Hollywood Week: And the Oscar Goes to ...

The first ever “Vegas” week of SYTYCD is actually in Hollywood. This turns out to be an appropriate setting, as the dancing is mostly just background for all the drama. It is hard to remember that the point of this show is to find a talented, versatile, and charismatic dancer.

The “stars” of this episode are mostly dancers who are some combination of terrible, delusional, or unable to handle the intensity of the week. I’m clearly supposed to enjoy watching these people fall apart, but mostly I’m just finding it painful. The good dancers are generally only shown if they have a bad day. Now, I have to admit I’ve been getting sick of the standard Vegas week narrative that the producers repeat every year (the one where they focus on all the wonderful people and dancers who are heartbroken when they are sent home). If this is the alternative, however, I suppose I’m grateful they switched. But there must be a hidden option #3 somewhere, right?

Season 1, Episode 2: Go West, Young Dancers

The second episode of season 1 takes us to LA for the last two days of auditions. Most of the auditions are fairly typical SYTYCD fare, albeit towards the lower end of the spectrum. A surprising number of the top 16 come from LA, including Nick (season 1’s winner) and Melody (season 1’s runner up). Apparently they have been best friends since childhood, which makes their one-two finishes even more random. 

Melody’s got this amazing quality of movement. The producers call it serene, and they’re right. She does the most amazingly controlled arabesque penchées (otherwise known as that split while standing on one leg) I’ve ever seen, and she makes it look effortless. I wouldn’t say either one delivers a memorable audition, but I definitely enjoyed watching them each dance.

Season 8 Finale!

Although I know this is violating the premise of my blog, I just had to comment on the results of Season 8.  (spoiler after the jump)

And so the journey begins ...

I have a confession: I'm not technically re-watching the audition episodes from season 1. I'm seeing them for the first time. And that is just as well, since if I'd seen these episodes back in 2005, I would have never watched the show again. The entire point of these episodes seems to be "let's look at all the people who think they can dance and laugh at them!"  In two episodes covering auditions in 3 cities, they aired approximately 12 auditions that were actually worth watching, and the majority of those were from LA.

I was surprised at just how different the first episode felt.  I'm used to a show that takes aspiring professional dancers and turns them into professional dancers and stars. Episode 1 presents the show's goal as taking ordinary people who love to dance on the streets and in clubs, and finding the select few who are truly able to dance. Nigel announces time and time again that they are casting a show that isn't just about dancing ability - it's also about looks and personality, and he tells quite a few people (girls) explicitly that their dancing is weak but they are getting through because they are hot. I suppose it's always nice to be told a TV producer thinks you're good looking, but none of these girls seem to be upset that they lack as much talent as the other contestants. I'm bothered by how patronizing Nigel and the other producers are, and I can't help but wonder - are they just less open about the importance of appearance now? When was the last time we saw someone  truly homely of either gender make the show? I can't think of a single contestant, although I can think of a number of auditionees. So what's the deal? Appearance is clearly part of dancing. Can you only be successful as a dancer if you're attractive? Or is the show discriminating because the producers only want to put attractive people on TV?

Why a Sytycd Re-Watch?

Why re-watch a reality show, you might ask? We already know who wins each season. Well, I have several reasons:

1. So You Think You Can Dance is an awesome show. Anyone who disagrees with this statement will probably not enjoy reading this blog.
2. Although it may have started as the dance world's version of American Idol, it's become a high-quality dance theater masquerading as a competition. Although I'm sure the contestants care who wins each season, for me voting is just a fun way to make sure I get to see my favorite dancers performing for as long as possible.
3. The mark of true visual art, for me, is that I want to watch it over and over again. So I'm curious - after 6 years, 8 seasons, and over 100 dances - how do the dances (and dancers) in each season stack up? Is Rama Lama still as fantastically kooky as I remember? Is Danny really the best male dancer to ever  be on the show? Did the Russian folk dance actually happen, or was that just a terrible nightmare?

So with these important questions in mind, I set off to re-watch Season 1 - a season that currently stands out only for its lack of Cat Deeley and any memorable choreography whatsoever.