So You Think You Can Dance 8

[Maxim Oleksyn]

Break out the earplugs: Judge Mary Murphy is back! For its eighth season, the venerable dance-capade will return to the format of 20 finalists hoofing it together, and bring back the “all-star” partners once the contestants are cut down to a top 10.

http://www.fox.com/dance/

 



[Maxim Oleksyn]

Alas...Alex Wong isn’t back. He’s not healthy enough, he’s also working the convention circuit teaching with SYTYDC alums and choreographers so it would be a real conflict of interest if he came back to do anything but choreograph.

[Earende]

WHA???????????????????????????

 

BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[Smokey]

So glad it’s back. And I’m glad Mary’s back as a judge and, hopefully, Mia is not. She needs to stick to choreography.

Watched premiere tonight and wish it had been 4 hours, thought the 1st hour was better than 2nd. Glad they are combining the return of the top 20 and the all stars. Best of Both Worlds! This show never gets old to me. And this show may not fit great into the fall but Season 6 did give us Katherine, one of my all time faves who was in Christina Peri’s video,

[Earende]

I hope since Will, Katee & Jacob were leading choreography that they are part of the All-Stars that return once they get to the top 10. Really liked Melanie Moore and the b-boy that went straight through to Vegas. Hopefully some more great ballroom dancers make it too! LOVE THIS SHOW!

YAY MARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Compared to Mia last year, this is a welcomed sight!!!!

[LunaDonna]

OMG...my fav of the night was Princess Lockerooooooooooooooooooo!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMCzKS-5sD0

There were others, but...she was amazing!

[Junebaby]

She was good, but I would love to see her in choreography, she may crash and burn in Vegas--I was really surprised that she went through.

 

 I wasn't surprised, however, to see contemporary dancer Brandon Jones go through to Vegas -- I loved Jason's observation that he had "softness but power," and I really wish we had been given a chance to understand better just why he was so popular with so many of the other dancers in the theater. (Perhaps he'd shared his story about dancing for his late father with others, and without the unnecessary sappy music underscoring?)

[Smokey]

I like both of them!

But, my fav of the evening was Annie Gratton and her Dad!

When Nigel asked him to dance with his daughter on stage (!!!), which quickly transformed in Dad pulling off a few pirouettes (!!!!), landing a jump on just one leg (!!!!!), and leaping into splits on the floor (!!!!!!). They both won a ticket to Vegas, and many viewers' hearts (or at least mine).

[Maxim Oleksyn]

So You Think You Can Dance named its top 20 in an outstanding episode that highlighted its talent, alternating the judges’ decisions with genre-based and larger group numbers. The show also introduced a new set, and it’s significantly better than the previous, dreadful one, but still takes away from the dancers by looming over them. (I really wish the show would revert to the set they had the first few years; bigger is not always better. But at least they made a change.)

The show’s top 20 dancers are Jordan Casanova (jazz), Alexander Fost (contemporary), Tadd Gadduang (hip hop), Marko Germar (jazz), Ricky Jaime (contemporary), Wadi Jones (breaking), Mitchell Kelly (contemporary), Chris Koehl (hip hop), Caitlynn Lawson (contemporary), Jess LeProtto (Broadway), Iveta Lukosiute (ballroom), Miranda Maleski (contemporary), Sasha Mallory (contemporary), Melanie Moore (contemporary), Missy Morelli (jazz), Clarice Ordaz (jazz), Ryan Ramirez (contemporary), Ashley Rich (contemporary), Robert Taylor Jr. (hip hop), and Nick Young (tap).

Next week, after the first performance episode, the show will offer online voting for the first time, although it’s tied to Facebook, just like American Idol. You can only vote by logging in via Facebook, however, but once you do, you can vote 50 times.

And rumors are all over the web and seems to be closer to the truth (we'll see) that Alex 'Freakin' Wong will return as an allstar!

[Earende]

It just always seems like SYTYCD focuses on putting the best dancers on the show while still getting a mix of styles. The dancing takes priority. AI seems to focus on putting through people that will make a good story or that will 'grow' during the season. They rarely put people through that are amazing singers and bonafide stars.

I also give SYTYCD props for trying new things (e.g. this season's top 20 with all-stars coming in at top 10). The judges actually provide helpful feedback too. They bring judges on that are pros in their field AND who can convey their thoughts on TV. You are right though in that one is a singing competition and one is a dancing competition. However, I still think AI pales in comparison. Putting the top talent through would be a start.

Max, I'm hoping/praying that he does come back--but he was not up to it by the time the Vegas auditions aired. So, since we will have to wait and see when 20 boils down to 10 before we get a chance to know who the allstars will be, then maybe---juuuuuust maybe we will see him!

[Smokey]

So happy another SYTYCD season is here... with IMPROVEMENTS! Yay for bringing back the top 20 and a smaller set. Also, the auditions this year were notably more focused on positive talent and less on jokesters or people who cry when they're told they're terrible dancers. :) And what a super-talented top 20. I think this really is the best overall group they've had... if only they had a Pasha, it would be perfect. :)

Out the gate, I'm rooting for Nick Young (tap) and Robert Taylor Jr (hip hop) for the guys; Iveta (ballroom), Ryan Ramirez (contemporary), and Melanie Moore (contemporary) for the girls.

Fingers crossed for A.W.!!!! But his FB page have all these commentsabout him not coming back this season. Personally, I think he's already an all star (no need to prove himself and go through the audition process), 'cause you don't have to win it to be an allstar!!!!

[Sistah Sixx]

I LOVED this episode. Usually I find those 'unveiling the top 12/20' episodes really boring. AI especially drags it out so that it's painstaking to watch. Instead SYTYCD interspersed the results with actual dancing which actually got me excited for the season. I thought it was a brilliant move. And I really liked the new set actually. The dancers don't seem so far away anymore and I really like the judges right in the thick of things near the stage.

All in all, a very impressive start. Every time I watch SYTYCD, I can't help but think how immensely better it is than AI.

[Maxim Oleksyn]

It may be a fake-out--

Despite the fact that he will not be returning to compete in the top 20 this season...he could as one of the All Stars. Well, for those of us hoping, we have good reason to be excited – while it has not been announced yet, Nigel Lythgoe has made it known that he is also hoping Alex will be an All Star.

Nigel Tweeted this morning “Alex Wong wasn’t ready to compete in a weekly dance competition. I am hoping he will recover enough to be considered as an SYTYCD All-Star.”

Hope is not lost...