SYTYCD

For those of you who don't follow reality TV, SYTYCD is "So You Think You Can Dance." The premise of the show is similar to American Idol - they do have the same producer - with dancers instead of singers.

Now, I know quite a bit about singing. I like to think of myself as a singer, though the only person who hears me sing anymore is myself - and whoever happens to be driving next to me when the top of my convertible is down. :) So when I watch American Idol, I watch it with some knowledge about who really has the chops and who doesn't. Idol adds an extra element - performance and stage presence - which quite honestly is one of the reasons that I don't sing for anyone but myself. I have terrible stage fright.

When I started watching SYTYCD, I watched for sheer entertainment value. This bunch of kids chasing a dream. I don't really know anything about dance. I didn't know all the different styles.

Tonight was SYTYCD's 100th episode. And those 100 episodes (though I'm not sure I've watched them all, I've watched most) have taught me a thing or two about dance. I still couldn't tell you the difference between a rumba and cha-cha. But I can watch a waltz and tell you whether it's really that good or not. I can watch a hip-hop number and tell you whether the dancers "hit it," as they say. And that's because the choreographers and the judges really talk about what is good versus bad. What they look for in a good dance. And I've paid attention, and I've learned.

But the thing that I've truly learned - and I have to admit it was a shock - is that dance can really move me.

Two seasons ago, Mia Michaels choreographed a tribute to her dad. It was a remarkable dance that moved me to tears. That same season, she was also responsible for a dance around a door. A boy and a girl fighting, loving. It was amazingly danced, and amazing to watch. Wade Robson is another choreographer who has won a few Emmys for his work on the show. He does really offbeat things - dances that I wouldn't have said I would like. For example, tonight the show reprised his Emmy-winning Hummingbird routine. One dancer is a hummingbird; the other a flower just blossoming. Normally, I'm not particularly a contemporary dance fan. But it was a great routine; not in the least ironically danced by a young man named Hok ("hawk") as the hummingbird.

Last night, it happened again. Tyce Diorio choreographed a routine about a woman with breast cancer. It was moving, touching, sad, and uplifting. And the dancing was phenomenal.

So, SYTYCD - thanks for teaching me about dancing, but thanks also for moving me, even if it's sometimes to tears.