Do you think you can dance?! (So You Think You Can Dance)

Member Name: linzeelou

Product:	So You Think You Can Dance
Date:	03/07/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great routines and very varied

Disadvantages: None

So you think you can dance started in 2005 and is now showing its 5th season in the U.S. It has the same kind of format as American Idol, with contestants performing each week, battling it out to become the nation's favourite dancer. Although the show started out in America, numerous countries now have their own version. The prize for the winner varies each year but in the past it has been $250,000 and a part in Celine Dion's Vegas show.

SYTYCD goes all over America to numerous cities to hold auditions for the best dancers. Contestants either get a yes, no or maybe. If it's a yes, they go straight through to the semi final process in Vegas. If it's a maybe, they have to go through to the choreography round to determine if they are going to be able to follow the routines they'll have to learn on the show. The poor people who get a no just have to go home.

When the live shows start there are 20 finalists. 10 guys and 10 girls who get partnered up. For half of the show they only stick to 1 partner and then it all gets mixed up and they'll get a different partner each week. To determine which dance they'll have to perform, the contestants have to pick out of a hat. They all start off with 1 dance each week but as people get eliminated it goes up to 2 dances to fill the time. Last season (4) saw some new styles added like Bollywood which had never been done before.

Here's what dances they have to perform:
Hip Hop
Contemporay
Pop
Modern
Salsa
Broadway
Cha Cha
Disco
Bollywood
Paso Doble
Jive
Swing
Ballroom
Samba

I think i might have missed a couple in there but you get the picture. The dance styles are very varied so for a ballet dancer trying to do hip hop has got to be hard and vice versa.

Cat Deeley hosts the live shows and has done so since the second season. I hope she continues for as long as the show runs. Deeley adds humour to the show and tends to make the contestants feel at ease after their performances while seeming to actual enjoy watching them.

There are 2 main judges but are joined by a guest judge from the dance world each week. Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy are the main judges. Nigel is generally pretty calm and tells it how it is, unlike Simon Cowell though, he's always pretty nice. Mary is quite crazy but i love her, she ends up screaming and shouting when she really likes a performance.

Guest Judges:
Mia Michaels
Debbie Allen
Alex Da Silver
Wade Robson
Adam Shankman
Dan Karaty
Jean-Marc Genereux

Each guest judge choreographs dances throughout the show and cannot be a judge on a week where they have helped. I like the fact that each jusge has worked with most of the contestants before so they know what their strengths and weaknesses are and can give constructive criticism well.

The whole point of the SYTYCD is to find a dancer who is versitile and can learn anything given to them. Most dancers that apply are only competant in 1 or 2 styles so its great to see them pushed out of their comfort zones.

Season 3 has been my favourite so far and i still find myself watching the videos on youtube because there are always very memorable dances from each season. Here's a few i would recommend watching:

Season 2 - Benji and Donyelle - Hip hop
Season 2 - Benji and Heidi - Black Mambo
Season 3 - Neil and Sabra - Jazz
Season 3 - Sabra and Domonic - Hip Hop

I really wish we had an English version of this show. I got addicted when i started watching it in Canada and have had to watch it online since being home. We have all sorts of reality competitions over here but nothing like this. I think it would do really well.

Summary: Great dance competition that shows amazing talent