With its premise adapted from a British show of the same name, Flirty Dancing, hosted by Jenna Dewan, follows a lonely single looking for love, frustrating by today’s digital dating scene. In an effort to take things back to the days where people found romance on the dance floor, Jenna matches this person with two good-looking potential partners, and after learning half of a duet, the main contestant must dance with each match without uttering so much as a word to them. From there, they must choose which match they’d like to keep seeing, based solely on the level of chemistry they felt from the dance.
It’s a reality show that’s equal parts spontaneous as it is cultivated, and many of the couples formed on the show actually continue well after the dancing is done. While this leaves many single folks feeling somewhat envious (especially since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner), Flirty Dancing also shows us that a blind dance date might not be the best way to fall in love.
Terrible For Love: More Emphasis On The Physical
Since both participants in every Flirty Dancing duet don’t say a word to one another, there’s no getting around the fact that their first encounter is largely dependent on their partner’s physical appearance. After each contestant finishes a duet, they do their best to collect their breath while running down the list of the other person’s most attractive features, like their height, smile, and eyes, not to mention the fact that for many of these duets, both participants are heavily made up and dressed to impress.
While it’s true that every relationship begins with some level of physical attraction, Flirty Dancing puts the physical at the forefront.
Could Spark Love: No Screens / Awkward First Texts
Many people find dating apps so frustrating because there’s a lot more that goes into them than just swiping left and right. There’s almost a science regarding when to text someone for the first time, as well as how to arrange the right kinds of pictures on your profile, not to mention the fact that a conversation through the app can die for a multitude of reasons: all it takes is one misplaced notification and you’re history to your match.
Flirty Dancing eliminates the difficulties involved in dating through apps, getting right down to that first date that so many people using Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble struggle to nail for weeks.
Terrible For Love: Requires A Lot Of Time And Preparation
Each episode of Flirty Dancing is composed of two 20-minute parts focusing on two separate main contestants. These 20 minutes encapsulate a week’s worth of dance rehearsals, and the duets themselves require both competitors to be professionally groomed, made up, and dressed for their big moment.
While we wish this method of dating could be commonplace and accessible to all who want to try it, we could imagine how many hours alone are dedicated to this brief, 2-minute encounter that, for one person, didn’t lead to anything! With so much time, energy, and money going into something like this, we wouldn’t be surprised if all of that preparation took some of the fun out what should be a carefree moment.
Could Spark Love: The Influence Of The Right Song
While Flirty Dancing makes an attempt to bring out the organic chemistry between individuals, every single aspect of the show is carefully curated, from the locations of the duets to the dancers’ outfits, but the most important thing is the music.
Jenna Dewan makes an effort to choose songs that appeal to different sides of the main contestant as well as the personalities of their potential suitors, but from what we’ve seen so far, the mood of a particular song often influences who is chosen to go on that second date.
We’re not surprised that the person who composed the intro of their dance routine to Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” won the final date over the person who was given “If I Can’t Have You” by Shawn Mendes. This is no diss to Mendes; both songs are amazing, but “Perfect” is heavily associated with weddings and a more passionate, withstanding romance, which can definitely sway the mood in a situation where contestants are forced to be more vulnerable versions of themselves.
Terrible For Love: Skips Several Steps Of Getting To Know Somebody
Flirty Dancing claims to be taking things back to a time when people met on the dancefloor, but even when they did, they at least got each other’s names after dancing together! Here, the show pretty much speeds things up, putting contestants in a spot they’d ordinarily reach after several dates. At least with online dating, more times than not, you’re able to see a few pictures and some sentences that give you an idea of someone’s values and lifestyle.
By the time contestants have chosen a suitor in Flirty Dancing, they may not know that this person they’ve shared such a magical moment with has clashing political views, stands for different social causes, or even has kids! It negates any potential for taking things slow, since their first memories of one another was this intensely personal encounter, and we’re sure some contestants were later shocked to learn things about the partner they chose that they would have otherwise learned over the course of a first, second, or third date that wasn’t a blind dancing date.
Could Spark Love: Puts The Chemistry Upfront
Depending on how you look at it though, the fact that Flirty Dancing puts the chemistry upfront could be better for the sake of love. So many people waste their time going on three, four, and sometimes five dates before deciding that that spark they’d hoped would be there isn’t.
In testing the waters of chemistry from the jump, Flirty Dancing ensures that above all else, both parties can rest assured that the chemistry will be there, even if that’s all they’re sure of going into their second date.
Terrible For Love: It’s Extremely Public
Whether these duets occur indoors or outdoors, at night or in broad daylight, the two partners are never the only ones in the space. There are always bystanders observing their duets, even if it’s just a cameraman and their crew.
Jenna, the choreographer, and the producers are also watching the entire time backstage. Such personal moments should be a lot more intimate, and shouldn’t be turned into a spectacle for entertainment purposes.
Could Spark Love: Eliminates An Awkward First Date Icebreaker
That first date is always a bit nerve-wracking. When meeting someone for the first time, either party may stumble over their own words (or their own two feet). In throwing both people right into the fire and forcing them to share such an intense moment, having a simple conversation at a restaurant becomes child’s play.
Terrible For Love: More Room For Error During The First Date
While there haven’t been any major issues during the episodes of Flirty Dancing we’ve seen so far, there have been some times where contestants have gotten off beat for a few seconds. Still, that’s expected, given the fact that they aren’t professionals. What scares us is that there’s more potential for one of the dancers to get injured from a fall.
These dances utilize the entire space, and sometimes involve both dancers hopping up and down stairs or swerving around columns. One wrong move and the first impression you make could be on your own forehead.
Could Spark Love: A Truly Magical Moment
Flirty Dancing hits the nail on the head in capturing truly magical moments that we only see in movies. These moments not only make great stories about how these couples first met, but it also gives contestants a once in a lifetime experience that they won’t be able to get anywhere else, whether it’s through an app or at the club.
