So You Think You Can Dance (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance reality show and competition that is broadcast on the Fox Network in the U.S. and Japan, on CTV and MuchMusic in Canada, on Living in United Kingdom and Ireland, on Network Ten in Australia, and on MBC 4 in the Middle East.

The series premiered on July 20, 2005 and has a similar premise to the American Idol series of singing competitions, with nationwide auditions leading to the discovery of the next big star. The show was created by Idol's Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions. A mixture of contestants is chosen for the show, ranging from unknown street dancers to winners of national championships. All contestants have to work their way through a rigorous audition process, and, over the course of the show, are assigned different dance styles and partners each week to test their versatility.

It was the #1 rated show in summer 2006 for adults aged 18-49, and in July 2007, while still in production of its third season, it was renewed for its fourth season. The first season was hosted by Lauren Sánchez; the show is currently hosted by Cat Deeley. In August 2006, it was also announced that there are now spinoff versions of the show in New Zealand, Turkey, Israel, Canada, Germany, Greece, Poland, Malaysia, and Norway, with several other countries in the works.

So You Think You Can Dance holds auditions across the major cities of the US, looking for the top dancers in each city. All types of dance backgrounds are encouraged to audition. Salsa, ballroom, hip hop, street dancing, contemporary, jazz, ballet and many other types of dancers can be seen auditioning for a chance to win the grand prize"which, in the past, has included a new Hybrid SUV, $100,000 in cash, and a dancing role in Celine Dion's Las Vegas show"of US$250,000 and the title of "America's favorite dancer."

Format

Many dance styles have been featured on the audition portion of the show, including jazz, bellydancing, clogging, contemporary, pop, modern, American jive, swing, disco, locking, popping, bboying, old and new school hip-hop, krumping, Paso Doble, quickstep, lyrical, Broadway, Viennese waltz, smooth waltz, Argentine tango, mambo, cha-cha, Cuban rumba, salsa, West Coast Swing, and Lindy Hop. The competition itself includes jazz, contemporary, pop, pop-jazz, Latin-jazz, jive, swing, Lindy Hop, disco, hip-hop, krumping, Paso Doble, quickstep, Broadway, Viennese waltz, smooth waltz, Foxtrot, Argentine Tango, tango, mambo, samba, cha-cha, salsa, West Coast swing, and Cuban rumba. Tap and clogging have been featured during special performances in season 3.

There are at least three judges on each show, two of which are always producer Nigel Lythgoe and choreographer Mary Murphy. The remaining judging seats are a regular rotation of guest professional dancers and choreographers. Guest judges that have appeared on the show include Debbie Allen, Alex Da Silva, Brian Friedman, Jean-Marc Genereux, Dan Karaty, Mia Michaels, Ron Montez, Nu Stylz (Olisa Thompson & Cicely Bradley), Wade Robson, Doriana Sanchez, Adam Shankman, and Shane Sparks.

The early rounds include multiple bad auditions, in the same vein as Idol, with a majority of dancers getting cut by the judges immediately. Dancers who impress the judges receive an airplane ticket to the next round, held in Las Vegas. If the judges feel that a dancer has potential, but has not yet shown them the level of skill they are looking for, he or she is asked to remain for choreography at the end of the day. The contestants are then taught a short routine they must perform for the judges, who will decide if the dancer will move on to the next round. In Las Vegas, contestants are taught routines in several different styles; at each stage, four judges vote on whether to keep them in the competition. If the judges are split, contestants must 'dance for their lives', that is, perform a solo in their own style. Following these intermediate rounds of cuts, the dancers remaining will be paired into teams and perform a group number where the judges will pick who in the teams are the strongest. Then, the judges choose the top 20 finalists"ten male and ten female dancers"to participate in the studio show, held in front of an audience at CBS Television City in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles.

The format is somewhat similar to that of ABC's Dance Fever, a short-lived 2003 reality show.

Changes from the first season to subsequent seasons

Partnerships and styles

In the finals of the first season, the contestants were partnered up and given a dance style, both chosen by a random draw each week. From the rounds of final 14 to final 10, the top vote receiver among the bottom 6 (later bottom 4) dancers was allowed to choose which person they did not want to partner with.

Since the first season, permanent partnerships are formed for the first five weeks of the finals (unless one half of a couple is eliminated). As in the first season, dance styles were assigned randomly. Once the top 10 dancers are chosen, the previous couples are dissolved. New partnerships and dance styles are then assigned randomly each week. Couples perform two dances together on each show, and each individual dancer also performs a solo.

Airtimes

In its second season, the show began airing two nights a week: a live performance and a results episode. Shows are typically aired Wednesday and Thursday nights at 8:00 PM EST/PST

Voting

In the first season, the judges chose three couples as the worst of the week, and those six dancers went into an individual dance-off voted on by the viewers. One male and one female contestant were then removed from the competition based on the audience vote.

After the first season, the voting was changed significantly. During the first five weeks of the finals, instead of voting for individuals, the viewers vote for their favorite couple(s) on performance night. On the results show, the three couples that receive the least number of votes are revealed. The six dancers that make up those couples then become eligible for removal by a decision of the judges and must "dance for their lives." One male and one female contestant are removed each week. Although the solo dance-off still occurs, this change significantly reduced its importance, as Lythgoe explicitly stated on the show that the judges' decisions are based on the "entire audition process", not just what occurs in a given week. The dance-off still has some influence on the judges as Lythgoe at times castigated dancers for their poor solo performances, and has on several occasions indicated that a dancer was kept on the show partly due to an exceptional solo.

After the first five weeks of the finals, the voting changes again to a different format. The public votes on individual dancers, and the male and female lowest vote receivers are eliminated each week. In this part of the competition, the judges do not have any direct control of the elimination process.

Season 1

See So You Think You Can Dance (Season 1) for more information

The first season was hosted by Lauren Sánchez.

The final show aired on October 5, 2005. The winner was Nick Lazzarini, who received over 37.6% of the vote. Lazzarini won $100,000 and the use of an apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City for one year. Melody Lacayanga was named runner-up.

Season 2

See So You Think You Can Dance (Season 2) for more information The show premiered on May 25, 2006, leading audiences through the audition process. Cat Deeley became the new host. The top 20 finalists were revealed on June 8, and the winner, Benji Schwimmer, was named "America's Favorite Dancer" on August 16, 2006 after 16 million votes were collected for the season finale. Travis Wall was named runner up.

There were several changes to the show's format in the second season (see above). New styles of dance were introduced, and the prize for the second season was increased from $100,000 to also include a new car and a one-year contract to perform in Céline Dion's show in Las Vegas.

Season 3

See So You Think You Can Dance (Season 3) for more information Open auditions for Season 3 began early March 2007, held in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Like the previous season, those that made the cuts moved on to Las Vegas. The taped auditions premiered on the Fox Network in the United States on May 24, 2007, and the subsequent shows were taped and broadcast live for a 12-week season. Cat Deeley returned as host, and Nigel Lythgoe returned as permanent judge. Joining Lythgoe permanently at the judging table was Mary Murphy; her promotion was reported by TV Guide on March 8, 2007. The prize for the winner was increased to $250,000 cash. On the performance finale show (August 16, 2007), it was announced that the series had been picked up for a 4th season. Sabra Johnson was named "America's Favorite Dancer," while Danny Tidwell was named as the runner-up.

International

Broadcast of US version

The show airs in Canada on CTV and MuchMusic.
The Australian television network Network Ten finished screening the US series (season 3) on November 15, 2007.
In Japan, seasons 2 and 3 of the American version of So You Think You Can Dance have aired as American Dance Idol.
The second season of the American show will air in the United Kingdom on Challenge.
The Third season of the American version is currently airing in the Middle East on MBC4 .
The first and second seasons of The American show were shown in Quebec, Canada. The show was translated in French.
In South Korea, the second season of the American version aired titled, "You Can Dance".
In Italy, the third season finished screening on November 15th 2007 on Fox Life.
The show airs in Bulgaria on TV2 -
Across Africa,

Local versions

New Zealand: aired on TV 3 in 2005 and only lasted one season
Australia: Channel Ten intends to air an Australian version of the show beginning in early 2008. The US version of the show already airs on the network.
Canada: CTV, which broadcasts the US version, has picked up the rights to the show to make a Canadian edition of the show.
Greece: Recently the rights of So You Think You Can Dance were sold to foreign broadcaster Mega Channel in Greece, which is airing its own version of the show during the winter and spring of 2007, following auditions held in Athens, Greece; New York City, New York, USA; Melbourne, Australia; Munich, Germany; and Cyprus in late 2006. The auditions in the countries outside of Greece were aimed at Greeks living abroad, and could expand if there is a demand in places not currently on the list for auditions. The grand prize of the show is 100,000 euros and a 3-year scholarship to a dance school in London, England. Natalie Fotopoulos, one of the top 10 contestants from Season 2, is a choreographer for this version.
Denmark: The first season of Kan Du Danse to be broadcast is hosted by Thomas Mygind and freelance dancer Anne Katrine Skole with choreographers Toniah Pedersen, Kenneth Kreutzmann, and Niclas Bendixen on the judging panel.
Germany: There is a version of So You Think You Can Dance, called You Can Dance, from 11 November 2006 - 19 January 2007 on Sat.1. The first winner was the 18-year-old Dennis Jauch.
Malaysia: Malaysian Broadcaster 8TV has also bought the rights to produce the local version of So You Think You Can Dance. Auditions were held on March 16 - March 17, 2007, and broadcast of the show has begun on April 5.
Norway: The show is called Dansefeber and airs on TVNorge.
Poland: The show is called You can dance - po prostu ta?cz (You Can Dance - Just Dance) and is being aired on TVN. It is hosted by Kinga Rusin. The first winner was the 26-year-old Maciej "Gleba" Florek.

So You Think You Can Dance