So You Think You Can Talk About So You Think You Can Dance?

July 18, 2014 11:33 AM

Is there anyone else out there watching SYTYCD? Would you participate in fanfare threads about it?

Want to converse about it? Top 18 performed this past Wednesday; it looks like they're making a lot of the videos of the choreography available on Fox.com shortly after the show airs.

posted by ChuraChura (14 comments total)

I am watching it, and I'd be interested in it. Lately I've been catching up on their shows and skipping all the "getting to know the dancers" bits. It was a different experience to just watch performances only, without knowing which ones were tap dancers trying to do hip-hop or ballerinas doing something more natural to them. It made the "wow, they were terrible" a lot easier to spot, but then makes the competition tougher since it's the luck of the draw if you get something you were already well studied in.
posted by mathowie at 11:35 AM on July 18, 2014

I'd be, too. Have watched since the first season, although these days I tend to DVR and fast forward through all the irritating padding.
posted by PussKillian at 11:42 AM on July 18, 2014

One question I had but never looked into was since they went from two shows a week (performance, then results) to one show a week, are the two dancers kicked off each week being kicked off for the previous week's performance/voting? Like, they danced anyway but pointlessly so on the night they get kicked off right? Or am I missing some other dynamic at play?
posted by mathowie at 11:58 AM on July 18, 2014

They're told at the beginning of the episode who the bottom 6 are, and then they "dance for their life" with whatever choreography they had that episode. Then the judges choose the two who get sent home.

I wish Misty Copeland would guest judge forever.
posted by ChuraChura at 12:02 PM on July 18, 2014

I'd be interested! I've also been watching since the first season and am a pretty avid fan. I'd love to talk about it with Mefites. I was actually considering making a megapost for the 200th show, but I've been pretty busy with a couple other projects, so haven't had the chance just yet.

And mathowie, the bottom three couples are technically being kicked off for the previous week's performance, since those are the voting results that have put them in the bottom. But, until we get to the top ten, the judges make the final call as to who is actually kicked off. So technically, a very strong performance the week they're on the chopping block can save them. Once we get to the top 10, it's votes only.
posted by yasaman at 12:05 PM on July 18, 2014

OK! Someone else will need to make a post for this week's episode unless you don't want it until tomorrow at 2:33, but it looks like there would be enough of a following to make it fun! Plus I just checked, and Fox is putting up the episode's dances on youtube without judge's commentary (for example), so even folks who can't watch it in real time can catch up.

This year I've got ballet until 9:30 on Wednesday nights, which is annoying, but I usually watch it the following morning.
posted by ChuraChura at 12:11 PM on July 18, 2014

I am interested in this as well. This is one of my favorite shows.
posted by bove at 1:07 PM on July 18, 2014

I can go ahead and put up a post today. Any preferences on how I should format the post? Just putting in "The Top 18 perform," seems a little thin, if accurate. Is putting links to the performances in the post okay? Or should I just list off the dancers and what style/choreography they danced to? I'm not sure about the protocol for Fanfare posts for reality competition shows like this.
posted by yasaman at 1:12 PM on July 18, 2014

Yeah, I think "Top 18 perform" is what it gets listed in my TiVo as, and in the extended area, feel free to link to youtube if it helps. I'll go add the show to the approved list of shows.
posted by mathowie at 1:31 PM on July 18, 2014

Looks like the show is already in our database, last night's episode was S11E08
posted by mathowie at 1:33 PM on July 18, 2014

Ok, just submitted it now! Let me know if any of you would prefer different formatting in the future.
posted by yasaman at 2:02 PM on July 18, 2014

i would LOVE to. except...i'm still a few episodes behind.
posted by nadawi at 8:02 AM on July 19, 2014

May I just vent a moment that I cannot stand turning dance into a competition. Dance is so many things, adding the element of one bigger jump, one move is more clever than another is just wrong on so many levels. Just Dance.

(I do get that this probably brings dance to many more than any other approach but, arhg, spin like a dervish)
posted by sammyo at 12:09 PM on July 19, 2014

I watch it (eventually) but skip all personal remarks. I sometimes skip the professional critiques as well. I'll enjoy seeing threads on it.
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:44 PM on July 19, 2014