365 Project. Day 168, June 17: My rant here is way longer than it should be... feel free to ignore it. We're onto Season 12 of what has, up until now, been my favorite competition show EVER. One of the highlights of our summers has been watching "So You Think You Can Dance." We've been devoted followers since we discovered it partway through Season 3.
This year, they've made a format change that I think may kill it for me.
What used to make this show different and far superior to any other competition was that it took dancers who were outstanding in their own genres, and they'd have to grow and learn throughout the contest, competing WAY outside their comfort zone. So, for example, a krumper would have to do a contemporary or ballroom routine. A classical ballerina would have to do hip hop. A tapper would learn and perform Bollywood. So by the end of the show, you would find dancers who excelled at every single challenge thrown at them. It's totally unlike American Idol, where singers were encouraged and rewarded for making a song their own, for shoe-horning it to their own wheelhouse. They never had to grow or change.
Additionally, while viewer votes help to influence the outcome of SYTYCD, the judges maintain control over who advances until far into the competition. Their expertise helps viewers make better voting decisons, and this reduces the idiotic "vote for the worst" kind of thing happens on other shows.
So this season, they're splitting dancers into two teams - stage dancers and street dancers. It looks like they will no longer ask dancers to move too far outside their comfort zone. And while it's good in that it will allow some street dancers in who would never make it past the first choreography round, I think it's taking away what made this show so special. I may end up liking this, but so far, I have concerns... and don't get me started on Paula Abdul. Okay. I'm done for now.
This year, they've made a format change that I think may kill it for me.
What used to make this show different and far superior to any other competition was that it took dancers who were outstanding in their own genres, and they'd have to grow and learn throughout the contest, competing WAY outside their comfort zone. So, for example, a krumper would have to do a contemporary or ballroom routine. A classical ballerina would have to do hip hop. A tapper would learn and perform Bollywood. So by the end of the show, you would find dancers who excelled at every single challenge thrown at them. It's totally unlike American Idol, where singers were encouraged and rewarded for making a song their own, for shoe-horning it to their own wheelhouse. They never had to grow or change.
Additionally, while viewer votes help to influence the outcome of SYTYCD, the judges maintain control over who advances until far into the competition. Their expertise helps viewers make better voting decisons, and this reduces the idiotic "vote for the worst" kind of thing happens on other shows.
So this season, they're splitting dancers into two teams - stage dancers and street dancers. It looks like they will no longer ask dancers to move too far outside their comfort zone. And while it's good in that it will allow some street dancers in who would never make it past the first choreography round, I think it's taking away what made this show so special. I may end up liking this, but so far, I have concerns... and don't get me started on Paula Abdul. Okay. I'm done for now.
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