Free SYTYCD Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on So You Think You Can Dance sent straight to your email? Join hundreds of other SYTYCD fans who subscribe to Pure SYTYCD for FREE!

Academy Episode One: Solos & Hip Hop

Tonight we were treated to a great opening number choreographed by Mandy Moore. I actually loved that they did this, it made the introduction to the Academy more exciting. Anyone else notice that part of the choreography was use in the initial audition rounds. Tonight’s episode was jammed packed full of information and I know I didn’t get all the names for the teams but I’ll hopefully fill them in next week.

Round One: The dancers must impress the panel of All Stars with their solo or duet(ballroom). If they get the majority of the vote, they will move on to the next round. I always enjoy watching the All Stars reaction to the all-stars. There were several that did impress and I wasn’t surprised either. Kristina and Vasily for me stood out. They danced so beautifully, but we didn’t see them much throughout the rest of the episode. However, I did spot them at the end of the episode when they were previewing the rest of the Academy. 71 dancers moved on the next round.

Round Two: Hip Hop with NappyTabs, who are everywhere these days. The contestants have an hour to learn the routine and then have to perform it for the All Stars. So it’s either sink or swim, and from what I saw there was everything from amazing to awful. I do wish the show will show the viewing audience what the dance actually looks like. After all the dancers have performed one of three outcomes will happen. 1) Picked to be on an All Stars’s team 2) Move on to the next round or 3) Sent home. If more than one All Star want them on their team the contestant gets to choose whose team he or she wants to be on.

Kevin Davis Jr: A Krumper that had five All Stars wanting him on his team. Allison, FikShun, Cyrus, Jasmine, and Comfort all explained why they wanted him on their team. In the end he wanted to choose the person who he would benefit the most from, so he picked Allison.

Dassy Lee: Not surprised she had both of the Hip Hop boys wanting her on their team. Dassy chose FikShun over Cyrus. I’m thinking FikShun has an edge over Cyrus since he has won the show and mentored last years winner.

Logan Hernandez: Robert, Allison, and Jenna were all wanting him. Jenna even made a bold statement of the night by saying he would be her partner on the show. She basically said he would be in the top 10 if he chose her. Logan chose Allison…chances are he might not have believed Jenna.

Robert seemed to have a tough time convincing someone to be on his team. After tonight’s episode he is the only All Star that doesn’t have anyone on his team yet.

At the end of tonight 13 of the 40 spots were filled, and next week the dancers face contemporary with Travis and ballroom with Dmitry. I am going to try to get a who is on each All Star’s team up.

 

July 17, 2017 I Written By

Dance is one of my biggest passions. I grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio (the same studio that Kathryn McCormick). I have a BFA in theatre/dance from Valdosta State University. Tap is my favorite style of dance.

New York Auditions: Part 2

I case you didn’t notice last weeks episode was a repeat, I’m guessing due to the fourth of July the network didn’t want to air a new episode. So tonight we get to see the rest of the auditions in New York, and it also concludes the initial auditions before the Academy. There was plenty of talent tonight from the amazing to the not so great (which always makes me wonder if they watch the show).

Magda & Kiki: They have an interesting dynamic but they a just dance partners, and Magda does all the talking. What I liked about their audition is that it wasn’t too over the top with the tricks, and I was a little surprised they didn’t do any lifts. It was just a straight forward cha-cha that got them their ticket to the Academy.

Claudia & George, Jaryd Farcon, and Allen Genkin…just a few more ballroom dancers to make it straight to the Academy

Zachary Downer: He auditioned for season 12 and made it to the green mile. Can’t say I rememberer him but it is very clear after watch him dance again why he made it as far as he did. Love the infusion of the african movement with the contemporary.

Ramita Ravi: I have to admit I was excited to watch her dance the moment she sat down to talk to Cat. I do enjoy watch the Bollywood style of dancing. I was somewhat surprised the judges didn’t send her to the academy right away. I think that they just wanted to see more of what she can do. Thankfully she made it through the choreography round.

Peter Mangione: I must have missed the part when he said he had only be dancing for six months, but when he mispronounced Ballet, I pretty much knew this would be a not so good audition.

Arielle Disciascio: I was on the fence about Arielle, yes she is a fantastic dancer with precision and control. However, I wanted to see her let go and really just dance from the heart. So like Nigel I wanted to see her do the choreography.

Some more familiar faces of past seasons are back to try again and the are all hip hop dancers. Chris Andrews, Chase “CTut” Lindsey (the finger tutting) and Jason Kidd. One last familiar face for tonight was Romainson Romain, provided the most moving audition of the night, the judges knew he had a lot weighing him down and I loved that they lifted him up. He also didn’t do too bad in the choreography round and he made it to the academy.

Marc “Full out” Royale: Um dancing professionally for two years…yeah I don’t think so but I see why he goes by full-out.

Claire Rathbun: I love how ballet dancers especially those that do pointe make it look so easy and effortless. I also love how she wants to prove that you can have a big personality and still do ballet. Based on her personality I wonder how well she will do in the hip hop genre.

Lex Ishimoto: He took a big risk by doing an improve for his audition, but man did it pay off. It was the best audition of the night. Plus at the time of his audition he was performing with Travis Wall’s (and Nick, Teddy, & Kyle) company Shaping Sound. I can’t wait to see what All Star get him on their team. It’s a bold prediction from me but Lex will be in the top 10.

So 100 dancers total for the LA and New York Auditions made to the academy. They will be tested by Travis Wall, Sonya Tayeh, Dmitry Chaplin, and NappyTabs. Looking forward to next week.

July 10, 2017 I Written By

Dance is one of my biggest passions. I grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio (the same studio that Kathryn McCormick). I have a BFA in theatre/dance from Valdosta State University. Tap is my favorite style of dance.

Los Angeles Auditions Part 2

The Los Angeles auditions come to a close in tonight’s episode, and we learn that Mandy Moore is the new creative producer for SYTYCD. Tonight’s auditions begin with a familiar face, Lindsey Arnold’s sister Jensen.

Jensen Arnold and Tristan Sosa: Tristan is a great dancer and partner but I honestly could not take my eyes of Jensen. I agree with Vanessa said that Jensen is a star and she does remind me of Lindsey. So I wasn’t surprised to see them go straight through to the academy.

Cody Ostrenga: We get a back story and a cheesy western intro for Cody, who turns out is a belly dancer. Belly dancing/hip hop fusion was not something I was expecting. Agree with the judges that he isn’t ready for the show. Cody mentioned that dance was a hidden passion, so I hope now that he has done this that he will take some other dance classes.

Sade Keinu Austin: She comes from a dancing family, her father has choreographed for Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. I enjoyed watching her dance and I’m curious to see what else she can do.

Matthew Deloch: I loved that Grandma put him in dance and didn’t let him quit no matter how much he cried. Thankfully he grew to love dance, and had grown into a good dancer. I feel like he is still a little rough around the edges, and agree that he needs to work on showing more emotion when he dances.

Peyton Albrecht, Taylor Sieve, and Chelsea Hough: All contemporary dancers that went straight through to the next round.

Inyoung “Dassy” Lee: Moved to America from South Korea because of the show. Dassy was inspired by Dominic and Sabra to come and be on the show. Her audition started a little slow and then as Mary said BAM she hits us with her talent.

Blessin Giralodo: A step dancer who is very passionate about what she does, and she did impress the judges. She was sent to the choreography round where she was eventually cut, but Nigel did offer for her step group to appear on the show.

Eric “Frenchie” Bossett and Felix “Bad Bones” Gomez: Both are triple jointed dancers. These auditions are always hard to watch, since their bodies do things that they shouldn’t. Both were cut in the choreography round.

Dustin Payne: I agreed with the judges on this one, entertaining with smooth transitions. I want to see what else he can do. I think I’ve seen one too many hip hop auditions cause they are all good in there on way but I find hard to judge them sometimes.

23 other dancers made it through to the academy after an hour of learning Mandy Moore choreography.

Next week starts the New York auditions and from what I saw from the preview we will see even more talented dancers.

 

 

June 19, 2017 I Written By

Dance is one of my biggest passions. I grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio (the same studio that Kathryn McCormick). I have a BFA in theatre/dance from Valdosta State University. Tap is my favorite style of dance.

Mary Murphy’s Gone from SYTYCD and SYTYCD 2015 Audition Cities

Thanks to Amanda for covering the new judges for SYTYCD 2015 (Jason Derulo and Paula Abdul and for sharing the dates of the tryouts in New York City. Amanda wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Mary, but it seems clear that Mary Murphy is gone from SYTYCD. Personally, I didn’t hate Mary as a judge when she came back the second time, but I still thought she didn’t offer much value. It felt far too manufactured and forced. So, I’m glad for the change. You can also see that Mary’s gone since they’ve posted a picture of Nigel, Jason and Paula at the judges table.

We all know that SYTYCD was renewed with changes to the format. I think we’re all interested to see how Stage Dancers versus Street Dancers is going to work out. I’m personally excited by the idea. I never felt like it was fair that the street dancers always got sent home when they couldn’t do the other styles as well. The street dancers’ solos were usually better than the stage dancer solos (especially ballroom).

Speaking of ballroom. I’m still interested to see how ballroom fits into the new format. I assume they’ll be considered stage dancers. Although, what if some street salsa dancer comes on the show? Will they be put in the street category instead of stage? That would be fun to see. Although, I still think SYTYCD doesn’t do ballroom dancers justice when they don’t allow them to dance with a partner. It’s just not the same.

Long story short, I’m excited for the new season. I think it’s a fresh new take while still having the dancing and choreography we love. In fact, I think this could really expand the type of choreography we get on the show.

Here are the dates and locations of the SYTYCD 2015 auditions:
Dallas, Texas
Saturday, Feb. 14
Southern Methodist University

Detroit, Mich.
Sunday, Feb. 22
Fillmore Detroit

Memphis, Tenn.
Sunday, March 8
Orpheum Theatre

Los Angeles, Calif.
Sunday, March 15
Orpheum Theatre

So You Think You Can Dance season 12 premieres on Fox in May.

Also, as you might have noticed, we’ve all been pretty busy lately with our day jobs. If there are some of you that are interested in blogging about SYTYCD, we’d love to bring on a few new bloggers. Just drop us a note on our contact us page about why you’d like to blog and what you think you could bring to the table.

January 27, 2015 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Renewal!!

We posted previously about Nigel’s somewhat cryptic tweet about whether So You Think You can Dance would be renewed and return for SYTYCD Season 12. The good news today is that Fox announced the renewal and return of So You Think You Can Dance for Season 12.

As part of the renewal, the show is going through some major changes. Here’s the details of those changes:

Throughout the auditions, the dancers who advance will be placed into two teams – the STAGE dancers, featuring those trained in styles such as contemporary, ballet, jazz or tap; and the STREET dancers, hopefuls skilled in hip-hop, animation or breaking. As the auditions continue, the judges, along with each team’s All-Star Mentor, will eliminate dancers until only the Top 20 – 10 Street Dancers and 10 Stage Dancers – remain. When the competition goes “live,” the Top 20 will be challenged weekly to perform a variety of styles, working with world-renowned choreographers. One dancer from each genre will be eliminated each week leading up to the Season Finale. Who will win…a dancer from the stage or the street?

This sounds like it could be a very good change. I (and I think Nigel) was always upset when an amazing street dancer was sent home from the show because they didn’t have skills in the other styles of dance. This sounds like it will give them an opportunity to stick around much longer. Plus, we should see a new level of choreography on the show as the choreographers can go nuts with their skills. My only caution would be that the choreographers think more about the art of creating something amazing versus just trying to showcase the dancers skills.

I do hope they’ll have some cross over dancing where we can see some b-boys doing contemporary and some ballroom dancers doing Krump. Oh wait. The announcement doesn’t list ballroom anywhere. Does that mean that ballroom will not be part of the new season or are they just grouped with the trained styles? That will be interesting to see. It would be a shame if Nigel included his beloved Tap and shutout ballroom.

What do you think of this new season?

November 17, 2014 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

Will There Be A So You Think You Can Dance Season 12?

This is the looming question. Will Fox choose to renew So You Think You Can Dance for another season or not. The ratings have certainly fallen off lately, but SYTYCD still has an amazingly passionate fan base. Here’s to hoping that Fox will at least give SYTYCD one more season to send the show off properly.

Nigel offered this tweet about the SYTYCD Renewal or SYTYCD Cancellation:

There’s also a petition on Change.org for So You Think You Can Dance as well. It could use a few more thousand people signing the petition to really make a difference. If you love the show, go and add your name to the list.

November 6, 2014 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

So You Think You Can Dance Season 11 Audition Dates

I just found this on the Fox website:
ATLANTA, GA
Fox Theatre
January 13, 2014

NEW ORLEANS, LA
New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
January 31, 2014

LOS ANGELES, CA
Orpheum Theatre
March 23, 2014

*More dates to come. Please keep checking back!

November 26, 2013 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

SYTYCD Season 10 – Top 14 (Now 12) Performances: Music List

Group Dance:
Style: Jazz / Ballroom
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh, Dmitry Chaplin
Song: District 78 – Dimman Kryar Dimman Kryper Sakta In - Dimman Kryper Sakta In - Single

Alexis: Ben E King – Stand By Me Stand By Me - Ben E King
Jasmine: Dianne Reeves – Endangered Species Endangered Species - The Best of Dianne Reeves

National Dance Day
– Jennifer Lopez – Live It Up Live It Up - Live It Up - Single
– Bruno Mars –

Jenna & Tucker
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Luther Brown
Song: Wale feat Big Sean – Slight Work Slight Work (feat. Big Sean) - Ambition (Deluxe Version)

Alexis & Nico
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: The Bengsons – Ashes Ashes (As Heard On

Hayley & Curtis
Style: Argentine Tango
Choreographer: Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo
Song: Juan D’Arienzo – Este Es El Rey Este Es el Rey - A Don Juan

Makenzie & Paul
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: Santigold – You’ll Find a Way You'll Find a Way - Santigold

Jasmine Aaron
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Justin Giles
Song: Birdy – The District Sleeps Alone Tonight The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - Birdy (Deluxe Version)

Amy & Fik-Shun
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Christopher Scott
Song: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On Let's Get It On - Number 1's: Marvin Gaye

Malece & Alan
Style: Salsa
Choreographer: Jonathan Platero
Song: Tito Puente & His Orchestra – “Pa’ Los Rumberos” Pa' los Rumberos - Dance Mania (Legacy Edition)

Group Routines
– Broadway: Joe Cocker – Come Together Come Together - Across the Universe (Music from the Motion Picture) [Deluxe Edition]
– Contemporary: RyanDan – Tears of An Angel Tears of an Angel - RyanDan

July 30, 2013 I Written By

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)

SYTYCD Season 10: Top 16 (Now 14) Performances – Music List

Top 16 Group Dance
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey and Peter Chu
Song: “New World”—The Irrepressibles New World - Nude

SOLOS
Makenzie Dustman: “Claire de Lune”—Laura Sullivan Claire de Lune: - Piano Solos
Alan Bersten: “Return of the King”—X-Ray Dog
Curtis Holland: “Used To Love U”—John Legend Used to Love U - Get Lifted / Once Again
Mariah Spears: “Set It Off”—Kardinal Official feat. The Clipse
Dorian ‘BluPrint’ Hector: “Illusion of Choice”—Gramatik Illusion of Choice - #Digitalfreedom

Alexis & Nico
Style: Jive
Choreographer: Toni Meredith & Melanie LaPatin
Song: “Mayhem” – Imelda May Mayhem - Mayhem

Jenna & Tucker
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Song: “Hangin By A Thread” – Jann Arden Hangin' by a Thread - Happy?

Mariah & Blu-Print
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Brian Friedman
Song: “Fall into the Sky” – Zedd & Lucky Date feat. Ellie Goulding Fall Into the Sky (feat. Ellie Goulding) - Clarity

Malece & Alan
Style: Hip-hop
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Song: “Bassline”—Chris Brown Bassline - Fortune (Deluxe Version)

Hayley & Curtis
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Dee Caspery
Song: “Don’t Let Go Yet” (Radio Edit)—David J. Roch Don't Let Go Yet (Radio Edit) - Don't Let Go Yet (Radio Edit) - Single

Amy & Fik-Shun
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Tyce DiOrio
Song: “Under the Bridge” (Sous le port) from The Triplets of Belleville Under the Bridge (Sous le pont) - The Triplets of Belleville (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

Makenzie & Paul
Style: Hip-hop
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Song: “Pretty Lil’ Heart” – Robin Thicke feat Lil’ Wayne Pretty Lil' Heart (feat. Lil Wayne) - Love After War (Deluxe Version)

Jasmine & Aaron
Style: Quickstep
Choreographer: Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin
Song: “Pencil Full of Lead” – Paolo Lutini Pencil Full of Lead - Sunny Side Up (Bonus Track Version)

July 23, 2013 I Written By

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)

SYTYCD Season 10: Top 18 (Now 16) Performances – Music List

GROUP DANCE
Top 18 Group Dance
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Christopher Scott & Sonya Tayeh
Song: Sóley – “Pretty Face” (Nathan Lanier Remix) [unable to find the Remix version, so here is the single version Pretty Face - We Sink]

DANCE FOR YOUR LIFE
Alexis Juliano: Otis Redding – “Try a Little Tenderness” Try a Little Tenderness - The Very Best of Otis Redding
Jasmine Mason: Jazmine Sullivan – “10 Seconds” 10 Seconds - Love Me Back
Jenna Johnson: Jessie J & Big Sean – “Wild” Wild (feat. Big Sean) - Wild (feat. Big Sean) - Single

Amy & FikShun
Style: Paso Doble
Choreographer: Jean-Marc Généreux
Song: Jack Trammel – “Tactical Dominance” (Orch Hybrid Version) Tactical Dominance (Orch Hybrid Version) - Behemoth

Jasmine Harper & Aaron
Style: Broadway
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
Song: Smash cast feat. Megan Hilty – “They Just Keep Moving the Line” They Just Keep Moving the Line (SMASH Cast Version) [feat. Megan Hilty] - Bombshell (Music from the TV Series

MaKenzie & Paul
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Lindsay Nelko
Song: Idina Menzel – “No Day But Today” No Day But Today (Live from Soundstage) - Idina Menzel - EP

Jasmine Mason & Alan
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Sean Cheesman
Song: Charlotte Martin – “Veins” Veins - Veins

Jenna & Tucker
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Keoni & Mari Madrid
Song: Michael Jackson – “Dangerous” (Immortal version) Dangerous (Immortal Version) - The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection

Malece
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: Sleeping at Last – “In the Embers” In the Embers - Atlas: Light - EP

Hayley & Curtis
Style: Samba
Choreographer: Jean-Marc Généreux
Song: Club des Belugas – “Straight to Memphis” Straight to Memphis - Forward

Alexis & Nico
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
Song: Nina Simone – “I Put a Spell on You” I Put a Spell on You - The Best of Nina Simone

Mariah & BluPrint
Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Luther Brown
Song: M.I.A. – “Bring the Noize” Bring the Noize - Bring the Noize - Single

July 9, 2013 I Written By

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)