I vaguely remember seeing commercials for So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) last summer (the intro verse/name of show and accompanying beats were obviously designed by someone who had studied earworms) and I remember Cat Deely hosting a New Year Countdown on some station and John asking me who the hell she was and being like, "I think she hosts some dumb dancing show" And that was all I knew. Until a few weeks ago.......when my compadre in Crime TV crime Evelyn and I were bemoaning the season end of all of our favorite shows. The conversation then led to the few things we were looking forward to this summer: new episodes of Law & Order CI, I was excited Burn Notice was coming back, she was excited about The Closer. And then she said "Oh and So You Think You Can Dance is starting up again!" and she sounded really excited about it. I was openly skeptical and a bit derisive and she was proudly defiant that it was a great show, that the people on it were really talented, that it was no way like American Idol and that really REALLY since nothing else was on (it was a month before any of the summer crime dramas were even going to start up) I should try watching it.
And since Evelyn is a very smart woman with TWO Masters Degrees who also knows me REALLY well (and whose taste in television mirrors mine quite closely) I decided to give it a go. I was dreading the episodes where people audition because American Idol has turned those episodes of their show into an opportunity to humiliate dozens of people for the viewing nation's enjoyment. The fact that a lot of these people show up with just that goal doesn't make it any better. Happily the SYTYCD tryouts were handled quite differently. There were varying levels of talent, from amazing to pitiful, but the judges did their best, even when someone sucked, to try to be constructive in their criticism. The only times they actually were mean were when the dancers were either obviously not taking it seriously or if they were rude to the judges first.
The episode in Vegas, where they whittle down the many talented hopefuls to the top 20 that will be contestants proper, was amazing because these dancers had to do SO much – they'd be given an hour to learn an entire routine, have to perform it for the judges with some random partner, then people would be cut and then the remaining people would have to learn a another routine in a different style and perform THAT with a different partner, and then there would be more cuts. At the end of an exhausting day, when they thought they were finally going to be allowed to go back to their rooms and pass out, they were given a CD, broken into groups of five and told they had until morning to choreograph a dance to the song to perform for the judges. Brutal.
It was a grueling process because you might have come in a great Salsa dancer or an amazing Hip-hop dancer but you then had to prove you could also do the Tango or Waltz or Krump.
And that is where SYTYCD really differs from American Idol. Singing just isn't that hard. I sang in the choir in high school. I was a pretty decent soprano. Learning a song isn't that difficult. And even though thousands and thousands of people try out, every year it seems like half of the finalists can't even sing that well. I could get up and sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow in front of a crowd if I had to. It wouldn't be great but I could do it and it would be ... Never in a MILLION years could I learn the TANGO, much less learn it in an hour. Not even with a gun pointed at my head. People who CAN do that? They impress me.
I already had people I was rooting for in Vegas when they narrowed it down to the top 20. I don't whooo at my TV very often and when Twitch made it, I seriously went "WHOOO!"
And it has only gotten better from there. The top SYTYCD 20 was made of ten guys and ten girls who were then paired up. And then each week they picked a style out of a hat (or once they got down to the top 14 dancers, TWO styles) and learned a routine in that style from a choreographer and performed it on TV. And most of the time they pulled it off! And they looked like they're having fun. And most of them even had chemistry! The worst I have seen is that something isn't danced passionately or with perfect technique. Every week everyone managed to have all the steps down and pretty much be in sync with their partner. Two of my favorite dancers both came in as Hip-hop dancers but so far I have seen them perform a Viennese Waltz, a Broadway routine, the Samba, the Pasa Doble, the Tango, The West Coast Swing and a couple Contemporary routines. And not just go through the motions but actually DANCE them! They've also gotten to perform in their own style but that meant their dancer partners were out of their home territory. It actually seems to be easier to step OUT of the Hip-hop box than to step into it. Krumping? Is freaking hard. Seriously, check out some of the videos of Twitch and Kherington on YouTube.
After the tryouts, when I realized how good the dancers were and what a variety of dance and musical styles there was going to be, I pitched the idea to John that he give it a shot and watch it with me. There aren't a lot of shows we both enjoy, but he likes it too. Not sure if he'd admit it at work or anything but we both have gotten involved to the point where we have favorites as well as people we want to go home. And there have been a few routines that literally have taken my breath away. Last night when one of my favorite couples was in jeopardy of going home (my guess is that they were victims of being such fan favorites that everyone made the mistake of assuming everyone ELSE would be voting for them) I actually got all worked up and tense. And then, thankfully, I got to be very relieved.
Next week they start switching up partners and instead of voting for couples people will be voting for individuals. I haven't watched anything on primetime TV live since we got our DVR but it is possible, as this goes on, that I might not only be willing to suffer through commercials but I might actually pick up a phone and vote.
THE MARY MURPHY DISCLAIMER: Every week there is a guest judge and then the two regular judges – Nigel Lythgoe, the Producer who is also responsible for Pop Idol and American Idol (and has danced with Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly), and Mary Murphy the resident "Ballroom Expert". Mary shrieks. She screeches. Usually when she's happy and doling out praise. Apparently as the seasons have passed she's decided that's her trademark (example: "Well, I hate to be a party pooper SO I WON'T BE!!! WHHOOOOOEEEE!!"). Whenever it comes to her time to speak John (and sometimes the other judges if you watch carefully) plugs his ears unless it's really obvious she didn't like a performance. Consider yourself warned.
So, in summary, if you like dancing at all you should be watching this show. YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WATCH SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE! It isn't too late! DO IT! The Top Ten perform this Wednesday at Eight! On Fox! In HD! You don't have to tell anyone, but you really should try it.
- Related Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VB2LrNBYa20
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