SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE–SEASON 7

So, I was not planning on commenting on this season of So You Think You Can Dance because there are just too many aspects of it that are upsetting to me, and I honestly didn’t want to write them down, even for myself. But then, the competition phase began in earnest last night, and I just couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Mr. X and I used to love this show. We still love the actual dancing, but there’s just so little of it in the two-hour broadcasts. The judges, led by the oh-so-full-of-himself Nigel Lythgoe, are even more into hearing their own voices than ever. They seem like kids in high school who just want to show others that they’re really good pals with someone, so they play to each other more than to the audience or, worse, to the kids who have actually just worked their asses off dancing for all of us! So rude.

And the annoying host, Cat Deeley, has become even more of a caricature of a 1950s over-the-top British “presenter” (talk show host) than ever. She made some extra-weird faces last night that Martin Short’s characters would be jealous of. And continuing to make the audience say “judges” for her because she makes believe that she can’t pronounce the word is so insulting to people of normal intelligence who watch. (And the producers should assume that since it’s basically a program about an actual “art,” that the viewers are a tad more cultured than the norm. Oh well.)

There are several awful “innovations” this season, but first let’s talk about that they kept the worst one they introduced last season–the bigger stage and auditorium. It was annoying then, and still is. In the first five seasons, the show had such a cozy feel to it, with the small-ish stage and studio. We got to see the dancers perform up-close and personal, and felt like we were part of the action. We cared about them, which is hard to do now that they’re so far away. It’s such a shame, as this season has possibly the best actual dancers they’ve ever had.

And while we’re on that subject, I hate that the producers want it to be more about personality than actual dance ability. Thank goodness that Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, and Alvin Ailey didn’t have to pass tests like this in order for the world to get to witness their brilliance!

But back to this humongous stage. I understand that they want bigger in-house audiences to make the show look more popular, but they lose so much of what made these short performances extra-special. One or two people dancing on an empty giant stage just doesn’t cut it for TV, visually.

And making matters much, much worse is the new director, Nikki Parsons. I’m glad they let us know up-front that it was a different person than the other seasons, or I would have thought that the original director had just lost his mind!

Directing a dance show is so much different than directing any other type of show; there should be little, or no, camera movement because it conflicts with the movement of the dancers that our brains are trying to decipher. Plus, seeing the whole body, especially the feet, is of paramount importance. This new woman is cutting them off at the feet, moving the camera all around the dancers, which is just insane(!), and doing the basic Camera Work 101 technique of starting in close and then pulling back…while they’re dancing!!! And she also keeps showing us them from the back and the side, which is not what the dances are choreographed to show!!! I’ve never felt farther removed from the dancers than I do this season. Those poor kids are getting screwed, in every which way. Mr. X and I are both dancers from way back, and we are just in pain the whole time, which makes us want to stop watching the show, period. We can’t be the only ones, so someone needs to teach that woman how to direct, pronto.

The second worst new wrinkle this season, (after hiring that new director,) is the use of former contestants, labeled the “All-Stars.” None of them won their season, some didn’t even make the Top 10, and some, like Comfort, were continually put-down by the judges. (Comfort was so not-good that she got voted off…twice!) So, how are they “all-stars?”

Plus, we’re already familiar with those dancers, so we’re busy watching them, discussing how they’ve changed (or not) and often don’t remember to watch the actual new contestant until just when their number is over. The old ones, in many cases, are just trying to be seen themselves, so, outside of Anya, Allison, and especially Pasha last night, they were definitely not trying to help out the newbies. What a dumb, no-pay-off idea!

And then, the poor kid has to stand there and face the judges alone, without a partner to lean on. The whole concept sucks, except for getting to see Alex Wong and Allison Holker, two of the best dancers ever, perform the second best number the show has ever produced. (The breast cancer routine from two seasons ago, danced by Ade and Melissa, is still #1 In my book.)

The one bad feature of the show that never changes is that the judges just won’t criticize the choreography, no matter how weak it is. The judges and choreographers are all associates of the show and each other, so instead, they tell the poor kids that they should have come up with the parts they weren’t given, and other baloney like that!

It’s so unfair. Alex gets one of the best choreographed pieces ever, while poor Billy Bell, who’s been waiting for this opportunity since he got sick before the first show last time around, gets stuck with an inane Broadway number, with the dullest former contestant ever, Lauren. Not even close to fair. I understand those are the rules of the show, and just like life itself, the whole concept isn’t “fair,” but you’d like it to be a little easier to compare abilities in a talent show.

But, with the yin comes the yang, not matter how unequal the equation might be, and in the “fabulous” department, we did finally get to see Alex Wong dance a whole number, and it was worth waiting a year for. (He’s the guy who made the Top 20 last summer, but couldn’t get out of his professional contract. Now we understand just why Edward Villella, the director of the Miami City Ballet, didn’t want to lose him!) Our mouths were hanging open in this house. I kept telling Mr. X that the judges need to tell Alex that they’re honored to have him on the show. Surprisingly, Mia Michaels did say something to that effect, only not enough, in my opinion.

And, I have a feeling Alex won’t even wind-up winning! I’m just about positive it will be farm boy, Kent, whom I actually love; I was smiling from ear-to-ear during his whole giving-it-his-all ballroom number with Anya, who could have looked like his mother, but actually didn’t, due to the overall happiness of their performance. He’s the only one my non-dance-knowledgeable pals have mentioned to me, so he will definitely get the plebian vote. You know he’s getting the Middle American vote!

So, most of the awfulness, such as the stage, the partner situation, Cat Deely, and the creepy judges (except that Adam Shankman is funny sometimes,) can not be changed for this season. But please, let’s hope they change directors before Mr. X breaks the TV. And then I’d miss all my opportunities to complain about the show!