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So You Think You Can Dance Canada had Vancouver auditions last weekend and although I couldn’t make it out, Blake McGrath, contestent from SYTYCD Season 1, was there as a judge along with Luther Brown and Mary Murphy. Blake also ran Blake Bootcamp for those who auditioned and were not given a ticket or a refusal right away.

He tweeted all about his adventures including photos.

Here Blake McGrath, Mary Murphy and Luther Brown go out for dinner.

He even posed with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Mascots.

I love that between SYTYCD and SYTYCD Canada I am almost getting SYTYCD year-round…. SCORE!

Feel free to pop by this websites sister-site PURE So You Think You Can Dance Canada anytime for news and photos on Canada’s SYTYCD.

I know many people can’t watch SYTYCD Canada because they do not get CTV but we do try to post videos as often as possible on the site and as Season 3 auditions continue, you can expect lot’s of great stuff.

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, but it’s become even more interesting now that so many wonderful dancers just got kicked off So You Think You Can Dance. No doubt a ton of really really great dancers got sent home. So, it begs the question of whether people should be allowed to audition for So You Think You Can Dance multiple times.

To round out the discussion, you have to remember that rules about auditioning multiple times would apply to crappy dancers like “Sex” and Leo as much as great dancers like Natalie Reid and Paula Van Oppen. On the one hand, I like the storylines of people trying over and over again and finally achieving their dream. I loved when Twitch game back and finally made it. However, I’d be happy to never see Sex on the show again.

It’s funny, because after Leo and Sex battled it out on SYTYCD, I found Leo’s twitter account and sent him a couple messages and he replied. I asked him if he was going to audition again. He said he might, but he’d have to travel to LA to do it. I told him he had to audition again, he needed to pull out a few more spins. He then told me that he could do even more spins on roller blades. I of course then suggested that he take his rollerblades to the next audition. Can you imagine?

Anyway, I guess I have some mixed feelings about multiple auditions. On the one hand I like to see someone living their dream. On the other, I like to see fresh faces and to see new talent on the show. At the end of the day, the dancing and choreography is so amazing I’m not sure all the rest really matters all that much. Although, it’s a good topic for discussion in between episodes.

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.

FOX has announced that So You Think You Can Dance 5 will premiere on May 21. Fox’s top summer series will premiere its fifth season of So You Think You Can Dance on a Thursday. The premiere will run for two hours and will be followed by another two-hour episode on Wednesday, May 27.

I’m sad to say that Mary Murphy is back as a judge. Nigel will be back as a judge as well which is just fine with me. Of course, we are all happy that Cat Deeley will be back to host the show.

Auditions for the show are still going on with dates in Denver (March 12), Memphis, Tenn. (March 16) and Seattle (March 28). Check out my recent post for more details on the So You Think You Can Dance auditions. It has dates, times, locations and other details you’ll need to know to audition for So You Think You Can Dance.

May still feels like a long way away, but I’m glad that we’re at least close enough to know a date for the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance 2009. Anyone else excited for SYTYCD 5?

I recently received the following message that was addressed. Since, I’m not Nigel and I don’t have any relationship with the show (this is just a SYTYCD fan site) I decided that I’d post the message here so that hopefully Nigel will stop on by and read this message.

Dear Nigel,
I’m writing b/c I auditioned for SYTYCD in NY, and I was terribly offended by the judges. I made it through the 2-3 preliminary auditions with flying colors b/c I came with something different than what they had seen all day.

I was dressed in African garb and West African dance is my forte. The audition I did for you showed my versatility choreographed with African, hip-hop and contemporary movement. You & the other judges commented on my face, not smiling enough like South African dance, (which is different from West African being the dances that made it through the Middle Passage and among the African Diaspora, including So. America), then you commented on my beautiful long arms, and the hip-hop couple judges admitted they contradicted themselves when they said they wanted something original & versatile but then commented on my outfit and said because of it I should;ve stuck with just African.

The worse part was that by the time you guys see it, the only people who get denied are the people who really can’t dance; anyone showing even a little potential get at least sent to choreography. You just sent me away like I couldn’t dance at all, and I am a trained dancer; I should’ve at least had the opportunity to show I knew other styles as well, like my audition demonstrated.

The truth is SYTYCD is not ready for African dance, none of the judges that day could critique it, the show does not have African choreographers so my forte would get danced by everyone, in spite of the fact that hip-hop, krump, and many of the Latin dancers come from African dance, and sometimes African movement is choroegraphed in the dances done.

I wouldn’t have felt so bad if you just admitted that, instead of making it seem like I couldn’t dance at all. I know my audition will not be shown on the show because SYTYCD is not ready to introduce African dance, and you should’ve just said that.

Maybe one day you’ll get African choreographers and make it a part of the show, (like you did Bolliwood) and when you do, remember me, [REMOVED],( like [REMOVED], my favorite choreographer), I’ll be back, and I’m sure a lot of other fabulous dancers who can take dance from its roots to all the others dances originated from it.

Looove the show & I’ll keep watching!

[Name Removed] Bronx, N.Y.

Let me know what you think about this So You Think You Can Dance audition experience in the comments.

UPDATE: Here’s a link to all the latest So You Think You Can Dance music.

I’ve been checking the So You Think You Can Dance site on Fox so I could let you know when the So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 auditions would be announced. Today I found that they’ve announced 5 cities for Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance Auditions. It covers the entire country from Miami in the east to Seattle in the west.

Here are the details from the announcement:

NEW CITIES ADDED TO FOX’S HIT DANCE SHOW OPEN CASTING CALL! FROM MIAMI TO SEATTLE, WE’RE SEARCHING FOR AMERICA’S FAVORITE DANCER!
We are looking for fabulous dancers and great performers! All Styles! All Dancers!

Dress to impress……..Stand out from the crowd……..and show us what you’ve got!

The following are the date, cities and venue information. Bring yourself to the following locations on the audition dates listed below and be prepared to stay for an extra two days for potential call backs.

Miami Auditions
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
Peacock Foundation, Inc. Education Center
(located in the Knight Concert Hall)
1300 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, Florida 33132
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2009
DOORS OPEN AT 8:00 A.M.

Los Angeles Auditions
The Orpheum Theatre
842 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2009
DOORS OPEN AT 8:00 A.M.

Denver Auditions
Paramount Theatre*
1622 Glenarm Place
Denver, Co 80202
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2009
DOORS OPEN AT 8:00 A.M.

Memphis Auditions
The Orpheum Theatre*
203 South Main Street
Memphis, TN 38103
MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2009
DOORS OPEN AT 8:00 A.M.

Seattle Auditions
The Paramount Theatre*
911 Pine St.
Seattle, Wa 98101
SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2009
DOORS OPEN AT 8:00 A.M.

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

- * Venue information may change – please come back to FOX.com/dance for the most up to date information
- Your audition music must be on CD format only.
- All songs must be songs that are commercially available via retail channels and cannot be a re-mix of a song, a song downloaded from the internet or websites, or a contestant created mix (i.e. a mix of several songs.) None of the selected songs shall contain sexually explicit or overly violent lyrics.
- You must be prepared to dance to another song from a list provided at the audition.
- The lines for the audition will be long, so please bring food and water.
- Contestants must be either a US citizen, legal permanent resident of the US, possess a current validly issued “Employment Authorization Card,” enabling him/her to seek employment freely (i.e., without restrictions as to employer) in the US, or in the process of obtaining such status that will enable the contestant to accept unrestricted employment in the United States on or before the first day of Las Vegas Call Backs currently scheduled to begin on or about April 1, 2009.
- Contestants must be no younger than 18 or older than 30 years of age on the first day they register for auditions. Any contestant who is a minor in their state of residence must also have a parent or legal guardian sign.