So You Think You Can Dance Season 8: Top 20

So, is it just me or did basically everyone get their own genre (or close to it) this week?  I personally think this is a good decision as it gives all of the contestants a chance to be seen in the best positive light as we are all still getting to know them before they are thrown to the wolves with a quick step or something.

Also - the competition this year is fierce! usually I have a couple of favorites, and some others I like just fine, but this year I feel like every couple that came on I was going "oh, yeah! I love her!," "oh, that guy! I love him!" That's going to make for some rough eliminations.  And I'm sorry that Mia Michaels is not working with the show anymore (unless I'm wrong about that? fingers crossed), but I think I'll live as long as Travis Wall keeps choreographing.  That kid is a freaking genius.

this made me cry from perfection (I'll try to find a better clip):



If there is a better piece than this one all season we can all consider ourselves lucky indeed.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 7

I'm not going to talk about what you think I'm going to talk about. Ok, I'll mention it: The shake up this season, pairing contestants with "all stars" from past seasons. Doesn't bother me. I kind of like that they have decided to showcase the contestants on their own paired with people who are not also competitors - allows focus on who you really want to vote for, and eliminates the risk of any contestant being unfairly paired with an anchor that brings them down. I think they still could have had a top 20 - it is a really a shame that more talented dancers couldn't have been included and showcased within this season, but whatever. Just keep the talent and amazing choreography coming and I'm happy.

No. What I want to talk about is that stage. It is awful. Fox are you .listening to me? IT IS AWFUL! The back wall is all lit, making it VERY hard to see the dancers at times (which, um, hello? is kind of the point), and I apologize to whatever theater it is and whoever chose the location, but every piece performed on that stage, no matter how intricate the costumes and intense the dancing, looks like a really expensive, super fancy high school talent show. Bad bad bad. I get that this stage is bigger than the old one, but honestly, all that does is make the contestants look small and inadequate because no matter how they try they cannot fill the space.

The old stage could be viewed from all angles - allowing the television viewer to see each piece from the most important angle, and as a result feel like a much more intimate part of the show. With this new stage we only get to see from the front (and blinded by lights half the time), which limits our involvement in the dance. before it was special to see it at home - we got a better look than the studio audience. Now we are relegated to the cheap seats. The old stage allowed the dancers to enter from all angles - down stairs in the back, up from the audience in the front, making each piece exciting and interactive. Now we have stage left and stage right; pedantic and predictable, and it cripples the creativity of the choreographers. The old stage had versatile, but subtle lighting, and a lighter colored floor. as a result you could see each dancer and each movement perfectly for the brilliance it was. This stage has blinding back lighting that causes glare in the camera ALL THE TIME, and a black floor which disguises the dancers' movements if they are in any dark costumes. Tonight Alex Wong did an amazing leap front and center stage that was almost completely obscured by the camera angle and his black pants blending into the floor. Criminal. And shame on the producers/directors/set designer/location scouts/whoever is responsible for this travesty of a stage. You want to perk things up after season 6 ratings were low? Don't worry about the format. Worry about the stage you are putting your dancers on. Go back to the old set and let them shine.

SYTYCD vs DWTS Acronym Smackdown

In this week's Entertainment Weekly (or I guess it's last weeks, but I'm reading it this week), Ken Tucker does an article about The Dancing With The Stars finale airing the same week as the premier for So You Think You Can Dance. (I can't find the article online, but his tv blog is here). I'm not going to call it a review although that is ostensibly the space it occupies in the magazine, because instead of reviewing either show (which face it don't need it anyway) he decides to make commentary on how we can't go a single week without a dancing competition on tv. Because you see, Mr. Tucker doesn't see any difference between these two shows.

And that I take issue with.

Comparing DWTS and SYTYCD (I am SO not typing those names out each time!) is effectively the same as comparing Don't Forget The Lyrics and American Idol - and I think we can all agree those shows are highly different. Both involve singing, yes, but one casts regular people scorching our eardrums for cash prizes, while the other feature genuine talent stretching and applying their skills with the aim of an actual CAREER in the field.

It is much the same with these "dancing shows." Both have their respective charm and appeal, but that is where the similarities end. DWTS showcases washed up athletes and "celebrities" desperate to regain or maintain the slightest ray of the spotlight. As dancers they are competent AT BEST, and unwatchable at worst, and the entertainment value of the show revolves around the attitudes, costumes, and train wreck voyeurism of watching people we love or hate or forgot even existed stump around performing feats their bodies were never meant to do in a pathetic attempt to find that 16th minute of fame (or knock off a few pounds).

On the other hand, SYTYCD puts that spotlight on people with genuine talent. God given gifts and back-breakingly achieved technique in the dancers and choreographers who push the limits of creativity and physicality each and every week. These are not your average Joe off the street looking for a free ride through the tabloid papers. These are people who have dedicated their lives to improving their abilities and exploring the boundaries of what it means to dance. Every week they expose the millions of Americans who watch to talent and skill and originality that most of us will never posses in our wildest dreams.

The dancing on SYTYCD showcases passion and technique and culture and variety and emotion and every joy and pain and miracle the human body can achieve. The talent in each and every contestant in each and every top twenty is astonishing; the intelligence and power and creativity of every choreographer (many of whom are past contestants) is inspiring. SYTYCD pushes the envelope of what it means to dance - and they bring that experience and education into the homes of everyone who watches.

They are the REAL stars, and it demeans them to be lumped into the same category with any faux-lebrity who thinks they can dance.

I Heart Sonya

Last night's So You Think You Can Dance was interesting. It started off so fast - they totally skipped over all the usual filler showing people picking their new partners and working with the choreographers, and it was a bit jarring. I usually only pay all that stuff the most minor attention, but it does serve as a great intro and set up and after 5 years you get into a rhythm and a routine and begin to expect it. So when it was absent I was all flustered and felt like everything was going too fast, I don't know who is paired with who, what's happeneing they're just dancing already? Whoa. But then we had the first solo, and with it a little vignette on the dancer, and a new rhythm was restored. A much better rhythm. I love when we get to this poitn and there are still a lot of people in the competition, but they are all dancing two pieces together and a solo, because you lose the blah blah blabbing and have lots of great dancing. Last night was no exception. There were several pieces I really liked, but one stood apart, not only from last night's performances, but from all performances. Sonya is a choreographer that you either love or hate - her style is very unique. I happen to love her, but I think anyone can appreciate the artistry in this dance. Oh, and Ellenore and Jakob are no slouches either.

Ellenore and Ryan Razzle Dazzle

The Broadway style is not really my thing. But this is perfection.

Regarding Last Night's SYTYCD Decision: Baaaooooo!!*

*must be uttered with the inflection of the old woman in Princess Bride**, calling Buttercup the Queen of Putrescence. Baaaoooo!

**if you don't know who that is, or haven't seen the movie, get thee to Netflix ASAP!!

Karen is NOT a star. She is a marginal dancer, and only slightly attractive girl that pervy old Nigel has glommed onto. She does not deserve to be there over Channing, who contrary to the judge's lame excuse, has done a fantastic job both technically AND with her personality. Karen's solo last night was execrable, and she should have been kicked off, rather than given a pat on the back and the allowance that dancing a solo is hard for ballroom dancers. So what? Heidi from season 2 did it fine. So have all the other ballroom contestants from previous seasons - Karen WALKED AROUND THE STAGE FOR HER ENTIRE PIECE. Oh, except for that one hideous jump that I could have bested any day of the week while 8 months pregnant. Inexcusable regardless of your genre.
The decision on the boys was also questionable - although dance wise I don't really have any issue. But Kevin was at least memorable - I am writing this as the credits roll and I literally can't remember the name of the guy they kept. Bad sign, Spinny Guy. No votes for you. My only consolation is that you will be paried with Karen next week, so your anonymity and her suckage can bring each other down.

So You Think You Can Go Back To The Old Set?

So, there has been quite a revamp on SYTYCD this year. And I'm not entirely sure I love the changes made. First, they aren't switching up judge everyweek. On one hand I like it because it means Adam Shankman is on everyweek and I think he is funny and also offers good, helpful critiques to the dancers. But on the other hand, it means we don't get to see any of the other choreographers, and they have nice personalities and interesting opinions to add to the commentary as well. I think the best solution would be to continue having Adam as a permanent judge, but still have a rotating 4th judge. There's clearly a chair up there already - which reminds me: drop the whole Paula Abdul shtick. Blergh. Second issue - they have just had everyone dance and then kicked people off the first two weeks - no phone in voting for the bottom two couples. This satisfied my sense of immediate gratification since we didn't have to wait until the next night to see who was leaving. It also spared us sitting through the interminable musical guests on the results shows who are always terrible. But it also kind of took the whole point of the show away. If we don't even get to vote on who we like dleast, then just go ahead and pick a winner right now and just make it a dnace exhibition show rather than a contest. Thankfully this week it is going back to voting and the regular format. The third issue is the new stage. I absolutely HATE it. The screen behind the dancers is really distracting, and the neon lights on the sides look like some tacky Vegas review. Please, please, please bring back the old, round stage with the staircase! Watching the show on this new stage is really awful, and it is totally sapping my interest in the show. What do you think?

update 11/17/09- after watching tonight's show I have decided the biggest problem with the stage is that it is way too big for two dancers. No matter how great the dance, they cannot fill the stage and it makes the whole piece suffer. My husband says it looks like amateur night at the Apollo.

SYTYCD - Shame On You America

Well, America, you deserve a big fat D- for your voting this week. I get it - Comfort is a sentimental favorite seeing as she was already kicked off the show - but guess what? There is a reason for that: she is woefully out of her depth here. She has performed very admirably on the show and seems like a nice girl, but this show is about versatility and she just can't cut it. And I know that most of you are not really versed enough in dance to know what is truly great from what is just okay, but seriously you should be able to tell that she just isn't very good. Personally, I may need to be committed to an asylum if I have to look at her sickled feet any more. Of course, I also sort of find her boring even when she is performing in her strength, but that's just a personal opinion. She has done a great job of trying each genre without any formal training, and definitely deserved to be in the top twenty - but the top ten is another story. She has overstayed the limits of her talent, and I hope you get your sense back in time for voting next week. I'll be doing my best to vote for everyone else in case you make such a grievous error again. Which I meant to do this week, anticipating this outcome, but forgot. Sorry Kherrington, you were my favorite.

SYTYCD Redeems Itself

Huzzah, hurray, and hallelujah! The talentless, inexplicable, sucktastic, you-say-salsa-dancer I-say-stripper is gone! For a while there I really thought that she had someone from the Cuban mafia or whatever they call it kidnap one of Nigel's family members in order to guarantee herself a spot on the show. Cause she blew. Never once in auditions or the two weeks of the show so far has she done anything I couldn't do myself (well, I can't really shake my chest around like she did in her solo last night, but that is only because I don't want to dislocate any ribs). And let me tell you, regardless of how many years of dance training I may have had, no 30-year-old mother of two should be able to keep up with the kids on that show. But nevermind that now, the situation has been remedied and the world can resume spinning on its rightful axis. I can return to watching the beautiful dancing and talented contestants with respect and excitement rather than feeling the need to stab the producers with my fork.

SYTYCD- The Top 20

Well, first off I will absolutely admit that most of the top twenty were not expecially showcased in the Vegas episode. So I'm sure they are all very good and deserving of their spots. But without that extra footage of how their auditions went, I have to asy that I was kind of dissapointed with some of the choices -namely some of the people that were rejected. So the top twenty had better be really good because there were some dancers that really impressed me in the initial auditions that didn't make it that I was both surprised and saddened to see go. Oh and I am also amazed the stripper, I mean high school teacher, made it into the top twenty since I wouldn't have even sent her to Vegas. I wasn't aware that "exotic" was an acceptable genre of dance for this competition. Oh well, I will console myself with the thought that someone has to go home first.

SYTYCD Blew It Big Time

I am extremely disappointed with SYTYCD last night. The judges treatment and subsequent dismissal of Anthony Bryant is absolutely inexcusable and has really cost me some interest in this program. The kid graduated from Juliard in three years for Christ sakes! To not put him through to Vegas is a travesty, and frankly I feel it undermines their contention that they are looking for exceptional dancers. I understand not wanting to make the competition all about technique - that would really punish all of the street dancers who are genuinely talented but haven't had formal training. But to then ignore someone who is pretty much technically perfect because he lacks a "spark" of performance is offensive. I agree that Anthony was not the most dynamic in terms of performance quality - I would most likely not advance him into the top twenty. But to not even let him get past the first round - and in fact to force him to participate in the choreography part - was ridiculous, and I have to believe that there is some other prejudice working against him. I get that dancing with the ribbon season one was a mistake. I was a rhythmic gymnast for 10 years and even I wouldn't use a ribbon in an audtion of this type. But the judges immediate reaction to him was completely disrespectful and indicative of a complete refusal to give him a chance. Immediately Mary was pointing out his outfit and not even watching him, and Nigel rected to a small loss of balance on his somersault with the same disgust typically reserved for the total losers who can't do anything at all. As someone with a background in dance, I can usually see the judges points on most dancers, and agree with them. But this was a huge mistake. They were rude and innappropriate towards this dancer, and failed in their jobs to select dancers who are the most talented and versatile. If they are willing to cut slack for b boys who don't know a rond de jamabe from a grand jete, then they should also allow the people who do a little leeway on performance characterization. I will most likely continue to watch this show because I do love dance, but I will do so with great distaste for the judges who no longer deserve my respect.

So You Think You Can Dance

Hip Hip Hooray - three cheers for my favorite summer show!! I love dancing, I like when reality shows involve actual talent, and this show has both - along with typically sweet choreography and judges/ host. cast appearances that are more charming than annoying. I don't even really mind Mary's scream any more - although I don't think I would ewver want to sit right next to her. One criticism - the results shows always feature guest performances by... singers. How about some guest dancers or dance companies? Attention producers: you are a program that showcases dancers - why not give us some professionals and let people see how it is really done? That seems more in keeping with the theme of the show. And this actually matters to me because unlike most results shows which have nothing of value and therefore I don't even bother to watch, this one has fresh. new dances by the contestants in danger of leaving so I have to watch and therefore suffer through terrible perfomances by iffy popstars. Last year Savion Glover did a performance one week and it was awesome - here's hoping they make a slight format tweak and have more guest dancing rather than random bad singing. Or at least make the singers have back up dancers - anything. Seriously. Think about it.