Welcome to Pure So You Think You Can Dance

Dear Cat,
I absolutely adore you as the host of SYTYCD. You’re beautiful, you’re funny, you’re authentic and I’m a sucker for your accent as well. Needless to say I’m a huge fan. In fact, I think it’s a shame your name wasn’t on the list of Emmy nominations.

That’s why I’m a little sad to tell you that you have been just a little bit off this season. Othing really major. Just little things that you use to do so well are missing. Plus I think you may just be trying a little bit too hard. Yes, I know that this is the first time that SYTYCD has been on in the Fall. That’s a big deal, but don’t let the producers put unneeded pressure on you. It just makes things worse. I also know that it’s a new stage and so you’re probably a little out of your comfort zone.

Let me just give you a simple example. What was with that huge cheesy fake smile in the first top 20 show? Whoever told you to do that should be fired. It’s like they told you to laugh before each dance. It looked silly. Luckily you mostly didn’t do it in the next show. Little things like that just get annoying over time. My best suggestion is to go back to just being yourself. Quirks accent and all.

In fact, while we’re talking Cat, please stop having the audience say judges. We want to hear you say it. It’s one of the things that makes you so endearing. No one can say judges like you so please say it along with or before after the audience. That would make me espescially happy.

Don’t get me wrong my dear Cat. You are 100 times better than the other SYTYCD host up north. It’s not even close. I just want more of Cat. Not the produced Cat. The real authentic quircky fun Cat. That’s all.

Your fan,
Pure SYTYCD

Well here we are. Probably the most important power rankings of the whole season. And on one hand, the most obvious and on the other, the most baffling.

According to John’s SYTYCD top 6 poll the last time I checked, you’ve ranked the contestants thusly: Kayla, Jeanine, Brandon, Ade, Evan and Melissa with each of the pairs being fairly close (i.e. Kayla and Jeanine not too far apart), but with some pretty large gaps between them (i.e., the difference between the K/J pairing and the B/A pairing and…biggest of all, the E/M pairing).

Before last night’s show, I was prepared to count Evan out of the Final 4. Not because that’s my personal choice, but because it really seemed like his fan base was dwindling a bit (does this relate to the absence of Brother Blogs for a few weeks?) while Ade and Brandon were picking up steam.

But. I anticipate a lot of debate, because I have to go with my gut here.

1. Jeanine: As one commenter said, she seems to be in the majority of people’s best guesses for Top 4. Her samba wasn’t her best performance, but she did well and the both of them showed a lot of charm and personality throughout. Her solo wasn’t spectacular or much different than her others, but it was cute. And then there was that great Nappytabs hip hop about getting evicted where she successfully jumped through Ade’s scissoring legs. And then, I really got the feeling that Sonya gave her a lot of “center stage” time in the group piece, she really stood out to me (as did Cat and Nigel’s comments about her costume, after). I think she’s the best combo of skill and personality this season, so she’s my pick to win and my first guess for the Top 4.

2. Kayla: She’s started to show a lot more personality, slowly but surely and she’s always been pretty precise. Some people don’t dig her, but a lot of people do. Her Stacey Tookey contemporary with Brandon really impressed me and I thought these two “cold” dancers actually brought out a lot in each other. Her solo was nothing new and a bit boring, but it was a’right. I didn’t love the disco as much, but then I never do. Sorry, y’all. This one almost one me over in the first half, but then got really awkward at the end, where it seemed like most of the time they were pausing to set up jumps and lifts and not actually dancing. My mom and I debate heartily over disco.

So these are the two I feel fairly confident about. Let me talk about the girl I think is going home:

-Melissa: Beginning with her Broadway with Evan and through her solo, I was digging Melissa a bit more than I had before, wondering if I’d given her a raw deal. And then there came the quickstep OF DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! (Sorry, there’s an echo in here). I was actually pretty happy with their performance. But you know what? Melissa LOST me when she seemed to be throwing Evan under the bus. She admitted in the intro video that she doesn’t trust him and she didn’t say this in a way that indicated it was something *she* needed to improve on. And has anybody noticed she seems to roll her eyes a lot – check out the intro video for the girls’ routine if you don’t believe me. She’s had a good run on the show, but now I’m ready for her to go.

The top 2 boys are a really tough call. Really, really tough. And no matter what I say, there’s going to be some heated disagreement (which I’m excited to see, bring it on!), so I’m going with my gut here.

1. Evan: I think he didn’t just “stay visible” as Lil C said. I couldn’t stop watching him! I agree with Nigel that he stood out for me in Sonya’s group number. His Broadway was fun and strong. I honestly felt like he probably spent a lot of energy helping Melissa shine in the piece. While he didn’t switch up his solo either, I loved the enormous flip across the stage that he did. And, he’s “dancing bigger,” all the time. I love the commenter who pointed out that Brandon’s not much taller than Evan, who’s been getting all the “short guy” heat. Clearly, Evan isn’t as muscular as Brandon, so perhaps that has something to do with it.  When I heard that Melissa and Evan had the dreaded quickstep OF DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! (dern echo!), I was very, very, very worried. But they did a good job and it was enjoyable. All in all, I feel like Evan had a strong night in both his dancing and his personality. With Ryan rallying with a new, great Brother Blog and then certain other issues with the other contestants…I think we might find Evan in the finale. I just love watching him dance, so how can I not predict that? It IS America’s Favorite Dancer and I think a lot of people just really enjoy Evan, as I do.

2. Ade: His work in the group number was solid. He wasn’t as strong as he could have been on his second Latin dance this season, but even so, I enjoyed him and Jeanine in their samba. He’s been picking up steam all season. Again, his solo wasn’t terribly new (to him), but it showed us his style. And then that Nappytabs hip hop with Jeanine, which was just pure pleasure to watch. Probably the stand out routine of the night (the group routines and the Tookey contemporary are the only other standouts to me). He’s become such a front runner for me over the course of the season, from someone I never really paid any attention to, to somebody I’d love to see dance whenever I get the chance.

-Brandon: He’s picked up some steam in the last few weeks, so I may be really wrong about him going home this week. However, while I tend to enjoy his dancing, he seems really cocky and arrogant to me and I just don’t like it. One of the commenters pointed out that he doesn’t seem to be really generous to his partners (though I think he sensed a bond with Kayla, so maybe it was different with her), and that really nailed it for me, that ambiguous thing that wasn’t working for me about Brandon. I lost a lot of liking for him in between Vegas week (with Natalie, it has to be said) and Top 20, it almost seemed like he shut down his personality a bit. Then, there’s the fact that the judges stood for his solo, Nigel called it the best on the show, but *no one* was fooled that it was his audition routine all over again. It’s a pretty awesome routine and of course, with the music and the little to no clothing, he pulled out all the stops to demonstrate he wants to be in the Final 4. But when it comes down to it, I don’t think his messy disco and his fabulous contemporary and all of this calculated arrogance-humility is going to be enough. I may be completely wrong here, but this is what my gut says.

I think a Jeanine, Kayla, Evan, Ade finale will be pretty fascinating to watch and I’d be sorry if any of them left.

I don’t think that this video will be anything to amazing for fans of So You Think You Can Dance, but it is a nice behind the scenes look at So You Think You Can Dance. Cat does have an interesting backstage ritual. Mary fans will also like to hear about her scream (not me). There is also a few nice moments with Kayla and Brandon, Joshua Allen, and Benji Schwimmer.

Cat Deeley is so fabulous. I do wish she’d stop deferring her saying judges to the audience since I like to here her say it, but I’m just getting picky now aren’t I? Either way, she deserves the Emmy for reality host this year. Tom Bergeron is good, but Cat Deeley is great.

Anyway, here’s a short little interview with Cat Deeley at the So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 auditions. She talks about Sammy, who I believe is the wrestler named Sammy Ramirez from the SYTYCD season 5 LA auditions. Also, who wouldn’t want to be invited to Cat’s house for fourth of July? Only problem with the beers is that half of the dancers are still under 21. Check out Cat Deeley:

Also, someone on my twitter account told me that Cat Deeley will be on Conan on Friday. That should be pretty cool. I think I’ll have to stay up late for that one.

This is my first edition of what I believe will be many posts talking about the various tweets being sent on Twitter by those related to or on So You Think You Can Dance. Twitter has really become a great way to be able to connect with So You Think You Can Dance. It’s how I got my interview with Bollywood choreographer Nakul and how I was able to connect with Nappytabs for a future interview (assuming things don’t fall apart). Anyway, you can check out our list of So You Think You Can Dance twitter accounts to stay up with your favorite people from SYTYCD. Otherwise, here’s our quick summary of some of the things happening on twitter related to SYTYCD:

Snap, Crackle, and Pop wrote a nice piece covering Lacey Schwimmer’s distaste for the current season of So You Think You Can Dance. Here are Lacey Schwimmer’s tweets about SYTYCD. Seems like she should have had a lesson in PR before sending these out, but I’ll let you be the judge. Here they are:
“Is at home watching a certain reality show….and is very disappointed :/”

“a certain reality show is starting to get on my nerves. no longer professionals….just generic…blah”
and
“uhhmm im sorry im beeing catty but im like gasping for air on how bad it is this season.”

About Max being cut she tweeted, “honestly hes no partner dancer….yuck”

“maybe you forget i went to top 4 on sytycd? and have more qualifing dance credits than many.”

“i never said i wasnt greatful….infact i love it for what it has done for me and my brother and friends.”

“all 3 people who are not liking my opinion… relax….i know what dancing is. and im allowed an opinion…sorry you feel the need to attack.”

I think that most people know that Nigel Lythgoe was having surgery this weekend. Nigel had to miss the SYTYCD season 6 auditions in New Orleans, but is suppose to be back for the show on Wednesday. Nigel tweeted the following after his surgery, “Post-op news. The surgery was a complete success. I now have permanent earplugs!!!! Only kidding, my disc op was evidently completed well!”

Nigel also sent the following tweet to Paula Abdul, “@PaulaAbdul a very very Happy Birthday. I do hope you’re coming to mine. Are you going to choreograph on SYTYCD this year?” Could be interesting and good for ratings to have Paula Abdul on So You Think You Can Dance. I’m not so excited to see her on the show, but it should be a bit of a ratings boost and great to get a big name on the show. Better than that lip syncer.

Adam Shankman sent out this tweet, “Me, @danabrunetti, and the real Deeley. She’s goin on Twitter soon, get ready! http://yfrog.com/0wvw4xj” Did he just say Cat Deeley would be on twitter soon? We’ll be watching for this. I can’t wait.

Lil’ C tweeted about the So You Think You Can Dance 6 auditions, “Jus saw some New Orleans Bounce!!!! It was Bucc!!!!” and “Found some diamonds in the rough yesterday, and hoping that we unearth more gems in todays auditions…operating on no sleep, bucc’n it out!” and “It’s been a very long audition day in New Orleans folks!!!!!! A very long day indeed, and I’ve only used the word “Bucc” 1x”

Let me know if you like this. Maybe we should turn it into a regular post. Good news is it looks like I’m going to be bringing on some help. Not enough of me to go around. Watch for that soon.

If you are a fan of So You Think You Can Dance, then you are definitely a fan of Cat Deeley. Not only is she stunningly beautiful and have a wonderful accent, but she’s also fearless as a host. This is never more apparent than during the audition episodes of So You Think You Can Dance. I found this image online of Cat Deeley’s booty shake during the auditions of So You Think You Can Dance that I just had to share it.

I could watch that over and over. Considering it’s an animated Cat Deeley booty shake, you’ll be watching it over and over too.

I previously post about the reasons I wasn’t looking forward to SYTYCD 5. Now I’m going to post the top reasons I am looking forward to So You Think You Can Dance Season 5.

Check out my list (in no particular order):
Cat Deeley – Beautiful, charming, and absolutely a perfect host. She’s involved in the production so she knows how the dancers are feeling and really connects with them so well. Her accent doesn’t hurt either. Cat Deeley really brings a special element to the show. Just watching the other So You Think You Can Dance around the world, you realize just how good Cat is.
Amazing Music – So You Think You Can Dance has introduced some of the most amazing music on TV. I think this is due to the wide variety of dance styles that are on the show. It’s just awesome to watch and hear such an eclectic variety of music. Check out the list of So You Think You Can Dance music to see what I mean.
Variety of Dances – Hip Hop, Contemporary, Ballroom, Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Popping, Swing, B-Boy (and girls), Latin, Bollywood and I’m sure I’m missing a bunch more. Need I say more?
Tricks – Between the lifts done in ballroom to the poppers and breakers, the tricks that are done on So You Think You Can Dance are just sick.
Fulfilling Dreams – I love seeing the raw talent who’ve never done anything but their style blossom into amazing dancers. My favorite example of this was Heidi Groskreutz and how she embraced the dream of being on the show.
Sick Choreography – Shane’s Back. Wade’s Back. Mia’s still there. Are Tab and Napoleon still on it? Either way, I’m expecting more greatness this year.

I’m sure there are a lot more reasons. Any other ones you think I missed?

Tonight’s the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance on Fox. I can’t wait (thus the hourly SYTYCD posting). However, they’ve already announced the auditions for So You Think You Can Dance season 6. Yes, we’re going to get 2 helpings of So You Think You Can Dance in 2009. Check out this video of Cat Deeley announcing the SYTYCD season 6 auditions:

Ok, Cat didn’t give too many details, but any video of Cat is worth watching. Here are the other details from the official SYTYCD website:

Season 5 starts Thursday, May 21 on Fox, but we want YOU to audition for Season 6 of SYTYCD in May, June and July. We are giving you another chance to become America’s Favorite Dancer. Season 6 shows will air in the Fall.

AUDITION SCHEDULE* Doors open at 8:00am. Be prepared to stay for an extra TWO DAYS for potential callbacks.

Boston, MA THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009 Hyatt Regency Boston One Avenue de Lafayette Boston, MA 02111

Atlanta, GA MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2009 Woodruff Arts Center 1280 Peachtree Street NE Atlanta, GA 30309

Los Angeles, CA FRIDAY, June 12, 2009 The Orpheum Theatre 842 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90014

Salt Lake City, UT FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009 Rose Wagner Performing Arts Ctr 138 West Broadway (300 South) Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Phoenix, AZ FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2009 Phoenix Convention Center 33 South 3rd St. Phoenix, Az 85004

Additional Cities TBD

*Schedule subject to change.

IMPORTANT: You MUST check FOX.com/dance regularly for essential information regarding your audition, your music options and ALL audition updates.

Check FOX.com/dance for information regarding audition details, music options and for all audition updates.

Dancers must be either a US citizen, legal permanent resident of the US, possess a current legal Employment Authorization Card enabling him/her to seek employment freely in the US (i.e., without restrictions as to employer) by the date specified in the eligibility rules. Dancers must be no younger than 18 or older than 30 years of age on the first day they register for auditions. Any dancer who is a minor in his/her state of residence must also have a parent or legal guardian sign all required documents. Dancers must provide legal, valid proof of age when they register for auditions. Check Fox.com/dance for full eligibility rules.

I love the employment disclaimer at the bottom. Reminds me of our dear friend Hok. It’s also nice to see the SYTYCD auditions heading back to Salt Lake City.

It’s been almost an hour since my last post about So You Think You Can Dance 2009. So, I figured I’d post a few snippets of a fancast interview with Cat Deeley. YUMMY!![excuse me]

On rumors she’s leaving the show…
To be honest, I haven’t even heard of these rumors, so you’re one-up on me. No, at the moment I am more than happy doing the show and I love it and feel very passionate about it. I am doing both season five and season six.

On whether she would ever be a judge…
Oh, god no! I have absolutely no kind of technical training whatsoever. I can see people’s star potential, which is kind of what we’re looking for. You can’t describe that, what makes somebody a star. It’s that certain quality that you can’t quite put your finger on. I can identify that. It’s when somebody walks onto the stage, and you don’t know why but you can’t take your eyes off them. Also, if there’s a particular dance that moves me, I can appreciate it. I can tell you when something’s magical, but I can’t tell you why.

On advice for potential contestants…
My advice would be to prepare your audition and be great at what you do and have confidence. I think they dancers have realized they have to bring their personality. With our show, dance is the narrative that runs through the show but the audience connects with the human element of the show. They want to know people’s stories, trials and tribulations, successes and failures. That’s what people really identify with. If you’re a funny guy, bring the humor. If you’ve got an incredibly courageous story, tell us about it. Don’t hold back.

Wonderful to know that Cat Deeley will be the host for So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 as well as SYTYCD 5.

Ok, do I really need to introduce any video of Cat Deeley? It’s absolutely worth watching if she’s in it. Plus, she really has a good understanding of what So You Think You Can Dance season 5 is going to be like. In the video Cat says that people know what to expect from the show now. It’s true and that’s what makes me so excited for So You Think You Can Dance season 5.

As far as Mary Murphy and her hot tamale train. I’d be really happy if I never heard about her hot tamale train again and her screaming can get on the train and never return also. It was novel the first season Mary screamed, but now it’s just old. Her preview of SYTYCD 5 is good though: