So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
Encyclopedia
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 in the United States.

The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

 producers Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...

 and Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...

 and is produced by 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...

 and Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions is an entertainment production company founded by entertainer Dick Clark...

. The first season was hosted by current American news personality, Lauren Sánchez; since the second season it has been hosted by former British children's television personality and one-time game show emcee, Cat Deeley
Cat Deeley
Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter and model. Since 2006, Deeley has also been the host of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition...

. The show features a tiered format wherein dancers from a variety of styles enter open auditions held in a number of major U.S. cities to showcase their unique style and talents and, if allowed to move forward, then are put through additional rounds of auditions to test their ability to adapt to different styles. At the end of this process, a small number of dancers are chosen as 'finalists' who move on to compete in the competition's main phase where they will perform solo, duet and group dance numbers in a variety of styles in competition for the votes of the broadcast viewing audience which, combined with the input of a panel of judges, determines which dancers will advance to the next stage from week to week. The number of finalists has varied as determined by a season's format, but has typically been 20 contestants.

The show features a broad variety of American and international dance styles, including Salsa
Salsa (dance)
Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba as the meeting point of Spanish and African cultures.Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino" where multiple couples exchange partners in a circle...

, ballroom
Ballroom dance
Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television....

, Jive
Jive
-Dance:* Jive , a ballroom dance style from the 1940s* A variety of related dances including Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, and Rock and Roll * skip jive, a dance.* Hand jive, a kind of dance game from the 1950s...

, swing
Swing (dance)
"Swing dance" is a group of dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s-1950s, although the earliest of these dances predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today...

, hip hop
Hip hop dance
Hip-hop dance refers to dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s by African Americans and made popular by breaking, locking, and...

, breakdancing, krump contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

, jazz
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...

, ballet, tap
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...

, and bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

, with many sub-genres within these styles represented. Competitors attempt to master these styles, which are generally, but not always, assigned by a luck-of-the-draw system, in an attempt to survive successive weeks of elimination and win a cash prize (typically $100,000), the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" and often additional prizes. In its eight seasons, the winners have been Nick Lazzarini, Benjamin Schwimmer, Sabrina Johnson, Joshua Allen, Jeanine Mason, Russell Ferguson, Lauren Froderman, and Melanie Moore. The show has won seven Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

s for Outstanding Choreography
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.-Award winners:1950s* 1955 June Taylor – The Jackie Gleason Show* 1956 Tony Charmoli – Your Hit Parade* 1959 Hermes Pan – An Evening with Fred Astaire1970s...

 and a total of nine Emmys altogether.

The program became the No. 1 rated show in summer 2006 for adults aged 18–49 during its second season but starting with season four the show has slowly declined in ratings, though as of season eight it still averages over 5 million viewers per episode. The show has been renewed for a ninth season. Spin-offs were announced starting in August 2006 and to date 20 localized adaptations of So You Think You Can Dance have been produced representing 21 different countries (Australia
So You Think You Can Dance Australia
So You Think You Can Dance Australia was an Australian version of the American reality dance-off series So You Think You Can Dance. The show is hosted by Natalie Bassingthwaighte, with Jason Coleman, Matt Lee and Bonnie Lythgoe acting as the judges....

, Belgium
So You Think You Can Dance (Belgium and The Netherlands)
So You Think You Can Dance is a joint Belgian-Dutch dance competition show broadcast on RTL 5 and vtm television stations. The first season was broadcast only in The Netherlands, whereas starting with season 2, it became a joint Belgian-Dutch show....

, Canada
So You Think You Can Dance Canada
So You Think You Can Dance Canada was a dance competition and reality show that aired on CTV.Based on the original American TV show So You Think You Can Dance, the Canadian series showcased the best in Canadian dancing talent. Each season, the show held auditions in major cities across the...

, Denmark
Kan Du Danse
Kan Du Danse is Denmark's version of So You Think You Can Dance with judges Niclas Bendixen, Toniah Pedersen and Kenneth Kretzman. The program was hosted by Thomas Mygind and Anne Katrine Skole....

, Finland, Germany, Greece
So You Think You Can Dance (Greece)
Mega Channel in Greece has picked up the rights to the So You Think You Can Dance franchise. It airs its own version of the show which first aired in early 2007 following auditions held in Athens, New York City, Melbourne, Munich, and Cyprus in late 2006...

, Israel, Lithuania, Malaysia, The Netherlands
So You Think You Can Dance (Belgium and The Netherlands)
So You Think You Can Dance is a joint Belgian-Dutch dance competition show broadcast on RTL 5 and vtm television stations. The first season was broadcast only in The Netherlands, whereas starting with season 2, it became a joint Belgian-Dutch show....

, New Zealand, Norway
Dansefeber
Dansefeber is the Norwegian version of So You Think You Can Dance. It was broadcast on TVNorge and was hosted by Kjetil Tefke and Henriette Lien . Adil Khan was the winner in 2006 and Hanna Mjåvatn the winner in 2007....

, Poland
So You Think You Can Dance (Poland)
You Can Dance: Po prostu tańcz! is a Polish version of popular American show So You Think You Can Dance. It is a dance competition...

, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine
Everybody Dance (TV series)
Танцюють всі! is a program on the Ukrainian channel STB, based on the American series So You Think You Can Dance.The first season was launched in September 2008. The fourth season is currently aired....

, The United Kingdom
So You Think You Can Dance (UK)
So You Think You Can Dance is a televised dance competition and reality show that launched in the United Kingdom in January 2010 and similar to the version of the program that has began airing in the USA in 2005. The show is broadcast on BBC One. The content of the show is similar premise to the...

 and The United States), and comprising 54 total seasons.

Show format

A typical season of So You Think You Can Dance is divided between a selection process, during which expert judges select competitors from a wide pool of applicant dancers, and a competition phase, during which these 'finalists' (more typically referred to as the 'Top 20') compete for votes from home viewers. Though it is produced over the course of months, the selection phase is highly edited and usually constitutes only the first 2–3 weeks of aired episodes, with the competition episodes forming the remaining 8–9 weeks of the season.

Selection of Finalists

The selection process can be further broken down into two distinct stages: the open auditions and 'Vegas Week'. The open auditions take place in 5–6 major U.S. cities per season – these cities change from season to season but some, such as Los Angeles and New York have featured in almost every season – and are typically open to anyone aged 18–30 at the time of their audition. During this stage, dancers perform a brief routine (typically but not exclusively a solo) before a panel of dance experts, usually headed by series creator and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. This panel will then make an on-the-spot decision as to whether the dancer demonstrated enough ability and performance value to proceed further. If the dancer exhibited extraordinary ability in their performance, judges will award a "ticket to Vegas", moving them instantly one step forward in the competition. Alternatively, if judges are on the fence about the dancer, he or she will usually instead be asked to wait until the end of that day's auditions to participate in a short test of their ability to pick up choreography before a final decision is made.

The second stage of the selection process – referred to as "the callbacks" or "Vegas Week", after (Las Vegas) in which it is held since season 2 – is a several-day-long process in which the remaining hopefuls are tested for overall well-rounded dance ability, stamina, and their ability to perform under pressure. The dancers are put through a battery of rounds which test their ability to pick up various dance styles (usually some of the more well-represented genres that will be found in the competition phase, such as hip-hop, jazz, ballroom and contemporary), as well as solo rounds where they perform in their own style and, since season 2, a group choreography round in which randomly-assigned groups must display their musicality and ability to communicate professionally by choreographing a performance to a randomly selected piece of music – typically the only time competitors will be asked to choreograph themselves, aside from solos. Vegas week is often portrayed as one of the most exhausting and stressful stages of the competition; dancers are given a limited amount of time to adapt to styles they are sometimes wholly unfamiliar with while being physically taxed by the rapid progression of rounds and a limited amount of sleep while each round often sees cuts in which a significant portion of the remaining dancers are eliminated from competition. At the end of this process, usually less than 40 competitors remain in a pool from which the final contestants will be chosen. Most seasons have featured 20 finalists for the competition portion of the show, but Season One had a Top 16 and Season Seven saw a Top 11.

Main Competition

Following Vegas Week, the show transitions into its regular competition phase which will last the rest of the season. The competition stage is divided into 8–9 weeks, with typically two shows per week (a "performance show" and a "results show"), with two contestants eliminated per week (or in the case of season 7, one contestant). Dancers are paired – in some seasons at random and in others by judge decisions – into male/female couples with whom they will stay paired for much of the competition, assuming neither is eliminated. These couples will then perform 1–2 duets during performance shows in randomly-selected styles. These duets, as with all non-solo performances at this stage in the competition, are choreographed by professional choreographers, who are often noteworthy names in their own genres or American dance culture at large. Prior to most duet performances, a video packet of clips of the couple preparing to perform the routine is shown; these packets are intended not only to demonstrate the couple's efforts to master the routine, but also to give glimpses of the personalities of the dancers as well as to allow the choreographer to give insight as to the thematic, narrative, and artistic intentions of the piece. Following each duet performance, the week's panel of judges (which varies both season to season and week to week and often features many of the same experts from the open auditions and Vegas Week as well as notable dance figures, regular series choreographers and even past contestants) gives critical feedback, often emphasizing the two key areas of technique and performance value. These duets and their accompanying video packets and critiques typically take up the majority of a competition show but may be supplemented by solos or group numbers during the later portion of the season. Each competition show ends with a quick recap of the night's routines accompanied by on-screen reminders of the telephone numbers by which at-home viewers can vote for the contestant(s) of their choosing and it is at this point that those lines open to receive votes. As of Season 8, voting can also be performed online. Performance shows typically last two hours, commercials included.

Results shows typically air on the night immediately following that of the performance show for that week and usually open with a group routine from the remaining contestants. The main purpose of this show is to determine which of the dancers are to be eliminated for that week, but these episodes generally also feature guest dance performances or guest musical acts and sometimes video packets which give further insight regarding the dancers and their journey on the show. After short recaps of the previous night's performance, the bottom three couples (those which garnered the fewest votes from viewers) are revealed. Each of these six dancers are then in danger of elimination and must perform a solo for the judges as their last effort to impress and keep themselves in the competition. The judges then retire briefly (typically during the night's headlining musical guest performance)
to determine which guy and which girl (who are not necessarily from the same couple) will leave the competition. The eliminated dancers are then announced and given a brief send-off via a video montage. If the dancers who were eliminated were not from the same couple then the two remaining members will form a new couple for the following week's performance show. One two occasions, the judges, unwilling to send any of the bottom dancers home on the merits of their performances that week, have abstained from making an elimination and instead allowed all competitors to proceed to the next week, which would be followed by an elimination of the double the usual number of competitors. Results shows have varied in length from one to two hours, commercials included.

Around the time that the show enters its 'Top Ten' competitor phase, there are typically several format changes that take place. Couples are split up and new pairings are formed for each of the remaining weeks (though some couples may be paired up more than once). Additionally, voting is usually then cast for individual dancers rather than couples. Lastly, the judges often give up their power to save dancers at this point, and eliminations are determined exclusively by viewer votes, with judges serving in only an advisory capacity. Each season sees its last format shake up in its last week, which typically takes place when the show reaches a Top 4 (though season six saw a Top 6 finale and season seven a Top 3). In the final performance show, the remaining dancers typically each dance duets with all of their fellow finalists as well as perform solos and participate in group numbers. The following night's season finale episode is often the most elaborately produced show of a season and features the last performances of the competitors, encore performances of many of the season's most acclaimed routines, guest dancers (including returning past season competitors and cast-members from other international versions of the franchise), musical performances and multiple video packets chronicling the course of the season's events, all culminating in the announcement of the winner of the competition, as decided by the previous night's vote. Following the closure of the season, the Top Ten dancers often go on tour for several months, performing hit routines from the season amongst other performances.

While the above describes the most likely format for a given season, there have been notable variations in how various seasons have been arranged. While most seasons have seen 20 top finalists, season 1, being slightly shorter in length than all following seasons, saw only a Top 16, and its final performance show had an improvisational segment that was never again seen on the show. Aired in the fall (as opposed to the summer as with all other seasons), Season Six saw some cuts to its average air time per episode and ended at a Top Six rather than a Top Four. Season Six was also the first to have a 'showcase' episode which transitions the show from its selection to competition phases; the showcase episode has become a staple of the series since and features all of the top finalists dancing in groups but exclusively in their own style and without risk of elimination. Season Seven is perhaps the most unique season to date in terms of format; this season, rather than featuring a Top 20 with two eliminations per week, had a Top 11 and sent home only one dancer per week, ending with a Top 3 finale. Season Seven also saw the introduction of 'All-Stars', former contestants who return in a non-competitive role to pair with new competitors for some of their routines. As a result of its altered format, Season Seven became the first season to feature male-male and female-female duets outside of a performance finale. Season Eight saw a return to the Top 20 format but also continued to use All-Stars past after the competition reached the Top Ten phase and was the first season to combine its Top 20 announcement episode with its showcase episode.

Judge's Panel

The judging panel has also seen its share of shake-ups, in terms of both size and composition, over the run of the series. Typically a season sees 2–3 permanent judges with an additional 1–2 guest judges for most episodes, with the panel ballooning up to 6–9 members for Vegas Week and for finale shows. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is the only judge to be a permanent member of the panel for all eight seasons. Other permanent judges have included ballroom specialist Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy may refer to:*Mary Murphy , American actress*Mary Murphy , American choreographer*Mary Murphy , American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives...

, film director and choreographer Adam Shankman
Adam Shankman
Adam Michael Shankman is an American film director, producer, dancer, actor, and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet...

 and contemporary choreographer Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels is an American choreographer best known for her judging and contemporary choreography on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . She has worked with musical artists such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Prince...

. Guest judge positions are typically filled by choreographers who work regularly on the show (though never on the same episode for which they judge) and by iconic names from the entertainment industry. Lastly there has been some variation in how long into a season the judges have retained their ability to make the ultimate decision on who is eliminated from week to week; typically this ability is lost around week 5 of the competitive phase of the show, but in seasons seven and eight, the format has seen the judges retain this ability until relatively late in the competition, at week seven. Some displeasure has been voiced from the fan base of the show concerning format changes in the most recent seasons, particularly with regard to season seven's Top 11 format, which prompted the producers to construct a Top 20 setup that also preserved the All-Star element for Season 8 in what Lythgoe described as an attempt to achieve "the best of both worlds". All judges who judged in the panel are choreographers.

Dance Styles

Over the course of its eight seasons, So You Think You Can Dance has featured dozens of distinct dance styles in it's choreographed routines. Most of these styles fall into four categories that are regularly showcased and can be found in almost every performance episode: western classical styles (contemporary and ballet), ballroom styles, "street" styles (hip-hop and associated genres) and Jazz and it's related styles. Various other forms of dance that do not especially fall into these broad categories are seen as well, but not as regularly. The following styles have all been seen in a choreographed duet or group routine:
Classical Styles

Contemporary dances in particular are one of the most common dances seen on the show, being seen in every performance episode of the series, and typically at least twice. Ballet routines occur much more rarely, at a rate of one or two per season since their introduction in the fourth season.
  • Contemporary
  • Ballet: Typically in the form of a 'Pas De Deux.'
  • Lyrical


Street and Club Styles

The vast majority of routines in this category, which is also represented in every performance episode, are labelled simply "Hip-Hop," but a number of sub-genres and related styles have been recurrently featured.
  • Hip-Hop: Typical titled simply hip-hop despite a wide variety of styles but also including routines labelled as being in the developing style "Lyrical Hip-Hop" starting in season four. Lyrical Hip-Hop is unique amongst all the styles on SYTYCD in that it is the only one that is held to have become a known distinct style at least in-part as a result of the show; the style is widely attributed to regular show choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo.
  • Breaking/B-boying
  • Krump
  • Locking
  • Popping
  • Stepping
  • Whacking


Classical Ballroom Styles

Ballroom styles are also seen regularly in every performance episode, though these dances may be traditional European-derived styles or Latin styles or a mix of the two.
  • Waltz: Typically labelled just "Waltz" in early seasons, later performances in this style have usually since been designated as either 'Viennese Waltz' or 'Smooth Waltz' with one routine being (unofficially) described by judge Nigel Lythgoe as an "American Smooth Waltz."
  • Tango: Typically titled either a 'Tango' or an "Argentine Tango"
  • Foxtrot
  • Quickstep


Latin Ballroom Styles
  • Cha-Cha
  • Jive: Including "American Jive" variations.
  • Mambo
  • Paso Doble
  • Rumba: Sometimes further specified as a Cuban or African Rumba
  • Salsa: Typically just salsa, but also including one routine designated as a "Street Salsa."
  • Samba


Jazz

Jazz is featured in nearly, but not all, performance episodes. While these routines are typically just titled "Jazz," the genre is notable as being one of the most fusional featured on the show and various style combinations and sub-categories have been referenced (sometimes officially in the routine labels, sometimes simply by choreographers and judges). These fusional styles include African Jazz, Lyrical Jazz, Pop-Jazz, Modern Jazz, and Jazz-Funk.

Broadway/Musical Theatre styles

Seen more rarely than the related jazz dances, this family of styles is still fairly common, with the most common variety, Broadway, being featured in roughly one out of every 1–3 weeks, depending on the season.
  • Broadway
  • Tap Dancing
  • Musical Theater: Sometimes alternatively called "Theater" or "Theatrical"
  • Can-Can


American Social styles

These dance styles are featured less frequently than their ballroom relatives, but have been seen intermittently since the first season.
  • Disco: Sometimes unoffically referred to by judges as having three different types, including "70's Disco," "80's Disco" and "New Disco."
  • Hustle
  • West Coast Swing
  • Lindy Hop
  • Charleston
  • Boogaloo: Sometimes called an "Electric Boogaloo" or "Electric Boogie."
  • Rock n' Roll


Regional/Traditional styles

In addition to the broad categories above, many more "exotic" styles, less common in the US are sometimes featured. Most of these are seen only once, but the Bollywood style has been featured several times per season since the fourth season.
  • Bollywood
  • Trepak
  • Kalinka
  • African
  • Tahitian
  • Malevos
  • Sevillanas
  • Capoiera: This style has never been featured on its own but has been incporated as a part of routines based on other South American styles

Finalists

Season Year(s) Time Winner Runner-up 3rd Place 4th Place Host Judges
1 Summer/Fall 2005 July–October Nick Lazzarini
(Contemporary Jazz)
Melody Lacayanga
(Contemporary)
Jamile McGee
(Popping)
Ashlé Dawson
(Jazz)
Lauren Sánchez
Lauren Sánchez
Lauren Sanchez is an award-winning American news anchor, entertainment reporter, and media personality. She was the weekend anchor and special correspondent on Extra. She is also a co-host on KTTV Fox-11's Good Day LA and the station's top-rated "Ten o'clock News." Sánchez is also a regular...

Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...


Guest judges
2 Summer 2006 May–August Benji Schwimmer
(Swing/Latin)
Travis Wall
(Contemporary)
Donyelle Jones
(Jazz/Hip-Hop)
Heidi Groskreutz
(Ballroom)
Cat Deeley
Cat Deeley
Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter and model. Since 2006, Deeley has also been the host of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition...

3 Summer 2007 May–August Sabra Johnson
(Contemporary)
Danny Tidwell
(Ballet)
Neil Haskell
(Contemporary)
Lacey Schwimmer
(Swing/Latin)
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...


Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (choreographer)
Mary Ann Murphy is a ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...


Guest judges
4 Summer 2008 May–August Joshua Allen
(Hip-Hop)
Stephen Boss
(Hip Hop)
Katee Shean
(Contemporary)
Courtney Galiano
(Contemporary)
5 Summer 2009 May–August Jeanine Mason
(Contemporary)
Brandon Bryant
(Contemporary)
Evan Kasperzak
(Broadway)
Kayla Radomski
(Contemporary)
6 Fall 2009 September–December Russell Ferguson
(Krump)
Jakob Karr
(Contemporary)
Kathryn McCormick
(Contemporary)
Ellenore Scott
(Jazz)
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...


Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (choreographer)
Mary Ann Murphy is a ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...


Adam Shankman
Adam Shankman
Adam Michael Shankman is an American film director, producer, dancer, actor, and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet...

7 Summer 2010 May–August Lauren Froderman
(Contemporary)
Kent Boyd
(Contemporary Jazz)
Robert Roldan
(Contemporary Jazz)
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...


Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels is an American choreographer best known for her judging and contemporary choreography on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . She has worked with musical artists such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Prince...


Adam Shankman
Adam Shankman
Adam Michael Shankman is an American film director, producer, dancer, actor, and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet...

8 Summer 2011 May–August Melanie Moore
(Contemporary)
Sasha Mallory
(Contemporary)
Marko Germar
(Contemporary Jazz)
Tadd Gadduang
(B-boying)
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...


Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (choreographer)
Mary Ann Murphy is a ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...


Guest Judges
These dancers never appeared in the bottom group during their seasons. In addition, Moore is the first female winner from the US show to win without appearing in the bottom group.

Season six's finale had six dancers. Ashleigh Di Lello, who had also never appeared in the bottom group, placed fifth, and Ryan Di Lello placed sixth.

Season seven's finale only had three dancers. AdéChiké Torbert was eliminated the week before the finale and placed fourth.

Season 2

The series premiered on May 12, 2006. The top 20 finalists were revealed on June 8, and the winner, Benjamin Schwimmer, was named "America's Favorite Dancer" on August 16, 2006 after 16 million votes were collected for the season finale. Travis Wall was the first runner-up, and Donyelle Jones was named second runner-up.

Schwimmer almost did not make the show's top 20—he was officially first runner-up dancer in case any of the male dancers ran into unforeseen difficulties prior to the start of filming. As it happened, for the second year in a row, Hokuto Konishi was unable to get his visa cleared to work in the US in time for the first taping, and he was cut. Schwimmer came in and proceeded to routinely wow the judges and the audience on the way to victory.

There were several changes to the show's format in the second season. New styles of dance were introduced, and the prize for the second season was increased from US$100,000 to also include a new car and a one-year contract to perform in Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

's show in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

.

Not making the top 20 in Season 2 was Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...

star Heather Morris. Lythgoe told Morris that she had failed to make the top 20 by a vote of 3–2. Not discouraged, Morris moved to Los Angeles, where she got a job touring with Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

 as a backup dancer and eventually landed a small part on Glee as cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce. Morris has been elevated to a series regular in the second season.

Season 3

Open auditions for Season 3 began early October 2006, held in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Like the previous season, those that made the cuts moved on to Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...

. The taped auditions premiered on the Fox Network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 on May 24, 2007, and the subsequent shows were taped and broadcast live for a 12-week season. Cat Deeley
Cat Deeley
Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter and model. Since 2006, Deeley has also been the host of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition...

 returned as host, and Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...

 returned as permanent judge. Joining Lythgoe permanently at the judging table was Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (choreographer)
Mary Ann Murphy is a ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...

; her promotion was reported by TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...

on March 8, 2007. The previous season's winner Benjamin Schwimmer's little sister, Lacey Schwimmer auditioned for this season and made the Top 20. She was the only contestant in the finals to have never been in the Bottom 3 couples or Bottom 4. She placed fourth in the finale and later joined the seventh season
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 7)
The seventh season of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 22, 2008 as a part of ABC's fall line-up. Instead of 12 couples like previous seasons, this was the first season to showcase a lineup of 13 couples...

 of Dancing With the Stars. The prize for the winner was increased to $250,000 cash. On the performance finale show (August 16, 2007), it was announced that the series had been picked up for a fourth season. Sabra Johnson was named "America's Favorite Dancer," while Danny Tidwell was named runner-up.

Season 4

Auditions for Season 4 began in Texas on January 17 and took place in six locations through March 2008. The show kicked off its two-hour season premiere on May 22, 2008. Cat Deeley
Cat Deeley
Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter and model. Since 2006, Deeley has also been the host of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition...

 returned as host and Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...

 and Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (choreographer)
Mary Ann Murphy is a ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...

 as permanent judges. This season saw the introduction of new dance styles, including Bollywood, and new choreographers, including hip-hop duo Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo. The prize for the winner was again $250,000 cash, the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" and an offer for a role in Step Up 3D. In the finale, viewers voted Joshua Allen as the overall winner, while Katee Shean was given a surprise award of $50,000 for being the top female dancer.

Season 5

Auditions for Season 5 kicked off in New York City on November 13, 2008 and continued on to Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, and Seattle. The premiere aired on May 21, 2009. Louis van Amstel
Louis van Amstel
Louis Van Amstel is a Dutch-born ballroom dance champion, professional dancer, choreographer, and a dancesport coach who appears on the U.S. reality television series Dancing with the Stars.-Early life:...

 joined the show's cast of choreographers and Shane Sparks
Shane Sparks
Shane Sparks is an award-winning hip-hop choreographer best known for his work as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance and judge on America's Best Dance Crew. He won an American Choreography Award for his work as co-choreographer on 2004 film You Got Served...

 returned to choreograph while on break from America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...

. The prize for the winner was once again $250,000 cash, the chance to be on the November 2009 issue cover of Dance Spirit Magazine, and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer." On August 6, 2009 (the finale), Jeanine Mason was given the title.

Season 6

After a low-rated special episode of Dance featuring Lythgoe presenting his and viewer's favorite dance routines from seasons 1–5 which aired Wednesday, September 2, 2009 8–8:58 pm ET/PT, the sixth season of Dance, premiered on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. Auditions were held in Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

, and Salt Lake City. Adam Shankman
Adam Shankman
Adam Michael Shankman is an American film director, producer, dancer, actor, and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet...

 joined as the permanent judge for the first time this season. The winner was Russell Ferguson.

Season 7

Auditions began in Miami, Florida, on January 18, 2010, then continued in The Bronx, Dallas, Nashville, and Chicago, ending in Los Angeles on March 26. The season premiered on May 27, 2010. This season was quite different as Top 10 dancers were to be chosen, however 11 dancers were chosen instead of the traditional Top 20 with a new All Star format where previous contestants were brought back and paired up with the top 11. Lauren Froderman won this season with Kent Boyd coming second.

Season 8

Auditions started October 13, 2010 in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

 and continued through November 15 in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York. The premiere aired on May 26, 2011.

The series began a new version of the "All-Star" format in which the All Stars didn't come in until the top 10. The show returned to a top 20 with couples. This season also marks the first time that the public will be able to cast their votes online, in addition to calling in, with a limit of 50 votes per viewer. On August 11, 2011, it was announced that Melanie Moore was the winner of season 8 and Sasha Mallory the runner-up. Together they received 79% of the 11.5 million votes.

Season 9

On October 6, 2011, Fox announced that it had renewed So You Think You Can Dance for a ninth season, which will premiere in Summer 2012.

Special show

On September 2, 2009, a special show aired, featuring judge picks for the top 15 routines from the first five seasons. At the end of the show, show creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...

 presented his favorite performance, a contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

 piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio
Tyce Diorio
Keith "Tyce" Diorio is an American dancer and choreographer. He is best known for his work as a choreographer and guest judge on the Fox television series So You Think You Can Dance. He has choreographed and performed with Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin...

 and performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi. The show was extremely low rated and remains the worst performing episode in SYTYCD history with just 4.6 million viewers.

Ratings

So You Think You Can Dance premiered with over 10 million viewers in 2005. For Season 1, it was the No. 1 summer show on television. However, when NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

's America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...

premiered in the summer of 2006, it took the title of "#1 summer show" and, over the past few years, has broadened its lead. In summer 2009, SYTYCD premiered strong with a 3.4 rating in its target demographic, although with the start of America's Got Talent roughly a month later in the same timeslot, Dance fell to No. 4 on the ratings board. It continued to lose viewers throughout the summer of 2009 and ended up with an average of approximately 8 million viewers. Fox then moved SYTYCD to its fall 2009 schedule where its ratings continued to decline; hitting an all time series low of 4.6 million viewers for a "special" episode hosted by Nigel Lythgoe on September 2, 2009. The move to the fall was short-lived. After dropping to an average of 6 million viewers, Fox moved SYTYCD back to the summer in 2010. With Mia Michaels replacing Mary Murphy and former contestants termed as "all stars" being used as partners, the ratings for Dance have continued to slide to all-time series lows; dropping to just 5.6 million viewers on July 15, 2010. For Season 7, So You Think You Can Dance averaged just over 5 million viewers. This represented the worst performance of its seven seasons while similar shows such as Big Brother, Wipeout and America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...

saw their numbers increase significantly during the summer of 2010. Soon after the season 7 finale, it was announced that Mia Michaels would be replaced by Mary Murphy on the Judges panel. The change had no effect on the ratings and the numbers for Season 8 have continued to decline; averaging just over five million viewers again in 2011.

Emmy Awards

Year Result Category Recipient(s)/
Choreographer(s)
Performers Style Music
2007
59th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...

rowspan=2 [a] Outstanding Choreography
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.-Award winners:1950s* 1955 June Taylor – The Jackie Gleason Show* 1956 Tony Charmoli – Your Hit Parade* 1959 Hermes Pan – An Evening with Fred Astaire1970s...

Wade Robson
Wade Robson
Wade Jeremy William Robson is an Australian dance prodigy, director, producer, songwriter, and award-winning choreographer. He began performing as a dancer at the age of five. He has directed music videos and world tours for numerous music artists such as 'N Sync and Britney Spears...

Season 2 finalists Pop-Jazz
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...

"Ramalama (Bang Bang)"—Róisín Murphy
Róisín Murphy
Róisín Marie Murphy is an Irish singer-songwriter and record producer, known for her electronic style.Murphy first came to note as part of the electronic music duo Moloko. Her partner in the band was then-boyfriend Mark Brydon. After the two ended their romantic relationship, Murphy released her...

Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels is an American choreographer best known for her judging and contemporary choreography on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . She has worked with musical artists such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Prince...

Travis Wall
Travis Wall
Travis Michael Wall , an American dancer and dance instructor specializing in contemporary dance and jazz dance. He is best known for his 2006 appearance as a competitor on the second season of the television show So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on the Fox Network. As of 2009, he is...


Heidi Groskreutz
Heidi Groskreutz
Heidi Groskreutz is a ballroom dancer, specializing in the fields of Latin and swing dancing. She is known for making the final in the second season of the Fox TV series So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...

Contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

"Calling You
Calling You
"Calling You" is an Academy Award nominated song from the Bagdad Café movie. Originally, it was recorded by Jevetta Steele. Bob Telson who wrote the song also recorded his version. Both appeared on the movie soundtrack in 1987.- Céline Dion version :...

"—Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

2008
60th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was held on Sunday, September 21, 2008, at the newly opened Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest and televised in the United States on ABC.The Creative Arts Awards...

Outstanding Choreography Wade Robson Hokuto "Hok" Konishi
Jaimie Goodwin
Jazz
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...

"The Chairman's Waltz" from Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II...

Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore (choreographer)
Mandy Moore is an emerging contemporary, jazz choreographer and performer whose work has been seen on television, in film and on the concert stage. She was nominated for an Emmy in 2005 and again in 2011 for choreography performed on the television show So You Think You Can Dance.Moore was one of...

Neil Haskell
Neil Haskell
Neil David Haskell is an American contemporary dancer. He is best known as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance where he finished third in the final four. On April 22, 2008, he began performing in the Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz as Luke. Neil most recently joined The West Side Story...


Sabra Johnson
Sabra Johnson
Sabra Elise Johnson is a dancer from Roy, Utah and the Season 3 Champion of the Fox reality television show So You Think You Can Dance.She was born in the Netherlands, lived nine years in Germany, and after that, nine years in Utah...

Jazz "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
-Personnel:*Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards, synthesisers, flute*David A. Stewart – guitar, keyboards, synthesisers, programming, backing vocals-Additional personnel:*Robert Crash - Guitar/ E-Drums/ Synth/ Robotic vocals...

"—Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...

Shane Sparks
Shane Sparks
Shane Sparks is an award-winning hip-hop choreographer best known for his work as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance and judge on America's Best Dance Crew. He won an American Choreography Award for his work as co-choreographer on 2004 film You Got Served...

Pasha Kovalev
Pasha Kovalev
Pavel Kovalev is a professional Latin and ballroom dancer. Born and raised in Siberia, Pasha Kovalev started dancing at age eight...


Lauren Gottlieb
Hip-hop
Hip hop dance
Hip-hop dance refers to dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s by African Americans and made popular by breaking, locking, and...

"Fuego"—Pitbull
Pitbull (rapper)
Armando Christian Pérez , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records...

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera
Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)
Amy Strozzi
Heather Cummings
Tifanie White
Crystal Wolfchild
2009
61st Primetime Emmy Awards
The 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place on September 20, 2009. CBS broadcast the Primetime event and E! the Creative Arts event; both take place at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The nominations for the Awards were announced on July 16....

Outstanding Choreography Tyce Diorio
Tyce Diorio
Keith "Tyce" Diorio is an American dancer and choreographer. He is best known for his work as a choreographer and guest judge on the Fox television series So You Think You Can Dance. He has choreographed and performed with Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin...

William Wingfield
Jessica King
Jessica King
For the American dancer, see So You Think You Can Dance finalists#Jessica King.Jessica King is a Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 18th Wisconsin District since 2011...

Contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

"Silence" from Unfaithful
Napoleon D'umo
Tabitha D'umo
Mark Kanemura
Chelsie Hightower
Chelsie Hightower
Chelsie Hightower is a Latin ballroom dancer, who is best known for being a regular dance partner, trainer, and choreographer on the ABC competition show Dancing with the Stars.-Biography:...

Hip-hop "Bleeding Love
Bleeding Love
"Bleeding Love" is a pop/R&B ballad co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder for British singer Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. The song is the album's lead single , released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2007...

"—Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....

Mia Michaels Stephen "Twitch" Boss
Katee Shean
Contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

"Mercy
Mercy (song)
"Mercy" is a soul song performed by Welsh blue-eyed soul singer Duffy, released as the second single from her debut album, Rockferry . Co-written by Duffy and Steve Booker and produced by Booker, it was released over 2008 worldwide to critical acclaim and unprecedented chart success...

"—Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...

Dmitry Chaplin
Dmitry Chaplin
Dmitry Chaplin is an Russian dancer and an Emmy Nominated choreographer, best known for being a Top 10 finalist on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . He was famous for constantly performing shirtless, with one solo routine having him rip off his shirt.-Biography:Chaplin was born in...

Joshua Allen
Joshua Allen
Joshua Allen is the winner of the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance. He had originally auditioned in Dallas, Texas with his friend and fellow contestant, Comfort Fedoke. Allen was announced winner of the show on August 7, 2008, winning $250,000.-Early life:Allen was born in Fort Worth,...


Chelsie Hightower
Argentine tango
Argentine tango
Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of...

"A Los Amigos" from Forever Tango
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) Amy Strozzi
Heather Cummings
Tifanie White
Marie DelPrete
Outstanding Costumes For A Variety/Music Program Or A Special Soyon An
2010
62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, took place on August 29, 2010, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PDT...

rowspan="3" Outstanding Choreography Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels is an American choreographer best known for her judging and contemporary choreography on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . She has worked with musical artists such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Prince...

Evan Kasprzak
Evan Kasprzak
Evan Kasprzak is a dancer specializing in tap and theater jazz. He is best known for finishing third on the Fox show So You Think You Can Dance, and for being the first dancer on the show specializing in the style that the show refers to as "Broadway."...


Randi Evans
Contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

"Koop Island Blues"—Koop
Koop (band)
Koop is an electronic jazz duo from Sweden, consisting of Magnus Zingmark and Oscar Simonsson.Koop won a Swedish Grammy Award in 2003 for the album "Waltz for Koop", and received a Gold certification for sales of their most recent album, Koop Islands...

 feat Ane Brun
Ane Brun
Ane Brun is a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. Since 2003 she has recorded eight albums, four of which are studio albums, a live DVD and a collection of duets...

Kūpono Aweau
Kayla Radomski
Contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

"Gravity"—Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been...

Season 5 Top 8
So You Think You Can Dance (season 5) finalists
This is a list of finalists from the fifth season of So You Think You Can Dance . Listed in alphabetical order.-Ade Obayomi:Born on December 6, 1988, Ade Obayomi is a contemporary dancer from Orange County, California. Ade started dancing at the age of 6...

Contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

"One" from A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....

Stacey Tookey
Stacey Tookey
Stacey Tookey is a dancer and choreographer born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Emmy-nominated Tookey is best known for her frequent appearances as a Resident Choreographer and Guest Judge on the Canadian and American versions of the television show So You Think You Can Dance. Tookey served as...

Jonathan "Legacy" Perez
So You Think You Can Dance (season 6) finalists
This article includes the top 20 finalists for So You Think You Can Dance in alphabetical order of last names.-Phillip Attmore:Phillip is a tap dancer from Pasadena, California. His partner was Channing Cooke. Phillip was eliminated the second week of competition along with fellow tap dancer Bianca...


Kathryn McCormick
Contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

"Two Steps Away"—Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) Amy Strozzi
Heather Cummings
Crystal Wolfchild
Tifanie White
Marie DelPrete
Adam Christopher
Outstanding Costumes For A Variety/Music Program Or A Special Soyon An
Graine O'Sullivan
2011
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, was held on September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Actress Jane Lynch hosted...

rowspan="3" Outstanding Choreography Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo Robert Roldan
Dominic Sandoval
Hip-Hop "Scars"—Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...

 ft. Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...

, Meleka
Meleka
Meleka is a singer/songwriter who first came to public attention after winning the annual talent competition HUGO Urban Rules in 2008. The event saw her performing for music industry experts and stars Estelle and ex-Mystique singer Sabrina Washington...

, and Chipmunk
Comfort Fedoke
AdéChiké Torbert
Lyrical Hip-Hop "Fallin'
Fallin'
"Fallin" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American recording artist Alicia Keys for her debut album, Songs in A Minor. Released to radio and music video outlets in 2001, it is generally considered her signature song. "Fallin'" became Keys' first number-one single in the United States...

"—Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

Alex Wong
Stephen "Twitch" Boss
Hip-Hop "Outta Your Mind" (District 78 Mix)—Lil John and LMFAO
LMFAO (band)
LMFAO is an American electro pop duo consisting of rappers, producers, dancers, and DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu . The group formed in 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Redfoo is SkyBlu's uncle. Redfoo is also the son of music mogul Berry Gordy, SkyBlu a grandson...

rowspan="3" Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels is an American choreographer best known for her judging and contemporary choreography on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . She has worked with musical artists such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Prince...

Season 7 Top 6 and All-Stars Contemporary "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is a song by British rock group The Police from their album Ghost in the Machine. It was also a hit single that reached the top of the charts in the United Kingdom in November 1981 and hit number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart that same...

"—Sting
Season 7 Top 8 Contemporary "When We Dance"—Sting
Billy Bell
Ade Obayomi
Alex Wong
Contemporary "This Bitter Earth
This Bitter Earth
"This Bitter Earth" is a 1960 song made famous by rhythm and blues singer Dinah Washington. Written and produced by Clyde Otis, it topped the U.S. R&B charts for the week of 25 July 1960 and also reached #24 on the U.S. pop charts...

/On the Nature of Twilight"—Max Richter
Max Richter
Max Richter is a German-born British composer.-Biography:Richter studied composition and piano at University of Edinburgh, the Royal Academy of Music and with Luciano Berio in Florence. After finishing his studies, Richter co-founded the contemporary classical ensemble Piano Circus...

 and Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...

rowspan="3" Mandy Moore Lauren Froderman
Ade Obayomi
Pop-Jazz "Oh Yeah"—Yello
Yello
Yello is a Swiss electronica band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. They are probably best known for their singles "The Race" and "Oh Yeah", which feature a mix of electronic music and manipulated vocals, as does most of their music....

Billy Bell
Lauren Froderman
Jazz
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...

"Boogie Shoes
Boogie Shoes
"Boogie Shoes" is a popular song released in 1975 on the self-titled album KC and the Sunshine Band by the disco group KC and the Sunshine Band. The song became a hit when it appeared on the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack in 1977. The song is still heard on radio stations today as a disco-era staple...

"—KC & the Sunshine Band
Charlie Bruce
Charlie Bruce
Charlotte "Charlie" Bruce , is a British jazz dancer from Cropston, Leicestershire, who won the first series of So You Think You Can Dance . She trained in dance at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and both dance and musical theatre at Laine Theatre Arts, a performing arts college in...


Neil Haskell
Neil Haskell
Neil David Haskell is an American contemporary dancer. He is best known as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance where he finished third in the final four. On April 22, 2008, he began performing in the Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz as Luke. Neil most recently joined The West Side Story...

Contemporary "I Surrender"—Celine Dion
rowspan="3" Stacey Tookey
Stacey Tookey
Stacey Tookey is a dancer and choreographer born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Emmy-nominated Tookey is best known for her frequent appearances as a Resident Choreographer and Guest Judge on the Canadian and American versions of the television show So You Think You Can Dance. Tookey served as...

Billy Bell
Ade Obayomi
Contemporary "Mad World
Mad World
"Mad World" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas As Opiates", would turn up...

" (Alternate Version)—Michael Andrews
Michael Andrews (musician)
Michael Andrews is an American musician and film score composer. He is best known for a cover version of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World", which he recorded with Gary Jules for the Donnie Darko soundtrack, and which became a number one single in the UK in Christmas 2003.-Soundtrack...

 ft. Gary Jules
Gary Jules
Gary Jules is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his cover of Tears for Fears' third single "Mad World", which he recorded together with friend Michael Andrews for the film Donnie Darko. It became the UK Christmas Number One single of 2003...

Kent Boyd
Allison Holker
Contemporary "Sundrenched World" (Live Session)—Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin is an American recording artist, songwriter and actor. He was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and is of Swedish, German, Polish, Russian, and Austrian descent. He studied drawing and painting at Northwestern University, following his college years with stints as an art...

Kathryn McCormick
Robert Roldan
Contemporary "Heaven is a Place on Earth
Heaven is a Place on Earth
"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is the title of a song recorded by Belinda Carlisle, the lead singer of The Go-Go's. Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, and interpolating the aria "Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh'" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio, it hit number one on the...

"—Katie Thompson
rowspan="3" Travis Wall
Travis Wall
Travis Michael Wall , an American dancer and dance instructor specializing in contemporary dance and jazz dance. He is best known for his 2006 appearance as a competitor on the second season of the television show So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on the Fox Network. As of 2009, he is...

Kent Boyd
Lauren Froderman
Contemporary "Collide" (Acoustic Version)—Howie Day
Howie Day
Howard Kern "Howie" Day is an American singer-songwriter. Beginning his career as a solo artist in the late 1990s, Day became known for his extensive touring and in-concert use of samplers and effects pedals in order to accompany himself...

Kent Boyd
Neil Haskell
Contemporary "How It Ends
How It Ends
How It Ends is the fourth album from the band DeVotchKa, released by Cicero Recordings, Ltd. in 2004. The song "How It Ends" reached Number 101 in the UK Singles Charts.-Track listing:# "You Love Me" – 4:02# "The Enemy Guns" – 4:21...

"—DeVotchKa
DeVotchKa
DeVotchKa is a four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble. They take their name from the Russian word devochka , meaning "girl"...

Allison Holker
Robert Roldan
Contemporary "Fix You
Fix You
"Fix You" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. It was written by all four members of the band for their third album, X&Y. The track is built around an organ, that is accompanied by slow tempo drums, and a vocals. It was released on 5 September 2005 as the second single from X&Y and...

"—Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program Cat Deeley
Cat Deeley
Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter and model. Since 2006, Deeley has also been the host of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition...

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Series Robert Barnhard
Peter Radcie
Patrick Boozer
Matt Firestone
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program Executive Producers
Co-Executive Producers
Supervising Producer
Senior Producers
Producers

  • Former contestant Chelsie Hightower
    Chelsie Hightower
    Chelsie Hightower is a Latin ballroom dancer, who is best known for being a regular dance partner, trainer, and choreographer on the ABC competition show Dancing with the Stars.-Biography:...

     was also nominated for Outstanding Choreography for the 2010 Emmys for a routine from Dancing with the Stars
    Dancing with the Stars
    Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...

    .
  • : Wade Robson and Mia Michaels were joint-winners along with Rob Marshall
    Rob Marshall
    Rob Marshall is an American theater director, film director and choreographer. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and four-time Emmy winner whose most noted work is the 2002 Academy Award for Best Picture winner Chicago.-Life and career:Marshall was...

     and John Deluca from Tony Bennett: An American Classic
    Tony Bennett
    Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....

    .

Teen Choice Awards

Year Result Category
2006 Choice TV: Breakout Show
2006 Choice Summer Series
2007 Choice Summer TV Show
2008 rowspan=2 Choice Summer TV Show
Choice TV: Reality Dance
2010 rowspan=2 Choice Personality: Cat Deeley
Choice Summer TV Show

See also

  • Dancing with the Stars
    Dancing with the Stars
    Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...

  • Live to Dance
    Live to Dance
    Live to Dance was a United States television reality program and dance competition on the CBS network. Dancers from all over the country auditioned for Live to Dance in "specially constructed Dance Domes"...

  • Soul Train
    Soul Train
    Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...

  • American Bandstand
    American Bandstand
    American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...

  • America's Best Dance Crew
    America's Best Dance Crew
    America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...

  • Dance Fever
    Dance Fever
    Dance Fever is an American musical variety series that aired weekly in syndication from January 1979 to September 1987. The series was created and produced by Merv Griffin and written by Tony Garofalo....

  • List of So You Think You Can Dance Finalists

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK