Happy 100th Episode, “So You Think You Can Dance!” ©
My guilty pleasure is So You Think You Can Dance. I’m not a dancer, so I’m not exactly sure why I’m so drawn to it, but I’m a freak for it. I can’t get enough. I think it’s amusing that I sometimes find myself commenting on dance performances and complaining about “bad lines” and “sickled feet.” It’s like I consider myself an expert just because I watch this TV show, when in fact I’ve taken limited dance classes and my technique is slim to none. However, the show is so inviting that for however many hours a week you watch, you feel like you are a part of the dance community and it’s dialogue.
Even though it’s inviting and accessible, this show does not compromise. For the first time this season, they had a classical ballet dancer on the show. Usually everyone gets a chance to dance in their style at one point or another, but I thought Melissa never would because they don’t do classical ballet as a style on the show. As judge and choreographer Mia Michaels put it during judging, you can’t fake classical ballet. It would have been easy for the producers to simply avoid doing a piece in that style, but instead they chose to confront it and to include a classical ballet routine from Romeo & Juliet. Not only was it breathtaking, but the audience and voter responses proved that viewers across America enjoyed it. It’s pretty crazy to think about a ballet piece being performed on the same stage as a samba and hip hop in one night.
I can absolutely say that because of this show I’ve developed such a respect for what dancers can do and what they can achieve and communicate. My room mate, who is a dancer, pointed out to me last night just how daunting the expectations are for these dancers every week. When I thought about it, I realized for the first time that not only are they expected to learn new styles outside of their own genre and pick up a maximum of three new routines every week, but they are also held accountable for their own solos which must be choreographed by them to be performed in case they end up in the bottom three couples at the end of the voting period. Seriously, those kids must be exhausted. I want to make them milk and cookies.
The show’s executive producer, Nigel Lithgow, is often tooting his own horn and bragging about how marvelous the program is, but honestly, I’d have to agree with him, especially when it comes to this season. In other seasons, I’ve watched and been impressed by everyone, but there’s always someone that falters from week to week and I lose faith in them. I can usually predict who will be going home each time or at least come close to it.
This season is different.
Every Wednesday I tune in and I don’t even see a competition. I just see beautiful routines and innovative choreography danced by incredible young performers. My favorite routines have typically been choreographed by Mia Michaels and Sonya Tayeh, however this season I’ve been becoming a fan of Tyce Diorio who choreographs modern and Broadway routines for the show. Last night, he debuted a piece on breast cancer survival danced by Melissa and Ade. It was so breathtaking that it stopped the show in it’s tracks.
It’s almost overwhelming to watch all of these styles happening in one show, but each dance is better than the next. This season’s contestants have a lot to be proud of. I cannot wait to get tickets to the Top 10 Tour. I know they’ll probably be expensive, but it would be totally worth it to me to see them dance live. That, in itself, is saying something about how much these dancers have touched and inspired me because I never spend money on dance performances. I always spend it on plays, musicals, or movies.
Tonight was the show’s 100th episode and I’d like to celebrate it by sharing a few dances that I really enjoyed, not only this season but over the last five years.
(Some of the videos were removed from YouTube, so unfortunately these are the only two left.)
P.S. To support the Dizzy Feet Foundation, which funds dance educations for talented underprivileged kids, click here.
