So You Think You Can Dance kicked off its 11th season with auditions in New Orleans and Chicago. It's great to see the show again; I look forward to it every summer!
We were joined by host Cat Deeley and regular judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy. Wayne Brady was a guest judge in New Orleans, and Jenna Elfman joined as a guest judge in Chicago. I don't know what Wayne Brady's dance background is, but he is charming and entertaining as a judge. Jenna Elfman offered constructive comments and did a fine job as well.
The auditions work as they have before: dancers perform before the judges, where they either get a ticket to Hollywood, are sent home, or are sent to choreography to show their partnering skills.
Since the auditions are a parade of dancers, I'll comment on some highlights of the show.
One of my favorites from last year's auditions, Caleb Brauner (pictured above) returned to try out again. He looks a lot like Chris Colfer from Glee, and I think he is adorable. Since last year, his father, who appeared with him onstage last year, passed away suddenly. Caleb brought his quirky, endearing dance style again this season. In New Orleans his performance was light and he was sent to choreography. He did not do well, and was very upset. He returned in Chicago and tried out with a more personal dance, inspired by his last voicemail from his father. He went back to choreography, showed improvement, and won a coveted ticket to Hollywood.
Tanisha Belnap auditioned in New Orleans on her own, although she is a ballroom dancer. She is from a family of 12 children, and works odd jobs to support her dance studies. She was sassy and fun, and got a ticket to Hollywood.
Trevor Bryce did a clever and witty ballet number with some hip hop moves, and also got a ticket to Hollywood.
We met Courtney Barnes, who had a big, fun personality, and who did a killer Wendy Williams (!) impersonation. He did not make it through, although Nigel commented that he would be great in a sitcom. (I agree!)
We also met Jacoby Jimmerson, a heavy guy who still has good dance moves, and who teaches Zumba. He did a "dance off" with Wayne Brady that was fun to watch. He did not make it through.
Marcquet Hill and Brooklyn Fullmer were two of my favorites. They are friends (not dating, as she mentioned several times) and ballroom dancers. We've seen Marcquet before, when he was just 16 and partnering Witney Carson for her ballroom audition. They went through, and I think they will both be forces to reckon with this season.
Two friends from Miami, Nick Garcia and Rudy Abreu, both traveled to Chicago for the auditions. Nick performed a solo ballroom routine (and it was terrific!). Rudy performed a "dance warrior" number that was showy but didn't wow me as much. They both got tickets to Hollywood.
A group of four dancers who were almost male strippers performed onstage with Mary Murphy and Jenna Elfman. Not surprisingly, they did not make it through.
A few random thoughts:
"Blurred Lines" seems to be the go-to song this year. I lost count how many times it was played.
Justin Bieber introduced a dance crew competition. I did my best to ignore his brief segment on the show.
Next week's auditions are in Chicago and Los Angeles. Looking forward to them!
What did you think of last night's show? Do you have any favorites of the dancers you have seen so far? I would love to read your comments, below.
I'll admit it: So You Think You Can Dance is my second favorite tv show, right after my beloved Downton Abbey. A new season starts tonight, and I intend to blog about it weekly here. This summer it will air Wednesday nights, 8:00 - 10:00 PM EST on Fox. You'll find a site with more info here: SYTYCD official site. SYTYCD is such a great show, so I want to give you 5 good reasons to check it out:
1. The variety of dancing is amazing! In any given episode you may see Broadway, jazz, swing, jive, ballet, Bollywood, hip hop, ballroom, Latin, and more. Here is a clip of one of my favorite numbers from the show. This is from season 3, with Sara and Pasha dancing a West Coast Swing, as choreographed by Benjie Schwimmer. (Benjie won season 2). By the way, Pasha is my all time favorite dancer from the show!
2. The music is also wonderful, varied, often surprising, and features recordings of original artists. I love the way this show marries dance and music. In a given evening, you may hear current pop music, the Beatles, Sinatra, old school R&B ... and it is all great.
3. Cat Deeley is the best host of any competitive talent show. She is funny, warm, self deprecating, and has great rapport with both judges and dancers.
4. The judges are wonderful, and all have strong dance backgrounds. They include showrunner and judge Nigel Lythgoe (tap), Mary Murphy (ballroom), and a rotating third (and sometimes fourth) chair for judges like Adam Shankman (Broadway) or Debbie Allen (yes, that Debbie Allen from Fame, and one of my favorites).
5. In a world where the nightly news is often somber and unsettling, there is something wonderful and uplifting about spending two hours watching dance, seeing dancers who love the art form and take it seriously, with great music, costuming, staging ... I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
Bonus (!) 6. I would love to chat with YOU about SYTCYD here.
If you're a fan of the show or plan to try it for the first time, I hope you'll leave a comment here.
I enjoyed reviewing the Heroes of the City toys, books, and app a couple of months ago (more information, click here!). Heroes of the City has a new app, and this one is for babies and toddlers (ages 0 - 2+). This app is available at iTunes, for iPad or iPhone, and it is also available via Google Play for Android phones and tablets.
The app is colorful, educational, and entertaining for the youngest children. It is also free! It features:
• 3 animated short movies (Languages: English and Swedish
)
• Music Panel with two different themes
• Color and shape game
•
Magic coloring game
• Balloon Game
You can find movies from the app on Youtube as well. Here is one of the videos:
The Heroes of the City products are especially well designed and engaging for children. I highly recommend this app!
"Nature Boy" is one of my all time favorite songs. It was recorded by Nat King Cole in 1948, and it has such a beautiful and haunting quality. I love the lyrics, from the first lines:
"There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far, over land and sea ..."
I found a lovely video of Nat King Cole performing this jazz classic, below. I hope you enjoy it too.
Happy Friday!
My Friday Fave this week is not a book or website or food or tv show. It is a season: Summer.
While I know that Summer technically begins on the Summer Solstice, it still feels like Summer for me from Memorial Day to Labor Day. That was how Summer was defined in my childhood: the break from school, the long leisurely days and weeks.
That sense of leisure is what I hope to enjoy this Summer. This season will not be about travel or adventure, but about working hard (as always!) on weekdays and then unplugging and enjoying some leisure time in the evenings and weekends: a good book, a long walk, a lazy afternoon, the pleasure of unplanned time.
How about you? What do you plan this Summer? I would love to hear from you in the comments section, below.
