michaeljayklein @ Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:51 am wrote:
Taylor Hicks of American Idol seemed to have achieved a perfect distillation of Cocker's all time worsts "moves". Watching him perform (and I am seeing him and the rest of them tomorrow night in St. Paul) made me think at times I was watching the Tinman's specialty number in "The Wizard of Oz"....he moves about like he just came out from under the anesthesia or had been suddenly revived from the dead after many years of being deceased.
What to do with your hands, watch Taylor & don't do any of that!!
You don't have to be animated to get your point across, you don't have to make a gesture with everything that can be gesturized. For ballads, I am more moved by someone when I can FEEL what they are singing by the simpleness of their actions, a simple pull down of the fist, a deep look from their eyes to an audience member, the aforementioned pointing into the the crowd, etc., I want to see & feel the emotion in their song with simple action, this is what I personally look for. For upbeat songs, definitely should be dancing around, getting the audience involved with clapping your hands in time over your head, make them feel like an integral part of the show.
Some people I see in contests their stage gestures are almost laughable. Ever watch Dirty Dancing when Baby's sister is practicing for the talent show at the end? This would be a "what not to do".