I've written at length about being an American Idol fan, but not so much about being a So You Think You Can Dance fan. After all, I'm no dancer myself, being blessed with two left feet and a total lack of kinesic intelligence. Nevertheless, as an admirer of anything done well, I have been a rapt viewer of SYTYCD since its first season. This season I felt more invested than ever before. It seemed that the dancers were just spectacular. And from early in the auditioning process, I noticed one young man who stood out: Joshua, a young black man, somewhat stockier than the others. He wore braces and seemed quiet, shy, lacking in confidence--until the music came on. Then, Joshua became something magical.
Last night, Joshua won the title of "America's Favorite Dancer." He's certainly got a career ahead of him. Producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe kept emphasizing throughout the season that Joshua was not classically trained. He had had dance lessons, but not like so many of the others, many of whom were already working as professional dancers. For the most part, he was a football/track star turned street dancer. The photos they showed of Joshua in a football uniform certainly seemed more "natural" than the idea that this muscular man would be able to perform some ballroom dance with grace and style. Yet he was able to handle virtually every dance they threw at him, at his best when his partner was Katee, who came in 3rd overall and top female dancer.
Over sixty million votes were cast, some of them mine. It was the first time I'd voted in this show, but I really wanted to express how strongly I felt about Joshua's talent. I even stayed up late to watch all the show. Normally, the finale would have aired from 8-10 p.m., but our local FOX affiliate, in its infinite idiocy, preempted the finale so they could air a stupid Lions football game. They broadcast the dance finale from 10:30-12:30, normally past my bedtime. However, I was NOT going to miss it! It was worth every minute of staying awake and I look forward to rewatching it when Esteemed Spouse returns.
One of the highlights of the show was the dancing of two of the judges, the aforementioned Nigel Lythgoe tap-dancing with choreographer Debbie Allen's children's troupe, and judge/ballroom expert Mary Murphy, who danced with a former season's contestant, the ultra-sexy Russian man (Dominik?) whose shirtless chest apparently was so hot that Mary hired him. When Mary is behind the judge's desk, she looks sort of dumpy, but out on that floor, with that skimpy costume, she is graceful, slender, and elegant. Great legs, too!
The lowest point of the show was the so-called singing of the hot boy band, The Jonas Brothers. Bleah. What passes for good music for the tween set these days is not my taste at all. I can't figure out why Dance wouldn't have selected someone a bit more appropriate. David Cook, the last American Idol winner, would have been perfect. After all, they used his finale song for one of the best dance numbers.
I was so happy about Joshua winning that I couldn't sleep afterwards. It was about 2 a.m. before I finally drifted off. But I'll bet it took Joshua even longer to fall asleep. He was so thrilled with his win that he was speechless and kept covering his face to hide his tears. I fully anticipate seeing that young man again. Anyone with that kind of talent will be around for a very long time, something for which his fans will be grateful.
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