So You Think You Can Dance - An Introduction

First of all, let me say, I hate the name of this show as much as you do. In fact, I didn't watch the first three seasons, because I assumed, based on the title, that it would be a bunch of chumps, who can't dance, looking like fools.

Wrong. The basic premise of So You Think You Can Dance, heretofore refered to as "sytycd," is that these people can REALLY dance, in one style, but they have to dance in ALL styles. So a champion ballroom dancer gets paired up with a hip hop dancer and they have to perform a broadway style routine. The results are often amazing. Watch a street dancer completely nail a contemporary routine is breathtaking.

Check out this example from season 6. Jakob is a contemporary dancer and Ashleigh is a ballroom dancer, and they are performing a hip hop routine choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon.




Plus it's the summer, what else are you watching on wednesday nights? And the pre-lims are done, so no more time-wasting, bad dancing, fools, just the real deal.

The show starts with 20 dancers, 10 male, 10 female. They will get paired up and unless one of them gets kicked off, they will stay in that pairing for the first 5 weeks. Each week they will "draw a style out of a hat" (however many styles are in the hat when their hand goes in, only the producers know). They will have a week to learn the routine and master the style. Then America votes and the judges pick from the lowest polling guys and girls to send one of each home.

The performance shows start this coming Wednesday, June 22 at 8 pm. The next afternoon I'll post my reviews (finally the copious notes I've been taking will be for something other than my obsession).

In the meantime, check out fox.com/dance to get to know the dancers and the judges.

your faithful watcher,

alice