Pussycat Dolls win Best (Worst) Dancing at VMAs

Lindsay Live | Sep 10, 2008 | 1

If you're a child of the 1990s like me, I'm sure you remember music videos like Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" and Paula Abdul's "Cold Hearted Snake." Or you'll remember stellar live performances like Michael Jackson's "Dangerous" and Madonna's "Vogue" at the MTV Video Music Awards. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was to grow up during a time of such innovation and risk-taking in dance. These artists broke rules and ignored social norms, yet all the while they maintained the highest level of technical execution. They didn't need to rely on crazy scenery with moving platforms or flashy lighting schemes and special effects. The quality of their dancing carried their performances, making their works enduring pieces of art. In my mind, these 4 artists, Michael, Janet, Paula, and Madonna, stand out as the best commercial dancers and performers America has seen to date.

Sadly, the American Idol generation (i.e. the one that doesn't know Paula Abdul had a career before her gig as a judge in a singing competition) has no idea how things used to be back in the day when commercial dance was actually an art.

Now, dance has been reduced to a commodity, stuck in a box by reality competitions like So You Think You Can Dance. And Sunday night's VMAs further solidified the notion that mainstream dance is seriously going down the tubes. When the Pussycat Dolls are the best thing America has to offer, you know that something just isn't right.

But at the same time it's not like any of the other choices in the "Best Dancing in a Video" category were any more standout.

Here's a list of the nominees:

Chris Brown, "Forever"
Danity Kane, "Damaged"
Madonna, "4 Minutes"
Ne-yo, "Closer"
Pussycat Dolls, "When I Grow Up"

In my opinion, the only performer who even comes close to being an innovator is Chris Brown, but much of his style is taken directly from those who came before him. Quite frankly, I don't see any of these music videos worthy of receiving the honor of Best Dancing.

The concept for "When I Grow Up" is hot - I like LA as the setting and the scaffolding is very reminiscent of "Cold Hearted Snake." But that's where the similarities end. There is a big difference between provocative and straight up trashy. "Cold Hearted Snake" sizzled with sex appeal, but it served a purpose - challenging social norms and pushing boundaries of what is considered socially acceptable. When the video came out many people were shocked, yet intrigued. Then there's "When I Grow Up," which doesn't challenge anything. The video, while eye catching and certainly entertaining enough, is nothing more than generic pop that relies on cheap tactics to hook viewers. The Pussycat Dolls can definitely dance, but this video doesn't showcase any of their abilities, aside from the girl who can sort of do a develope. (Wow! So can everyone reading this, and probably better too).

What did everybody else think of the VMAs? My favorite performance was Christina Aguilera followed by Pink, who put on a great show despite her wardrobe malfunctions. The design of the show was better than last year, although I would rather see awards given out in a traditional format instead of in the middle of the audience.

Overall, not a bad show, but hoping that 2009 brings some better contenders for the Best Dancing category.

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Jazz, Hip Hop, Enthusiast, Performance, Best Dancing, Pop Culture, Pussycat Dolls, VMAs (all tags)