Fan Fare

Are injuries ruining “So You Think You Can Dance” ?

Another day, another dancer injured on “So You Think You Can Dance”.

Billy Bell sat out this week’s competition rounds on the TV dance show with a hurt knee, joining ballet dancer Alex Wong and contemporary dancer Ashley Galvan on the growing list of contestants brought down by injury in rehearsal.

It’s the biggest injury toll in the show’s five-year history. So what’s going on? Even executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe isn’t sure. But at least he is honest.

“There is something going wrong this  season. I don’t know what it is but we’re going to bring people in to help us do warm-ups, or something,” Lythgoe said, adding that next season the show could mount a “Survivor” style dance-off featuring the injured early leavers.

A third consecutive injured dancer suggests the problem has gone beyond a joke. Not only have injuries removed arguably the most scintillating competitor  — Miami ballet dancer Alex — from the show and the public, they have sidelined contestants and forced the remaining dancers to switch partners at the last minute or dance alone.

Worse still, some of the injured are now out of any dancing at all for months and months — and in a career that is short,  that is never a a good thing.

Are the top 10 — who sometimes have three routines apiece each week — being pushed too hard? Are the choreographers getting too ambitious in their efforts to repeatedly top their last triumph?

Mia Michaels gets claws out on “So You Think You Can Dance”

Ballet dancer Alex Wong’s surprising hip-hop routine with all-star  tWitch may have brought the house down on Wednesday’s episode of “So You Think You Can Dance”,  but it was judge Mia Michaels’  sharp tongue that had fans talking the day after.

Michaels, the outspoken Emmy-winning choreographer on the panel, gave tap dancer Melinda Sullivan a dressing down that included cutting remarks over her pigeon toes and  lack of fluidity in her salsa routine. But the lowest blow came when Michaels told the 22-year old tapper that the panel should have sent her home last week.

“We made a mistake letting Cristina go”,  Michaels told her, referring to ballroom dancer Cristina Santana, who the judges chose to send home last week while keeping Sullivan.  And Adam Shankman agreed.

Fans on the “SYTYCD” official website were outraged.   “SHAME ON THEM” said one writer on a busy thread on www.dance.community.fox.com. “To tell a dancer that they made a mistake last week in not getting rid of her is absolutely unconscionable….Constructive criticism is one thing, but this was just plain mean.”

“I am an adamant fan of the show and have never seen the judges be so cruel, catty, and unprofessional”,  said another writer.  Others called on Michaels and producer Nigel Lythgoe to make a public apology.

“It felt like Mia Michaels just couldn’t stop herself from saying it, and she should have, no matter how true it was,”  commented Salon.com blogger Christine Mathias.

Sullivan got high marks for taking the verbal attack on live national television  with stoicism.  But will she win enough public sympathy to stay out of the bottom three, and almost certain elimination on Thursday?

SYTYCD, Dance Crew judge charged with child molestation

Choreographer and reality-TV judge Shane Sparks was arrested Friday morning and charged with several counts of child molestation, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The 40-year-old Sparks is being held on $590,000 bail.

The complaint, filed by the L.A. County District Attorney’s office, charges Sparks with 8 incidents of child molestation and identifies the victim as a girl who was younger than 14 years old when the incidents began. The abuse is alleged to have continued until 1997.

According to the LAPD news release, investigators believe there may be more victims and are asking them to come forward.

Sparks first appeared as hip-hop choreographer on season one of So You Think You Can Dance and became a guest judge in season three.  He is also a permanent judge on America’s Best Dance Crew.

Sparks was nominated for an Emmy for his work as a choreographer on season three of SYTYCD.

Shirts optional for Top 6 on SYTYCD

The shirts came off as the top 6 dancers on So You Think You Can Dance performed for votes for the last time before Wednesday’s finale.

Ryan Di Lello led the topless trend, showing up in two of three numbers without a shirt. He tossed on a flimsy top for his third number, but left it open, prompting judge Nigel Lythgoe to say, “I’m pleased you found a shirt, you just need to find the buttons.”

Shirt jokes aside, Ryan was just one of the six extremely talented dancers who left it all out on the floor in a final bid for votes before America chooses its next favorite dancer.

Kathryn McCormick was perhaps the stand-out performer of the evening, with at least one judge proclaiming that the show should be renamed “the rise of Kathryn.” Her gentle contemporary routine with Jakob Karr was called a “game changer” by judge Adam Shankman, who added, “you humbled me.”

But while Kathryn and Jakob are both extraordinarily strong dancers, the big obstacle standing in their way on the quest for the top prize comes in the form of krumper-turned-jack-of-all-dances, Russell Ferguson.

Russell also performed much of the show topless, but oddly enough, Nigel did not object. And judge Mary Murphy was once again rendered to tears by his journey from auditions through to the top 6.

“You are just someone special,” she said. “I have never seen someone grow, in six season (of SYTYCD), as much as you have.”

Leaving a Legacy on So You Think You Can Dance

You can feel things coming to a close on So You Think You Can Dance, as season 6 heads into it’s finale next Tuesday.

On Wednesday’s results show there were a couple of odd moments worth noting before getting down to who made it through: A shout out to DJ Samantha Ronson (perhaps best known for her relationship with Lindsay Lohan) for her remix work this week and a performance by the popular South Korean girl group the Wonder Girls (do they sing any other songs aside from “Nobody”?). After last week’s showstopping performance by the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the filler on Wednesday did not seem to generate quite as much enthusiasm — though the tension of the second last week of competition perhaps kept things more subdued.

Among the male competitors, contemporary dancer Jakob Carr and krumper Russell Ferguson were safe. “You are such an inspiration to so many dancers out there,” judge Mary Murphy told Russell.

It was an emotional Legacy Perez who said goodbye in his first appearance in the bottom. Ryan Di Lello’s spectacular cha cha, along with his heart-felt (and okay, romantic) plea to vote for his wife, likely bolstered his support.

Ryan’s plea may have also spurred viewers to vote for Ashleigh Di Lello, who was safe despite not performing on Tuesday’s show, due to a shoulder injury. The husband and wife team will continue their journey together toward the top in next week’s finale.

Meanwhile, a clearly shocked Ellenore will live to dance another week, while a subdued Mollee Gray bids adieu. Judge Adam Shankman was rendered nearly speechless by Mollee’s placement in the bottom two. “That really blew my mind,” he said, calling her performances this week her best, and adding, “they were some of the best on this season.”

If you followed us on Twitter, our predictions this week were spot on. What are yours picks for the final dance-off next week?

Injuries won’t stop krumping Santa on SYTYCD

It was crunch time for the competitors of So You Think You Can Dance as they vie for the final six spots in next week’s finale. Dancers had three chances to win audiences over — twice in choreographed routines with partners and once in a solo.

In spite of — or was it because of? — the pressure, there were more injuries this week in an already injury-plagued season. First, Napoleon and Tabitha tweeted about Ellenore Scott tearing her rotator cuff and posted a picture of her arm in a sling.

Then Ashleigh Di Lello showed up with her arm in a sling, having dislocated her shoulder (and popped it right back in) during rehearsals. With Ashleigh not allowed to dance, poor Russell Ferguson, who was previously paired with injured Noelle, was left to once again dance with stand-ins.

But Russell wasn’t about to be held back by the revolving door of partners. He delivered one of the strongest (and most entertaining) solos of the evening as a krumping Santa. And he proved himself again hitting it hard in a Nakul Dev Mahajan bollywood piece.

“You have got a magnetic quality that draws the audience,” judge Nigel Lythgoe said, noting that Bollywood is the complete opposite of krumping.

The judges were somewhat mixed on Ryan Di Lello and Kathryn McCormick ‘s energetic disco, but the pair blew everyone away with a difficult and “unbelievable” cha cha by Jason Gilkison.

“That was soooo hot!” Judge Adam Shankman gushed, praising Gilkison for creating “one of the best ballroom routines” they’d ever had on the show.

“Black Wednesday” on SYTYCD sends Nathan & Noelle home

With a strong and diverse crop of male dancers — a ballroom dancer, a krumper, a b-boy and two contemporary dancers — vying for the crown, Nathan’s ouster was not a big surprise despite some good performances, particularly after a rough couple of weeks languishing in the bottom.

“You are against tough guys and in a competition that people are voting for who they love — it’s not just about dancing. You’re on a brilliant road at the moment,” said judge Nigel Lythgoe.

It wasn’t so clear cut between Kathryn McCormick and Noelle however, with both dancing fairly consistently thus far and both staying mostly under the radar. Noelle leaves just as the judges praised her for coming into her own this week with “breakthrough” and “smokin’” performances.

Meanwhile, the highlight of the evening may not have been who got the ax, but rather the performance by The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, an amalgamated dance crew formed by Step Up 2 director John Chu. Were you as impressed as the audience members? With only four couples left, will Ryan Di Lello and Kathryn be the next to leave? Do you think voters made the right choice this week? Join us live on Twitter @Reuters_Fanfare for the east coast airing of the show.

Nathan Trasoras (L) and Kathryn McCormick (R) perform a Rumba choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mathieu Young/FOX

Ryan Di Lello (R) and Noelle Marsh (R) perform a Hip Hop routine choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mathieu Young/FOX

Quickstep proves to be a dream on SYTYCD

It may be the first time ever that the dreaded quickstep has proven to be dreamy, with Ellenore Scott and Jakob Carr being crowned the new “Dream Team” on Tuesday’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance.

Previously paired with the respective halves of husband and wife duo Ryan and Ashleigh Di Lello, both Ellenore and Jakob did well with their old partners, but proved to be magical with each other.

The quickstep was fun, but it was their lyrical jazz number that really got the crowd, and the judges, cheering.

Judge Nigel Lythgoe called the routine his favourite of the season and commended Ellenore on her chemistry with both her partner and with choreographer Sonya Tayeh.

“You and Sonya both probably speak the same language, you’re probably from the same planet,” Nigel said to Ellenore. “And to drag Jakob into your world, that was brillant.”

While Ellenore and Jakob are the new couple to beat, Russell Ferguson and Mollee Gray also stood out as strong contenders with a trick-heavy contemporary and a fun jive.

“I’m feeling so good about this pairing,” said judge Adam Shankman. “You guys are bringing out something really wonderful in each other, something playful.”

Has the star factor dimmed for Nathan on SYTYCD?

It wasn’t a surprise that Victor Smalley and Karen Hauer were picked to leave the competition Wednesday on So You Think You Can Dance, but the big surprise was who judge Nigel Lythgoe wanted to see packing up his bags.

While Nigel praised Victor’s strong solo and growth, he did not mince words with Nathan Trasoras. For a moment even, it almost seemed like Nigel was leading up to sending Nathan home. He concluded his critique by pointedly telling Nathan if it were up to him, this would be the end of the road for the young dancer. He then turned to Victor and announced he was going home.

The decision came as part of what judges called “the most important results show of the season.” The 10 remaining dancers are guaranteed a spot on the North American tour next year and, more importantly, the judges no longer have a say in their fates. Whether this will be a good or bad thing for Nathan remains to be seen.

From the start, judges marked Nathan as a “brilliant” dancer who would have a strong fan base. This seemed to prove true at first, despite at least one particularly messy routine. But in the last two weeks, the audience love has cooled, with judges speculating about a possible backlash over glimpses of his relative immaturity.

On a dancing level, the judges seem pleased at the prospect of splitting up Nathan and his partner Mollee Gray.

“You’re going to have the opportunity to have new partners to make you grow,” said Adam Shankman. “I think you keep each other on the immature side [with your dancing].”

Did the judges make the right decision? Are you a fan of Nathan Trasoras or is he overrated?

SYTYCD shake-up to hurt some, help others

They came, they danced and the judges were almost too positive, especially since two more dancers will be sent packing from So You Think You Can Dance tomorrow, leaving only the all important Top 10, who are expected to go on tour in 2010.

For the dancers who remain after Wednesday night’s elimination, next week will bring new styles and a new partner. So who will the shake-up help and who will it hurt?

Topping the list of those who may feel the squeeze is Ashleigh Di Lello. Last week, we speculated that without her partner Jakob Carr, Ashleigh may find herself in trouble. Jakob‘s strength was certainly evident in their first number, with judge Adam Shankman saying the only flaw was his pants. But Ashleigh got high praises after their second number, a cha-cha, with judge Nigel Lythgoe again saying that those who questioned her abilities in Vegas were eating their words.

“That may have been a cha-cha, but you are waltzing through to the top 10,” said Nigel of the performance.

Mollee Gray may also find herself in a bad place when her partnership with Nathan Trasoras breaks up. The couple seem to have been buoyed by Nathan’s popularity and Mollee may not fare so well with voters on her own. But a more mature partner could prove to give her the push to make it through to the top 4.

Meanwhile, if Karen Hauer makes it through the elimination, she will need to connect with one of the stronger men if she hopes to survive another week. A fresh partner may also prove the right move for Noelle Marsh, who has done well with Russell Ferguson, but may shine with someone else.

As for who will be headed home this week, expect to see Karen and partner Victor Smalley among the bottom three couples. As for the rest – it really is anyone’s game right now.