Mark Kanemura (***UPDATE)

The definition of lyrical perfection

Uploaded by krunkyou

Who else sees dance as sculpture?  I love the inside of this guys head

Uploaded by krunkyou

Videos courtesy of MJ from MJ's Big Blog

The show is 'So You Think You Can Dance'.  Mark's partner is Courtney Galliano, and I am truly smitten with and by this man.  Back in my performing days I was blessed to work with some truly great dancers and performers (Tommy Tune, Jeffrey Hornaday, Steve Merritt, Jeff Risk, Marc Pluff) – and none (not a one) - had the musicality of this intriguing, graceful man.

With Mark - it's all about feeling – for him and his audience.  When I watch Mark move - I feel with him.  There's a frisson that shivers down my spine - sense and emotion sparking one off the other.  I understand what moves him (literally).  That feeling you get when the music vibrates inside your chest - running along your skin like water....your blood thrumming with millions of tiny heartbeats.  It's talking to god with your body.  Musical emotion fuels each move - your physical self stretches out into eternity…..and when it stops, you almost want to cry.  I used to stand right next to the speakers at Stones concerts.  I liked the way the music felt from the inside.  I danced the same way – feeling the beat pulse through my feet up into my body.  My teachers could never get me into shoes.  I needed to feel the floor.  It not only grounded me – it fed my ability to move.

Let’s talk about skill for a moment. Mark’s center is very, very tight.  And I’m so impressed with how he matches and balances his partners.  That’s hard – Ginger Rodgers hard (a la doing everything backwards and in high heels).  I’ve perused his online choreography – and I’m flat out enthralled. Check out what he does with his arms here (Mark's the tall guy on the right).  Pay especial attention to 0:22 – 0:25.  That transition blows me away every time I see it (and I’ve seen it a hell of a lot). Smooth, flowing - yet every tiny (coordinated) shift is sharp and clear – and on the beat.  Being on the beat, falling off and into the next motion is kinda like waiting for the laugh when you’re on stage.  You either have the knack – or you don’t.  Comedy’s not mathematical (counting moments after one line and before you say the next - though some lesser actors do just that).  An audience is a living organism.  You have to feel your way along.  You say something or look a certain way and people laugh….making the next move or saying the next line at the exactly appropriate moment is instinctual – it cannot be taught.  Mark has that instinct musically – and he can choreograph it – which is a stone bitch to manage.  I really hope he continues posting his work – ‘cause I’m hooked.

Are any of you familiar with Maya Deren?  She was an experimental filmmaker.  Back in the 1940’s she created a series of visual meditations on movement.  Gene Kelley himself consulted her on the best way to film dance (he was getting ready to make ‘Invitation to the Dance’).  Two of Deren’s films, ‘Meshes of the Afternoon’ and even more so ‘Divine Horsemen’ look at motion from an organic perspective.  There was nothing like it anywhere at the time.  She filmed ‘Horsemen’ in Haiti, chronicling traditional voudun practitioners.  That movement is exactly what I'm talking about – it’s inspired.  Mark moves like that – from the heart, from the gut – through the music…..and that does make him neither fish nor fowl where So You Think You Can Dance’s judges are concerned.  It’s “Strictly Ballroom” to them.  The 'Tina Sparkle’s' are rewarded.  Anything else – not so much. 

But dancing isn’t about mathematics (any more than comedy is).  For me - all art is fluid.  There isn’t a writer, dancer or film-maker I know who sets their work in stone.  I look back over shows I’ve directed, roles I’ve performed or stories I’ve written – and there’s always some new insight, some new take or approach.  There's no repetition.  Art follows the artist's trains of thought, their eddies of emotion.  Mark's movement impresses me that way.  He makes it seem like he’s inventing every move on the spot; that the movement grows out of his personal communication with the heart of the music (even when the choreography’s not his).  There’s flexibility there – and not only in the physicality.  I love Mark’s esthetic – how he sees himself within the dance: creative, sinuous - and blatantly, unapologetically, unabashedly sexual.   

Frankly – I don’t remember the last time an artist captured my interest this completely. Mark glides through music like its water – I’ve never seen the like.  It’s different – and different isn’t always all that accepted at first.  He’s definitely not usual.  Mark claims that all his life he’s been slightly left of center – that his world boasts different hues and shapes than the rest of us. Left of center, says he?  Well color me there, my friends – ‘cause as far as I’m concerned - ‘slightly left of center’ just became the new black! 

***Well - he's off the show.  I should have guessed.  The Barry Fife's and Tina Sparkle's have won the field (for now).  'So You Think You Can Dance' just won't be the same for me.  I looked forward to Mark's fire and originality each and every week.  Well....hopefully he will continue to post his choreography.  Frankly - the man needs a real website - someplace Mark Kanemura fans can connect and touch base.  One stop shopping, as it were.  There are lots of us, you know.  I'd like to give a big shout out to the fandango crowd over at TWOP and Marks Marker's at Idol Forums.  We are truly fierce! 

And Mark?  You go, baby!  Go far.  I've been in this business all of my life (since I was 11).  You have that magical something most performers only dream of: You're a star.  So get a good agent and/or manager.  Find a coach who'll help bring out the best in your work.  I know a little something about that.  I've not only taught master classes for actors honing their craft - I've coached dancers as well.  You need someone else with a good eye towards what suits you.

Go ahead - take my advice, bucko.  After all - it's freely given, from a deep well of admiration and respect.  Aloha (you sexy thing!).

Comments

[Jude]

Damn! Mark is really gifted, and together these two tell a real story with FEELING when they dance!

[Pidge]

Always thrilled when someone "gets" Mark like I do! He's bloody brilliant.

[The Fat Lady Sings]

He is indeed bloody brilliant! I'm sad to see him go. It was.....unexpected - especially considering last weeks performance. But then - he's a very different cup of tea, isn't he? I guess some people just don't like Devon Cream. :)

[Sarah]

I loved reading your comments on Mark yesterday. I know nothing about dance except how it makes me feel - and watching Mark was a treat I eagerly looked forward to each week. I feel deflated now. SYTYCD must have an ending point, but I would have loved one more week of Mark. I am grateful for every time I was able to experience him, though. Your suggestion of having a real place to keep up with him is a good one. I know he will continue to spread love and joy to many and I, as one fan, will enjoy seeing what the future holds for him.

[The Fat Lady Sings]

Thank you, Sarah. I too would have loved one more week of Mark. You know - I've never voted on one of these shows before. I guess you could say Mark was my first. :)

As for a permanent Mark Kanemura website - perhaps his fans should start one on our own? (Something else I’ve never done or even considered). I've noticed he has quite a following over at TWOP and Idol Forums. Maybe we should all get together under one roof, as it were.

Just a thought.

[Chable]

I earn my living as a writer - both in a more *cough* technical field, as well as some creative writing and fiction. The difference between the two really comes down to adherance to rules. In technical writing, all sentences must have a noun and a verb. Punctuation must be appropriate and complete. Paragraphs must follow a certain order.

But when I write poetry - or fiction even - I can throw those rules out the window. If I want to make a point, I can leave a subject out of the sentence. Or the action. I can blend the words to create the feel that *I* want to convey. The rules are still there, but I can ignore them and focus on the intent of my words.

That's how I feel about Mark's solos. The rules - the technique - is there ... but he portrays an emotion, a *feel*, that reaches out to me. *shrug* And that's all I need.

Also...Mark definitely needs a website of his own. We've been talking about it over on IDF, and I'm pretty certain we can get it going. I'm definitely open to suggestions, and certainly in need of technical know-how! LOL

[The Fat Lady Sings]

That he does, Chable. We need to find someone (or a group of someone’s) with good design capabilities who's open to the idea. I would gladly share duties as site monitor – as well as contribute to content. And as mentioned over at IDF - we need to get Mark's permission to do all this. He can then advise on how he'd like it to look (have you seen the new pics over at TWOP? Mark has a very strong sense of design). I'd suggest more than just blogging and resume features. There should be an "Ask Mark" section; and I'd like young dancers and choreographers to be able to post vids of their work for Mark (and others) to comment on. He needs to offer up merchandise too (those FABULOUS shirts!).

Notice how I've entangled Mark in every aspect of the websites operations? By design, my dear - by design. I was telling my best friend the other day - if I was still running a theatre company (I'm writing full time now) I'd hire him in a nonce. His esthetic and mine dovetail nicely (my friend [bless her!] noticed that right off!). Plus – I’d pay good money just to stare at that man! He’s gonna hafta get used to the heart throb stuff. I’ll bet it will feel peculiar to someone who always considered himself the odd duck. That’s why so many are attracted to him. There’s hardly a human being alive who at one time or another didn’t feel they were outside the norm. Mark wears his emotional self on the outside of his skin. He’s easy to read. He also comes across a somewhat of a cipher. We all feel free to write our own story on the canvas he provides – rather like Garbo in the final scene of the film ‘Christina’. There she is, staring off into nothingness, thinking……something. And that’s the genius. We all think we know – so we all can relate. Magical – and Mark has it in spades!

[demondoll]

I came by your site thru Momo. Thank you for all your insight- you say it some much better than I could. I love watching Mark dance, he stirs my soul.

[808 love]

I absolutely LOVED reading this... I'm so glad that there are real dancers and performers out there who appreciate Mark as much as I do. I was starting to wonder if my love for Mark was a result of not being a dancer--I never saw any of the problems that the judges always nitpicked about. And I totally get that frisson down my spine when I watch him dance. I never voted for any reality show contest until I saw Mark.

[Dawn]

I know it's not much, but I've started a Mark Live Journal community. It's fairly active, but it would be lovely to have more people sharing their thoughts on this brilliant dancer.

http://community.livejournal.com/kanemurafans/

I too, don't really know much about dance, except that I know when something or someone moves me. When someone can grab my attention with the mere flick of a wrist or raise of an eyebrow - that's a star. And Mark is a star in absolutely every sense of the word.

[Lilo]

Sorry your two favorite dancers got voted off last week!

I like Twitch, a lot, but has everyone else noted that the top four left are sort of like every dance movie made in the past twenty years? Classically trained suburban white girls with preternaturally talented urban black male street dancers. And together, they make magic, bringing together the best of both worlds! Nothing against either group, but I would like to see another narrative.

[Sue B]

I came here via Momo...I totally miss BSYTYCD, but we move on...

Anyway...

Yep. I miss Mark. I am bitter beyond belief. No one displayed the individuality and quirkiness that he did. My favorite routines of the season were Bleeding Heart and the Honeymoon dance (scary), along with last week's Sonya routine with Mark and Courtney last week. I will watch tonight, and vote for both Josh and Courtney (what is Twitch still DOING on there? over Will and Mark? Seriously?!), and hope this kind of thing doesn't happen next year. I hope he comes back to do choreo next season, maybe with Sonya, his choreographer of choice. One can dream. :)

Thanks for the blog!!!!!!!!!

[The Digerati Life]

I adore Mark Kanemura. He's my favorite ever dancer from SYTYCD, and I've been a religious viewer of all its seasons.

I love his image, and how he looks like a personified Japanese anime character :) . Just love his entire style, look, the lean muscular body, the HAIR, the glint in his eye and the grins -- sometimes sinister, sometimes playful.

I love this man and in love with his dancing. I even dreamt about him last night, I guess after watching a whole lot of SYTYCD shows on record. :D