I missed "So You Think You Can Dance" when it aired this week, but I had a good reason. I saw the season 5 tour in San Jose. The first year the producers of the Fox dance competition show sold tickets for a tour, I was a little skeptical, but even in a down economy HP Pavilion was sold out Wednesday night.
Though I've been watching season 4, 5 and 6 in HD, there is something about seeing the dancers live that can't compare to TV. One of the things that drives me crazy about the show is that as TV viewers, we don't get to see the dances straight - the cameras are constantly switching views. And we have to deal with Mary Murphy screaming all the time about the people she likes.
The live dance performances were great, and a reminder of how lacking some of this year's contestants are - sorry, but tap dancers are cool to watch but their dance skills don't carry over to other styles.
I might have mentioned it before, but I am a person without any rhythm. I can hardly clap on beat, let alone dance, and that's probably why I was so amazed by the performances on "So You Think You Can Dance" the first time I saw it. I started watching halfway through season 2. I was wowed by the moves of Benji Schwimmer, Heidi Groskreutz, Doynelle Jones and Travis Wall. Benji won the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" that year, and I was hooked.
At the show on Wednesday, my favorite dance was a Wade Robson piece to Roisin Murphy's "Ruby Blue." Dancers Janette Manrara and Brandon Bryant performed the jewel-heist themed piece to perfection. Actually, most of the performances were good since for the tour the producers pick the best dances from the whole season.
The only thing I found less than entertaining were the cheesy intros that the dancers were forced to do. All 12 of the dancers took turns introducing their colleagues - decked out in "So You Think You Can Dance" clothing that was also available for sale at the souvenir booths. These guys on the tour are dancers, not actors, and it's clear in their delivery of their lines. The only piece that I found at all entertaining was a sales pitch by Kupono Aweau for some new "So You Think You Can Dance" workout videos. For some reason, a skinny Hawaiian boy running around in short shorts was hilarious.
When I was watching last week's episodes yesterday I was thinking about which dancers this year I would most want to see on tour - generally the top 10 or 12 go along for the tour. I don't really have a favorite for season six yet, but I do know which dancers I could do without. But there is only one more week before the top 10 is decided on so I'll know soon whether I want to get tickets for the next tour or not.
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