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Assembly Hall »
Address: 1800 S. First St. Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (217) 333-5000
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Okay, I admit it – I was among the thousands of screaming fans that packed into Assembly Hall Oct. 4 to see So You Think You Can Dance Season Five on tour. Though the dancing was incredible, I have a few complaints.

First and foremost, the show was timed terribly. Both the performers and the members of the audience would have benefited from a shorter show. The evening’s performance began at 7:30 p.m. and lasted until 10:15 pm. The first half was about an hour and 15 minutes and was followed by a 30 minute intermission. Thirty minutes is far too long of an intermission for any show, despite fans waiting in mile-long lines to use the restrooms and to buy SYTYCD merchandise. The lull between halves killed a lot of the momentum that the show had built over the first hour. I would have been more than happy to see the show end following the first half.

The return of the dancers saw an increase in muscle fatigue, as well as slight “cheats” during solo performances. For example, Jeanine wore one nude jazz shoe during her solo to facilitate turning; Ade wore a single sock in his solo for the same reason. At 30 seconds each, all of the solos were less than satisfying to watch, because what seems like a sufficient amount of time on the show translates to the blink of an eye at a live performance. In an unexpected surprise, however, special guest Philip Chbeeb was allowed longer than 30 seconds to perform his solo routine. The producers of So You Think You Can Dance are consistently on par with regard to showcasing dancers that are exceptional in their individual styles, and this instance was no exception. Chbeeb is an incredible popper; SYTYCD Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe has said to Chbeeb, “You are the best at what you do.”

The evening’s lineup featured memorable duets from throughout the fifth season, including “The Addiction Dance,” “The Goth Dance” and “The Butt Dance.” One of the most buzzed about routines of the season featured Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi performing contemporary choreography by Tyce Diorio, so it is no surprise that “The Breast Cancer Dance” graced the Assembly Hall stage. Though many viewers, including SYTYCD Emmy-winning choreographer Mia Michaels, were moved to tears after seeing it performed, I cannot find the magic in the duet’s choreography. Though the dance was well-executed in performance, I wonder how many viewers are smitten by it purely due to its sensitive subject matter. Would the audience’s reaction have been equally tender had the choreography been completely different?

Diorio’s duet borderlines classification as “victim art,” a term coined by famed dance critic Arlene Croce (of The New Yorker). Croce used the term in a 1994 article entitled, “Discussing the Undiscussable,” in which she deemed choreographer Bill T. Jones’ Still/Here to be “unreviewable.” Jones’ work centered on AIDS and HIV and featured video testimonies by young to elderly people living with the disease. Croce found that the loaded emotional and social content of the work took it out of the realm of critique. Though Diorio did not feature a victim of breast cancer in his piece, he did give an emotional monologue about a friend living with the disease during the televised duet’s introduction. Without such a dramatic set-up, the piece, though beautiful, may have gleaned a more lackluster review from the public.

With regard to introduction tactics used on the tour, they were often insincere and corny. The dancers themselves emceed between routines, engaging in (occasionally lengthy) poorly written dialogue. Lucky for the dancers, they had won over the crowd long before their failed attempts at acting.

Please do not misunderstand me, the dancing, and this was a show about dancing, was incredible. The 12 performers used every ounce of energy in their bodies to live up to the crowd’s expectations and they were wildly successful. Why? Because as much as my critical eye seeks out imperfections, it is impossible to deny that the show was exciting, engaging and, true to the nature of the SYTYCD franchise, it gave the fans what they wanted: high legs, multiple turns, good tunes and shiny costumes. Oh yeah, and a 12-person Russian Folk Dance routine.