Keeping The Integrity in SYTYCD
June 27th, 2009 | by admin |Well, It is about that time again, So You Think You Can Dance will soon be gracing our TV’s and thoughts. All season long during American Idol, I can’t wait for SYTYCD to come back on, however I do worry for the show I love so dearly when it comes to the integrity. What I am referring to is keeping dance and talent at the for-front for the show opposed to personality and popularity or looks. Last season Nigel told one of the girls she is amazing but doesn’t have enough personality and to come back next season with more of one. I was dumbfounded when I heard him say that and was immediately torn as to what to do or think about it. I think a lot of other people felt the same way.
I do realize having a personality is a bonus, but last time I checked my reasons for watching the show, it was to watch the amazing art and talent of the dancers. Not to listen to them tell jokes or be a ham. How often do you see professional dancers talk before or after a recital. Not all that often, as bad as may sound, we are there for their dancing, not to be entertained by their jokes. For example, Celine Dion’s show. If Benji would have accepted the contract to perform in her show, he would be solely a dancer. When the song is over I highly doubt he would get on the microphone and start talking to the audience, therefor he really wouldn’t need much of a personality… So if this is the case, why do the dancers/auditioners need to have bubbly, in-your-face, attention grasping personalities? Isn’t their amazing dancing enough for SYTYCD?
I do see the proof is in the pudding when it comes to the dancers who have won the show, they have all been amazing personalities. However, that doesn’t give any right to the judges or producers to use that as a measuring stick. Their job is dance expertise, and should keep it to that and let us make the decision with the incredible dancers they accept. Reality shows already get heat for “fixing” or scripting shows and so forth, so why bring even more scepticism to a show. Viewers want to feel good about watching a show, not feel guilty because the judging has been fixed or is implementing new guidelines out of nowhere and their own personal opinions. Depending on the future judging of the show, I think more and more of the audience is going to be discouraged to watch. As far as I am concerned, the judges and producers only responsibility is putting through the most incredible, talented dancers and then let the audience decide out of them who deserves to go on. If the judging is going to regularly be looking at their personalities, they may want to consider changing the name of the show to “So You Think You Can Schmooze and Dance.
