DANZ QUARTERLY No 3 April 2006

Dance Is Cool but it’s Hot Inside the Studio:
Behind the Scenes at So You Think You Can Dance

by Francesca Horsley

I joined the queue in the early evening heat outside an Auckland studio. We were waiting to see the filming of  So You Think You Can Dance, which has been screening on TV3 on Sunday evenings.

Once inside the gutted warehouse, we perched on a makeshift (but thankfully sturdy) tier of seats, where the glare of lights, close body contact and buzz of excitement, pushed the temperature to sweaty levels. And we weren’t dancing!

Mercifully I was sitting next to a contestant’s grandmother whose large, feathered fan was lifesaving. She had a big placard, with her grand-daughter’s name on it, thankfully obscuring me every time the camera swooped in our direction.

It was more like a circus than a dance show. The stage manager, as ring master, put us through clapping routines, cajoling, lambasting, and herding the young and beautiful competitors behind pens on the layered set and into the camera’s sights, all the while muttering to himself (and us) through his microphone. He totally upstaged the host, Shane Cortese, who skidded in and out, suffered under his suit and tie, practiced and muffed (just the odd one) his lines.

Overseeing the proceedings was executive producer of Imagination TV, Darryl McEwen. He said this show, complete with slighter smaller set, was a copy of the American version. Its creators also produced the huge international hit, American Idol. “They always create strong shows, and with dance so popular at the moment, it made it worthwhile to give it a go.” So far, the New Zealand show is rating really well.

“Dancing with the Stars was incredibly popular all around the world, not just here; it has rejuvenated everyone’s interest in dance. Everyone I talk to in the dance world says it has been fantastic. They were succinct and mostly kind with their appraisals, with none of the savage dressing downs common on NZ Idol.

Darryl says “What we are trying to do is make a show that is good for dance. It will only be successful if the dancing is of the highest standard and the dancers do well. This requires a lot of encouragement from the judges. They will be critical on the night if they see things are technically incorrect, but when a dancer does a piece that was technically imperfect but is a fun, upbeat, good-time routine, the judges will talk about the whole performance rather than the particular step that could have been done better.

The dancers, corralled in a black curtained corner of the warehouse which served as a dressing room, looked remarkably poised and cool when they stepped on the small stage. They were all well-rehearsed, confident dancers; five couples. “They are so passionate. I have made a lot of reality shows in my day and I have never come across a group that is so passionate about what they do. They are so committed to dance. The difference between this and Idol is that people in this show can dance. Anybody can audition for Idol - a lot of people think they can sing. Everyone in this show has had a reasonable amount of experience, no one has just come off the streets.”

The dances were a mixture of ballroom, hip hop and contemporary, with contestants having to dance outside their specialty. It was a time for showbiz style, innovation, daring and some weird interpretations – but the audience was generous, whistling and shouting after each item.

As they went through their routines, received the feedback and the final judgment, two contestants were sent home. It was painful to see their hopes of the ‘big break’ teetering, and for some collapsing. The culling process will continue with each show. The format changes each week, as more dancing combinations are created to make up an hour show. Towards the end the public will vote, by phone or text, and there will be just two couples on the final night when the winner is announced.

The prize is flying to Los Angeles for master classes with leading exponents in their field; being placed on the books of top international dance agency Bloc who supply most of the dancers for commercials, music videos, shows and Broadway stage plays. For those who survived the night, their reprieve might have been short lived, because the next round was in three days. Stepping into the cool of the evening, my heart went out to them. For some the show was a wild ride, a laugh, for others a chance to experience dance styles and professional input like never before, but for the less robust I wondered at the cost to their dancing spirit.

It’s winner takes all. But that, I guess, is show biz!

Return to Contents page of DANZ QUARTERLY N0 3 April 2006