So You Think You Can Dance (2005– )

Please understand that this isn't easy for me, to bash a show I grew up with. I had been an avid fan since season one. It planted inside me the desire to dance and inspired me to keep dancing. I still remember the Marty Kudelka "Touch" chore that opened the first show on stage; the gritty, crisp yet slick movements. It's real hip-hop at its most original(unlike the sappy gimmicky NappyTab chores that can't stand alone without their "stories"). I remember truly amazing dancers like season 1's Blake Mcgrath, season 5's Brandon, and season 7's Billy Bell, remember watching them danced with such precision and passion, it was like witnessing miracles at work.

As much as Nigel hates to admit it( as he insists each season is their "best season yet"), the show is on its last breath pulling all the strings in attempt regain its old glory that has long gone. Even their celebrity appearance like Lady Gaga and Ellen DeGeneres can't save them from their doom.(quite the opposite, these guests contribute next to nothing to the critique of the dances. Jumped the shark much?)

So what went wrong?

First and foremost, the dance itself. THE SHOW IS NO LONGER ABOUT DANCE. What fills the empty space that dance once did is drama. I get very annoyed after watching a half an hour audition episode, over one hour of which shows horrendous supposedly hilarious performances by those who only want their 15 minutes on TV, tearjerkers and people that relate to the past contestants on the show for a novelty boost. The 30 minutes or less that do show good dancers are filled with stale contemporary routines we have seen again and again the past seasons, watered down unoriginal "hip-hop" such as the animation robot, break dancing that hardly evolved the past 5 years...I was quite upset when the judge put through a female dancer this season, 2/3 of whose chore was taken straight from season 8's Jordan's solo on the show. If the judges didn't care enough about their own show to recognize the blatantly obvious plagiarism, why should we?

Second, most dancers(who are 18 and trying out the show for the first time) in the newer seasons are no where near as talented and technically polished as the ones before. They are clearly not ready yet. Then why are they chosen? To gain more popularity amongst young people. The judges always stress on having personalities so the dancers could attract more viewers with their cutesy antics instead of their actual dancing talent.

Third, the choreographies are lacking freshness. And every time a chore touches on a sensitive issue like breast cancer or the lost of someone's family, it gets standing ovation by default, followed by the waterworks of the judges, the dancers and the audience(Boy the waterworks...), despite how good the actual chore is. I'm not a unsympathetic and callous person but a dance should be judged not on solely the message it brings lone, but on the actually movements too. And why does all the dances have to have a back story now?

Last but not least, Nigel's eager attempt to manipulate the viewers as well as the entire show. You may disagree, but his hypocrisy shone through when he rejected Anthony Bryant, who was and still is one of the most refined and skilled dancers I have ever seen my entire life, in season one's NY audition because Nigel thought his dance was too feminine. At the finale Nigel invited Anthony back to dance for them again and apologized by waving a white flag. The next few seasons Anthony auditioned again and were rejected. I guess Nigel figured they milked everything they could out of him and no longer needed him. Nigel is like a soul sucking vampire, after sucking the dancers dry he tosses them away.

Please put an end to this show before it all ends in tears.