So You Think You Can Dance - Season 13

[Melissa25]

I waited what seemed like an eternity for one of my favorite shows to return and what do I get?  So You Think You Can Dance - The Next Generation which will showcase 8 -13 year olds.

I am so completely annoyed. I turned it off after 20 minutes.  

[ACL2006]

agreed. though you lasted longer than me.

[DottieD'Luscia]

I saw the commercial and knew I wouldn't be tuning in.

[JustAGuy]

And to make matters even worse, it has a tie-in to that god awful DANCE MOMS.   What were they thinking?

 

[dramamama611]

I've said I was uninterested since they first announced it a few months ago.  Ugh.  So sad, I so love the show. I tuned in for a few minutes, but didn't last long either.  

 

I'm guessing ratings have been slipping, so this was perhaps, a last ditch effort to change things up.  Sigh.

[Huss417]

I gave up when they brought Paula Abdul onto the panel. I have always loved the show but couldn't take it with her. Have to say over the years the show exposed me to a lot of music that I wasn't familiar with which I ended up buying.

[John Adams]

At first, I was OK with the younger contestants, but the more I think about it, the more wary I am. I'm in a "wait and see" mode right now.

In past seasons, I thought the contestants were pushed too hard; to a point that there were injuries every season. I think the production schedule is more intense that what most dancers encounter in real-world employment, and the extra intensity overtaxes their bodies which results in injury. I would hope that younger contestants won't be pushed as hard.

I feel like the choreography will need to change, to be age-appropriate for the younger contestants. I don't/won't want to watch younger contestants exploring adult concepts and themes like death, grief, sexuality, etc. through dance.

Do I want to see a 12-year-old demonstrating the "heat" of an Argentine tango? Lord knows I don't want to hear the judges even imply that any of the kids "really brought it" or were "on the hot tamale train". If not thoughtfully executed, this season could flirt with being a weird, dancing version of Toddlers and Tiaras. ...and speaking of tiaras, what about the costumes?

But if the choreography, costuming and themes are brought to a level that doesn't exploit the kids, will the show be as interesting to watch, as an adult? I'm willing to wait a few weeks to see what happens, but I'm already feeling some disappointment.

[mlsheehan]

I loved this show.  A favorite every year, even last season which many didn't like, But I made it through.  When I heard about this season, I deleted it from my DVR.  

 

I'm not really interested in watching a bunch of kids dance.   Obviously, I'm not the demographic they want.  

 

Good luck to them, and I hope some day (maybe a few years down the road) we'll meet again.

 

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah, this is SUCH a turn off for me(didn't Fox learn from when their American Junior Idols program tanked?)  To be honest I find something distateful about children's dance competitons anyway (I'm fine with watching them perform in a school recital or whatever...)  And I always assumed one of the biggest audiences of this show were teen girls--would watching dancers younger than them really hold any appeal?  I just don't get it (and I'm sorry--I understand kids start dance at a young age but I find watching little kids do latin dancing just wrong). 

[Call_me_jorge]

There was an American idol Jr?

[Call_me_jorge]

Maybe they thought since Master chef Jr. has been doing so well they would make all their shows into JR versions. Now all we have to wait for is the voice for kids.

[EricMontreal22]

Call_me_jorge said: "There was an American idol Jr?

 

"

Yep, it wAs to create a group which I think did an album (like Idol itself it was based on a uk format where I think they did have a hit but was a flop here). Of course Nigel Lythgoe was its producer too. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Juniors

[Melissa25]

I may take another peek once the all stars show up since I am more interested in them anyway.  It's just such a shame that so many dance artists lost this platform for exposure to lead to more work. 

I couldn't stomach the schlockiness of the families sitting up on stage right.  I didn't want to see the kids much less their famililies.  With Jerry Mitchell's "Gotta Dance, The Musical" coming to Broadway, I am actually surprised Lythgoe hasn't stolen a page from him.  I think I would actually tune in if there was a "So You Think You Can Dance - The Over-the-Hill Generation."   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QlK-tSSFvw&sns=em

 

 

[dramamama611]

Isn't that just Dances with the Stars?

 

I just want kids to be kids.   

[EricMontreal22]

I forgot the all=-stars will join in (are they dancing with the kids?  Odd)  But yeah maybe I'll give it a quick look then.

 

Having the parents at the auditions was awful (yes, I know they are often in the audience in the standard edition) and manipulative.  It was interesting as well how they (understandably) softened the critique.  One girl I saw who didn't get a ticket then spoke up saying "Can I just say one thing, if you let us do one more performance you'll change your mind" (or something similar) and so they did and she got in and then Nigel said how he was so proud that she spoke up and asked for a second chance because that would teach her well in the future to speak out.  Ummmm???  If one of the "adult" dancers did that--and they have before--Nigel would be offended and boot them off the stage.  Aren't you meant to be teaching these kids, in theory, how to pursue a job in the industry?

[dramamama611]

That was never the point if the show.   And yes, they are going to treat children differently...but I don't want to watch that.

[Jane2]

Plus, these shows are scripted.

[EricMontreal22]

dramamama611 said: "That was never the pint if the show.   And yes, they are going to treat children differently...but I don't want to watch that.

 

"

Hence why I said "in theory"

[John Adams]

Pointing up that one kid's muscles was kinda creepy this week. I didn't think he was all that great a dancer (are pop-n-lock and moonwalk still popular?), which made me think he was selected because of his looks, which made it even creepier.

The requisite barbs between Paula and the male judges seem very staged (and stale).

I think I'll uncheck the DVR cue until the real dancing starts. I'm still curious to see how creative (or not) the choreography will be, and how the All-Stars interact with the baby ballerinas. If the choreography is as good as previous seasons, and the dancers execute it as well, I'm still in.

[John Adams]

Finale last night - thoughts?

Watching Robert and JT do their last dance together was heart-tugging, as both were literally, physically grimacing throughout the number to hold back tears.

But --- still made pointedly creepy by Paula's consistent characterization of the two as "a couple". It's creepy that Paula refers to all the other participants in terms of "partnering" - except for these two. It's also been uncomfortable to hear her tearfully point up these two as an example of the phrase "love is love" (a phrase that has appropriately been used many times in defense of LGBTQ romantic relationships). It's creepy when she applies that context to an adult and a 10-year-old boy.

She's also been creeping me out on a weekly basis with her tearful, hyper-emotional commentaries about the two, using language most commonly associated with toasting a couple on their wedding day.

Robert and JT's mentor/student relationship didn't creep me out at all. I thought both the 'Mr. Bojangles' number and the mirror piece were especially moving and made for good TV, but Paula's chronic characterization of the two as a couple was over the top, and super skeevy.

All of the finalists are exceptionally talented young people. As the weeks went on, it was uplifting to see them grow as performers. IMO, Tate was the most versatile and expressive dancer of the bunch, and I think she should have won. Her salsa with Jonathan was absolutely amazing! Her contemporary pieces were always astonishingly, beautifully executed.

I was also consistently amazed by Emma's tap. I was very happy to finally see a tapper last throughout a whole season and be allowed to tap every week. In previous seasons, it seemed that tap wasn't nearly as respected as the other forms of dance, and tappers got the "heave-ho" in the earliest weeks. Neither were they allowed to demonstrate their tap skills on a regular basis, as was the case for other dance forms like Contemporary and Hip-Hop/Crunk.

For Tate especially, I'm happy that these dances are recorded for them to look back on in their later years. I wonder if (like with gymnasts) all the exquisite extensions and hyper-extensions will be as executable when their bodies, and especially ligaments, mature into adulthood. (I couldn't help but notice that this is the first season where there were absolutely NO injuries...)

For many of these contestants, I'm looking forward to see what the future holds for them and their careers. The four finalists were all exceptionally great dancers.

[Liza's Headband]

I was also consistently amazed by Emma's tap. I was very happy tofinally see a tapper last throughout a whole season and be allowed to tap every week. In previous seasons, it seemed that tap wasn't nearly as respected as the other forms of dance, and tappers got the "heave-ho" in the earliest weeks. Neither were they allowed to demonstrate their tap skills on a regular basis, as was the case for other dance forms like Contemporary and Hip-Hop/Crunk.

 

Uhhh... You must not follow this show. Gaby Diaz, Emma's all-star partner, won the entire season in 2015 as a tap dancer.  

[John Adams]

Liza's Headband said: "I was also consistently amazed by Emma's tap. I was very happy to finally see a tapper last throughout a whole season and be allowed to tap every week. In previous seasons, it seemed that tap wasn't nearly as respected as the other forms of dance, and tappers got the "heave-ho" in the earliest weeks. Neither were they allowed to demonstrate their tap skills on a regular basis, as was the case for other dance forms like Contemporary and Hip-Hop/Crunk.

Uhhh... You must not follow this show. Gaby Diaz, Emma's all-star partner, won the entire season in 2015 as a tap dancer."
------------------------------------------------------------------
There -- I fixed the formatting for 'ya!
Gaby’s performances after she was selected as part of the Top 20 as part of Team Stage:

Contemporary     "Luminous"—Max Richter
Broadway            "Body Language"—Queen
Bollywood            "Dhol Baaje" from Ek Paheli Leela
Contemporary      "Stabat Mater"—Woodkid
African Jazz         "Gorilla"—Lord Kraven
Contemporary      "For My Help"—Hayden Calnin
Broadway             "Where or When"—Sammy Davis Jr.
Contemporary      “Beautiful Friends”—Helen Money
Contemporary      "Take my Hand, Precious Lord"—Ledisi (Selma Soundtrack)
Contemporary      “Lift Me”—The Bengsons
Hip-hop                "I’m Really Hot"—Missy Elliot
Contemporary      "Angel"—Sarah McLachlan
Contemporary      "Give Me Love"—Ed Sheeran
Contemporary      “Beautiful Friends”—Helen Money
Broadway            "Fever"—Michael Buble
Contemporary      ”Do Not Hang Your Head”—Elizabeth & the Catapult
Tap                       ”Dibidy Dop (Swing Mix)”—Club Des Belugas feat. Brenda Boykin

On the Season Finale, the pieces selected for Gaby to perform were (2) previously performed Contemporary pieces and (1) previously performed Hip-hop piece.

Her tap skills were only featured once during the entire season, with the exception of the very short solo snippets during the last 4 episodes before the finale.