So You Think You Can Danica Episode 16: Calm Fabulousness

Welcome back, Danicateers! (The name tested well, so we’re keeping it.) In this month’s episode of So You Think You Can Danica, Danica and Devin discuss 1992’s Australian cult classic, Strictly Ballroom. This is the movie that unleashed Baz Luhrmann onto the world in all of his unabashed, over-the-top glory. The movie tells the story of how one angry young man rebels against the ballroom dance establishment thanks to the love of a good woman from the streets. An original concept to be sure, but is that enough to make us fall in love with it? Or will we be overwhelmed by the movie’s relentless pace? (Make no mistake: it is relentless.)

Join us as we discuss: Luhrmann’s Law of Diminishing Returns; how good we are at words; Devin’s real feelings on Moulin Rouge; the benefits of style over substance; bold earring choices; Danica’s history with dance competitions; the movie’s take on the “Beautiful All Along” trope; an incredibly long cover of a Cyndi Lauper classic; Devin saying “Claire du Lune” when he clearly means “The Blue Danube;” the kinds of dances one does late at night; the dreaded paso doble; Breaking Dance News; how Tara Morice needs more screen time; how hard it is to be a handsome, talented man; the importance of grandmas; slow claps; off-brand Guy Pierce; the Australian TV series Dance Academy; and the late great Doris Day. Plus: the announcement of the new season of SYTYCD! (Mark your calendars. It’s June 3rd.)

We’ll see you next month, with…something? We’re not sure what yet. But it’s gonna be fun, we promise that.

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So You Think You Can Danica Episode 15: It’s Showtime Folks!

Welcome back, Danicateers! (It’s a new nickname we’re workshopping, and it’s testing very high in our target market.) As April sees the launch of the FX series Fosse/Verdon, we figured what better movie to examine than All That Jazz? Bob Fosse’s semi-autobiographical dance fantasy musical is award-winning, critically acclaimed, and beloved by musical fans. But is it any good? Does Fosse have any insight into his life and industry or is the film just another story of a powerful man doing terrible things? And just how sexy can a fake musical about having sex on airplanes be? That’s what this episode aims to find out.

Pour yourself a glass of port wine and join Danica & Devin as they discuss: the proper way of caring for your skirts; a brief filmography of All That Jazz co-writer Robert Alan Arthur; William Friedkin’s Sorcerer; the undeniable talent of Roy Schieder; the movie’s messy middle ground between dance, power, and sex; Marvel’s most talented mutant, the Savage Ben Vereen; the effectiveness of reverse piggybacking; a surprisingly young Wallace Shawn; the sledgehammer to the face that is the big closing number; reality versus dream logic; the legacy of M*A*S*H; whether the story of the making of the film is more interesting than the film itself; Lenny Bruce; and the difficulty of spelling your own name.

We’ll see you again in May with another dance movie!

So You Think You Can Danica Episode 14: Surprisingly Hot Moose

Welcome to spring break, SYTYCDanicateers! (That’s a new nickname we’re trying out.) It’s Spring Break, and that means it’s a time of renewal and rebirth. So what better way to embody the spirit of spring than by going back to the Step Up franchise. That’s right, at long last Danica & Devin are tackling Step Up 2: The Streets, a movie with a lot of So You Think You Can Dance connections. This movie brings the viewer back to the Baltimore School of the Arts, where young street dancer Andie (Briana Evigan) teams up with legacy student Chase (Robert Hoffman) to train a ragtag group of misfits for Baltimore’s historic dance contest, The Streets. (It does not, sadly, feature English hip-hop artist, The Streets, to Devin’s chagrin.) Is it a fun romp, a long meandering excuse for two excellent last-minute dance routines, or both? Danica & Devin are here to break it down.

Join us as we discuss: 90s cell phone technology; Tuck’s rocky, beefy physique; C-Tates’ trampoline cameo; the severe lack of sexy principal; Devin’s continued obsession with the Step Up/The Wire cinematic universe; MSA’s controversial diet program; basic white boy names; Moose’s inappropriate ringtone choices; the significant tonal changes between the two movies; the 4-1-0’s mysterious wardrobe choices; Danica completely re-contextualizing Devin’s favourite line; the surprisingly great salsa dancing scene; a missed opportunity for a sexy shirt-lift; the importance of being sad with your friends; some surprisingly shoddy cinematography; a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from Jabbawockeez; the minute we realized SYTYCD choreographer Christopher Scott is in this movie; the logistics of kissing someone who is wearing a baseball cap; and ending things on a bleak note.

Thanks for listening and we’ll see you again next month!

So You Think You Can Danica Episode 13: We Are Not Amused, Brandon

A little bit late due to some technical issues but fear not, So You Think You Can Danica is back! Last month your intrepid hosts Danica & Devin asked people to vote on the movie we would watch for February’s podcast, and by a margin of one vote, the public decided: Coyote Ugly. And we watched it. And now this is episode happening.

Coyote Ugly is (ostensibly) the story of a young woman from New Jersey who moves to New York City to be a songwriter and ends up working at the sexiest, health-code-violatingest bar in the city. Oh, and also meets a guy named Kevin, who is…Kevin. There is dancing in it, but is it a dance movie? How many dance numbers are actually in the movie? And how many of them involve John Goodman? Join Devin & Danica as they get to the bottom of these tough questions. You’ll also hear about: Danica’s love of early 21st century aesthetic; the great Melanie Lynskey; Devin’s impression of legendary announcer Don Pardo; the trope of following women until they agree to date you; matchbooks as plot delivery systems; who this movie is actually for; just how much influence Jerry Bruckheimer had on this movie; how many times EMF’s “Unbelievable” is played; the time Devin accidentally called producer Don Simpson “Joel Silver;” some truly bizarre celebrity cameos; how amazing Maria Bello is; relying on romance to drive the plot when the leads have chemistry; how many tricks Kevin Smith would have if he were a pony; proof that men have hips; Devin’s mini-review of Garth Ennis’ run on The Punisher; the sound of two hands shaking; Violet’s matching six-piece lavender outfit; John Goodman as a pathetically sloven man-baby; Danica’s mini history of Canadian pop band Joydrop; American songwriting legend Diane Warren; Danica teaching Devin about late 90s fashion; and bars with excellent pun names.

Plus: can your hosts finish the podcast when they stopped taking notes two thirds of the way through? Find out on this very special episode of So You Think You Can Danica.

Episode 12: We Are Beary Sorry

A month into 2019 and finally, So You Think You Can Danica has returned! That’s right, your intrepid hosts Danica LeBlanc and Devin Bruce are back & they have brought with them a cornucopia of delightful dance in the form of 2013’s ABCD: Any Body Can Dance. Not only is it India’s first 3D dance movie but it is also a starring vehicle for SYTYCD Season 3 alum and show favourite Lauren Gottlieb! The film also stars Prabhu Deva, Ganesh Acharya, Kay Kay Menon, and a score of incredibly talented dancers.

Join Danica & Devin as they dive into: the announcement of SYTYCD Season 16; the time they reviewed ABCD2 with friends of the show Matt Bowes & Erin Fraser on their podcast Bollywood is For Lovers; Devin’s inexplicable dislike of handsome and popular actor Varun Dhawan; justice for Lauren Gottlieb; Hindi streaming service Buttrflicks; the positive, supportive male friendship between Vishnu and Gopi; our dream Bollywood remake of Coyote Ugly; Lauren & Punit Pathak on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa; dancing as treatment for drug addiction; the real-life story of Fictitious Dance Group; questionable team-building trust exercises; Danica’s fear of clowns; a surprising personal confession from Devin; resisting peer pressure; the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street; and our incredibly uneducated ideas of what a patriotic American dance number would be.

Plus: we need your help to decide the movie for our next episode! It’s between Coyote Ugly and Magic Mike, a competition where there are no losers. Help us out by voting in our Twitter poll or making a comment below.

We’ll see you at the end of February. And don’t forget your essays!

So You Think You Can Danica Episode 11: Rustic Chicken Shakedown

Just in time for the holidays, So You Think You Can Danica is back with a holiday-themed dance movie! On the December episode, Devin and Danica discuss the only Christmas dance movie that they can think of, White Christmas! (Wait, are there any dance numbers in Home Alone? No, there aren’t, so White Christmas it is!)

Join us as we dive deep into: our personal histories with Christmas movies; Devin’s inability to say Bing Crosby’s name; how great Dean Jagger is; the surprisingly progressive views of masculinity in White Christmas; Danica’s problem with lazy nightclub singers; the seventeen times the viewers hear “Sisters;” the terrifying boat sequence in “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing;” the movie’s commitment to excellent footwear; a cavalier attitude to cigarette butt disposal; random alley taxis; the strange beauty regimen prescribed in “Snow;” the realities of inter-state train travel (note: it would take approximately 28 hours to take a train from Florida to Vermont in 2018); Devin’s love of puns in “Minstrel Show;” the fantastic beautiful strangeness of “Choreography;”  Vera-Ellen and John Brascia’s tour-de-force in “Abraham;” how good Devin & Danica are at flirting (with other people, not each other); the overall amazingness of Vera-Ellen; Rosemary Clooney’s torch song “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me;” surprisingly angry child actors; Danica’s love-hate relationship with musicals; and the strange dual dreamlike reality of “Count Your Blessings.”

Happy holidays, everyone!! We’ll see you in 2019!

So You Think You Can Danica Episode 10: Dance Memento

Welcome back to So You Think You Can Danica, where even though your favourite dance competition show is off the air, Danica and Devin are still slinging those sweet dance burgers. (Sorry, we ate some delicious burgers before recording and we’re still thinking about them.)

On this month’s episode we get together to discuss the first great Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire picture, 1934’s The Gay Divorcée. Join us as we discuss: the terrible fate of our  collective oxen; how bad we are at watching things on the PVR; the coming global superpocalypse; the fantasticness of Edward Everett Horton; the dangers of boats and ocean travel in general; sexy punctuation; Guy Holden: Serial Harasser; how the first minutes of The Gay Divorcée is actually a horror-thriller about a rich American woman’s trip to England; the surprise appearance of Betty Grable in “Let’s K-nock K-nees;” how we as a society need a movie about the exciting and scandalous past life of Aunt Hortense; the Unbearable Unfortunateness of Tonetti; Ginger Rogers unfortunate ruffles; the crown jewel in the movie, “Night and Day;” Christopher Nolan’s gritty reboot of The Gay Divorcée; how “The Continental” is overlong but catchy (Devin’s note — and also a really filthy Prince song); and a surprise appearance by Devin’s neighbor the carpentry enthusiast.

We’ll see you again in December, with our thoughts on a holiday dance classic!