SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? PUBLIC VOTE THREATENS TO KAIBOSH THE JUDGES' EXPERT OPINION

Only two weeks into the show, I’m left wondering whether So You Think You
Can Dance might suffer the same syndrome as Strictly - the public vote calling
the shots on popular appeal vs. the judges’ expert opinion of skill and stage charisma, and the best man - and girl - ultimately not winning the contest.
I couldn’t figure out any other reason for the bottom two couples coming down
to Hayley and Chris - who according to Nigel, displayed “so much chemistry you
should open a chemists’ shop” - and Anabel and Drew, whose electrifying jive
inspired Nigel to comment “This is what this show is all about.”
Evidently not, as Anabel, the Penelope Cruz lookalike, is now out of the contest, which must have come as a huge relief to Hayley. One could empathise with her as the daughter of two dancers who must constantly be reminding her, however succinctly, of how much she has to live up to, and how much she would disappoint them by
being kicked out of the competition in the early stages.
When it came down to the two men, their performances couldn’t have been
more different. Chris, in his singlet, was all natural verve and testosterone, dressed-up Drew performing a highly theatrical solo which as Nigel correctly observed was “so stage school”. Yet he is an astonishing dancer, and I have to agree that in this case the best man was saved.
This show is unlikely to emulate Strictly in popularity, even though the individual dancers are all better than the celebs who start out from scratch with no experience.
Viewers are already commenting about the confusing format, with lots of fast edits and flashbacks making us wonder whether we’re in the past
or present. The raucous audience countdown during the final 30-second solos is pointless and distracting. And it has to be asked if it’s fair for the public to judge
dancers by the couple when ultimately it’s their solo performances which arethe
real test of who stays and who goes.
But the dozen dancers who remain are certainly very talented. They’re capable of
learning complicated choreography surprisingly fast - after all, we’re only one
week away from boot camp - and performing to a high standard with a partner
they hardly know. I look forward to seeing their individual personalities, strengths and weaknesses emerging as we get to know them all better.