Analyzing Cassidy Noblett's "Just Dance" Performance





Cassidy plays the role of New York City club kid. July 2010

  

Being that I'm a huge fan of Cassidy and his dancing, I decided to analyze Cassidy's performances in a different way by asking myself six questions that dancer-choreographer Daniel Nagrin explained in his books about dancing. I found the questions extremely helpful. The questions help organize and clarify all the thoughts flowing through my head. The performance I applied Nagrin's Six Questions to was Cassidy's performance of "Just Dance" with Gaga on her Monster Ball tour last year.

The Six Questions go as follows:

1. Who or What?

2. is Doing What?

Action Analysis:

a. the Spine

b. the Beats

c. the Subtext

3. To Whom or What?

4. Where or When?

5. To What end?

6. The Obstacle?

1. Who or What? Gaga and the dancers are New York City club kids. Cassidy looks like a glam-punk with his hair curved into an Elvis pompadour, and wearing a hot pink outfit consisting of a pink vest adorned with a graffitti design and black shorts. A piece of pink fishnet adorned one of his thighs where his asymmetrical shorts exposed some good leg. "Just Dance" is a song Gaga wrote while partying in New York City one night before flying to Los Angeles to write and record the song with RedOne the next morning so the performance reflects her past.

2. is Doing What? He is partying in Manhattan, meaning dancing and drinking and spending precious time with friends.

ACTION ANALYSIS (Three Points):

a. The Spine: The exact action that drives this dance exists only in Cassidy's mind, so I can only guess, but I'd say a need for peace of mind and embracing the moment is the spine of the performance, at least, what he shows visibly. His trademark megawatt smile expresses joy. Of course we have to realize that Cassidy is interpreting LaurieAnn Gibson and Lady Gaga's vision, but he clearly puts his stamp on the choreography.

b. The Beats

Cassidy starts off the performance emerging from the shadows after Gaga plays the keyboard that's inserted inside the hood of her Rolls Royce where the engine should be. Yes, that's right, the keyboard is the engine that brings the city to life and gets Gaga where she needs to go, even though her car broke down. All she needs is music. She starts the performance alone and still and then she suddenly gets an idea to play the keyboard inside the hood of her car. Once she plays the opening chords of "Just Dance," her memories of partying with her friends in New York City come to life. Who knows if what comes to life around her is just a mirage, but somehow Gaga has transformed her lonely, dejected space into a jubliant celebration.

In this sense, Cassidy enters the stage as possibly a figment of Gaga's imagination. He makes use of the poles and stairwells around him running up the stairs in time with the music's percussion. He plays around with the dancers around him like cats in an alley. It's not long before Gaga and the dancers migrate to the upstage dancing the same steps in unison. By the time the chorus hits, Cassidy chokes himself with his hand around his throat and tilts his head back, giving a visual to RedOne's trademark siren that goes off like an alarm. The choking seems to simulate death. Then he launches into a series of vogue poses lifted right from Madonna's 1990 "Vogue" performances.

The performance doesn't stay the same and it's more dramatic than abstract. There's a destination to the performance and that's to get to the party, but most of the performance is spent traveling around the stage's mock city scenery (Neon lights flashing services like "dentist" "Breast Implants" definitely representing the seedier side of a city setting). The destination is not purely literal, but figurative in the sense that Cassidy and company are trying to reach a mental state of happiness.

For the most part, the dancers perform the same choreography that LaurieAnn Gibson taught them, but Cassidy sprinkles some of his own personal dance vocabulary. He's classically trained in ballet, so he reflects that in some of his movements. He arranges his legs in a semi attitude position when he performs a turn on one leg. At the end of the performance, Cassidy appropriates a move from Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice Baby" video at the end of the dance; kicking out one leg forward and then kicking it back and turning your whole body after the last kick.

c. The Subtext

One of Cassidy's biggest strengths is his exuberant persona, but in all great art is conflict and contradiction and although Cassidy is often seen smiling, laughing and energetic, I wonder if there's a dark side in his personality. His physicality and muscular frame belie his boyish charm and baby face. His moments of sexual awareness also belie his innocent persona. The only hint of subtext is when Cassidy's innocence is contradicted by his cheeky passes at Gaga, stroking her exposed thigh quickly as she passes him.

3. To Whom or What?

The shortest distance to the audience is through the other actor! Cassidy interacts with his fellow dancers in the context of their roles as New York City club kids (note that Cassidy is a southerner from North Carolina). The dancers are supposed to be friends on stage (although they probably are in real life) and Cassidy creates the feeling of camaraderie by nudging fellow dancer and laughing with them. By doing this, the audience gets the sense that Cassidy is friendly and is having the time of his life. Many people go to the theatre as an escape from a reality, or as a place where they can watch people act out their fantasies. Cassidy does this impeccably, making the audience want to be his best friend.

4. Where or When?

The space is New York City and the city streets, so hard concrete comes to mind and flashing lights. Also, the noise of people and automobiles. Cassidy uses the space well, hanging from poles and fire escapes displaying his playful persona. The time of the performance is not specific. It could easily be the 1980s or the far future. Time is not a factor in this performance.

5. To what end?

Cassidy performs in his own unique style because he can get down to the hottest hip-hop and R&B songs, but he sprinkles in some ballet into the mix adding some classic elegance.

6. The Obstacle?

The presence of alcohol is an obstacle to Cassidy's performance. Although alcohol loosens a person up, it also can endanger his life and erase or corrupt the celebratory experience. The dangers of the city also threaten Cassidy's adventures as a club kid. People dressed so flamboyantly and dancing in the street could bother the wrong person.

J.Lo's New Single is 1990s Nostaglia

Illustration by Glenn Hilario

Jennifer Lopez's new single "On the Floor" reminds me of a car ride I had to the  club Katmandu in Jersey with some female friends and Robin S.'s 90s house classic "Show Me Love" blasted out of the car speakers. Of course I got nice and tipsy that Thursday night and I'm sure that's what J.Lo wants people to do when they hear "On the Floor." There's nothing about J.Lo herself that makes me think of that Thursday night car ride, but it's RedOne's techno/house beat that does.

The "la la la" hook is catchy, but other than that there's no real chorus. The bridge is the best part of the song. One thing "On the Floor" would benefit from is a big, explosive Duran Duran-like chorus that opens up along the lines of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" (another RedOne track). The song's structure is too literal because it just follows the melodies already programmed onto the beat. Instead of using a 90s melody for the chorus, the song maybe could have benefited from an 80s melody, and would result in a different mood. J.Lo herself has such a lifeless voice that she could have easily been a computer-generated voice. For all it's meaty beat greatness, when I hear "On the Floor" I long for a big, booming alto vocal (a la Lady Gaga) instead of J.Lo's  thin voice. For the most part, J.Lo mimicks the Puerto Rican rapper Pitbull (who guests on the song) in terms of flow. Pibull even sings a little bit of the chorus, so maybe it's not even J.Lo singing and just Pitbull's voice pitched higher. Maybe? 

 Through all the 90s nostalgia "On the Floor" will inspire, I think the best thing I discovered about it is that I can do the chorus dance from "Bad Romance" to the sounds of "On the Floor." Just picture that.

Chris Colfer's Golden Globe Win is a Graceful Spectacle



Photo courtesy of PerezHilton.com



I've watched Chris Colfer's Golden Globes win for Best Supporting Actor in a TV series over and over again. I felt like I was transported into his body and I was experiencing everything he was. Let's put it this way, Chris Colfer was my avatar. And did I mention that my name is Chris.

 I could tell Chris was nervous and shocked, yet he walked up to the stage (a lonnnnggg walk might I add) with confidence brushing past tables occupied by Natalie Portman, Robert DeNiro and Matt Damon. There were certain details about Chris' win that made it the best win of the night. Much of it has to do with the celebrities that surrounded Chris. As he got up, his Glee cast mates were embracing and cheering him on (Lea Michele was bawling her eyes out). Ryan Murphy (creator of Glee) hugged him and kissed him on the cheek very affectionately (like the Fairy Godfather that is, in Chris Colfer's words). Eric Stonestreet (the chubby gay guy on the TV series Modern Family) padded Chris on the back, and get this, Chris almost collided with the actress Rita Wilson/wife of Tom Hanks (who was coming back from presumably a bathroom break) and the best part was that Chris did not yield, and Rita had to move. Sort of embarrasing on her part. It was like she didn't matter. Fierce! It seemed like Chris didn't even notice her because he had turned around to acknowledge Eric Stonestreet. I love the fact that Chris unconsciously took back the moment from Rita who was sort of interrupting his moment. She should have watched where she was going. But anyway, Chris' whole win was a graceful spectacle. He's this cute as a button gay kid with a high-pitched voice who carries himself with an empowering swagger giving words of empowerment to bullied kids in front of legends like Robert DeNiro. Ahhhh it was riveting.

See it for yourself below.

Gaga Rides In Cars With Boys



Gaga rides in cars with boys. (L to R: Ian, Gaga, Cassidy)



The thing I absolutely love about Gaga’s performances is they’re juicy little narratives that always tell a sexy story.

“Boys, Boys, Boys” is the performance with the sexiest action. Lady Gaga is joined by six male dancers who perform burlesque. They’re her “gay boys”, two black boys, a black-white combo, two white boys and a Latino boy. Gaga calls them her gay boys, but one is straight.

The cast of gay boys includes Asiel Hardison (black boy), Ian McKenzie (black boy), Mike Silas (black-white combo), Cassidy Noblett (white boy), Graham Breitenstein (white boy) and Victor Rojas (Latino boy). Asiel is tall, slender and dark-skinned while Ian is more compact, but with the same dark skin. Mike is olive-skinned and slender, but compact with lots of tattoos. Cassidy is strapping and muscular with dark hair and fair skin. Graham is simply tall and skinny and pale, while Victor is short and tan with a Mohawk.

The juicy personal details that you can use as a context for this performance go as follows: Asiel and Mike are boyfriends, Ian is presumably gay, Cassidy is gay, Graham has a wife and a son, and Victor is presumably gay, but I know for one thing, he’s fierce!

Then there’s a story that the performance tells. The dancers are dressed partially in white Ace bandages like wounded hospital patients who fled the hospital to dance burlesque. Gaga wears a see-through latex dress that allows you to see her bra and panties and pieces of tape “X” out her nipples. This outfit makes Gaga look like a psycho nurse who wants to help her patients medically and sexually. But thankfully for all you gay boys out there, Gaga doesn’t even touch her shirtless dancers. Her shirtless male dancers only touch each other.

During the second verse, Cassidy feels up Mike and spanks Ian. Eventually, Cassidy and Ian put their arms around each other’s waists like buddies and then lovers as they reach the catwalk part of the stage. Cassidy gropes Ian’s “big dick” codpiece and he feels up Ian’s ass and then spanks it. During the dance breakdown, Cassidy caresses Ian’s neck and then bends him over miming doggy-style sex and then spanks Ian again. It’s interesting that Cassidy and Ian are the only ones who do anything raunchy, while the two boyfriends Mike and Asiel hardly even look at each other, let alone touch each other. I guess they didn’t want to exploit their romance. Good for them. I know for one thing, Cassidy and Ian make for a good chocolate and vanilla Popsicle.

It seems appropriate to say that according to Gaga’s old friend Brendan Sullivan, “Boys, Boys, Boys” is about when Gaga went to go see the Killers perform at Madison Square Garden in 2007 with her boyfriend Luc Carl (a glam-metalhead). On the date, Luc got the worst seats in the bleachers, and he hated pop music, which means he wasn’t happy to be at a Killers concert. That said, when Gaga wrote “Boys,” she left out the part about a buzzkill boyfriend and instead re-imagined him as a fun, glitzy sexy gay guy that liked making out with her. In the end, “Boys, Boys, Boys” is how Gaga wanted her date to go. It’s a fantasy.

Michael Silas: A Warhol Superstar or Just a Lady Gaga Dancer?

Joe Dallesandro



Michael Silas





Michael Silas is one of Lady Gaga’s most adored dancers for two reasons: his rugged sexiness and how it contrasts with Lady Gaga’s flamboyant Monster Ball Tour. It’s this contrast that makes Michael such an anomaly in the Haus of Gaga, just like actor Joe Dallesandro was in Andy Warhol’s Factory crew of artistic types. Surprisingly, Michael and Joe share a lot more than having an eccentric boss.

The 27-year-old Texas-bred dancer may wear makeup and earrings (sometimes) when performing on Gaga’s electro-opera The Monster Ball, but his calm toughness still shows through. On The Monster Ball, Michael has two shining moments for every tour stop: the famous Jesus Loves Everybody duet with Gaga (read about this duet here http://bit.ly/9JD48O), and the kiss between him and his boyfriend Asiel Hardison (another Gaga dancer). During his Gaga duet, Michael is a bloody vampire twisting his body sexually to roaring guitar riffs and Gaga’s vocal ad-libs, while during his kiss with his boyfriend, Michael is dressed as a Roman gladiator in a feathered headdress. Despite occasional voguing, Michael maintains his macho demeanor.

Michael Silas and Joe Dallesandro are beautiful, macho men who provided the masculine element to their respective crews—for Michael, the Haus of Gaga and for Joe, Andy Warhol’s The Factory—and wear their masculinity like bad asses, but there’s tenderness underneath the hard exterior. Both are aware of their sex appeal, but they act like they could care less, as if they wouldn’t mind you looking through their bathroom window seeing them naked after they stepped out of the shower; they might just shrug and acknowledge you silently with a friendly face.

Although Michael and Joe both have sad eyes, square jaws and lean, muscular bodies, they have different backgrounds. Michael is a Black/Latin/German army brat who trained at various dance schools in ballet and hip-hop, while Joe was a troubled Italian-American kid who went through foster care because his father couldn’t take care of him and his mother was incarcerated; Joe stole cars and ran from the police. Although their backgrounds are different, Michael and Joe became Superstars—Michael a Gaga Superstar and Joe a Warhol Superstar—and never looked back. The Warhol Superstars were a group of people gathered by Andy Warhol, Paul Morrissey, and Gerard Malanga to be in Warhol's films and accompany him in his social life, while the Haus of Gaga is a group of people gathered by Lady Gaga to be in her videos, concerts and accompany her in her social life.

Below check out the photos of the Monster Ball mentioned in the article:

Michael as a Roman gladiator.

Michael during Jesus Loves Everybody duet with Gaga.

Michael in Ace Bandages and a lot of eye shadow.

Cassidy Noblett's Body Talks in New Interview

 

Cassidy dances with Gaga at The Monster Ball.

You ever wonder why one of Lady Gaga’s most popular dancers Cassidy Noblett dances so passionately to the point that you can feel the sweat on his body, the warmth of his skin and his pounding heart that’s almost as loud as the bass of the music? Well, Cassidy explains everything in an interview where he answers my questions and talks about the artistry behind his dancing and the stories he wants to tell with his body. Read up.

1. When did you first start dancing?

My mother is a dance teacher so I actually started dancing in the womb. The day I saw those hospital lights, I knew life was my stage and its journey would be my performance.

2. Who were your dance influences growing up and who influences you to this day?

Growing up, my sister was my biggest influence as well as my mother. My sister was/is a talent to the dance industry and she always explored greatness in how she challenged herself and how she created herself. Jacques d’Amboise was one of my teachers, and he taught me that there is no limit to hard work and motivation. It’s endless and that there is no 100% because that is a personal perspective. It can always be better and can always grow. Janet Jackson, Dana Foglia, Victor Rojas, Amanda Balen, Lady Gaga, Bjork, Dalai Lama, any artist who seeks to discover themselves and express that individuality in their own way

3. What was your first professional job?

Club Dancer in Britney Spears/ Madonna music video, “Me Against the Music”

4. How would you describe your dance style?

I think the best answer is that it’s evolving, ever changing, and a feeling more than a set of words to describe it. It is a life form that isn’t perfect, but it finds breath in its uncertainty. (Big modern influence on it from a technical aspect)

5. I read in an interview you did that you want to bring a classical element to commercial dance, so when you say that, do you mean that you apply a classical technique even to non-classical choreography? If so, how do you apply it?

I want to bring a classical vocabulary that is seasoned with an urban understanding, a fellowship of abstract and city sidewalks together. An appreciation that isn’t tampered with by appearance and money, but by concept, art, individual voice, feeling, controversy, and new perspective. On that note, I completely respect what we have in the industry, I just want to find a new lens to view it through and to open the world’s view on it by taking a different approach.

6. I know that you also choreograph, so what is your creative process for creating choreography?

It changes depending on inspiration and task. And it’s a secret that I’m still developing and creating. Sometimes the beauty in art isn’t necessarily knowing how you get there (because that’s the artist’s own craft and happiness and personal journey) but what feeling it can produce once it’s offered. For me, I just want to keep that to myself. One day I will share I’m sure.

7. I’ve noticed that there’s a strong narrative element to your dancing, so how do you figure out the story that you want to tell?

The story I want to tell is a mixture of what vision the choreographer, creator, artist, director, etc. has and who I want to be to fit into that mold. How do I want to portray myself as this character. How can I be my own voice within someone else’s framework. And it comes with trial and error and also comes with being a character and changing your character as time passes. One’s moods can dictate the persona that comes to life. It varies day to day for me.

8. For inspiration, do you watch the videos of the artists you’re dancing for?

In order to offer my spirit and artistry to the fullest, it’s very important to be educated with all elements of the project you are involved with. The videos are a wonderful place to find inspiration especially when you need to revamp your approach. Because in the video, generally speaking, the vibe, the image, the content of what the song and vision is about is laid out for you through the layers of its footage.

9. What’s the next step in your career? For instance, do you plan to work primarily as a choreographer similar to Laurie Ann Gibson or is there acting in your future?

I would love to be an actor. That is a road that I hope to venture on throughout the rest of my life. It only makes you a better dancer and unlocks a whole new area of art that I know my life is interested in. As far as dancing, I am very happy to be where I am. The future plans will just have to be a surprise ;-)

10. Other than Gaga, do you have any other projects in the works for 2010 and 2011?

No idea yet ;-)

Lovers' Revenge

I want your love and all your lovers' revenge.

Don't forget my lipstick, I left it in your ashtray.

That Bad Girl Power I got, I'll abuse it tonight.