TV Show Review: So You Think You Can Dance

When my brother Jason and I were younger, we thought we could dance. Even to this day we think we can hold our own on the dance floor. But when I watch this show, "So You Think You Can Dance" (SYTYCD for the hardcore fans, like myself), I am reminded of how I can't dance.

This show is for people who appreciate the art of dance. Unlike "Dancing with the Stars"(which I am not a fan of) SYTYCD showcases ALL kinds of dance. Each week the show asks the contestants/dancers to perform dances like the Cha Cha, waltz, hip hop (please imagine me saying this like Oprah-"My FAVORITE!"), jazz, salsa, etc.

Let me break down how this show works for those of you who don't have this on your season pass manager like I do. The show starts off with the auditions, the judges narrow the dancers to 10 girls and 10 guys, then the dancers are paired up girl/guy, they perform on Wednesday, America votes, Thursday the bottom 3 guys and girls dance for their lives (perform a dance solo) and the judges choose the girl and guy that go home that is until we get to the bottom 10 dancers, at that point their future is in the hands of America, who vote weekly until we reach America's favorite dancer. The judges panel is made up of executive producer Nigel Lythgoe (this shows Simon Cowell), ballroom dancing expert Mary Murphy (she is hilarious and loud, and reminds me of one of my aunts when she is tipsy), and they feature a different guest judge each week. The host is the stunning Cat Deeley. Cat has to be the most gracious host on television today. She is never sarcastic and mean spirited, like I find Ryan Seacrest to be. She is genuinely concerned for the dancers. Case in point, when judges give an excruciating evaluation of a performance, Cat still manages to pry some positivity out of the judges as not to leave the dancers hopes crushed, at least until Thursday's elimination show.

I was not aware of this show until season 3; we are now in season 5. Now I'm hooked. I look forward to this show every year, and this year I am extremely excited that it is coming back in the fall. I have always appreciated different dance styles, but just watching this show helps me to admire dancers even more. These dancers have 5 1/2 hours with a choreographer and less than a week, if that, to master a dance style that is usually 5 million miles away from their own genre. Amazing!!!! Some performances give me the goose bumps while others have me ready to get up off my sofa and shake my humps.

If you are wasting your time watching "Dancing with the Stars" and have not seen SYTYCD, I beg of you to tune in next Wednesday to the Fox network and I guarantee you will be hooked. Or if you just like dance, give the show a shot. You may come out with some new moves to add to your old tired dance schtick.