Inside the SYTYCD Auditions

Well, Cat Deeley was right. Once Nigel Lythgoe and the other judges arrived at McFarlin Memorial Auditorium for the second day of auditions for Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance, it was time to get down to business. While the dancers waiting to enter the auditorium to do their solos still had some enthusiasm leftover from the previous day, it had a more cautious, subdued tone. Parents and friends also waited anxiously to enter.

The historic auditorium was transformed into a television set with lights, extensive camera equipment, the SYTYCD logo shining on the back wall of the stage, and seats blocked off to protect the integrity of camera shots. Nigel was joined by fellow resident judge and ballroom expert Mary Murphy and by guest judge Lil' C, one of the original creators of the dance form krumping.

The most surprising thing about the roughly 60 minutes I sat observing was the amount of time they spent with each contestant. The edited version of the auditions that usually airs every May makes it look like the judges ask a question or two, the contestant dances for about 30 seconds, a few critiques are given, and a decision is made. They spent much more time getting to know the dancer and giving them a longer time to dance. On the flip side, this also means more critiques given, which can be quite negative depending on the dancer.

Eight contestants got their chance in front of the judges during that hour. Four danced a style of hip-hop (more on that later), three performed a version of contemporary, and one danced a mixture of Bollywood and Bharata Natyam, which is a classical Indian temple dance. Within each performance, interview, and critique, different issues came up regarding the nature of the show, the nature of the dance world, and the definitions of styles.

So, where to begin? Let's start with definitions. Nigel may have said this before, but this was the first time I heard him attribute a meaning to the term "hip-hop." Previously, he's asked the dancer to be more specific in the style of hip-hop, but now he qualifies that with saying that hip-hop is a way of living, and he's right. If you look at some interviews with the original members of the hip-hop movement (the documentary Planet B-Boy is a good resource for this), they say the same thing. Hip-hop is a way of life in which the individual artist can express him- or herself through non-traditional art forms, such as dance, DJing, emceeing, or graffiti art. Since four contestants danced a style under the hip-hop umbrella, this topic came up quite a bit.

And the dancers also got to educate Nigel on some styles as well. Not only are new hip-hop genres constantly born, but one lucky young lady got to explain what drill team is. I kind of doubt that Nigel was really clueless about drill team, but then again, that style of jazz dance is frequently attributed to Texas.

The problem with the labels and definitions is that everyone has their own perceptions. Tristen Everett came to the Dallas auditions to dance "Krump Step." He tried explaining it to the judges, and considering one of the creators of krumping was on the panel, we knew it was going to be an interesting critique. His movements were interesting and you could tell he was putting a lot of passion in it, but his description didn't match what he actually performed, which also didn't match the judges' perception of the style based on the word "krump."

Words and descriptions put Nikita Ahmed of Plano in a sticky situation, as well. Her solo, which she described as Bharata Natyam, wound up being closer to the Bollywood style of dance, rather than the classical.

The most interesting conversation on dance genres came up at Giovanni Allen's audition. The 23-year-old dancer from New York (who now lives in Dallas) stated he was going to perform "concert dance." Being a classically trained dancer myself, I knew the direction he was going to take with that statement and was eager to hear the ensuing dialogue.

Concert dance, as Allen explained, takes from traditional technique such as Lester Horton, Martha Graham and José Limón (all under the modern dance genre). Nigel immediately responded with, "So, contemporary dance." No, not quite. Allen attempted to distinguish his performance style from contemporary using a description about shape, which made Nigel come to the conclusion that concert dance is geometric and contemporary is about passion. And that wasn't the only thing lost in translation. Allen's solo, while beautiful, didn't really explain the term either. I saw elements of traditional techniques, but it also contained hints of things found in "contemporary" dances as well. Nevertheless, it brought up some interesting points (see the next article).

Then came the reality checks in copious quantities. Dance is a difficult life and the commercial side is downright hard. Allen's audition wasn't just about semantics; it transformed into a lesson on the harsh realities of the entertainment business. The shocking comment of the hour came from Nigel about Allen's weight, how it looked like he had "let himself go." This could be taken two ways. First, it could be about sheer aesthetics, even though Allen did not look that hefty. Second, it could be that the perceived weight was an indicator of physical fitness, which is an important part of a competition that requires you to throw your body around under extreme circumstances. Either way, it was appalling on one hand, but reality on the other.

Many of the other criticisms came down to technique, performance quality, or experience, and the judges didn't hold back. The show has had some amazing technical athletes in the past, and each year the bar has to be set higher. It's the nature of the beast.

The segment I watched was a little disappointing, and even Nigel made that comment, but I had faith that this was not all Dallas had to offer. Hopefully, I was right, and we'll see when the show airs this May.

◊ Read more about the Dallas auditions here, and an interview with the judges here.

◊ Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance will begin this summer on FOX.