Dance Review: So You Think You Can Dance Live - Page 3

One common goal among all the contestants was moving to New York or Los Angeles to pursue a career in dance. They all agreed that while other cities had some opportunities, they were limited in what they could achieve. Mark, who was inspired to take up dance after seeing a stage production of The Phantom of the Opera as a youngster, said the only opportunities in Hawaii were to either continue teaching or do community theater. Chelsea, who spent a year dancing for the Dallas Mavericks, felt she had done just about everything there was to do in Dallas. Even though moving to a bigger city would be intimidating, she was willing to take her chances as "the small fish in the big pond."

Season four champ Joshua cited Michael Jackson as an early inspiration. As much as he loved dancing, he could not afford to take classes growing up. He had to rely on scholarships - and even did chores around dance studios - in exchange for lessons. He felt it was hard to be taken seriously as a male dancer in Dallas because of his schoolmates' preconceived notions. The conflicts and constant fighting once led to a change of schools mid-year. Having always been athletic in school, playing sports and running track, in tenth grade he decided to focus on dance. "People that don't know it are dumbfounded by what dance is for boys, you have to go through a lot of teasing," he said.

All the training and hard work led them to the point they were at now - a cross-country U.S. tour performing in front of their most devoted fans. As I've already mentioned, my awareness of So You Think You Can Dance didn’t extend very far beyond seeing Joel McHale poking fun at boisterous judge, Mary Murphy, on The Soup.
But after only a brief time with some of the dancers, and learning about all their hard work, I was excited to see the stage show. They did not disappoint.

The show is structured perfectly for those who are newcomers to So You Think You Can Dance, or are only casual fans. Show creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe introduced the show in a special prerecorded video. Lythgoe showcased his five favorite auditions, along with a montage of the “delusional auditions.” Show host Cat Deeley had a similar video message. Throughout the show, in between routines, there were video segments from the television program and behind-the-scenes footage of the dancers.

Article Author: Sherry Lipp

Sherry writes mostly music and dvd reviews and on occasion she gets to do an interview. She plays the guitar, enjoys playing with her dog Pepsi and she and her husband are currently in the process of internationally adopting from Poland.

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