So You Think You Can Dance by beesquare
Tomorrow night is the finale for “So You Think You Can Dance.” I just discovered the show this year and I absolutely love it! I’ve learned so much about dance and enjoyed learning about all the different styles. Never before had I seen the “street” techniques of Krumping and Popping, or realized how hard it is to do a “simple” Waltz.
The show is entertaining, upbeat and totally captivating. With top-notch choreographers, glamorous and funky costumes and great music, it is hot-hot-hot! Seeing a hip-hop dancer perform the quickstep, or a contemporary dancer doing a Broadway routine is educational, impressive, and sometimes hilarious. I’ve learned that dancing takes lots of practice and work. But it’s also a ton of fun!
I love hearing the judges tell top dancers over and over, “With your lack of technical dance background, you shouldn’t be able to do this, but here you are!” It’s like a motivational/inspirational jolt to see a guy or girl with little or no technical dance background end up in the top ten. Watching them week after week keeping up with competitors who have years of additional dance education and experience is a reminder that none of us should give up on our dreams without at least giving it a try. You never know what might happen.
This year’s favorites, Joshua and Katee, have performed numerous routines and styles of dance near flawlessly. They are exuberant and energetic and make those difficult moves seem easy. Until you try to follow along at home and end up stumbling over your feet and falling on your backside.
Of course that doesn’t stop me from following along and trying my best to get at least one or two moves down. I doubt I’ll be entering any competitions myself, but I’ve found a new type of exercise that is far from boring, and gives me a better cardio workout than any aerobics tape I’ve seen.
Although this week is the final shows for the year, I look forward to watching the past three seasons on the Internet. It’s been so enlightening to see the cool moves I’ve never seen anywhere else. (Why aren’t these kinds of moves in more music videos instead of that booty-shaking junk? I might actually watch a few if they had this kind of dancing in them.)
The great thing is that the judges say this year’s group of dancers are the best ever, so I’m really looking forward to next year. (You know it’s a tight competition when you feel sad and teary-eyed when each round of dancers gets voted off.) Check out the web site for more details and some of the hippest moves you’ve ever seen.
