Was the JPVA Alizée the Tinker Bell?

Corsaire · #1 02-24-2011, 12:02 AM

It is well known that Alizée has a Tinker Bell tattoo on her back and that she has mentioned that this character is really important in her life. At times, she almost seemed obsessed by it. Now, here is something interesting if you like “overanalyzing” things as much as I do...

I never liked the JPVA choreography because I find the moves don’t really work for me. Also, there is the infamous “bending over” move that I wish never existed. I guess that would explain why I try to avoid watching renditions of JPVA. One funny thing about the infamous move is that the first time I saw it, I not only hated it, but I also had a strong déjà vu feeling, like something creeping up from my childhood. This was quite intriguing at the time but I just forgot about it after a while and moved on. The other day, while I was looking at some Alizée pictures, there it was again, an eyesore in the middle of all the otherwise beautiful pictures. That time around, it just hit me! The move was very similar to the patented bending over of Tinker Bell! You can see the move here at 0:26:

It happens quite fast, but you can still notice the bending of the knees and the bottom being revealed at the end of the move, just like in the JPVA choreography. Evidently, that could easily be a coincidence, but I thought it was worth investigating further to see if I could find more of such connections. I was never a big fan of Tinker Bell or Peter Pan and I knew the move shown above only because when I was young, it was the same one used in the opening of many Walt Disney productions. So, I started watching some of the videos where one could see more of Tinker Bell’s move and it did not take too long before I found this famous scene from the 1953 classic where she notices her “large” hips while dancing on a mirror. See the moves from 0:34 to 0:44:

Now, isn’t this reminiscent of another part of the JPVA choreography (at 0:47)?

And does this famous Tinker Bell pose remind you of something else from JPVA?

Most here will have already guessed, but here is the JPVA version:

But what about the JPVA concept itself?
Well, in the original Peter Pan cartoon, Tinker Bell does seem to get into quite a few nasty situations where her panties are inadvertently revealed. Could it be that the Tinker Bell character was used as the premise for the whole JPVA concept? As I said a while back, in my assessment, the live JPVA “ooops” moment (the revealing of Alizée’s bottom) was planned from the beginning, and therefore, in my view, there is a real similarity between the Tinker Bell character and the Alizée of JPVA. Even more interesting, for those who might not know, the French version of JPVA (which is quite different from the English version) is basically a reflection on the fact that Alizée is not yet 20 years old, that she still has time to enjoy her life and that she hates having to face whatever is inherent to a typical adult life. If you will, she would rather not grow up... which is, of course, the central theme of the Peter Pan story.

There would be plenty more to say about the connections between Alizée and Tinker Bell, but I think this should be enough for now.

Edit:

This post should not be interpreted as an attempt to imply that Alizée was involved in creating the choreography.

Deepwaters · #2 02-24-2011, 02:05 AM

Also, the whole theme of the song JPVA is about youthful irresponsibility, being care-free and not grown up, and that's also an important theme of Peter Pan. So you very well could be onto something here.

Naft · #3 02-24-2011, 04:21 AM

She didn't choreograph it herself, did she? The resemblances are stunningly alike, but it might have just been something that she didn't find out about until later or got to know about before to add a certain "innocence" to it, so to speak. I can of course not speak for her and I won't try so but she only performed what she was "asked" to, she didn't write the lyric nor choreograph the moves, but nothings saying she couldn't have had some influence in both.

babyblue558 · #4 02-24-2011, 06:43 AM

Valérie Bony did the JPVA choreography (one of Mylène's pals and an occasional backing dancer of hers) so I guess there's a chance. Especially since we know Alizée did have some say in the content of the lyrics (aside from Moi... Lolita) - she said in an early interview that her and Mylène had long discussions about her personality, likes and dislikes so Mylène could write lyrics which represent Alizée. Who's to say the same didn't happen with choreography? Mylène is a lover of subtle allusions such as the one you're suggesting so I'd definitely say it's a possibility!

Bigdan · #5 02-24-2011, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naft

She didn't choreograph it herself, did she?

All dances are supposed to be created by Mylène ( or Mylène choreographer).

.

Corsaire · #6 02-24-2011, 07:44 AM

The way I presented this might lead some to believe that I am implying that Alizée was involved in creating the choreography or that she introduced some of the moves herself. Maybe she did, but myself, I think the whole Tinker Bell concept came from LB regardless of what Alizée, MF or the choreographer of JPVA might have said about it. Speculations? But of course!

Naft · #7 02-24-2011, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corsaire

The way I presented this might lead some to believe that I am implying that Alizée was involved in creating the choreography or that she introduced some of the moves herself. Maybe she did, but myself, I think the whole Tinker Bell concept came from LB regardless of what Alizée, MF or the choreographer of JPVA might have said about it. Speculations? But of course!

She might not have created it, but her craze for Tinkerbell might have come from finding out the "origin" of said dance. Or she had a say in it from the beginning like Blue said and it was designed on her request. Either way, astonishing find!

Corsaire · #8 02-24-2011, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naft

She might not have created it, but her craze for Tinkerbell might have come from finding out the "origin" of said dance. Or she had a say in it from the beginning like Blue said and it was designed on her request. Either way, astonishing find!

Naft, I am sure not many will agree with my assessment that LB was the driving force behind the Tinker Bell concept and that the other people involved were just adding ideas to fit that original concept. I analyse this from a very particular angle that is probably not shared by any other member here. So, on that fact, I would doubt anyone would agree with me. Concerning the specific fact that JPVA was based on the Tinker Bell character and the Peter Pan story, I hope people will be able to see the strong case that was presented. This was a very significant find as far as I am concerned and it is one more element to help me understand the complex Alizée “concept”.

Edit:

Ohhhh, I just discovered this other gem!

If you listen to the “bell” sounds from 0:06 to 0:08, here:

I would say they were the inspiration for the recurrent “bell” sounds in JPVA. They start at 2:16, here:

... And are Alizée’s drumsticks some kind of wands? Sure, I would even go there.
You can see her sprinkling the fairy ("pixie") dust at 3:18...

severianb · #9 02-24-2011, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corsaire

The way I presented this might lead some to believe that I am implying that Alizée was involved in creating the choreography or that she introduced some of the moves herself. Maybe she did, but myself, I think the whole Tinker Bell concept came from LB regardless of what Alizée, MF or the choreographer of JPVA might have said about it. Speculations? But of course!

The theory she had a lot of input on the dance moves isn't very far-fetched. I remember watching those old videos from her dance school days, pre-Mylene and noticed a lot of moves that were re-used when she started her career.

I think you are onto something. She was young, she liked Tinkerbell, she was getting a kick out of the whole short skirts and being sexy thing. She got over it after awhile, but I think she had a lot of input on those dances.

Naft · #10 02-24-2011, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corsaire

Naft, I am sure not many will agree with my assessment that LB was the driving force behind the Tinker Bell concept and that the other people involved were just adding ideas to fit that original concept. I analyse this from a very particular angle that is probably not shared by any other member here. So, on that fact, I would doubt anyone would agree with me. Concerning the specific fact that JPVA was based on the Tinker Bell character and the Peter Pan story, I hope people will be able to see the strong case that was presented. This was a very significant find as far as I am concerned and it is one more element to help me understand the complex Alizée “concept”.

Edit:

Ohhhh, I just discovered this other gem!

If you listen to the “bell” sounds from 0:06 to 0:08, here:

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3JJ9Ei-2C5Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I would say they were the inspiration for the recurrent “bell” sounds in JPVA. They start at 2:16, here:

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pJWiEpYeEAk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

... And are Alizée’s drumsticks some kind of wands? Sure, I would even go there.
You can see her sprinkling the fairy ("pixie") dust at 3:18...

Okay..? I don't get if you agree, bash my argument or state your own opinion completely un-biased from mine.

Anyhow, taking the drumsticks and making them into metaphorical "wands" seems a bit far-fetched. I think it's more to show that she's just random and wants to have fun, not to mention she's adorable when she does it.