ALARIS' REVIEWS

5th August 2010
So You Think You Can Dance: Season 7 (2010)

I’ve never reviewed a season of So You Think You Can Dance before, and I doubt I will again. However, for me, season 7 was epic.

Warning: This is more of a rant than a review, and there are spoilers ahead in case you’re sitting on a backlog of episodes.

Firstly, a perfunctory nod to the review. For those who don’t know, SYTYCD is a reality TV show in which young dancers compete for the title of America’s favourite dancer. The US series has excellent production values, a generally positive and constructive attitude, a stable of gifted choreographers (including Mia Michaels, Wade Robson and Travis Wall), noticeably competent camera operators (if you’ve seen the Australian series, you’ll know why this is worth mentioning), and an engaging host, Cat Deeley, who’s a true cornerstone to the series.

So, back to season 7. In this season, we saw the return of Alex Wong, a dancer with a story so inspiring you could make it into a musical (‘Alex: The Musical’. I’d see that.) A brilliantly accomplished, yet humble, ballet dancer throws aside his professional career to follow his passion for learning different styles of dance. However, in a heartbreaking twist, we saw Alex drop out of the competition after only a few episodes, due to a freak Bollywood accident. Note: Alex is now doing fine. (You can follow his progress on twitter @alexdwong).

However, for me, season 7 was all about Billy.

Contemporary dancer Billy Bell exploded onto the show in season 6 with his exquisitely joyful Vegas week solo (still my all time favourite solo). He made it into the top 20, but disappointingly had to leave after only one performance show due to illness.

Returning in season 7, he was an early fan favourite, then abruptly went on to spend 5 weeks in the bottom 3 before being eliminated. But not before giving us what I would consider to be the best ever episode of SYTYCD (S07E18).

I’ve been watching the show since season 2, and there have been some fantastic routines (Jaimie and Hok’s ‘The Chairman’s Waltz’, Kayla and Kupono’s ‘Gravity’, Kathryn and Legacy’s ‘2 Steps Away’ come to mind). However, as far as I’m concerned, Billy’s ‘Mad World’ contemporary performance (choreographed by Stacey Tookey) was the pinnacle of SYTYCD. While Alex’s ‘Outta Your Mind’ hip hop was a roaring triumph, Billy’s ‘Mad World’ was a breathtaking creation of artistic passion and finesse. In the words of my favourite judge, Adam Shankman, it was mag-ni-fi-cent.

In episode 18, Billy also gave what I consider to be the hottest male solo ever performed on the show: quirky, electric, and full of ‘gotcha’ moments. In my view, Billy went almost overnight from being an utterly adorable, slightly awkward, dance prodigy, to being an ‘androgynous’, sarcastic nutjob and TOTALLY FRICKIN’ AWESOME. And still utterly adorable.

One of the best things about Billy as a dancer is his connection to the music – the rhythm, the content, and the mood. He really knows how to follow the breath and punctuation of the music, which is why his solos aren’t just dancing – they’re commentary with intent.

After Billy’s elimination, controversy bubbled around the reasons for his lack of voter support, despite his extraordinary talent and notable growth as a performer through the season. And it wasn’t just because his krump was less buck and more bunny.

Speculation was rampant, with executive producer Nigel Lythgoe suggesting on air that the American public might not have connected with Billy’s ‘androgynous’ dance style. Flame wars erupted between fan bases – most notably between Billy’s supporters and fans of competition favourite, Kent Boyd – with Kent fans claiming that Billy seemed arrogant, while Billy fans accused Kent of faking his folksy, farmboy charm. However, for those who bothered looking up external youtube interviews with both guys, it’s clear how selectively edited the SYTYCD packages are. Most likely, both dancers are genuinely pleasant guys.

At this point, I have to make a special mention of the forums, where several mothers mentioned that their 6 year old sons were obsessed with Billy. By the sounds of it, if the vote were up to 6 year olds, Billy would be number one with a bullet.

I’m going to throw my two cents worth into the discussion, because you know I’ve got an opinion. I’m pretty sure that Kent and Billy are both great dancers, hard workers, and all round nice guys. But SYTYCD is a self professed popularity contest, and that’s the nature of the beast. In a stereotypical high school, Kent would be the likeable, clean cut, country boy who gets voted prom king. Billy would be the slightly quirky, artistic guy with a fantastic group of like minded friends, but he’s probably not going to be prom king. Multiply that by all the SYTYCD voters, and well, you do the math.

However, while I have little doubt that both guys will go on to have solid, rewarding careers, I’d wager that a higher proportion of Billy fans will actively follow and support his career, while a considerable proportion of Kent fans will rapidly move on to the next likeable dancer. Because while Kent may be accessible, Billy is freaking memorable.

I have to admit, I’ve never really understood what people meant when they described an artist as ‘exciting’. To me, artists are cool, or their work is interesting, but they’re not exciting in the way that I understand the word. Exciting is Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan being in the X-Men movies together. *That’s* exciting.

And then came Billy Bell. The prospect of following his career, and watching his projects unfold and evolve over the decades – yes, it’s exciting. And this is coming from the most jaded and judgemental critic on The Three Potatoes. Billy Bell, you are seriously something else.

Check this review for an update once season 7 has finally finished.