The Search for the Next Elle Woods: The Spoiler thread- Page 31

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 4:46pm

cjane: Thanks, I'm a classical singer so technique and vocals are VERY important to me.

Rachel was a great singer, but her acting was boring! Sorry, but yeah.

Autumn isn't an amazing singer, but she has good technique and is scads better than LBB, Bailey, and Rhiannon. However, Bailey has more the look and personality of Elle, and is a better dancer. It all comes down to which you prefer. I'm sort of vascillating between the two because I need good singing and acting but Autumn just doesn't come across like Elle to me. Also, call me silly, but I sort of think Elle should be played by a real blonde.

Pity that they can't find a girl with all three, huh? You'd think that there would be someone like that somewhere in NYC. Lauren was the closest to that in my opinion; if only she were five years older or so.

Updated On: 7/17/08 at 04:46 PM

[sleepyguy1717]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:01pm

Does Elle tap in the show? Then its a tapping role. The degree of tap dancing doesn't matter.

However, that's not even the point. The point is, Autumn just gave up. She didn't even try. We know she's not the best dancer. She admits that herself. So doesn't that mean that she should try even harder?

I like Autumns voice. I don't think its as amazing as everyone says it is. But its definitely a great voice. I just don't think it fits Elle. I think Autumn could do a lot more with her voice then Legally Blonde.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:03pm

It is NOT a tap role. Jesus. 10-20 seconds of tapping doesn't make a role a tap role.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:06pm

It's not a tapping role, but I wasn't very impressed that she gave up so easily.

[sleepyguy1717]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:09pm

Its a role that requires tap dancing isn't it? I'm not arguing with you that its an intensive dance role, with tap number after tap number. But I'm sure under the casting information of Elle, one of the things they are looking for is the ability to tap. Even for 10 seconds. If I was casting I would want some degree of tapping. Not necessarily a hardcore tapper that has been taking lessons for 19 years, but I don't think anyone ever said that that's what they expected.

It doesn't matter if it was Swedish Polka and Elle was a ballerina. You do the choreography they give you.

Updated On: 7/17/08 at 05:09 PM

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:12pm

There is a big difference between 15 seconds of tap & a tap show. 42nd Street is a tap show, Legally Blonde is NOT.

[dancnqn5]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:13pm

Plus, like I said earlier, she doesn't even make any sounds (which, I'm sorry, is kinda the point of tap dancing). It's for effect. Therefore the sounds don't matter. You want a tap dancer, go see 42nd Street. Elle is NOT a tap role. (And, this is coming from a tapper)

And also, I think everyone is taking Autumn's comments about "faking" the tap in a different way than intended. She did not give up. What she was saying (and if you pay attention, Denis agrees with her) is that for the scope of that audition and time period, it was more important to get the feel of the dance than worry about the specific steps/sounds. As long as it looked like a shuffle and had the energy/personality, she would be happy with it. And since the sounds didn't matter, it wasn't as big of a deal. I don't know about anyone else, but until I learned certain steps, I "faked" them so it would at least look the same as everyone else. I've been to plenty an audition where they say the technicality of the feet are less important than the performance, and that's what Autumn was going off of. She was by no means giving up. (I have a feeling she wouldn't be a working actor if that's how she dealt with difficulties)

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:15pm

I guess that you're right. You would just think that an experienced MT actress would be able to get a simple tap combo down.

[sleepyguy1717]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:19pm

I guess we have to agree to disagree then. Being a choreographer before, if I give a dancer a step, I expect them to do it. Even when they were auditioning. *shrugs* That's just me. And I'm a tapper too.

And I didn't ever say it was 42nd Street type dancing at all. In fact I'm pretty sure I said quite the opposite. But like I said, I would expect a performer to do the choreography they're given, regardless of whether its a "tap" role or not, or to what degree the difficulty is.

[dancnqn5]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:21pm

Some people just can't wrap their brains around tap. I know some amazingly talented dancers that just can't do it for some reason. Or they take more time learning it than normal. And since it's the magic of mtv and television, we don't actually know how much time they are given to learn a combo. I know plenty of people that can't get choreography in a short amount of time, but give them a couple of days to practice, and they'll have it down.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:25pm

Choreographers can change choreography. When Mara Davi went over into Drowsy they changed chunks of Show Off to fit her, also she had done 42nd Street before she went to ACL. People have different talents if they are wanted bad enough THERE WILL BE CHANGES TO THE SHOW. Where in Legally Blonde does "Legal Jargin" get called tap? No where, because it isn't a big deal if someone can't tap. My schools Play directors took a Tap class & said it was the hardest thing they have ever danced.
Updated On: 7/17/08 at 05:25 PM

[dancnqn5]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:31pm

They actually change Show Off to fit each Janet. And I don't know when this began being considered tap. Tap is hard and takes awhile to teach. That's one of the reason, not to stray from the topic here, they don't have it as a dance style of SYTYCD.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:32pm

I used to be a tap dancer (even competed once) so I guess I can't understand.

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:37pm

I am STILL a tap dancer, and, not to sound rude, most need to be born with it. If you aren't, as many at my studio are, it takes A LOT more effort to do. Almost impossible to many. You have to be able to feel the music, the beat of of the song. If you are not in sync, it can get completely messed up. I takes a lot of effort.

And, I wouldn't consider the "legal jargon" tapping anyway. As Autumn said, it can be faked without anyone noticing or caring.

[dancnqn5]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:37pm

Yeah, I get what you mean. Luckily, I have non tapper friends that I have tried to teach, and it's not that easy. (It's taken them weeks to learn a triple times step and they still haven't master it!)

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:37pm

I didn't take my first dance class until I was 43 years old. I never had any kind of athletic skill/ability and am far from a natural dancer.

But I can tell you, at this point - and I would never consider myself at a level to go to an audition where there was tap - I would have learned that combination after seeing it once or twice. And I am NOT a dancer. If she's a dancer who's been taking the other forms for years, she should be able to pick up a simple combo which really is barely tapping.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:40pm

wicked_beast4: Good point. She doesn't even wear tap shoes for it.

I never realized that you have to be born with a tap ability. I must be one of the lucky ones then, though I never considered myself to be that fantastic.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:46pm

I don't think you're born with it. I think you work at it, like every other form of dance. Some people are more natural at every form than others, but if you work at it, you can achieve some level of competency, even as an adult. Like I said, I won't be going to any tap calls, but I can pick up a combination much longer and more complex than that one, in about ten - fifteen minutes, which is what we're given in class.

Updated On: 7/17/08 at 05:46 PM

[dancnqn5]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 5:55pm

A lot has to do with natural rhythym and having a good ear. Which is different from other forms of dance. And Autumn is self-admittedly not a dancer, so she's probably got less training than some. Usually, she probably wouldn't be going to dance calls that call for intricate trained dancers. Elle is a very competent mover.

And I do believe there are people that just can't tap. Everyone has their talents.

[bridge_crocker]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 6:13pm

I don't understand. Since Autumn is a weak dancer, how is she taking over Becky's track? That requires a lot of dancing... I know she's had a lot of rehearsal time, but even so. Especially if she understudies Serena, right? I also just can't imagine her as Margot and Serena. I can see her as an Enid.

I would prefer Rhiannon as runner up. Especially since she's the only one who I feel can act the parts.

[dancnqn5]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 6:19pm

She can't sing them though. I don't know what's going to happen; I'm just going to wait it out and see. The ensemble does dance a whole lot more than Elle, so I don't get it either (although I don't see the Autumn/Enid thing). It's pretty much a trainwreck anyways.

And, yeah, good for them, but I find the whole "all top 4 get parts" thing a cop-out. The contest was for Elle. And by giving roles to all of them, it's less special. I have the same problem with Grease casting losing Dannys/Sandys as replacements.

[winter_sky]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 6:19pm

I can imagine Autumn being able to handle the vocal/acting demands of Becky's track and the show has been over for a few months so if the rumor is true I'm sure she would have the dancing figured out. Haven Burton was not a strong dancer even at the end of her run and she was a fantastic Elle. Not a great Margot but she was full time and had issues with dancing/choreo.

I think Autumn is a bit bubbly for Enid but if Lindsay Nicole Chambers can be Enid, then Autumn could be okay in that role. It would definitely be a different take on Enid.

Rhiannon can act and is charming but she can't sing. She could not handle the vocals in Becky's track.

[bridge_crocker]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 7:25pm

I think that Rhiannon can sing, but she's the weakest singer. I don't think she's had the training to be able to sing and dance at the same time, but with the training, I think that she may be able to. She's perfect for Margot. I can't REALLY see her as Serena, but to me, she's more of a Serena than Autumn is.

Autumn definitely can handle the vocal demands, but to me, she doesn't look any of those parts. I also don't think her voice is an "Elle" voice.

[michelle4]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 7:45pm

Songs are put in different keys and choreography is changed to suit the performer quite often in shows. Faking tap in a show is nothing new. It's common practice to have several members in actual tap shows that are singers not tappers "faking it" in the back. I think it was the smart thing for Autumn to do in the situation. Instead of focusing all of her energy on the tiny tap break she focused on getting the rest of the dance down. Sounds like an experienced auditioner to me.

[madame_no]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 8:04pm

The thing that bugged me about Autumn "faking it" isn't that she faked it, but that it LOOKED like she was faking it. To me, it came across like "I have no idea what I'm doing so I'll just jump around ".

They made such a big deal about Lauren looking too young, but to be honest, Rhiannon's goofy charm they're always going on about reads much younger than Lauren, to me anyway.