'So You Think You Can Dance' is the best show on TV

Long-time readers of Tube Ray Army will know this blog isn't particularly prone to hyperbole (if anything, it's the opposite - unless you count frequent head-clutching railings against the dire state of Channel 9 or the divebombing Neighbours storylines hyperbole).

I "went there" when discussing Blackadder Goes Forth's being my favourite television show of all time and arguably the greatest, but other than that, things have been pretty measured.

There is a time of the year, however, when I can reliably be called upon to use excessive caps (at least on Twitter), text all my friends, and sit in my living room practising the splits so that one day I, too, could be a part of greatness, and that's when So You Think You Can Dance returns to our screens for the year.

And for the first time, this year I feel more emotionally invested in the Australian leg of the franchise than the OG American incarnation (and as someone who is a member of at least three Mary Murphy-related Facebook groups, that's quite a statement).

In short, I truly think it's one of the best shows on television - and in Australia, it is the best.

There are a variety of fairly superficial reasons for this - good editing, excellent use of music, captivating characters and judicious use of ad-break cliffhangers - but the real reasons for the show's value go much deeper.

They wasted no time getting straight into the guts of what makes the show great; on the first night - auditions in Queensland - we met Jesse, who has only been dancing for two years:


Only the most hardened cynics couldn't fail to be moved - but not necessarily by his story (which was undoubtedly crushing) but his sheer beauty of movement.

That's the thing that people don't realise about the show: the sob stories and tales of triumph over adversity and injury are just the icing on the cake. What's truly remarkable about the public's embrace of SYTYCD is how it has introduced them to the wonderment that can be felt simply through watching two people move together.

(I choose not to listen to wizened dance cynics who complain about the show's definition of lyrical/contemporary.)

Look at this Wade Robson piece from the American 2007 season:


Or this Mia Michaels routine from 2006, which rightly won an Emmy:

Dance, for many people, exists only in some theoretical realm that covers ballet and little else; four or so years ago it's unlikely many people other than those faithful to the performing arts would have dared to go see a live dance performance. I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that SYTYCD has opened that world up for many people.

And that's no feat - one of the other marvels of the show is its glimpse into a very cloistered world. Who knows what it is to be a dancer, "to [your] core", as Jason Coleman said last night? It's very difficult for most of us to imagine living with such intense passion; that sense that if you don't do this particular thing, you might as well not exist.

It struck me particularly during last night's show when Ashley - who hadn't danced for nine years after BREAKING HER BACK - auditioned and nearly exploded with emotion.


Don't you wish there was some way you could tap into that level of passion?

There's also something special about watching the judges' willingness to talk shop to the dancers auditioning for the show. It's like getting a peek into an inner sanctum that, for most of us professional shufflers, is utterly mystifying.

Occasionally Jason or Matt or Bonnie will explain something for the viewers at home, but for the most part, SYTYCD is closer to documentary than reality-talent quest.

In some ways I almost prefer the audition rounds; not so much for the car-crash value that leads people to prefer Idol's audition weeks (especially since SYTYCD is generally low on loonies), but for the insight into what it is to truly want something so much you might burst, or break your back, or move to Paris at the age of 12, alone.

In this Gen-Y/MTV Generation land of shrugged "whatevers" and low-stakes game-shows featuring celebrities, So You Think You Can Dance is truly inspirational.