SYTYCD: New Season Wish
So after all this talk of what we could like to see in next season’s So You Think You Can Dance… Nigel pulls a comment that Alex would be invited back to the show next season… which begs the question HOW?
Alex has already competed, he’s been part of the show for a few weeks, undoubtedly he’s one of the more popular dancers that actually has been stepping up to the plate. Had it not been for his injury he would most likely move further into the competition… But the problem is that technically in accordance to rules of the past seasons, once a dancer has competed they would not be eligible to try out for the show again.
But that brought about the possibility of bringing Alex back as an All Star (as suggested by ahs). Which would make sense, considering that he is a favorite, but the problem is that we haven’t seen him really stretch to his full potential. And if he comes back as an All Star he would be pigeon-holed, in a way, into ballet and other types of styles that he’s best at rather than spreading his wings and growing.
So why not take that a step further? To let Alex compete as an All Star by having a season where all the dancers are “All Stars” and they compete against one another to prove their growth to the judges and America. After all Nigel mentioned that Comfort has grown. Mia has mentioned that Allison has grown leaps and bounds as a dancer since her time on SYTYCD. Obviously Travis has also grown as a dancer (to become a well received choreographer).
So how about it? Next Season have all twenty dancers be past competitors from the first six seasons. Have them prove that they have grown as dancers in a similar or variation of the current format. This way Alex Wong can come back as an All Star AND be able to compete as he goes against the best of the best.
While we are at it, some of the our favorite dancers that didn’t get their chance to be part of the top twenty/ten could participate too (I’m looking at you Ryan Kasprzak). But instead of making this your traditional summer show, it could be a shortened fall season. So instead of twenty dancers squeeze it down to ten and use the new format of eliminating one per week…
I believe this solution would work out best while keeping in with rules of the competition without making a point of bending/breaking them. They already bent them for Billy Bell when he was on the Showcase episode but got sick before he had a chance to compete, and again for Brandon Dumlao who competed for one show but was immediately let go.
Because I don’t know about you guys, but for me, the more they don’t adhere to their own set rules and continue to bend and break them based on favoritism the less respect I feel for them as a whole… and if I’m losing respect for them, then so is a good portion of the viewing audience, which would turn into a ratings drop and then the show that we all once loved would be dropped from the lineup.
But that’s just me.
Interesting concept but I dont see it happening. Yes they are really bend the rules for Alex but mind you it not just Nigel and the judges that are making the call it the producers. Though in my opinion how many people would be upset if they did let him back. You mention Ryan who Im pretty sure due to the age limit cant try out anymore. If there is an allstar season I would like to see the winners go head to head or the top guy and girl from each season compete.
It’s an interesting concept. But ultimately Nigel sets the rules, and I believe the rules are governed by the world of reality tv, not the rules of dance competitions. I say this because Alex is more than someone who just “upped his game” he was very important to the show’s ratings.
When TV gurus track a show for ratings they will note some trends. In the case of reality shows, they watch for when the celebrity/dancer appears on screen and if that does anything to spike or lower the ratings. Dancers who do well will be put in the best timeslots. The best time slots are the top of the hour, at 8 pm and 9 pm to compete with other shows and at the end of the show so viewers will tune in to the end to watch. Alex was put in the first timeslot for his first competition, he was then moved to the top of the hour slot for the second week, and for his last competition not only was his solo placed at the top of the 9:00 hour, he ended the show with the hip hop.
This definitely shows an upward trend in Alex’s performances on the show. His dancing was progressively getting the plum positions in the dance order.
So, getting back to the “fairness of competition” Alex has shown that he brings in the ratings. That is why he was automatically given an invite to Vegas in the way that Jessica King (season 4) was not.
However, given all of this, Alex may not dance again at his best after this surgery. I hope he has a full recovery, but in life there are no gurarantees.
I agree with Andie. It’s a show, not the Olympics. They’re free to do whatever works, and bend/change the rules as they see fit. And I don’t think it will have any affect on their credibility.
Having said that, I LOVE the idea of an all-All Star season. Hey, Survivor’s done that a couple of times. It’s a great idea.
Have you sent this idea to Nigel? I think it’s an interesting concept, and if it was on in the Fall, it may not have the same numbers as the summer show, but wouldn’t “turn off” any of the people that usually watch in the summer. (If there are any that wouldn’t want to watch it. I know we would love it!)
It’s definitely an interesting concept. I think they might be more successful going with something similar to what our poster, Mrs. Dee brought up, having a top 20 then bringing in the all-stars when we reach Top 10.
In my opinion, Alex was not close to being eliminated so he leaves the show not having finished his “journey.” Last season, Ashleigh was a wonderful story and really grew on me, but I don’t think she would have gone much further even if she had been able to dance. It seems fair to bring back Alex in this situation.
I love the idea of an all-star season. There are plenty of dancers to choose from and just imagine the raw materials that the choreographers would have to work with!
Since this is a wish list for next season, do you mind if I piggy back on it? 🙂
1. Bring back Mary Murphy or another Ballroom expert and make Mia the first of a rotating stable of choreographer-judges like there was in Season 5. This will provide weekly variety and force the judges to keep their comments concise.
2. Bring back the format of contestants dancing with each other. Watching the chemistry develop or not develop was almost as much fun as watching the dancers grow themselves. If they are not ready to eliminate the all-stars concept, introduce all-stars when they would typically dissolve the initial pairings, top 10?
3. Continue to bring in new choreographers and even temporarily retire current favorites in order to keep things fresh. As much as I LOVE many of the current choreographers, this will create some diversity and free them from the constant pressure to create all of the time. It seems to me that this will increase the quality of their work even more.
4. I know this is probably not realistic, but I miss the intimacy of a smaller stage. It doesn’t have to be the old one but it is amazing to me what a difference it makes, especially with the solos.
@Dan, you’ve brought up a lot of ideas that have definitely been thrown around our site.
I, too, miss Mary Murphy, and I can’t believe that I do. I think, frankly, that keeping the same 3 judges is getting a bit stale. Rotating the judges in is what keeps the comments fresh (so we don’t have to hear Adam say “when you watch it on playback” one more time, honestly). While the scream got to be kind of grating, she was passionate about everything she was saying.
We’ll add you to our petition to bring the All-Stars in at Top 10, as Mrs. Dee had suggested. That way, they really have something new and different to shoot for, getting to dance with an All-Star if they get to Top 10.
I agree with you about the choreographers as well. People like Spencer Liff, Sean Cheesman, and Tessandra Chavez have breathed new life into ongoing or new types of dance styles. If Spencer’s the one doing Broadway, I’d definitely be okay not seeing Tyce for awhile.
Believe me, you’re not the only one who misses the stage. I think Nigel and the producers recognized how much people hated the stage last year so they tried to rectify it at least a little by getting rid of that awful light board. What I miss about the old stage was how there were different elements that could go into “using the whole stage”. Like when Pasha and Sara started their West Coast Swing on the stairs, stuff like that.
Can one buy vidoes of performances from all the past seasons of ‘So You Think You Can Dance? If so, how does one purchase these?
@Margaret LOL! “When you watch it on playback.” 🙂
This should become a new SYTYCD drinking game along with every time Mia makes up a new word.
I totally miss using the “whole stage” as well. I absolutely loved the Wade Robson piece that Brandon and Janette did in season 5 when they came down the stairs together.
@Dan, I love Adam, but if he says that one more time…seriously, we get it, they should watch the playback. give them new advice.
hahaha, that’s an excellent new drinking game. murderation last week was it? my poor father, who used to be an English teacher, cringed when she said that. I’m an English major, but I’ve watched Mia enough times that I just rolled my eyes.
Wade’s piece with Brandon and Janette is probably one of my favorite pieces they’ve ever done on the show. It wouldn’t have been the same without those stairs because it fit with the music so perfectly. They actually did it on tour but there were no stairs!
Yes Adam has said the playback thing but it is a good suggestion. The dancers can go back and watch themselves dance and see where they need to improve and maybe make since of what the judges are telling them.
I’m okay with them changing the rules if they then apply them consistently. This means a future dancer injured in the first half of the competition should also be invited to audition again. Now if they just did it for Alex because they like him then I would be frustrated (even though I like him too).
@Margaret
I’ve been watching Sean Cheesman’s choreography for the past 2 seasons(I think) of the Canadian version. I honestly forgot that I was currently watching the version that didn’t usually have him.
Coming out of lurking.
Well, in regards to the ‘rules’ of the show.. After 7 seasons, it’s become pretty obvious that Nigel and Co make it up on the fly. Just look at the differences in how each injured dancer was treated on vote night. We had to vote for Ashleigh last season despite injury, but Noelle was given a free pass to the next show when she was injured, and Alex didn’t get votes but was automatically in the B3.
That said.. I do like the All Star idea. I’m pretty sure the criteria of an All Star just meant you had to have competed on the show prior, so heck, even Brandon Dumlao would be eligible. Alex being eligible to re-audition after competing isn’t a first, since Brandon was given the same option last season due to the circumstances of his exit. I don’t count Billy in the rulebook, because he technically exited before a vote night.
I’m pretty sure that Nigel has said they’re never going to do a Fall show again, due to the schedule conflicts again. (But then.. never say never with this crew)
@Amanda, I totally agree that it’s a really smart idea, it just seems to be something that he’s been saying a lot lately, that’s all.
@Emma, I love Sean’s choreography. He’s done some of the more creative pieces, especially on SYTYCD Canada, two of my favorite were both from last season, and both involved Everett, the tapper who finished fourth. “St. James Infirmary” and “This Joint is Jumpin'”. YouTube them if you can, they’re really creative and he’s really good at playing to the strengths of the dancers. He understood that he could get a more complete performance out of Everett during the theatre number if he included tap, and he got lucky that Tara Jean had a bit of tap experience.
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That is a great concept – Hope the producers from SYTYCD will see this.
I’m going to be honest and say I don’t like the idea. I don’t like to idea of having the favorites compete against each other to find the ULTIMATE all-star because a lot of them were popular in their own way. And in Mark’s interview, he had stated that he didn’t want to have to go through all that emotional stress again so I don’t think it would be worth it for them to compete again when they’ve already done it and won the hearts of America already. Just being able to dance and perform is what they enjoy doing and finding they can still interact with contestants without as much pressure is a relief for them. SYTYCD is a way to get your face on national TV and the All-stars have already done that in addition to appearing on TV this season
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So Marianya, I still <3 you and I love your ideas like everyone in the SYTYCD-a-holic community :P. I'm just expressing my opinion. I love watching the All-stars perform, so I think that is good enough. My only wish is to see them dance highlight dances from past seasons (more on a consistent basis)
As far as Alex goes. Mariana I think you're right that Alex still has hidden potential. We haven't seen everything he can do so making him an All-star would not be satisfying for both him and the viewers. He and his fans know he's great in his own style, but I think we all really want to test him/self to see what else he can do. I'm not trying to find a weakness, but I think we're still in awe that he has all this greatness that hasn't been seen yet.
What I would like to see is:
1) Go back to taped shows- I'd rather see good camera angles than messed up LIVE performances. You REALLY can't edit out everything for the first initial take so what you see is what you get. If the electricity goes out for some reason then we're really at a loss aren't we.
2) Instead of a top 10 how about a top 16 like season 1? Less people gives more air time. Maybe even two dances?
3) Same partner dancing – Nigel did a good job incorporating the contestants dancing together as well as having all-stars dancing with them. I like that idea. Alex has danced with other partners but i have not seen any ballroom/ intimate partnerships with him. (minus maaaybe the dancing with Allison but I don't consider it an intimate connection dance vs dancing elegantly with heavy emotion)
4) I can deal with the new stage now but they really need to improve on some of the lighting because at times I have a hard time seeing a dancer's movements. I could blame the costume department but with a better lit stage and backdrop I think it could enhance their movements instead of hinder.
Sorry this was a long post. I meant to post it two days ago. 😐
**EDIT
4) Sorry i meant that the clothes and the backdrop are at times the same color or everything, clothes and lighting, is dark so it’s really hard to tell what the dancer is doing.
@Christine, you make a really good point about the lighting. I’ve found a few times that the lights from the big light board hit the camera and an angle that washes out both the dancers, but I’ve also seen points where it was too dark as well.
Good points Christine. I agree about the stage/lighting, but after the monstrousity they had last season, it’s still an improvement.
We all seemed to liek the stairs, I bet it would be a pretty minimal cost to add them back to this stage. Or even to retrofit the whole stage within the studio to look more like the old one.
I also agree re: taped shows. I’m not sure being live adds anything.
@Margaret
Both of those pieces were really good (I didn’t remember the St James Infirmary piece until I watched it again) but my favorite was probably the afro-jazz that Jayme-Rae and Daniel did.
I think your ideas have merit. I do think that Nigel calls the shots and that he just does what suits him, which basically means whatever grabs the most ratings. However, I would like to add that bringing back Mary is top of my list. She knew her stuff. No one knows ballroom on that panel. Mia is such a snob and really doesn’t care about how people feel. Dancers are artists who leave themselves as much as possible on the dance floor and when you say to someone you have no soul and that you are a donut, just empty it crosses the line. We critique we don’t crush. I miss Debbie as a judge also, she brings fire and passion and a bit of dirty talk. Tyce is another one who I think did well as a rotating judge.
Mr. Lythgoe you say you read the blogs, well I hope you pay attention to how your loyal fans feel.