The other thing that pissed me off about that particular episode – at least, I think it was that one – was the guest judge…what’s her name, stereotypical dance teacher with the emaciated face and the high pony tail (black hair). She made a totally racist comment(s) to Twitch about how he was better equipped to dance one of the numbers because the music was blues, or jazz, or whatever (sorry, I can’t remember the exact details) and he was “street” so he knew how to feel the music from the inside out and really get down! ok – so all of that is based on my vague recollections of what she actually said, but what I got from it was that his blackness, animal like, street living, whatever – helped him really get into the piece and master it….unlike his counterparts on broadway or his partner, whose middle class upbringing just wouldn’t allow her to “get it” like he did…

art ain’t reality. you can have your own opinions. your interpretations are certainly valid.

but making her dance about rape is a violation of her artistic speech as a dancer. why is it that because she’s a woman, some of you assume she must be the victim as well? why must this indicate domestic violence? that’s far worse than nigel’s comment, where at least he speaks for himself and supposedly fictional women, not real ones. i’m not setting out to invalidate anyone’s personal experiences, but it sickens me when women do this to each other. we consistently make each other into symbols of our own experience, instead of celebrating how many ways there are to be female.

that would be feminism. this is still objectifying a real woman, even if you think your way is better than her own.

I’m familiar with the research in this area. The Bureau of Justice places a woman’s risk of being the victim of domestic violence at six times than of a man’s risk.

Women are also much more likely to be the victim of murder or attempted murder and other more serious forms of abuse.

Presenting the topic as entertainment, and then presenting it as a female aggressor, distorts the facts of the issue.

Katee has to dance what she is given to dance, but the emphasis on her sexuality is a bit much, even for a show that slants towards “hot young bodies doing sexy things.”

Don’t you find the constant themes of the dances created for Katee to be a bit over-sexualized at this point? In the last two weeks (3/4 couples routines), she had a)you’re a promiscuous woman who Will is trying to reform (created by Tyce Delorio); b) you’re a psycho ex-girlfriend who won’t let go of your relationship with Twitch (drafted by Mia Michaels); and c) you’re an older woman pursuing a man who doesn’t want you (the “Sweet Georgia Brown” routine created, I think, by Tyce.)

The emphasis on her sexuality is sort of bizarre, especially for a dancer who defined her previous work as “not very sexy.”

(Of course, she got that lovely pas de deaux with Will, too, and fantastic roles in both the group Bollywood routine and the women’s “Ave Maria” routine.)

Nigel should be muted when he comes on TV, but NOT because he condones rape, like you think. He meant that comment as a slam to himself (or at least that’s how I heard it).