So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance is a competitive-dance/reality
show that airs on America’s Fox network. It has a similar
method to American Idol, being created by Idol team Simon
Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe. Dancers from all walks of life and
from all dance disciplines (tap, jazz, hip-hop-ballet) are
encouraged to audition. The show premiered in July 2005, and
it was the number one show for those ages 18-49 in the summer
of 2006. Its first season was hosted by Lauren Sanchez, and
every season since has been hosted by Cat Deeley. In 2006,
various spinoffs were announced for Turkey, Israel, Canada,
Germany, Belgium, Norway, and South Africa. There are several
other versions of the show in the works.
So You Think You Can Dance goes to cities around the United
States to hold auditions, and they only take the top dancers
from each city. Dancers from all styles compete to win some
pretty good prizes- in the past, awards have been things like
hybrid SUVs, cash prizes, and roles in Las Vegas dance shows.
The winner also gets the title of “America’s Favorite Dancer".
The winners from the first six seasons are Nick Lazzarini,
Benji Schwimmer, Sabra Johnson, Josh Allen, Jeanine Mason,
and Russell Ferguson. The show continues to win awards, such
as four Emmys for Outstanding Choreography and two others.
Dancers audition to go on to the next round, with the second
round being held in Las Vegas. Most auditions aren’t shown
on-air due to time constraints, but some edited clips are
shown from time to time. The top dancers from the Vegas auditions
dance in front of the judges, who pick the 20 best. These
dancers work with the same partner until the number of finalists
gets pared down to ten, and viewers vote for their favorite
couple. Dancers then pick a random partner and dance style,
to showcase their versatility.
At the season ending, everyone gets to dance with everyone
else- guys with the other guys, girsl with each other, and
girls and guys together. On the final results show, the judges
get to pick their favorite dance number of the entire season,
and the dancers reenact it. So You Think You Can Dance has
been a success for six seasons, and its popularity ensures
that it will be back for a seventh.
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