And...we're back! So You Think You Can Dance auditions

I can't believe I forgot to watch the premieres of my once-favorite show, SYTYCD. This audition is promising. No matter how much they muck around with the show, no matter how cheesy the introductions (kids, moms, sob stories) the dancers will always win me over. They showed at least three guys with really solid ballet training, but we have yet to see the ballroom competitors. B-Boy Mighty Mouse is another contender.

Some SYTYCD season 8 favorites

from the last performance episode of So You Think You Can Dance (season 8), my favorite dancer from this year, Sasha, with my favorite dancer of the show, Mark.
Choreography: Sonyah Tayeh
Dancers: Mark Kanemura and Sasha
Music: Deadmaus, "Raise Your Weapon"

Here's Sasha dancing with Twitch to a classic song, "Misty Blue"--gives me goosebumps! Choreography by LXD's Christopher Scott.

I also liked Travis Wall's "vulture stalks boy" piece for Tadd and Jordan. Tadd may be primarily a b-boy, but he brings incredible charisma and musicality to his dances, and this was a  number that got him to the finale.

Not as technically challenging, but there are only so many angry angtsy dances one can take. This was Broadway Jazz fun, with Melanie and Tadd. She probably will win tonight, but you never know!

Finally, I also liked Melanie and Sasha together in a Stacey Tookie piece that was billed as "Mad Men"-era frustrated housewives, but that I read as two women who don't realize they should run away together.

Bboy Legacy makes a film reflection on contemporary dance

via sytycdism, one of my favorite blogs, comes this wonderful piece created by Legacy. It gives me a lot to think about. After the challenges of learning contemprary dance styles on the show, working with dancers and choreographers, in a milieu that identifies so-called contemporary dance with "dance" and his kind of dance with "tricks", this is a fascinating statement.

What's it all about, Foxtrot?

(crossposted at SYTYCD Social)
In week 1's competition, the charismatic Russell was rather unjustly placed in the bottom 3 and forced to "dance for his life" on the show after performing a foxtrot with choreographer/pro dancer Melanie LePatin due to Noelle's injury. I thought he did a good job and that another dancer should have been sent to the B3, BUT in exchange, we did get to see Russell perform his fantastic solo. So for Top 14, he and Noelle were asked to do the foxtrot together that they couldn't do because of her injury. I thought they did quite a good job for non-ballroom dancers.



But what are the judges looking for in a foxtrot? Why is it, as Adam said, the second most dreaded dance after quickstep?

Here's what a foxtrot looked like in the '20s with some vintage footage.

Ramp up the energy and break out of the closed hold, and you'll get the later popular dances like the Charleston, the Balboa, and all the variants of swing dancing, and a very fast foxtrot became the quickstep!). The foxtrot was a hit popular dance that burst on the scene at the beginning of the 20th century, (probably when vaudeville met higher class showdance by pros like Vernon and Irene Castle) People danced the foxtrot to American popular music-ragtime, and later swing. They played the songs on the cutting edge technology of the "talking machines" --Gramaphones or Victrolas.

Dance studios such as the Arthur Murray or Fred Astaire franchises codifed the steps to teach these popular dances to the public. With the emergence of competitive dance ballroom dance, the social dances were morphed into versions that aren't casual and spontaneous, but emphasize skill, technique, recognizable steps and patterns, and are aimed at an audience rather than at the couple's pleasure. You can still learn to dance the foxtrot as a social dance at dance studios, and if you are bitten by the bug, you can go on to learn the competitive styles, which require years of practice to dance well.

The novice starts off with these basic steps done to the "slow slow quick quick" pattern that introduces a gentle jazzy syncopation into music with 4/4 time. (Click to see quick basic lesson in basic steps at the beginning/social"Bronze level"). It's a great social dance because it's adaptable to any mid-tempo 4/4 music--country, big band, pop-- and you can talk to your partner while moving around the floor because you don't have to get out of breath!

There are two main types of competitive ballroom dance (aka International Dancesport): American and International. What we see on DWTS or SYTYCD is choreography derived from one or both of these competition styles of foxtrot, but the shows do not hold the choreographers or the dancers to the competition rules. To hide the lack of technical expertise on the part of the newbies, ballroom choreographers will throw in all kinds of flashy moves and tricks, exciting lifts, spins, and elements that would not normally allowed in the "strictly ballroom" world. Where the lack of technique shows is in the basics. You can't fake it if you don't know how to do it right. What makes a foxtrot box step different from a rumba box step or a waltz box step? The character of the dance is just as important as the steps. I thought Russell gave a sense of the character of the foxtrot in his performance even if some of his technical elements were rough.

If social foxtrot is kind of like walking around to music, doing DanceSport style foxtrot means you must at once take long and powerful, driving steps and glide across the floor. Your feet are barely raised off off the floor (no hopping!) and your topline--your torso, chest, shoulders, arms, neck, head, must look effortlessly relaxed. In competition you are moving fast, but you can't crash into the other dancers.

Here's a nice example of a show dance foxtrot in which a dance teacher and amateur perform a choreographed routine at a studio where I've danced: he's probably 18 now, but I danced with him when he was 15 and still taking lessons. Such a wonderful dance partner! Here you can see how the foxtrot can be jazzy, sexy, fun, without having a bunch of showy lifts; we can just enjoy the character of the dance itself.


When the pros compete at the championship level, they can display their flexibility, athleticism, precision, and technique (while wearing the flashy stuff they need to get the judges attention on the crowded dance floor). Here's an American Smooth version:


The International Standard foxtrot or "slowfox" is always danced in closed hold in competition and has a somewhat different timing (hellishly difficult to do well). The commentary tells you what the judges are looking for as they evaluate the couples. To the untrained eye, the differences are invisible, but as with any sport or dance, the trained observer can tell the difference between good and great.

If you watch Russell and Noelle's foxtrot from last night, I hope you'll notice that they were doing a very good job of trying to balance the control you need to look effortless when dancing so slowly (all about control, posture and technique, folks) with the flowing, easy-breezy character of the dance. No, they don't look like the pros, but for two non-ballroom dancers? Wow. Great job. But will it save them from the B3? We'll find out tonight.

My favorite performances on SYTYCD so far

week 1: Dave Scott hip hop choreo performed by Jonathan "Legacy" Perez and Kathryn McCormick:



week 2: A Stacey Tookey contemporary routine:



week 3: And a Broadway routine by Andy Blankenbuehler (choreographer of In the Heights)

videos generously shared by rickey.org
Second favorite dancer is Jakob Karr. He'll get his own post.

Fantasy SYTYCD S6 entry

My entry for Fantasy SYTYCD S6, in the order I think they will finish (or that I want them to finish, not necessarily the same!). Last year, I actually did pretty well in the predictions, which surprised me.

Women
1. Kathryn
2. Ellenore
3. Mollee
4. Karen
5. Ashleigh
6. Pauline
7. Noelle
8. Channing


Men
1. Legacy
2. Jakob
3. Russell
4. Nathan
5. Ryan
6. Kevin
7. Peter
8. Victor

Top 4
1.Legacy
2.Ellenore
3.Jakob
4.Kathryn

Tonight's drinking game? take a shot every time you hear "best group ever"

(cross-posted at SYTYCD Social)
Hi, folks! I am doing my SYTYCD homework for tonight's "get to know your top 20" episode. I'm very glad the producers decided to give us this special show so we don't start seeing the dancers get eliminated until we have clapped eyes on all of them and seen them dance at least once! I'm not even bothered by the idea that the judges will do the first eliminations, because (repeat after me) this is a scripted reality show in which we are being told stories and led to believe things that are not necessarily true! I'm willing to kick back and gossip for a few weeks before I start voting.

So, I have dutifully watched all the audition episodes, even though I missed the accelerated rhythm of the summer-style audition frenzy. One benefit, to my mind, in starting the show this late in the fall season is that I got to enjoy America's Best Dance Crew and SYTYCD Canada before the S6's actual competition gets underway: fewer distractions.

Let's hear it for the show where dancers do their own choreography: I love how ABDC showcases the crews' responses to challenges. We Are Heroes and Vogue Evolution were my favorite crews. This season, DWTS is not even in the picture for me as a dance show, no matter how great my love of ballroom dancing is, because I feel about Donny Osmond just about the way I feel about Toom DeLay: both of them trigger the gag reflex. Cannot. Watch.

So, here's how I have prepared for tonight:

• Watched all the audition episodes and read all the recaps hither and yon? check!
  

• Watched the interviews with the Top 20? check! who do you think has the most annoying verbal tics? who is unexpectedly intelligent or charming? what is that "star quality" that the judges are casting for which means that some more proficient dancers didn't make the cut?
  

• Compared STYCYD Canada to U.S. version? check! Tara Jean was not my first choice, but any of the top four dancers was worthy of winning in my eyes, and I really enjoyed seeing different choreographers. Cat Deeley is still the hostess with the mostest for me!

• Mourned the departure of Mia Michaels from the show? check. Count me as one of the people who thinks this a huge loss, although not fatal. the show will go on, but I will really really miss Mia's contributions as a judge, a choreographer, and as an inspiration to the dancers themselves.
  

• updated my Twitter feed to make sure I get every gossipy tidbit from past and present contestants, judges, and choreographers, fans and bloggers? check! I'll be watching the live-blogging, tweeting, and the show at the same time.

SYTYCD S6 is going to be hot!

10-Dance World Champion Iveta Lukosiute

Krumper Russell Ferguson

They two of them dancing together in the Vegas round:

SYTYCD season 5 Top 10 on Ellen

Ellen DeGeneres invited the SYTYCD Top 10 dancers to the premiere of her show. Watch Ellen dance with them! There's someone who loves her job!

I'm away from my digital desk

AAAAH! I am struck by irrational exuberance! Because I have finished grading papers and I'm leaving town for a few weeks, off the grid. No phone, no laptop, only intermittent access to email. I'm going to power down.
So I leave you with these links to playlists of great group danceshere, and hip-hop hits , and ballroom highlights. Here are some contemporary routines and assorted other fun things as well.
All bow down before MightyGodKing!

I won't be able to watch my favorite show, live, for a few weeks. I'll have to make do with the recaps, gossip and spoilers posted by my viewing buddies.

Back in August, ciao!

SYTYCD 5: top ten dance

Jason and Jeanine dance to Travis Wall choreography.

So You Think You Can Grandstand?

I've been glued to the "Sotoshow" or the third day of the Sotomayor confirmation hearings. How I wish we could judge the Senators for their performance the way we judge the dancers on our favorite reality show! Some of these "Bitter Old White Guys" don't get it (or just don't care) that they are showing their true colors in front of the nation.

Here, I'm recycling one of my very favorite SYTYCD remixes, in which the judges and fans watch the performances of Obama and McCain in the presidential debate. It's all footage from last season's show, but used to great effect. How I wish there were a similar remix for the Senate hearings of the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court: but of the Senators, not her!



It's disgusting but fascinating, the way all those angry white men are trying to prove that the Puerto Rican woman who worked her way out of the projects to the top of her class, the top of her profession, is a RACIST! who is keeping the white man down! Because we all know that white men are the most oppressed! And that Latina women have their boots on the throats of DA WHITEMAN! Poor white men, they have no power and status in our world today.

Last night, I issued a plea, via Twitter, that the Senators end this asshattery, with this song:
"Dear Senators Graham, Kyl, and Sessions, this song is for you. #sotomayor ("Please Stop the Asshattery" by Josh Millard, from MeFi)

Zoning out on the couch, yes I am!

Churning through stuff at work in a very satisfactory way, but now I'm zonked, eating leftovers and zoning out on the couch. Zoning out is good for you, yes it is! (OMG, Mary Murphy has infected me with her verbal tics!)

This was the most exciting week of So You Think You Can Dance this season, with three or four performances that were among the best ever (Mia's piece for Kayla and Kupono, Brandon and Janette's Argentine Tango AND their number for Wade) and a solo by Ade that tore the roof off. Wade Robson made this wonderful piece for Brandon and Janette, to Roisin Murphy's song "Ruby Blue." "You are two thieves" he told them, and they ran with it.

@ Yahoo! Video

Several of us had fun trying to guess which 80s song Mandy Moore would use in her choreography, because she almost always uses 80s music. We didn't guess right, but one of the bands that got mentioned was Adam and the Ants. Wow, that brought back some memories!



Adam and the Ants "Stand and Deliver" sure as heck must have been one of the inspirations for Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow!

Another song that came us was New Order's "True Faith" and it turns out that the video (1987) is wild!

Ritmo de pasodoble

Last week, Jean-Marc Genereaux, that savvy showman, choreographed a paso doble for Jason and Caitlin that was... a hot mess. Sorry, but I hated it. The costumes have been compared elsewhere to Disney's Aladdin (or I Dream of Genie meets Princess Leia) while the music (the same overblown music from Carmina Burana that Brandon used for his audition) was a crime against the paso doble because it simply was not the right rhythm. The poor dancers were told that they were supposed to hate each other and were given a lot of stomping and flailing to do, but whatever tenuous grasp of the character of the dance the non-ballroom public might have picked up over the last few years of watching SYTYCD (or even DWTS) was stamped out. I got so annoyed I couldn't enjoy a thing about it, even how ridiculous it was. I don't expect dance purity from SYTYCD, or even an attempt to educate us about the origins of various dances. But if they weren't going to even gesture toward the Spanish popular origins of the pasodoble at least they could respect more stylized conventions the ballroom paso! The dancers can't be faulted for their performance; Jean-Marc is a generally a crowd pleaser, but in this case I think he went too far trying to sell a spectacle to a non-ballroom audience instead helping his dancers understand something about the character of the dance that would make their posture, arm gestures, head position, promenades, poses convey something about the paso doble and look like something better than a kind of pompous hustle. I think that's why they ended up in the bottom 3 last week.

So, to rinse out my brain, I went looking for some REAL pasodoble, both Spanish and ballroom. Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, but enjoy dancing ballroom as an amateur, and I have spent a lot of time in Spain in the last fifteen years because my daughter's dad is Spanish. I thought I'd share some of my ideas about the paso doble, not as prescriptions for the show, but just to take us beyond what the show is able to show us about the dance.

Start with the rhythm. This 1902 composition "Suspiros de España" (presented on Spanish TV with reverence by opera tenor Plácido Domingo) is a Spanish example of the song genre called the pasodoble, Listen to the rhythm: this is the essence of the pasodoble whose very name tells us what is basic to this genre of music; translated as "two step" or "double step", the music that gives origin to the dance has the 1-2 1-2 rhythm of a quick march, but it's not a stomp stomp stomp.


The singer here, Rosa, doesn't camp it up like some of the copla singers of the past (Isabel Pantoja , Rocio Jurado are wonderful examples of great popular singers of the pasodoble) but gives it to us simply and from the heart. Spaniards are incredibly fond of this kind of song and see it as a part of their cultural heritage. This particular song is so iconic in Spain that it has been used in the soundtrack of two films about the Spanish Civil War to convey something about the conflict: in Soldados de Salamanca the song was reinterpreted in a slowed-down style that brings out the North African/gypsy elements of Spanish heritage, while in Ay! Carmela, Carmen Maura sings it when forced to perform for the Germans and Italians who were the allies of Franco. In both cases, the words and rhythm of this pasodoble are supposed to communicate something important about what it means to be Spanish, however complicated that might turn out to be.

The pasodoble is also a rhythm associated with the promenatde of the bullfighters, the entrance of toreros, because it's often played by brass bands (its probable origin in the 19th century is as a military march, later played by bands for popular entertaiment). This march was made internationally famous by Bizet in his opera Carmen, and even today famous pasodoble songs are performed on TV by some of the most iconic diva singers of Spanish pop culture. The social dance called the pasodoble (which, of course, looks almost nothing like they highly stylized and athletic dance of International Dancesport competitive ballroom dance) is danced socially in Spain (and in some other countries like Colombia) at events like weddings where families get together. I have dance the pasodoble at weddings in Spain--it's a hoot.

What is the "character of the dance?" In this clip from Carlos Saura's film of García Lorca's play Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), you can see the wedding band playing (and singing) a pasodoble as the wedding party poses for a photo, drinks a toast and begins the first dance. The bride (the splendid Cristina Hoyos) dances first with her groom, but then with the man she really loves (Antonio Gades, he of the wolfish eyes). The entire film tells the story using flamenco-based dance, but what I love about this scene is that is conveys the intensity that ballroom paso doble wants to convey, but using entirely Spanish cultural, musical and dance idioms.

The character of the dance is not just its basic rhythm, but also the posture, the gestures, the emotions: here the love that is a mix of lust and resentment, the danger of dancing with a former lover at your own wedding in front of everyone, the pride of both the man and the woman, is not just danced by the couple but by the entire group.

To convey the character of the dance, the choreography and performance of woman's part in the pasodoble should give us the FEELING of Lola Flores singing "Pena penita pena."

When ballroom instructors who don't know much about Spanish culture try to explain to students what the paso should look like they often fall back on the analogy of the bullfighter: the man is the bullfighter the woman is the cape (NOT the bull, please!) but what does that really mean? Here's an example of the movement of a bullfighter who is a master of the cape, the current idol of Spain's bullfight aficionados, Morantes de la Puebla (WARNING: don't watch this if you will feel sorry for the bull!). Look at his posture, the quality of his movements, the incredible stylization of this bloody ritual that survives in spite of the protests of those against animal cruelty because of its amazing artistry and danger.

This of the best ballroom paso doble as an extremely stylized set of moves, always set to a few basic Spanish paso doble songs. Although it no longer has much direct connection to its Spanish roots, it is almost always danced in competition to the pasodoble song "España Cani" (aka the "bullfight song") which preserve the musical rhythm of the popular genre, and attempts to capture some of the spirit of the Spanish attitude and movements that come from the bullfight, flamenco, and Spanish popular culturel. Here's a fairly straightforward example, danced as a showcase by international champions Michael Malitowski and Joanne Leunis:


Our SYTYCD dancers aren't going to be able to do this, but the judges need to have a talk with Jean-Marc.
crossposted at SYTYCD 5 Social

So You Think You Can Second-Guess the Judges?

Cross-posted at SYTYCD 5 Social.
Well the auditions are over, the Vegas bootcamp has whittled the dancers down from 178 to the Top 20, and next week, So You Think You Can Dance, Season 5, starts showing us the dancing.

These audition rounds serve a purpose: they get us to invest ourselves emotionally in the show, even when those dancers that thrill us have been cut or have had to leave too early. We have been suckered into rooting for people with talent and charisma who then leave in tears or anger, but there are also "stealth contestants" who have suddenly appeared in the top 20 even though we have hardly seen them at all. Mark Kanemura, one of my all-time favorites, was kept up the producers' sleeve until the competition began. Sabra was invisible in the auditions, but went on to win. So I enjoyed the glimpses of the dancer's life, but the hard reality is that most dancers audition and get cut, even the great ones. If you are not what they want for the show, the company, the piece, you will not be cast, no matter how nice you are, or even how talented you are. SYTYCD is a great way for us to fantasize about dance, but it also has a lot of lessons to teach about the dance world: it's harsh; it's not always fair; your body betrays you; your desire may be bigger than your talent; your talent may not be enough without charisma; your life timing may interfere with your opportunities; it's a gypsy life that makes having a family next to impossible; you have to be at once convinced you can do it and humble enough to learn.

In twitterville and bloglandia there is already controversy over the elimination of Natalie, the Meanness! of the MEAN judges! and about poor Alex Wong not getting to be on the show this time even though he is clearly such a brilliant dancer. Oh, and let's not forget about the brothers! Ryan or Evan? so heartbreaking! Why only one?

So what do I think of the top 20? I think we'll see what they're like starting next week. It's too soon to call a favorite or predict who is going to win, especially since we hardly saw half the dancers before last night. But that doesn't stop the fans from working themselves up into a lather over all kinds of things, all of which translate into good TV, good ratings, and lots of publicity for the show. Settle back and make some popcorn.
Here's STEALTH CONTESTANT Ade Obayomi:


I tend to assume that the judges know dance better than I do, that they know what will work on the show better than I do, and that there is a lot of footage that got left on the floor after editing the show. The show is cast with dance talent, but it is also cast for characters, story-line, narrative arc, and maximum fan investment "so we will pick up the phone." If the pure dance fans had there way, there'd be none of this "personality crap" but if the show just gave us performance, the folks who "don't know much about dance but know what they like" would have tuned in to Obama's Day in the White House, part II.

Some reflections after this week's episode from this contrarian cultural critic: Natalie was cut. Big deal. Why is she so special? Because we knew her name and she had a backstory going in. Yes, she was very good, and Sonyah loved her. But how do we know if she was better than all the other dancers we never even got to see? Just because she was Katee's roommate and they staged a drama with the two of them last last year, does that mean she would be a better contestant than any number of other dancers that remained anonymous? I thought that in her performance of Sonyah's dance, she did not bring it the way she had in rehearsal. We didn't see her in the ballroom round or the hip-hop round. We did get to see another charismatic contestant, Gabi Rojas, do an insanely good audition, but then flub two of the choreo tests, and then show us her amazing talent again in a "dance for your life!" moment. And guess what? She got cut, too. Should Natalie have been given another chance to dance on TV? Maybe, but she still would have been cut. Should we have seen which rounds she flubbed? The fact is that we didn't; we got to see some other dancers instead. This was not the Natalie show. But many viewers decided that she was unfairly treated. It's called editing, people. You are being told a story, and you are playing your role perfectly. You are supposed to get riled up at the judges. Go ahead, if that makes you happy.

Same with the Brandon Bryant story. He almost made it last year, so he came in (like Natalie) with a backstory. And his audition was riveting, although I hated the music he chose and thought the sequence of moves he did was designed to showcase his technique rather than convey feelings or a story; to me it was incoherent. Tony Bellisimo is the exact opposite; he was all about the story, entertaining, communicating with the audience and the judges; he made people laugh, and he has enough dance skills to get a shot, although his audition did not showcase them. Technique-wise, Brandon has it all over Tony, but as an entertainer, Tony has it all over Brandon. Let's face it, folks, ef SYTYCD was only a dance talent show, Danny Tidwell would have won. So was Mia being mean and unfair when she said she doesn't like what he brings into the room? I suppose so, but Mia is what she is with no apologies. And apparently the dancers who work with her find her inspiring and generous, not cruel, in her classes and workshops. This is what separates TV land from the real world of dance. Your teacher/coach/choreographer/artistic director is not there to make you feel good, but to push you harder and harder and harder so you can break through your limitations, or hit the wall. Brandon is a brilliant dancer, but she was not talking about his technical abilities; she was talking about a quality that I think she'd call emotional honesty or connection. Is a dancer sitting in his or her head and watching himself? or is he or she completely in the dance? From my own limited experience as a dancer, I know the difference between those two states. My inexperience and lack of talent meant that often I was inhibited, holding back, not confident, and I sabotaged my movement, or communicated my inhibition. When Nigel spoke to Ryan (the older, balder brother) about how he was putting his self-image in the way of his dancing, he was putting his finger on Ryan's own self-doubt. Ryan said he'd talk off his hat now. He will have grown as a dancer because of that. (by the way, Nigel's tweet this morning points out that if Ryan choreographs for the show this season, as a lot of viewers have requested, then he becomes a Fox employee and cannot compete later).
When I social dance, I don't feel the need to perform because I'm focused on connecting with my partner, and as a result my dancing is freer, more grounded, more communicative, and I then also look so much better. Brandon may not be inhibited, but he may be keeping an emotional distance, and Mia is calling him on it. Do you like the way she did it? No. But in the dance world, this quality of emotional commitment may be what separates a technically competent dancer from a dancer who moves you, and the "best" dancers may be the hardest to get to open up. I thought Brandon's Carmina Burana audition music was pompous and distracting. Yes, he is spectacular, but will he open himself up to work with other kinds of emotions, other kinds of movement? or will he resist?

With Alex Wong, oh, my, we had the combination of technical brilliance and absolute hunger. He not only showed us his control and his freedom, he communicated with the judges and with us, immediately and powerfully. But Alex got caught in a dilemma of his own making. We don't have the details, but he is under contract to a company that has its season planned, its performances booked, its publicity materials out, its brochures printed, its season tickets sold: how could he imagine that the enormous investment the company has made in him could be simply thrown away? He's finding his position limiting, he wishes he could be free to go to "dance camp" for this wonderful opportunity, but he is a professional with obligations. He will have to do what so many other dancers have had to do, and come back when he is able to compete. Hok didn't have his visa. Chbeeb had pneumonia. Benji Schwimmer almost didn't make the top 20. Twitch had to come back another year. Alex Wong will have to get out of his contract and come back, and he will be a grand competitor. It's not the show's fault he can't compete this time. He got a hard lesson in the work world. I hope he takes Nigel's advice, gets the most out of his wonderful opportunity with Miami, and then comes back when he is done with his contract.

If season 5 is like all the other seasons, we will be surprised, thrilled, and ride the emotional rollercoaster with our discoveries of these dancers. Let's give them a chance to show us what they can do, without dragging in grudges over who isn't there.
Here's one of the sleeper contestants, Jonathan Platero, who was a finalist with his partner Sophia Luna in the World Salsa Championships in 2007:

SYTYCD coming soon!

UPDATED: Can't wait for the two-and-a-half hour season premiere on Thursday, May 21 at 7PM central time. We'll see the preliminary auditions from around the country, and there will be another audition episode to follow, before they do the boot-camp eliminations in Las Vegasand introduce the top 20 dancers. If the show does what it did last season, we'll see a lot of bad auditions, some good ones of people who will not make it through to the final, and some of the top possibilities will be kept a careful secret so as to build anticipation. Because this is reality TV, folks!

The top 20 have already been chosen, but apparently a couple of them may have contractual obligations that conflict with the show, Hey, I notice that American Idol is the lead-in for the new show Glee, and the AI finale is Wed, so we will all be couch potato TV junkies that week; andn when I say "we" I mean those of us who are song-and-dance lovers, theater geeks, and people who own TVs.

Here's the official page for the show on Fox. It has been dubbed "the big ugly slow site" by some folks, but it will have more official information as the season begins.

I'll be joining folks over at SYTYCD 5 Social to blog, and tweeting SYTYCD news on www.twitter.com/sytycmomo (so I don't spam up my other Twitter account!

Dancin' machines!

I hadn't seen the robot bit from Flight of the Conchords ("The humans are dead")!
Reminded me of the showdown on SYTYCD of Phillip Chbeeb (Pac Man) and Robert Muraine (Mr. Fantastic).
Here they duel again.
Here's Skeeter Rabbit to show you some locking:

SYTYCD on MadTV: President's Edition

While waiting impatiently for SNL to break out the Tina Fey/Sarah Palin bit, I caught MadTV's send-up of SYTYCD.
Brilliant!

The Obamas and the McCains compete for our "jidges" and get the Nigel perviness, the Mary Murphy scream, and the Mia Michaels cat-who-licked-the-cream vibe. The Cat Deely dress is perfect.

Lolmomo

I <3 Leee! He made me my own LOLMOMO. I lahb it!

SYTYCD spoilers now up at TWoP

If you want spoilers from Monday's taping, go to the Spoilers thread at TWoP here and go to page 418. AprilMarie and and ABTJess218 stayed up until 3AM to leave great descriptions of the routines, costumes, and the entire show. I hope they get a good night's sleep after their hard work!
Mandy Moore is the guest judge, so we'll get to see her dance in her seat again.
Nigel and Mary Murphy dance, for real. But not with each other.

Thanks so much, gerritv, for sending word!

Poll up over to the right: who will you vote for to win? (Not who do you think will win, but who do you WANT to win?)