"So You Think You Can Dance" has been airing for 10 years now. With each year, the dancers got better, the competition got harder, and the choreography became more difficult. Typically, 20 dancers are selected from thousands of hopefuls to vie for the title of "America's Favorite Dancer." The Top 20 features dancers from all different backgrounds and styles including ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, ballroom, and hip-hop. Each week, two dancers are eliminated based on America's votes and the judges' input/opinion.
This year, the format of "SYTYCD" changed -- this is practically old news now. Instead of selecting 20 dancers from a random variety of styles, the producers chose to reformat the show to pit "stage" dancers (ballet, jazz, contemporary, ballroom, and tap) against the "street" dancers (hip-hop styles such as animation, breaking, krumping, whacking, popping, locking, etc.). I had mixed feelings from the moment I found out that this was going to be the new format for this past season. The reason I chose not to write about it right away is because I wanted to give it a fair chance. Now that the season is over, I can finally write an educated article on my feelings toward it.
Photo via Fox
I can see why the producers thought this was a good idea. For one thing, hip-hop dancers have definitely been under-represented in past seasons. The show's audition process can be to blame for that. A good number of the hip-hop dancers have never set foot in a studio or have had to work with jazz, contemporary, or ballroom choreography. Studio dancers, on the other hand, are more likely to have studied all styles, including hip-hop, so they do better during the auditions and make it through to the Top 20.
The other reason that producers may have changed up the format for this season is because it was the 10th year that "SYTYCD" has aired. Perhaps they wanted to try something new and see how the audience reacts to it. From the people that I have talked to, nobody has been a fan of this season. At all. In fact, they lost almost 1 million viewers this season compared to the last few episodes of last season.
I watched every episode from start to finish. I did not skip through any of the dances, and I listened to all of the feedback the judges gave. To me, it seemed that the judges were really leaning towards Team Street simply because they could have been seen as the "underdogs." While that is fine, I don't think it should have had any part in their critiques. Everyone on the show should have an equal playing field when it comes to critiques and feedback. A lot of people also had an issue with the new judging panel, but that's a discussion for another time. One of the mentors and past "SYTYCD" contestant, Travis Wall, discussed this in his weekly blog.
Photo via ET Online
My other problem with this format is that comparing street and stage dancers is like comparing apples and oranges. They are in the same family, but they are cousins. They are both genres of dance, but the technique needed for both are very much different.
Yes, I do recognize that the winners of past seasons have been overwhelmingly "stage" dancers. Out of the 14 winners (some seasons had two winners), six were contemporary dancers, two were ballet dancers, one was a ballroom dancer, one was a tap dancer, and one was a jazz dancer. That leaves the low ratio of three hip-hop to 11 stage dancers. Why is this?
I will again come back to my claim that the format for auditions does not allow the average hip-hop/street dancer to make it through the choreography round; therefore, there are less hip-hop dancers that make it through to the Top 20. In future seasons, I would perhaps suggest the same auditioning process as this past season, but take away the "Stage vs. Street" label. It just creates a divide between the dance world that does not need to be there. The way that dance is portrayed on television these days is not positive ("Dance Moms" and "Bring It!" -cough cough-), and this format contributed to the negativity.
I hope next season that more hip-hop dancers will be able to make it through to the Top 20, because I genuinely enjoy watching them perform. Some of the things they can do amazes me beyond belief. With an equal playing field and more diversity, maybe then "SYTYCD" can win its viewers back...along with a new judging panel. But again, that's a discussion for another time.
