Yesterday, there was an article in the NY Times about “So You Think You Can Dance”. Five NYC professional dancers comment as they watch an episode of the Fox’s popular TV show.

I started watching the show three or four years ago. Before that I was reluctant to watch it, but then decided that it was important for me to stay on top of the dance world and know what my students were watching.

I have to admit that I don’t watch much of the show. I see the dancers dance and then fast forward through the commercials, the up close and personal clips, and the judges’ reactions. And I see even less on the day that they eliminate dancers. I watch the special guest star, and then catch the dancers “dance for their life’ (this is where they are in jeopardy of getting kicked off, so they dance a solo to try to stay in). All I see is the dancing.

I believe that the show has helped make dance more mainstream. But is it helping to cultivate a dance audience for live performances? I’ve noticed that the attendance at local dance performances is dwindling. It’s sad because the venues and companies are not going to be able survive without the audience. And there is nothing like a live performance!
At least the show does include performances by renowned dance companies. It’s just a tiny part of the show, though.

And of course with my love of ballet, I wish there was more ballet. The dancers are required to do many different genres of dance, but they don’t include ballet.

Do you watch the show? What do you think about it?