Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Exclusive videos: SYTYCD judges Nigel & Mary talk about new format shocks, how not to be a jerk as a judge

Riquel Olander (We Are Heroes) interviewed Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe, judges of So You Think You Can Dance after the Top 16 taping. Nigel talked about how the new format (learning who was in the bottom before the show) and how it shocks him.  Mary Murphy talked about the need for kindness and constructive criticism as a judge, and the style she'd most like to learn-- hiphop!..

Monday, July 30, 2012

Exclusive interview: Nappytabs at SYTYCD Top 16 show: how they choreographed this week's routines

 Riquel Olander (We Are Heroes) interviews Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo (aka Nappytabs) backstage at So You Think You Can Dance's Top 16 show. They talk about baby gifts, choreographing about parenthood, the Nappytabs sweats, and choreographing for Cyrus & Eliana

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Exclusive SYTYCD interview: Brandon & Amber talk about elimination, what's next for them

Riquel Olander (We are Heroes) interviews Brandon and Amber, the two dancers eliminated on this week's So You Think You Can Dance. They talk about having no regrets about their performances,  how this week was their favorite performance on the show, how they helped each other on technique, their plans after SYTYCD, and how to follow them.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

MercerMZ review (with LOTS of videos) - So You Think You Can Dance Top 16

All right, so last week, I was not able to get my review written due to a mix of real-life matters to deal with and the fact that I lost my Internet after another storm swept through my area. SO, before we get to this week's review, let me just do a short summary of last week: 
* Loved the opening group number, but did not care for the Step Up performance (regardless of the returning alumni) 
* Favorite performance came from Amelia/Will, while my least favorite came from Janelle/Dareian
* Favorite girl performance came from Amelia, while my least favorite came from Lindsay
* Favorite guy performance came from Cole, while my least favorite came from Dareian 
* Sad to see Alexa/Daniel go, since they seemed to be great technical dancers. 
And last but not least, I predicted that the Bottom 4 dancers from each gender would be Lindsay, Janelle, Amber & Tiffany for the girls, and Brandon, Glitch, Dareian & George for the guys. 

 So with all that in mind, the Top 16 dancers to perform a new set of routines for America's vote, and with some strong competitors leaving, there's less room for mistakes to be made. So how did this week compare to the last two? Who gave the strongest/weakest performances of the night? And did America get it right with the Bottom 6 this week? We'll find out right now. As a hint, here's my favorite of the night:  
Click here to read the rest of the review and see videos of the performances.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Exclusive interview with Brandon Bryant (SYTYCD Season 5) at SYTYCD taping: will there be all stars this season?

 Riquel Olander (We Are Heroes) interviews Brandon Bryant (SYTYCD Season 5) backstage at the taping of So You Think You Can Dance Top 16 show. Brandon talks about how odd it is being back at the So You Think You Can Dance, Dance Day on July 28, and the possibility of all stars at future shows this season.

Exclusive interview: Robert Battle (Alvin Ailey Dance Theater) talks about SYTYCD & how to become a choreographer

Riquel Olander (We are Heroes) interviews Robert Battle, Artistic Director for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, and choreographer for the Alvin Ailey performance on So You Think You Can Dance's Top 16 show. He talks about the background of the performance piece, why So You Think You Can Dance is important for the dance community, and how to become a choreographer. You can follow him at AlvinAiley.org. 

Week 2 of our So You Think You Can Dance Winners Contest - enter now to win!

Time to reenter our So You Think You Can Dance  Winners contest. If you think you know the boy and girl who are going to win, then prove it!  Submit the names of the 2 dancers - one male and one female -- who you think will win this season's competition.  The prize goes to the first person to get it right, based on the week they submit the answer. If more than one person submits the right answer in that same week, we'll employ a tiebreaker rule to be determined. The prize for each will be a Tshirt of your size and choice, value up to $35 or an iTunes gift certificate worth $30..

To enter: Each week, we'll publish a new post for this contest. When the weekly post is up, add a comment with the names of the 2 winners. Subsequent weeks' entries will be accepted from Thursdays/Fridays (once I put up the new contest post) until the show begins airing on the East Coast (Wednesdays at 8pm ET).   You can enter Week 2 contest now -- deadline for the first entry: August 15, 2012.   Good luck!

IMPORTANT:
  • Create a user name you will use every week for the entire contest, and make it memorable (not just a common first name or word).
  • MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE WORDS SYTYCD Winners' in the comment (so I can search for them easily)
  • You can also submit by email at BloggingSYTYCD@gmail.com 


SYTYCD Top 16 recaps from around the net

Since there are so many recaps for So You Think You Can Dance, I'll only highlight those that show some opinion or extra insight beyond mere description
-- Donna Kauffman uses the excuse of drugs to get super-snarky about music, semi-obscene dance moves, and other offenses and predicts next week's eliminations
-- TV Line gives out this week's awards:  Cyrus & Eliana get the best Dance of the Night; also read their Biggest Fall from Grace, and Special Effects Award
-- Television Without Pity is LONG; summary - Cyrus & Eliana favorite, Audrey and Matthew are meh
-- Entertainment Weekly reviews the judges' comments in depth and thinks that Nigel's explanation of the voting system should be a primer for the 2012 Presidential elections
-- Huffington Post  thinks that the dance routine by Chehon & Witney will go down in the SYTYCD history books as a 'watch it on repeat' routine'
-- Buddy TV runs a slide show, which is much easier to recap than all the wordy reviews. Thanks guys! And they call Lindsay & Cole as their favorite of the night
--Hitfix thinks this may be the most talented season ever, and is not saying that just because she was invited to their press junket
-- Reality Nation finds the mew format heartbreaking --the best dancers of the night might be cut due to voting for last week (i.e., the same format America's Best Dance Crew has always had). Welcome to the heartaches that ABDC voters have felt for 7 seasons, Reality Nation!
There are many more recaps, but I chose my favorites. If you have a favorite recapper, leave a comment and we'll look at it and maybe add it in a later post or next week.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Vote now for your favorite SYTYCD dancers - here's the online, phone and text info


The online voting is now open, for at least 2 hours after the show ends in the Pacific Time Zone. If you want to protect your favorite dancers, act now! Remember -- your votes determine who is safe from elimination. Click here to vote online at Fox.com . Performance videos are up now on the website to aid in your choices.  If you want to text, send the dancer's name to 83676. If you want to phone instead, the numbers are: 
George      1-855-GOHIM 01
Dareian     1-855-GOHIM 03
Cole           1-855-GOHIM 04
Will            1-855-GOHIM 05
Matthew    1-855-GOHIM 06
Chehon      1-855-GOHIM 07
Cyrus         1-855-GOHIM 08  

Tiffany       1-855-GOHER 01  
Janelle       1-855-GOHER 03  
Lindsay      1-855-GOHER 04
Amelia       1-855-GOHER 05  
Audrey      1-855-GOHER 06  
Witney       1-855-GOHER07  
Eliana        1-855-GOHER 08    
After you vote (or while you're obsessively voting), join us back at the Party Room!

Join us now for SYTYCD Play-by-Play and Party Room

The Play-Play/Party Room/Critics Corner for tonight's So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 episode  is now open! two more dancers will go home tonight, and the show will be off for two weeks. So, now is the time to watch. Join other readers and fans as they react, praise, and gripe. I'll try to update real-time for those of you who can't watch it live.   

And, stay even when the show is over. Let us know what you think about the show. Who are your favorite choreographers? Were the right people sent home tonight?  How would you compare this to other seasons?  This is your party -- humor,  conspiracy theory, nostalgia and almost everything else (except obscenity and abject disrespect) are expected and welcome!  Just click here to join the main post for play-by-play and comments.
 Photocredit: fox.com

Video: SYTYCD's Cole and Chehon (& others) backstage pre-dress rehearsal

Several of the So You Think You Can Dance Contestants have been busy with Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube this season. Cole Horibe and Chehon made a video talking about this week and showing what the other dancers 'chilling' pre-rehearsal. Good luck guys!  From ColeHoribe Youtube.

Join us tonight and tomorrow for more SYTYCD party room, polls, and coverage!

Join us tonight to watch and react to So You Think You Can Dance. 

- Starting just before 8M ET, we'll have a Party Room/Critics Corner where you can watch react, comment, bemoan and predict. I'll do some play-by-play there as well, in case you want to find out what happens as it happens. I'll have a link here, but the action will be at BloggingBestDanceCrew.com

- Tomorrow we'll have surveys on the favorite and least favorite performances of the night.
- We'll have the second round of our contest with prizes -- Predict the two winners.
- We're planning to interview the dancers at tonight's taping and will have interviews posted in the next few days 

So, please join us!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

What questions would YOU like us to ask the SYTYCD dancers at the tapings?

Riquel Olander (We are Heroes) will be interviewing dancers backstage at tomorrow's taping of So You Think You Can Dance.  Now that you've seen all the dancers perform, what else would you like to learn about them?  Riqi wants some new and fresh questions that will interest/amuse/intrigue the dancers and the audience alike! Leave a comment on some questions you'd like to have answered, either in general or for specific people.  If we use your question, we'll give you credit of course! 

And, this will be part of a master list; even if we don't use your question this week, it might get asked at the next taping. Thanks!

Friday, July 20, 2012

SYTYCD recaps from all over - predictions, quotes, and snark

Since there are so many recaps for So You Think You Can Dance, I'll only highlight those that show some opinion or extra insight beyond mere description
-- Donna Kauffman predicts that next week will be the last for Janelle and Dareian
-- TV Line gives out awards: Dance of the Night, Caught in a bad Wardrobe, Victim of Uninspired Choreography, Most Backhanded Praise, and more!

-- Television Without Pity wins the snark award for the week in its descriptions
-- Entertainment Weekly talks about the new format and the extreme male makeup
-- Huffington Post admits they know nothing about dance, but they review how they feel. And they feel uneasy that the men's pants were hiked too high.
-- Buddy TV focuses on great quotes, including Amber's "Me and Nick trying to connect is like bubblegum and oil."
--Hitfix likes a lot of the show, including the new compressed format
--Blogher predicts next week's bottom 4 (and who should be in the bottom 4)
-- Reality Nation predicts curtains for Janelle and Brandon next week
-- Rickey thinks America got it wrong, but the judges got it right (with the choices they had)


There are many more recaps, but I chose my favorites. If you have a favorite recapper, leave a comment and we'll look at it and maybe add it in a later post or next week.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

New Contest: name the 2 winners of So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 - win prizes

We have a new contest for So You Think You Can Dance which will extend from now through the finale. The prize for each will be a Tshirt of your size and choice, value up to $35 or an iTunes gift certificate worth $30.

The Winners contest: Submit the names of the 2 dancers - one male and one female -- who you think will win this season's competition.  The prize goes to the first person to get it right, based on the week they submit the answer. If more than one person submits the right answer in that same week, we'll employ a tiebreaker rule to be determined.

To enter: Each week, we'll publish a new post for this contest. When the weekly post is up, add a comment with the names of the 2 winners. Subsequent weeks' entries will be accepted from Thursdays (once I put up the new contest post) until the show begins airing on the East Coast (Wednesdays at 8pm ET).   You can enter Week 1 contest now -- deadline for the first entry: July 25, 2012.   Good luck!

IMPORTANT:
  • Create a user name you will use every week for the entire contest, and make it memorable (not just a common first name or word).
  • MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE WORDS SYTYCD Winners' in the comment (so I can search for them easily)
  • You can also submit by email at BloggingSYTYCD@gmail.com 


Video: New Step Up Revolution trailer, plus live performance on SYTYCD with show alums

On July 18, So You Think You Can Dance aired a new trailer for the upcoming movie Step Up Revolution, produced by John Chu and Adam Shankman. Then, several of the dancers appeared on stage, including SYTYCD alums Phillip Chbeeb (also a member of IaMmE), Twitch, and Kathryn McCormick

Poll: What was your favorite performance on the SYTYCD Top 20 show (July 18, 2012)?

Poll: What was your least favorite performance during SYTYCD's Top 20 show on July 18, 2012?

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Vote now to save your favorite SYTYCD performers!

The online voting is now open, for at least 2 hours after the show ends in the Pacific Time Zone. If you want to protect your favorite dancers, act now! Remember -- your votes determine who is safe from elimination. Click here to vote online at Fox.com .  



If you want to text, send the dancer's name to 83676.

If you want to phone instead, the numbers are: 
Cole            1-855-GOHIM 01
Will             1-855-GOHIM 02  
Matthew     1-855-GOHIM04
Dareian        1-855-GOHIM 05
Brandon       1-855-GOHIM 06
Cyrus           1-855-GOHIM 07  
George         1-855-GOHIM 09
Chehon        1-855-GOHIM 10

Lindsay         1-855-GOHER 01
Amelia          1-855-GOHER02  
Amber          1-855-GOHER 03  
Audrey         1-855-GOHER 04  
Janelle          1-855-GOHER 05
Eliana           1-855-GOHER 07  
Tiffany          1-855-GOHER 09  
Witney         1-855-GOHER 10  
After you vote (or while you're obsessively voting), join us back at the Party Room!

So You Think You Can Dance Play-by-Play is open -- join us now!

Tonight, we are going to try to run live play-by-play of So You Think You Can Dance in the comments field at BloggingBestDanceCrew.com. Click here to join in and leave us your thoughts, and we'll  try our best to keep it up-to-date for all of you who are TV-impaired or not in the Eastern/Central time zone and able to watch it live.  Next week, we hope to bring the play-by-play to this site, once we've worked out some bugs.

 Please be patient if the comment loading is slow, and your comment is more likely to not be blocked as spam if you use a real name (not just GUEST).

Join us tonight for So You Think You Can Dance: party room, live play-by-play, surveys & more

We've had numerous requests to extend our coverage to So You Think You Can Dance. We're starting out tonight, and want you to join us.
- From 8-10PM ET, we'll try to have a live play-by-play. We can't afford the new rates on Cover-It-Live, so we'll try to have everything updated in the comments section. If it doesn't work well, we'll try something else next week! That will be posted (just for tonight) at BloggingBestDanceCrew.com (to make sure we get all the bugs out here)
- We'll also have a Party Room post during and after the show where you can comment, predict, vent, and pontificate on anything vaguely related to the show. That also will be posted (just for tonight) at BloggingBestDanceCrew.com (to make sure we get all the bugs out here)
- Tomorrow we'll have surveys on the favorite and least favorite performances of the night, posted on both sites
- Starting tomorrow, we'll have a new contest with prizes -- Predict the two winners.


Starting tomorrow, this site will have more targeted coverage of SYTYCD (outside recaps, news of the dancers).  If you have some information or tips for us, please leave them in the comments or email them to BloggingSYTYCD@gmail.com. Thanks!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

MercerMZ review (with videos): So You Think You Can Dance Top 20 Episode

So last week, the Top 20 of Season 9 took the stage for the first time to show us what they got. And after an exciting showcase, it seemed as though this season might have not only the most diverse group of dancers, but some of the strongest ones too. So tonight, the competition for America's Favorite Guy/Girl began. So how did it go? Who gave the best performances? And how did this week fair in comparison to season before? Let's find out. Click here to read the review, with videos of the performances. Thanks MercerMZ!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Video: Dragon House - "Popping Off In Atlanta" featuring Nonstop + SYTYCD's Glitch, Andre, Boris

"Popping off in Atlanta" is the latest video from Dragon House, a group in Atlanta whose members are getting national attention because of So You Think You Can Dance (Cyrus 'Glitch' Spencer, Andre Rucker, Boris Penton) and Marquese 'Nonstop' Scott's viral "Pumped Up Kicks" dance video. This latest is a natural setting and has inspired hot emotions of love and hate from the Youtube commenter crowd. From WHZGUD2 Youtube. Thanks for the link, PerezOverride!