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see this beautiful woman? she's a tv sportscaster. she dances well. and she dances with another woman. did i tell you she's from israel? check out the article at the bottom.
meet Gili Shem Tov.
with her dance partner Dorit Milman in Dancing with the Stars.
first time ever to have same-sex dance partners in the show. sorry ellen & portia, they beat you to it. tough. you can at least be the first in the US franchise of the show. =) the more, the many! hehe.
with her equally beautiful life partner, Maya Ferrer:
with their soo cute baby:
the groundbreaking dance:
i love her rehearsal "tomboy" top by the way. =) you can search youtube for the full dance vid.
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Hit Israel TV series breaks new ground on sexuality
JERUSALEM—The Israeli production of the international hit "Dancing with the Stars" broke new ground on Tuesday when it became the show's first version to introduce a same-sex duo as dance partners.
In the live broadcast, statuesque blonde Gili Shem Tov, an openly lesbian sports presenter, shimmied onto the stage in a skimpy dress, fishnet stockings and dangly earrings alongside her petite, straight partner, professional dancer Dorit Milman, who wore an identical outfit.
Before performing their piece, Milman gave Shem Tov a sisterly kiss on the cheek.
At a pre-broadcast runthrough earlier in the day Shem Tov told AFP that she had asked to dance with another woman because it was comfortable for her.
But he admitted he was surprised when she said she would prefer to dance with another woman.
"It was quite something unexpected," he said. "We didn't actively search for same-sex couples but when she did approach us and she requested to dance with a girl we said: 'Absolutely, why not?'"
Shem Tov said her decision was driven partly by a desire to encourage Israeli society to become more accepting.
"If by doing that, even only a few people will be more tolerant or open-minded, so I achieved my goal," she told journalists.
At the end of their dance the women were warmly applauded by the studio audience and well received by two out of the three judges, especially by the only woman on the panel, actress and comedienne Hana Laszlo.
Israel's homosexual community is hardly cloistered – the country hosts an annual gay pride parade and has a thriving gay club scene in Tel Aviv.
But intolerance of homosexuality is also one of the few issues that unites the country's religious Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, and a 2009 poll found 46 percent of Israelis consider homosexuality a "perversion."
But she said others expressed concern about the sight of a same-sex duo on a "family show."
"I heard that there are some people that think that this show is for the whole family and little children are watching that and they don't want the children to see a same-sex couple," she said.
"I don't understand that. I have a little son and this is the way he lives, with me and my partner, and I don't think that's a problem."
Gil said he consulted both the local production company and the BBC, which owns the franchise, and ultimately decided the pairing would be well received by Israeli viewers.
Milman said the chance to dance with another woman presented a new professional challenge, allowing her to adapt traditional moves and roles.
"The leader and the follower, we change all the time the moves, in one time I lead her, another she leads me."
On the dance floor, the adaptations seemed to work flawlessly, with Shem Tov and Milman twisting their hips in time, their barely-there skirts flaring out around their waists as they did an energetic cha-cha around a kitchen table, former basketball player Shem Tov towering over her elfin dance partner.
Results are to be decided by viewer voting which will be announced on next Tuesday's show, when two of the dancing duos will be voted off.
In the live broadcast, statuesque blonde Gili Shem Tov, an openly lesbian sports presenter, shimmied onto the stage in a skimpy dress, fishnet stockings and dangly earrings alongside her petite, straight partner, professional dancer Dorit Milman, who wore an identical outfit.
Before performing their piece, Milman gave Shem Tov a sisterly kiss on the cheek.
At a pre-broadcast runthrough earlier in the day Shem Tov told AFP that she had asked to dance with another woman because it was comfortable for her.
"For me it felt natural. I live with a woman, we are raising my son," she said. "It's not an issue."
Assaf Gil, who produced the show, said Shem Tov was a natural choice for the competition, which pairs national celebrities with professional dancers for weekly dance-offs.But he admitted he was surprised when she said she would prefer to dance with another woman.
"It was quite something unexpected," he said. "We didn't actively search for same-sex couples but when she did approach us and she requested to dance with a girl we said: 'Absolutely, why not?'"
Shem Tov said her decision was driven partly by a desire to encourage Israeli society to become more accepting.
"If by doing that, even only a few people will be more tolerant or open-minded, so I achieved my goal," she told journalists.
At the end of their dance the women were warmly applauded by the studio audience and well received by two out of the three judges, especially by the only woman on the panel, actress and comedienne Hana Laszlo.
"I couldn't imagine what it would look like with two women dancing," she said. "It looked great, you need to loosen up but I was surprised."
Israel's homosexual community is hardly cloistered – the country hosts an annual gay pride parade and has a thriving gay club scene in Tel Aviv.
But intolerance of homosexuality is also one of the few issues that unites the country's religious Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, and a 2009 poll found 46 percent of Israelis consider homosexuality a "perversion."
Shem Tov said most of the reactions to her pairing with Milman were positive, with messages of support coming in from around the world.
But she said others expressed concern about the sight of a same-sex duo on a "family show."
"I heard that there are some people that think that this show is for the whole family and little children are watching that and they don't want the children to see a same-sex couple," she said.
"I don't understand that. I have a little son and this is the way he lives, with me and my partner, and I don't think that's a problem."
Gil said he consulted both the local production company and the BBC, which owns the franchise, and ultimately decided the pairing would be well received by Israeli viewers.
Milman said the chance to dance with another woman presented a new professional challenge, allowing her to adapt traditional moves and roles.
"The leader and the follower, we change all the time the moves, in one time I lead her, another she leads me."
On the dance floor, the adaptations seemed to work flawlessly, with Shem Tov and Milman twisting their hips in time, their barely-there skirts flaring out around their waists as they did an energetic cha-cha around a kitchen table, former basketball player Shem Tov towering over her elfin dance partner.
Results are to be decided by viewer voting which will be announced on next Tuesday's show, when two of the dancing duos will be voted off.
article link here.
5 comments:
Ang galeng, natuwa ako dito. Thanks for posting this. :) Sana nga gawin din nila Portia at Ellen.
Gili Shem Tov did a poor imitation of Sabra and Neil's performance from the show So You Think You Can Dance.
No, Gili Shem Tov can't dance, their performance was horrible.
Watch the original here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFH1moy62VQ
Also, read this:
http://frgdr.com/blog/2010/11/07/on-fans-and-fanatics/
Yeah, I think the dance was so rigid but that's not the reason I like it. I like that they (Shem Tov and her dance partner, and the producers of the show) did the unconventional and introduced a same-sex duo as dance partners. That's a huge deal. :)
Same sex pairing has been done many times on "So You Think You Can Dance". Both male-male and female-female. This is not new and unconventional. Also, I totally agree with Ellen's comment, it is an art form so it does not matter, and there is nothing romantic going on.
Gay people are a standard now on practically every show.
The girls can't dance and it is unfair to the other contestants to vote for them just because of their sexuality, and the buzz that had been created around them.
People need to move on there is nothing interesting here.
@Purple - you're welcome.
@Anonymous - you're lucky you get to watch a lot of same-sex pairing in So You Think You Can Dance so it is not new to you. but for me and purple, i haven't seen one till Dancing With The Stars. So am still fascinated with it. Ellen has her opinion and so do I and you. Art is personal, so whatevs. the show like any other contest is not anchored on pure talent, it's in reality a popularity contest. there are the panel critics, but then the texters are the true judge. i still support them by virtue of affinity. =)
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