited, to me, for the NappyTabs babysitter routine, and this is, well, different. There's more vulnerability here, which has its own flavor and stays true to the overall atmosphere. The choice to leave Tiffany's hair mostly loose adds an added visual, especially the sequence starting at about 0:43. The assisted run didn't hit me as hard as the Joshua/Katy version but it can't be easy to pull off for anyone, and when the bar was set that high, any comparison can be hard to make. The finish, as well, has that vulnerability that's softer, but still effective.
Splitscreen, courtesy of JRoxy13:
Definitely still prefer the Katee/Josh version, but I think this one had its own merits as well. What about you, dance fans?
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