After a tense wait, the dance competition show has been renewed for another season, and will introduce a new “Stage vs. Street” format.
It has been a tough couple of months for So You Think You Can Dance fans. Co-creator and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe normally makes a big production of announcing the show’s renewal during the final weeks of the show. However, season 11 ended with no news about the show’s future.
SYTYCD does fairly well for a summer show, but always seems to be on the brink of cancellation. No news is not always good news, when it comes to television, so the fact that we’ve gone until now without hearing anything was a little bit nerve-wracking.
But never fear, Dance fans! SYTYCD will be back for season 12, and better than ever.
New Season, New Format
Season 12 will introduce a new “Stage vs. Street” format. What does this mean? Throughout the auditions, the dancers who advance will be placed into two teams – the stage dancers, featuring those trained in styles such as contemporary, ballet, jazz or tap; and the street dancers, hopefuls skilled in hip-hop, animation or breaking.
As the auditions continue, the judges, along with each team’s all-star mentor (yay all-stars!), will eliminate dancers until only the top 20 – 10 street dancers and 10 stage dancers – remain. When the competition goes live, the top 20 will be challenged weekly to perform a variety of styles.
So basically, it seems like this will ramp up the competition in the early rounds, and will settle back into its normal format in time for the top 20 live shows.
TPTB really seem to have decided that incorporating more street dancing is the key to the show’s success. They tried to incorporate dance crews last season, (and unfortunately, with the dance crews, came Justin Bieber). This season, the stage vs. street battle. It seems like an interesting choice, considering the show has seen so many talented street dancers each season. But the more the merrier! Bring it on.
“The competition is going to be much more exciting for viewers and even more demanding for the dancers,” said Lythgoe. “Dancers from different genres have always been competitive with each other and we’ve found a great way to harness that to bring out the absolute best performances in the best dancers across the country.”
“So You Think You Can Dance is a rare jewel. It combines high art with mass entertainment in a seamless, sophisticated and hugely satisfying way,” said Simon Andreae, Executive Vice President, Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “It’s produced and consumed with tremendous passion and it’s developed one of the most deservedly loyal followings in all of unscripted television. We are immensely proud to be returning it to the schedule with a thrilling new twist that will bring it up to date and introduce a whole new set of rooting opportunities.”
SYTYCD has not only inspired America with its many talented contestants, but its incredibly talented choreographers from a whole variety of styles have created some unforgettable routines. The show has won 13 Emmy Awards, eight of those for Outstanding Choreography.
In September, season 11 culminated with contemporary dancer Ricky Ubeda winning the title of America’s Favorite Dancer.