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.