Nigel Lythgoe | Pure So You Think You Can Dance

My Thoughts on LA and Austin Auditions 5/21/13

First off I’d like to start off by saying how happy I am to have SYTYCD back on my television, and I think it’s time to update the opening credits for the show. I know random thought but Idol updates every year, so why can’t SYTYCD. Last nights episode we went back to LA for day two and then to Austin, Texas. I’m not going to go into detail about every audition just a few that stood out for me and if I skipped over anything that stood out for you please let me know, I like reading other people thoughts on dancers.

I like to start with a little comparing and contrasting between the two bone breaking auditions.

In LA we had Slick, who also referred to his style as Flex dancing. I tend to always find myself not wanting to watch them pop their joints in and out of socket but at the same time I can’t help but watch. I also though he was great performer and a had a great attitude. I think he held his own during the choreography round but I agree with the judges, not quite strong enough for Vegas.

In Austin we had Shane Garcia, who has a stutter and uses dance to “speak freely”. I’ll admit his story made me think of Lazero on Idol this past season. I had no doubt that he would be good but what surprised me was the feeling he danced with, which made him easier to watch compared to Slick. Like Slick, Shane held his own during the choreography round but unlike Slick, he got a ticket to Vegas.

So what are your thoughts on Slick and Shane?

Moving on, we had Alex Kessiger, Sebastian Serra, Two ballroom couples, Makenzie Dustman, and other the went straight throug to Vegas. Which of these dancers did you like and why? Makenzie, might be an early favorite for me and I loved how Jesse said she had been marinated in dance. Emilio “Millie” Dosal is my other favorite from the LA auditions. Just knowing he is part of Phillip Chbeeb’s crew, I knew he would be good and he almost had me with that fake out in the beginning. It was during the choreography round that I just couldn’t help but to watch him and I hope that he does well in Vegas cause I want him in the top 20.

Next up Austin, Texas and a new guest judge movie star Minnie Driver. Austin had plenty of talent, from new auditioners, to past favorites, and even some that weren’t auditioning for the show.

Of course they had to start with the adorable Anthony, who at only 4 is showing promise that he will be a star in dance. He was easily one of my favorite moments of the entire show. Also, to hear that Cyrus inspired him to dance, I think is fantastic. I hope he keeps up with it and maybe will see him on Season 24.(lol…if the show is still around). Very sweet to send him to Disney World.

Donovan Gibbs and his family had a touching story to keep their dance studio open and to sell their house is a brave move. I think Donovan will be one to watch to see how he does in Vegas. Loved when his dad got to show everyone where his son gets his talent, I don’t about anyone else but I would’ve given dad a ticket to Vegas.

Plenty of other great dancers Hayley Erbert, Daniela, Nick Muckleroy, and Dannon O’Brien(pleasantly surprised by him. There was a female hip hop dancer they show in the montages that I wish they showed more of, and I willing to say we will probably see her in the top 20.

Last but not least the Exorsist Hampton Williams is back and this time he brought back up, his girlfriend Darlesha Goggans and their daughter Kira. Kira another 4-year-old that just made my night, and I love how Dad and Mom joined her and it became a family dance. I was totally captivated by them and I hope we get to see more of them. On a side not how cute would it be if the two 4 year olds Anthony and Kira dance together.

Next week they are off to Boston and Adam Shankman will be on the Judging panel.

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May 22, 2013 I Written By Amanda

Filed Under: So You Think You Can Dance

Nigel Lythgoe Previews SYTYCD 2013

SYTYCD 2013 Judge and Executive Producer, Nigel Lythgoe, discusses what we can expect on SYTYCD 2013 in the following video interview. He talks about how amazing it is that SYTYCD is in its tenth season. Nigel also talks about the most shocking thing he’s seen on SYTYCD. If you’re a SYTYCD fan you’ll enjoy this interview.

An interview with Nigel Lythgoe discussing So You Think You Can Dance 2013:

So You Think You Can Dance 2013 Preview Video

One video wasn’t nearly enough for tonight. So, here’s another video with Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman, Twitch, and Cat Deeley talking about So You Think You Can Dance Season 2013. Plus, they show a ton of great moments from last season to remind us why we love the show. Enjoy!

For those who can’t wait for tomorrow night, I’ll try and distract you with more videos tomorrow.

SYTYCD 2013 premiere is a 2 night event Tuesday, May 14 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesday, May 15 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

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May 13, 2013 I Written By John

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

Filed Under: Entertainment FOX Reality TV So You Think You Can Dance TV Videos

Tags:Adam Shankman Cat Deeley Mary Murphy Nigel Lythgoe So You Think You Can Dance 2013 So You Think You Can Dance Premiere SYTYCD 2013 SYTYCD Premiere Twitch

So You Think You Can Dance Season 10 Preview Video

You might have noticed that we kind of took the SYTYCD off season off from blogging. We certainly could have posted about a lot of things the dancers were doing, but life got busy. Although, now that I’ve seen the following preview video of So You Think You Can Dance Season 10, I’m really looking forward to the 2013 edition of SYTYCD. The SYTYCD premiere is scheduled for May 14th, 2013.

Also, in case you missed it, Nigel sent out this tweet about possibly bringing back the SYTYCD results shows:

#SYTYCD season 10 two-night premiere on May 14 (8pm) May 15 (9pm) I’m still trying to talk @fox into a results show this Season.

— Nigel Lythgoe (@dizzyfeet) April 19, 2013

Who’s ready for SYTYCD?

Lauren Gottlieb, Mike Vargas and Lauren Valentine Teach Dance Moves

A Chance to Dance put out some really great YouTube videos of amazing dancers doing some great dance moves. Plus, they slow down the video and highlight the keys to doing the dance move the right way. You’re going to really enjoy these videos if you love dance. Plus, I love the first one because I adore Lauren Gottlieb.

Enjoy!

Pivot En Dehor, by Lauren Gottlieb

The Cheat Gainer, by Mike Vargas

The Leap, by Lauren Valentine

Check out the full season of Chance to Dance streamed online in case you missed it.

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October 11, 2012 I Written By John

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

Filed Under: Chance to Dance Entertainment Ovation TV Reality TV TV

Tags:A Chance to Dance A Chance to Dance 2012 Billy Trevitt Chance to Dance Chance to Dance 2012 Michael Nunn Milyoni Nigel Lythgoe Ovation Ovation TV

The Grand Finale and Shocking Ending to A Chance to Dance

Well, the finale is finally here. That didn’t take long, did it? There’s been a few teasers that something “shocking” will happen, so I was excited/nervous to see what that was. I was thinking some of the dancers weren’t going to be able to dance in the gala (that would have been terrible). Luckily, that wasn’t it.

Overall, I thought the gala performance was beautiful. It was such an interesting combination of different dance styles, and all of the dancers really blended together well. Here is the full performance from tonight’s episode:

I was happy to see that Eldon was doing better from last week’s episode. His fate seemed up in the air, but he definitely did a great job.Here is one of his greatest moments:

And here is another one of my favorite clips from last night. This is David’s solo from the night, and I thought it was incredible.

Overall, this has been a great journey. Can you believe they put together this performance in just a month? I sure can’t. When I was in high school, I was in a show choir, and it took us a month to learn simple steps (then again…we definitely weren’t professional dancers — I’d never really danced until I was in it!) I felt so bad for Tanisha though, but she held it together so well. Not a lot of people would have been able to keep their emotions in, and pull it off some graciously.

I loved seeing everyone in the dressing room, the energy in there was so high. I’m sure they were all going on adrenaline. It was obvious that all of the dancers had grown close throughout this whole experience.

So the big shocker was revealed toward the end of the episode. Only eight of the twelve dancers would be in the opening act for the SYTYCD tour. I’m still trying to figure out why that is. You could see the hearts breaking of the dancers — both those that stayed and those that got let go. I think Laura’s was the saddest to watch. She looked so sad, and understandably so.

In the end, the ones that wouldn’t be going on the tour were Laura, Michelle, Jen, and Courtney.

This will be one of the last posts on a Chance to Dance I’ll be doing, and I have to say, I’m a little bit sad. I’ve grown attached to these dancers, and have looked forward to watching the show. I think this stroke of genius from Nigel Lythgoe has changed the lives for everyone that was on the show, whether or not they made it to the gala. Here are some final thoughts from the Ballet Boyz:

Boot Camp at Jacob’s Pillows Brings Out the Best (And Worst) in the Dancers

The recruiting is over. And boot camp has begun.

From Salt Lake, there were 13 dancers. Five from Washington D.C., and six from Austin, Texas.

Obviously, us viewers knew that the company was only going to have 12 dancers, but I wasn’t sure if the 24 dancers that were flown to New York knew that. But at least they all were given a fair shot at making that top 12.

To me, this has been the best episode so far. I’m not a huge fan of the audition stage of any show. I like when it starts getting to the nitty gritty, and we can get to know the people.

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t know a ton about dancing, but it was obviously a big deal when they arrived at Jacob’s Pillow. Even if someone didn’t make it to the final company, it seems like this opportunity would have made it worth the trip out to New York.

It made me laugh when one of the girls on the bus said they were hoping this whole experience would be “drama free.” Yeah right. Especially with the number of girls that are present — drama is inevietable. I have been surprised by the lack so far, but I’m guessing as it gets down to crunch time right before the gala, the fangs will come out. We can always hope their won’t be drama, but I’m seriously doubting it. The editing of a show tends to bring drama in anyways — isn’t that why a lot of people watch shows like this?

Anyways, I think my favorite part of this episode was the word exercise. I feel like it really gave all of the dancers an opportunity to put their best foot forward and show off their individual strengths as they created a dance that expressed a word they felt described them best. I absolutely LOVED Laura’s, and Shepherd’s was pretty cool as well. I was disappointed in Chase O’s though — he obviously has a lot of talent, but I felt like he fell short in this exercise.

They sure did focus on Shepherd a lot, didn’t they? He’s the dancer that has been most recognizable thus far. Are they focusing on him because he’s probably the least trained — classically, at least? Or because it’s obvious he is working hard? I’m going to be surprised if he ends up being cut in the end, because of all the air time he’s been given. Even though he’s probably not the most polished dancer, he’s actually probably one of my favorites. Because I do think he is very grateful for the opportunity to be there, and is willing to go outside his comfort zone to get there. This is one of my favorite clips that focused on him in the show:

It was a nice touch to include the BBQ that was put on by Billy and Michael. If anything, it showed some more insight into the dancers, and even Billy’s and Michael’s, personalities. I enjoyed watching it — a bit of comedic relief.

So obviously, at the end, the dancers got the news that six of them were going to be sent him the next day. Laura acted as if this was shocking news, but I kind of wonder why. I mean, they knew by this point that only 12 would make to the final performance, right? And seeing as there was only about 17 days left, cuts were bound to be made relatively quickly. It will definitely be interesting to see who goes through. I’m not sure how they are going to go about it — only select the most polished, precise dancers, or perhaps bring through some of the ones with less experience, such as Shepherd. This next video makes me wonder even more about him — sounds like he is on the brink of elimination.

We shall see. This show is starting to get really good, I can hardly wait to see next week’s episode, especially after watching the preview:

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September 1, 2012 I Written By Katie

Filed Under: Chance to Dance Contest Dizzy Feet Foundation Entertainment Ovation TV Personal Musings Reality TV TV TV News Videos

Tags:A Chance to Dance Billy Trevitt Dizzy Feet Foundation Jacob's Pillow Michael Nunn Nigel Lythgoe Ovation TV

A Chance to Dance – Nigel (Charlie) Talks About Hip Hop Dancers

I was checking out some of the chance to dance videos and found one where Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt discuss the skills hip-hop dancers with Nigel. Nigel offers some interesting comments about his experience with Hip Hop dancers on SYTYCD.

I also found this short clip from A Chance to Dance which still makes me laugh. I’m sure that Nigel loves to be called Charlie.

A Chance to Dance also put out a couple videos that I think dancers will enjoy. The videos feature ballerina Marine de Vachone and look at the life of a dancer off stage. Enjoy!

The dancing was great on So You Think You Can Dance tonight, but I must admit that I’ve really been enjoying A Chance to Dance. I love seeing more of the dynamic between the choreographer and the dancers. SYTYCD doesn’t have time to show the process and A Chance to Dance has been able to show that part of the process more.

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August 29, 2012 I Written By John

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

Filed Under: Chance to Dance Entertainment Reality TV So You Think You Can Dance So You Think You Can Dance Alumni TV

Tags:A Chance to Dance A Chance to Dance 2012 A Chance to Dance Videos Billy Trevitt Chance to Dance Chance to Dance 2012 Marine de Vachone Michael Nunn Nigel Lythgoe Ovation Ovation TV

Podcast: SYTYCD Season 9 – Top 10 Week

Listen to the podcasts

Episode 52 direct download

Subscribe to podcast on iTunes

Time Stamps
0:00 – Introduction
1:27 – General thoughts about the bottom 4 and voting
4:12 – Bottom 2 Girls routines: Audrey & Witney
7:35 – Bottom 2 Guys routines: George & Chehon
10:57 – Other routines: Tiffany, Cole, Lindsay, Will, Cyrus, and Eliana
22:45 – Wrap-up

Episode Length: 23:42

As we move into the final set of live shows, the voting for this season continues to confuse us as Witney once again ended up in the bottom 2 girls. In particular, we’re unable to understand why she is not connecting with the audience (we think she’s fantastic!), but Tiffany, who’s been off the radar for us and seems to be an easy choice to send home, continues to avoid the bottom. We discuss the possible reasons for this, as well as what may have caused Audrey, George, and Chehon to also land in the bottom 4. Beyond the eliminations, we were extremely excited to see the return of all-star Jakob Karr, our favorite dancer to ever be on the show. We also discuss Cyrus and the way choreographers have been handling him this season, which brings up the question we asked at the end of season 8: should the show aim to choreograph/judge the dancers according to a universal standard, or should each dancer be considered individually according to his/her skill level? We should also mention that we loved the Eliana/Alex routine by Stacey Tookey, which demonstrated that with a proper partner Eliana is capable of amazing things!

Let us know what you think after listening to the podcast! You can leave us a comment here or on our blog, Reflections on Pop Entertainment. You can also follow us on Twitter and tweet with us. You can also visit our Facebook page, like us, and leave a comment there! We love feedback and will respond either with a comment or in our next published show.

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I Written By James G

Over the past few years my fiancée Meghan slowly brought me into the world of television, turning me into a full-fledged fan of both scripted and reality shows. So You Think You Can Dance turned into one of my favorite reality shows as it is a competition that takes itself seriously, providing the audience with artistic choreography and talented dancers. It's certainly not something I ever expected to get emotionally invested in, but here I am! Meghan and I are very analytic when it comes to the things we enjoy. We constantly discussed and analyzed shows with each other and after doing this for a couple years, we decided that we should turn these discussions into a podcast. We created Reflections on Pop Entertainment, a podcast that provides commentary and analysis of popular entertainment as found in visual mediums, particularly television and film. So You Think You Can Dance Season 8 is the first television series we're covering with weekly podcasts and has allowed us to find our voice as well as actively contribute to the fan community. We hope that you'll enjoy our installments as they are posted to Pure So You Think You Can Dance!

Filed Under: Entertainment FOX So You Think You Can Dance Podcasts So You Think You Can Dance Season 9

A Chance to Dance Episode 2 Pictures

As you know, we’ve been covering A Chance to Dance as well as So You Think You Can Dance lately. I’ve really enjoyed watching A Chance to Dance. It’s a great look at the dance world. Plus, I purchased the Chance to Dance online stream and commercial free watching of the show is great.

I got a bunch of pictures from behind the scenes of A Chance to Dance episode 2. It’s amazing to see how flexible the dancers are. Plus, I love the pictures where the dancers are stretching and warming up. It’s cool to see that snapshot in time. Enjoy!