Longtime readers will be aware that I am an unabashed fan of the television show So You Think You Can Dance, AKA “American Idol except for dancing instead of singing and also it doesn’t suck,” which has just commenced its fourth American season. It’s a better show than Idol in so many ways.
The judges are much, much better than Randy, Simon and Paula; less self-impressed, less self-important, less attention-seeking (although Mary Murphy’s tendency towards gimmickry – catchphrases, her incredibly annoying shrieking – is starting to really grind). Their moments of humour tend to be organic rather than have the bad-sketch quality anything associated with Paula Abdul generates. Most importantly, they tend to be more respectful of the contestants. This is, I think, in part because professional dance is a much smaller world than professional musicianship is; nobody wants to get a bad reputation in the business.
That same quality is what leads the contestants to be, on average, so much better than on Idol. I particularly remember last season, when the judges were particularly harsh in their criticism of Cedric, an unschooled but brilliant hip-hopper with no professional technique worth mentioning. The audience began booing, but Cedric told them to be quiet, because – and this is why I love this show – he hadn’t learned enough and he knew he had to learn more, and was eager to learn more. (Also, Diana Ross Debbie Allen gave him free admission to her dance school based on his performance, which is also awesome, but that is neither here nor there.) The serious professionals know not to piss anybody off and be respectful, and the talented amateurs – mostly B-boys and krunk grrls, but the occasional freestyle lyrical performer as well – all want to prove they’re as good as the schooled kids.
The best thing is that, unlike Idol, where the theoretical entertainment of the tryout episodes is derived from bad singers (be they attention whores or simply deluded), with every season of So You Think You Can Dance there is less and less bad dancing in the tryouts, because bad dancing is so rarely entertaining. You might want to see a bad singer every so often for novelty value over a competent singer, but given the choice between a fairly inventive breaker or a idiot flailing around, most people will pick the breaker. Or the lindy hoppers. Or the ballerina.
And that’s just the tryouts. The performance competition inevitably trumps Idol. Every year. Period. When Idol gets a breakout performer like a Melinda Doolittle or Bo Bice upping the ante for the entire episode? That is the norm for SYTYCD. Every season has half a dozen performers of that calibre minimum.
But the best part of this show, for me, right now, is that there’s two of it. The first season of the Australian version of the show just finished up (I’m downloading it like a madman), and it’s arguably even better than the American version. Interestingly, it’s a lot more multiculti and diverse than the American version, for some reason, despite Australia being a lot whiter on the whole than America is. Take all the strengths of the American version I just listed and emphasize them, improve the format and editing and pacing of the show itself (the Aussie process of tryout is more formalized but with greater leniency on the parts of the judges – and the editing is just heaps better) and that’s the Australian version – it’s just fucking fantastic television.
Plus, they all have funny accents. And Demi is the cutest goddamned little firecracker I’ve seen in ages. And this is just awesome.
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Agreed 100%
It is the first reality show I’ve ever seen a contestant openly (and genuinely) allude someone else was better and should go through over them. Twice!
They’ve refined the voting process so you don’t get a lot of mistakes. Usually the progression of who gets voted off when is more or less appropriate.
I liken my love of dance to my love of martial arts. It’s just amazing to watch what people can do with their bodies (… that I totally can’t).
My favorite moment was the guy who took the fact that his trick dancing wasn’t enough to succeed last year, so he went and study other forms of dance so that he could nail it next year.
on the second clip, I think it’s around 1:30, the move where she kinda rolls up his body- BADASS.
I agree absolutely. I’m not all that interested in dancing, but my wife is, and she loves the show. I’ve caught “Idol” a few times and it always makes me want to punch people. I actually enjoy “So You Think…” quite a bit.
My wife would also like to make sure you’re aware that it was Debbie Allen, not Diana Ross.
I am a HUGE fan of SYTYCD. Though I did get caught up in American Idol this year because of David Cook, I was mostly excited for it to be over so I could have my dancing back.
For me, the main reasons that it’s a much better show (and much better than most “reality” TV) has to do with several things. First, the judges KNOW WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT. I don’t care if the judges on American Idol are all in the music biz, I’m convinced they are all tone deaf. The judges on SYTYCD constantly say things that show they are truly knowledgeable. Second, the material used to showcase the performers on American Idol is almost entirely cheesy pop music, whereas the material on SYTYCD is cool, interesting choreography done by amazing choreographers. This makes a HUGE difference.
But the biggest difference, to me, is the voting process. The judges decide who is on the bottom, and THEN the public gets to vote. I think a lot of stupid things (and the power of a group like Vote for the Worst) get prevented this way.
And, yes, I was going to mention the Debbie Allen, not Diana Ross, thing, too. Debbie Allen = amazing dancer and choreographer. Diana Ross, while she is very cool, is primarily a singer and doesn’t really dance. (I also met Debbie Allen when I was studying at the Alvin Ailey school, and let me tell you she is TOUGH as nails. I hope Cedric went to study with her, because she’d be a GREAT teacher for him.)
Amy: I have no comment, except to say it is awesome that an Aliey girl reads my blog.
Oh, I’m not “an Ailey girl”. I went to an MFA program in theater that included study at Ailey as part of our movement work. But we were in our own, separate class away from the “real” dancers. But it was still amazing because we got to BE there, and we got to watch some of the “real” dancers in their classes. I met Debbie Allen when our Horton instructor had us go observer an advanced Horton class to see what the “real” version of what we were amateurishly doing looked like, and Ms. Allen’s daughter happened to be in the class.
So, yes, I got to study there. But I was 33 years old at the time. It did wake up muscles I hadn’t used since back when I really DID dance, so that was cool. And sometimes REALLY painful. 🙂
(I hope you are not now disappointed that I commented on your blog. 😉 )
My only complaint about the show is the title. It sounds like a threat, really. I expect them every week to take the worst contestant and work their kneecaps over with a crowbar until they’re bloody, mangled wrecks of human flesh, and then shout the catchphrase of the show, “So you think you can dance? Dance NOW, muthafucka!”
“Interestingly, it’s a lot more multiculti and diverse than the American version, for some reason, despite Australia being a lot whiter on the whole than America is”
Speaking as an Australian – are we a lot whiter on the whole, actually? I had to think about it for a minute, and then I realised I didn’t really know. So I looked up some statistics – and apparently there’s hardly any Australians who could trace themselves back to Africa (notwithstanding the, uh, ultimate African origin of all humanity), so I guess we’re certainly more “white” on those terms. But on the other hand we’re significantly more Asian than the US, especially in our cities (& having travelled to America myself, that’s certainly the personal impression that I came away with). Compared to the US we also seem to have a significantly higher proportion of people originally from Greece, Turkey, Lebanon & other Middle-Eastern countries, and from the Indian subcontinent. So there you go. Hooray for the surprisingly multicultural us!
PS: Yes, I also agree that SYTYCD is quite entertaining & far superior to Idol. Good call, MGK
Thoapsi: Australia is 85 percent honky, compared to 74 percent cracker in the United States. Granted, it’s “browning” very quickly as a result of its shifting immigration policies and general recognition that, hey, you’re in the South Pacific. But you’re still pretty damn white. Of course, as a Canadian (eighty percent palefaces), I am one to talk.
While I agree with you on most points, I have to take issue with your comment that Mary Murphy is “starting” to grind.
Bah: That was me being all diplomatic. I’ve been well off Mary Murphy since early in the second season of the show, when she stopped being a novelty and became a weekly ordeal. When she showed up on the Australian show one week I was all “OH FUCK OFF” because one great appeal of Australia’s version is the lack of Mary Murphy.
I’m not normally a fan of reality shows, but damn, I might have to start watching this.
Yeah, we are palefaces – what an english friend of mine called “the great Australian anglo-celtic genetic salad”.
But apparently, we think we can dance. 🙂
I absolutely love SYTYCDA because (a) they can all dance to a greater or lesser extent (I’m a classically-trained singer, and Idol is beyond painful not to mention a falsetto-mad Irishman won it last time!) and (b) you get to become an instant expert like you do watching the gymnastics or diving in the Olympics.
Watching lots of talented people work their arses off to entertain me – there is no downside.
What funny accents? All you people in the other countries – you’re the ones that talk all weird.
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