So You Think You Can Dance has been renewed for a thirteenth season, except this time, the show will feature a younger generation of dancers.

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Fox has announced So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, which will feature dancers from the ages of 8-13 paired up with All-Stars, will premiere Monday, May 30 at 8PM ET/PT. The young performers will be skilled in various dance styles such as tap, contemporary, hip-hop, ballroom, animation and breaking.

Cat Deeley is reprising her role as host of the series, and she will be joined by returning judges Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo.

The nationwide auditions kick off in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 27 at the Orpheum Theatre, and all hopefuls must be accompanied by a legal guardian.

Additional stops will be Chicago on Friday, March 11, and New York on Friday, March 18. Producers will also select potential contenders from online-video submissions for a spot to audition at one of the three locations.

"We are so happy to bring back the award-winning So You Think You Can Dance for a 13th season this summer with a brand-new format," Fox executive David Madden said in a statement.

"The series has captivated its loyal fan base for over a decade, inspiring young dancers across the country and transforming the face of dance in every medium -- and we're so excited to feature a young and talented new group of performers on the series."

"Through the Dizzy Feet Foundation, I've had the great privilege of working with incredible young talent who will eventually shape the future of dance in this country," added Lythgoe, who is a co-creator and executive producer of SYTYCD.

"By evolving the So You Think You Can Dance format this season, we can showcase the very best junior dancers out there and open up the world of dance to a whole new generation."

So You Think You Can Dance is clearly stealing a page from MasterChef and Project Runway, which recently launched successful Junior editions featuring children and teenagers.

On this season of SYTYCD, the most talented young dancers will compete in front of the judges to become a member of "The Academy," where only the best of the best will be selected for the next round of competition. At the end of the round, the Top 10 dancers will be partnered permanently with a show All-Star.

The competition will then move to the SYTYCD studio, where the top next-generation performers will compete each week in a variety of styles with their All-Stars. World-renowned choreographers will create the routines, and one contestant will go home each week until a winner is crowned "America's Favorite Dancer" at the finale.

Season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance concluded with Gaby Diaz, 19, winning the whole thing in September of last year.  

So You Think You Can Dance is produced by 19 Entertainment and dick clark productions. The series is executive produced by Simon Fuller, Lythgoe, Allen Shapiro, Barry Adelman, Beverly Frank, James Breen, and Jeff Thacker.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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