songs i'd love to see on SYTYCD this season!
Y'all may have picked up on the fact that So You Think You Can Dance is my summer entertainment obsession. I started watching Season 3, which was the summer after my senior year of college, so I feel kind of old when very young contestants say, "I've been watching this show since I was a little kid!" I was a dancer throughout my childhood and participated in my studio's competition teams for ballet, lyrical, modern, liturgical, and clogging, so I really get into the competitive aspect of the show! Season 10 is off to a good start so far - I'm especially excited that there are three tap dancers in the Top 20. In my last few years of dance, I was much more interested in choreography than performance - I am just not as technically gifted as a lot of dancers, but I really enjoy designing dances and still imagine dance steps in my head when I hear new songs on the radio. Here are a few songs (some are in this summer's Top 40, some are in my iPod's regular rotation) that I think would be perfect for So You Think You Can Dance!
- "Just Give Me a Reason," Pink feat. Nate Ruess - this song is one of my favorites to belt out in the car, and it would be lovely for a contemporary dance piece for a pair. I'd love to see what Travis Wall could choreograph for this one, but it also could be one of those songs that Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo come up with some really brilliant "lyrical hip-hop" for - like "No Air" from Season 4.
- "Young and Beautiful," Lana Del Rey - I will admit that I kind of liked making fun of Lana Del Rey, until I kind of actually liked "National Anthem" and then really liked "Young and Beautiful" on the Great Gatsby soundtrack. I would not mind one bit if costuming went full-on 1920's with headbands and a drop-waist gown for this one. For choreography this one would have to go to Sonya Tayeh, who created my all-time favorite SYTYCD pair routine, "The Garden," also from Season 4.
Click to view- "Wherever You Will Go," Charlene Soraia - This is a cover of a song by The Calling, but so much more wistful. Mia Michaels could choreograph something absolutely beautiful like she did with "Dreaming With a Broken Heart."
- "Clarity," Zedd feat. Foxes - Time to mix it up a little! While the first three songs were pretty much made for contemporary dancers, this one makes me think of the "animators" who have made it into the Top 20 this summer. Christopher Scott has been really on it choreography-wise recently, and I think he could come up with an awesome group number for this song that would let all of the dancers' different strengths stand out. Watch his piece "Sand" from last week, and you'll see what I mean:
- "My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light 'Em Up)," Fall Out Boy - Mostly I'm obsessed with this song right now because the music video features 2 Chainz setting everything on fire. "Are You The One" from Season 3 comes closest to what a dance to a song like this might look like.
- "Blurred Lines," Robin Thicke feat. TI and Pharrell - Let me state for the record that there is a lot I don't like about this song - the use of the b-word, the music video that's NSFW and objectifies women on a ridiculous level, etc. It is so stinking catchy, though, and the beat is just right for a dance featuring this season's tappers. Here's their introductory performance:
- "Mirrors," Justin Timberlake - This is such a narrative song already, so for a dance I envision something dramatic like Stacey Tookey's "Turning Tables" from Season 8.
- "Radioactive," Imagine Dragons - Such a cool song I can't imagine it not being on the show this season, and I definitely see it as a Sonya Tayeh piece.
Do you watch SYTYCD? What are your favorite summer shows? (BTW, So You Think You Can Dance is on TONIGHT at 8!)