Dance, where has the artistry gone?

Recently I became slightly obsessed with Tracy Chapman's songs, "Behind the Wall" and "Fast Car". Being the former dancer I am, I decided to look for videos of dances done to these songs on YouTube.
Granted, these dances are mostly from studios and not professional companies, and these kids performing these dances can barely grasp the themes in these songs. However, I think that the point of dance (especially LYRICAL for goodness' sake!) is being missed, and that it has been relegated to a mere athletic exercise.
I don't know how to put Youtube videos straight into my blog, so you'll have to click on them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTszeTw3x10
This performer looks like she can't be more than about thirteen. Already we get into an emotional maturity issue. Here we see an overly-literal interpretation of this song, as the performer slams herself against a "wall", using the prop a total of about seven seconds throughout the entire routine. This dance is what I like to call "circused up", with as many technical elements and as few artistic elements as possible. This is rather common in dance competitions that I've seen. From the extremely erect way this dancer holds herself, it's clear she doesn't get the raw nature of this dance. A song as emotional as this calls for more "getting into the floor". This might be more the choreographer's fault.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU_tCnT8aQY&feature=related
Okay, so she's not competing, she's obviously practicing in the studio. This routine is better (I could do without the cheerleader butt-swings) even though it's apparent that this dancer isn't as advanced technically as the first one. She understands the movement needed for this song. Notice the body rolls and the floorwork. If I could see her face more I would like it better, and if I could see her in costume I would be able to get the whole effect, but overall THIS routine is better than the first. It contains maybe three technical elements (and the leap isn't that great), but focuses more on the meaning and emotionality of the dance.

Now, on to "Fast Car"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHZxjOhW1Eo
I can't tell but it looks like this was done with a stop-motion camera! From what I can tell, the dance does a good job of telling the story, it's not a trick show, but it has technical elements seamlessly blended into the rest of the routine (no "watch me as I run to the back corner of the stage, do a huge tombe, pas de bourre, chase, leap combination because it's the only way I know how to do a leap with any height" element). I think the choreography and her performance lend it to be upbeat for most of the routine, which is something I've never understood about dancing to sad songs (I did a lyrical routine to "Every Breath You Take" by the Police, yes, the stalker song to end all stalker songs, and we were told to smile). Maybe she's trying to pull off the optimistic feeling. All in all though, she DOES manage to capture the mood of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_DiglJNnDs
I'm waffling on this one. The first thing I would like to point out is that it is danced by fifteen year olds with their hair piled on top of their heads and ridiculously skimpy tops. "Fast Car" does not mean "Fast Women". Okay, I will grant that it is GOOD choreography. It doesn't really tell the story of the song, which is a shame, but in general it is danced well and has good choreography. Now about these dancers' attitudes. Look at how they walk on and off of the stage and how they work the beginning of the routine. This song is all about hurt and lost chances, it implies some vulnerability. These girls strut around like they're performing with the Pussycat Dolls (who have some pretty neat choreography), they're haughty, strong, sassy. Not quite what I would be doing right before I started a dance like this.

Now I'm sure randomly I will hear from some person who randomly found my blog about "oh yeah, well what would YOU do with it?" So I will tell you.
With Behind the Wall, I see a couple, probably like a fiance relationship, not quite husband and wife yet. The woman in the dance is basically telling him what she heard behind the wall and he's trying to comfort her. It's hard to explain the moves exactly, but the audience would know where the "wall" was without the use of an actual wall. It would be more about sharing the helpless feeling about wanting to help but not being able to.
With Fast Car, I picture more of a slow hip hop (see Tabitha and Napoleon from So You Think You Can Dance). Female solo, more street and into the floor than a "ballet lyrical". Kind of like the second performance for "Behind the Wall". The challenge is to make sure the dancer and choreographer don't get caught up in the upbeat tempo and make this a "happy" dance.
OR with Fast Car you can go down the whole literally acting out the story bit, depicting a woman wanting out of her situation and a man who seems to be the answer to all her problems until he becomes the problems himself. The challenge here would be in not going too literal (I'm sure unless you were joking you would not choreograph the man "driving" around the stage...it's awkward enough in context for "Waiting for Life" in "Once on this Island"). An emotional story can be told without the distraction of gratuitous props or the cheapening effect of melodramatic literal interpretation.