"So You Think You Can Dance" Names Its Finalists for Season 5

There are millions of amateur dancers in the United States (and around the world) who could watch Fox's "SoYou Think You Could Dance" with a technical eye and a choreographer's love for precision and detail. This writer is not one of them. Born with that neuronal disconnect that sometimes exists between a person and their limbs -- and hardwired to a second left foot that does not exist -- I have been my entire life relegated to bar stools and tables and walls, a casual observer of those who can move with a sense of rhythm and grace. An observer, I love to watch people dance. Unable to perform, I am amazed and uplifted by the physical skills and artistry of others. Much like "American Idol" is for my singing (where my personal vocal stylings are such that they delight dogs because cats are falling over dead somewhere), "So You Think You Can Dance" is a vicarious visual thrill ride.

So I watch "So You Think You Can Dance" for entertainment and vicarious transcendence. I can't, therefore I watch. It is art in motion and as an appreciative observer, I find it an hour (or two) well spent.

This is Season 5 of "So You Think You Can Dance." I somehow missed the first season, but began watching avidly during season two, completely hooked by pirouettes, lines, pase doble, tangos, krumping, pop locking, free style, traditional and completely unique movements and forms of dance -- all performed by amateur and semi-professional dancers simply attempting to make the big time. There is something magical about talent meeting opportunity and someone not normally given the chance getting that chance to shine that lifts us all.

That's why people watch shows like "So You Think You Can Dance."

After the first couple weeks of auditions, Season 5 boiled down to 172 dancers in Las Vegas. Thursday evening, the panel of six judges -- producer Nigel Lythgoe, choreographers Mia Michaels, Lil C, Debbie Allen, director and producer (and choreographer) Adam Shankman, and ballroom dance champion and judge Mary Murphy -- cut the remaining 32 dancers to reveal the season's Top 20.

And the night was not without its drama. Some who looked like "sure things" were dropped. And there were sometimes bold disagreements between the judges over who would continue, such as Mia Michaels' and Debbie Allen's contentious words over dancer Brandon Bryant. Allen, who had given Bryant a difficult time during the auditions, surprisingly supported him against Michaels' adamant statements that she did not like his performances. When Lil C sided with Mia Michaels, Mary Murphy, who unabashedly championed Brandon Bryant from his first audition, emotionally told the panel and Bryant she wasn't going to listen to any more of their "b.s." Bryant had been voted through and Murphy thought that Michaels was being overly personal and cruel.

Alex Wong, a phenomenal ballet dancer out of Miami and maybe one of the strongest in this year's competition, was unfortunately cut because he was under contract to the Miami City Ballet. Although Nigel Lythgoe interceded on Alex Wong's behalf, they would not release him from the contract and "So You Think You Can Dance" had to cut him. It was a very emotional moment for Alex Wong, finding out that the judges thought him a superior dancer and worthy of inclusion into the season's Top 20 and also having the opportunity denied him. Nigel Lythgoe implored him to come back for Season 6, which begins this Fall.

But the most cruel moment came at the very end when there were only two left (and anyone with half a brain and near total blindness saw this finale coming long before it was made evident by attrition and editing) -- the Kasprzak brothers, Ryan and Evan -- and only one spot left in the Top 20. The brothers hugged and cried (well, Evan cried), vowing mutual support, all the way down the long hallway to the stage to hear the judges' final decision. Although Ryan choreographed Evan's dances and was himself a very strong performer (reminding one of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire), the judges chose the younger of the Kasprzak brothers. Undoubtedly, it was a bittersweet moment for both the brothers. This writer found it intentionally cruel on the part of the producers.

But in the end they had 10 male dancers and 10 female dancers. The competition to find out America's favorite dancer, voted on by the viewing audience, begins next week.

"So You Think You Can Dance" Season 5 Top 20:

Randi Evans
Karla Garcia
Caitlin Kinney
Asuka Kondoh
Janette Manrara
Jeanine Mason
Kayla Radomski
Melissa Sandvig
Paris Torres
Ashley Valerio
Kupono Aweau
Tony Bellissimo
Brandon Bryant
Phillip Chbeeb
Jason Glover
Vitolio Jeune
Max Kapitannikov
Evan Kasprzak
Ade Obayomi
Jonathan Platero

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Source:

"So You Think You Can Dance," Fox Television