So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) is an American dance competition show that airs on Fox in the United States. It is the main show in the international So You Think You Can Dance television series. The show was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, who also make American Idol. It is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions. The first episode aired on July 20, 2005, and had over ten million viewers. It became the most-watched show on television that summer. The first season was hosted by Lauren Sánchez, a news reporter. Starting with the second season, the show was hosted by Cat Deeley, a former children's TV and game show host from England.
The show invites dancers trained in many different dance styles to audition in major U.S. cities. Dancers compete in several rounds to prove their ability to learn new styles. A small group of dancers is chosen to move forward. These dancers perform solo, in pairs, or in groups on live television. They must master many dance styles, such as classical, contemporary, ballroom, hip-hop, street, club, jazz, and musical theatre. Viewers and a group of judges vote to decide which dancers move on each week until one dancer is named "America's favorite dancer."
So You Think You Can Dance has won seven Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography and nine Emmy Awards total. Versions of the show started in other countries in August 2005. Now, the show airs in 41 countries. The sixteenth season began on June 3, 2019. The seventeenth season was planned for summer 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and finally started in May 2022. In December 2023, it was announced that the eighteenth season would film in Atlanta from December 4, 2023, to January 29, 2024, and would air on March 4, 2024. Nigel Lythgoe left the show in January 2024 after a lawsuit from judge Paula Abdul. JoJo Siwa joined the judging panel to replace Lythgoe.
Show format
A typical season of So You Think You Can Dance is divided into two main parts: a selection process and a competition phase. During the selection process, expert judges choose dancers from a large group of applicants. The competition phase involves these selected dancers, often called the "Top 20," competing for votes from viewers at home. Even though the season takes months to produce, the selection process is heavily edited and usually covers only the first 2 to 4 weeks of the season. The competition episodes make up the remaining 7 to 9 weeks.
The first step in selecting contestants is open auditions, which take place in 2 to 6 major U.S. cities each season. These auditions are usually open to people aged 18 to 30, though some seasons, like season 13, focused on younger dancers aged 8 to 13. Cities such as Los Angeles and New York City often host auditions. During this stage, dancers perform a short routine, such as a solo, duet, or group performance, in front of a panel of dance experts, often led by Nigel Lythgoe, the show’s creator and producer. The panel decides immediately if a dancer is qualified to continue. If a dancer shows exceptional talent, they may receive a "ticket to Vegas" or "ticket to the Academy," allowing them to advance in the competition. If the judges are unsure, they might ask the dancer to return later for a test of their ability to follow professional choreography.
The next stage is called "callbacks," which was previously known as "Vegas Week" or "Academy Week" depending on the season. This stage lasts several days and tests dancers’ overall dance skills, stamina, creativity, and ability to perform under pressure. Contestants are tested on various dance styles, such as hip-hop, jazz, ballroom, and contemporary. They may also perform solos of their choice and participate in a group choreography challenge, where small teams must create a performance to a randomly chosen piece of music. This is the only time contestants are asked to choreograph their own routines, aside from solos.
The callbacks are often described as one of the most tiring and stressful parts of the competition. Contestants face repeated rounds where many are eliminated, and they must quickly adapt to unfamiliar dance styles while dealing with physical exhaustion and limited rest. At the end of this stage, fewer than 40 dancers remain, and the top 20 (or fewer in some seasons, such as Top 16, Top 11, or Top 10) are chosen for the competition.
After selection, the competition phase begins and lasts for the rest of the season. This phase is usually divided into eight weeks, with two contestants eliminated each week. Dancers are paired into female-male couples, who may stay together for much of the competition if neither is eliminated. These couples perform duets in different styles, often choreographed by professional dancers. Before each performance, short videos show the couples practicing their routines and provide insights into their personalities and the choreographer’s creative ideas. After each performance, judges give feedback on technique and performance value. These duets, along with their videos and critiques, are the main focus of each episode, though solos, group numbers, and guest performances may also appear.
In season 1, each week’s competition was shown in a single episode, with eliminations broadcast the following week. From seasons 2 to 8, each week had two episodes: one for performances and one for results. More recent seasons have returned to one episode per week, with results revealed at the end of the following week. Eliminations may depend entirely on viewer votes or involve judges selecting from a group of bottom contestants. After being eliminated, dancers receive a short video tribute. Each episode ends with a recap of the performances and voting prompts. Episodes typically last about two hours, including commercials. The number of hours shown per week varies from two to four.
The finale is the most elaborate episode of the season. It features the final performances of the contestants, encore performances of popular routines, guest dancers, and musical acts. Video packages summarize the season’s events, leading to the announcement of the winner. Most seasons have one winner, though seasons 9 and 10 had both male and female winners. After the season ends, the Top Ten contestants often go on a tour to perform routines from the season.
A typical season of So You Think You Can Dance is led by a panel of judges who evaluate contestants throughout the selection and competition phases.
Dance styles and choreographers
Over eighteen seasons, the show So You Think You Can Dance has included many different dance styles in its choreographed routines. Most of these styles fall into four main groups that are often seen in every performance episode: western contemporary/classical styles, ballroom styles, hip-hop/street styles, and Jazz and its related styles. Other dance styles that do not fit into these groups are also shown, but less often. The following styles have appeared in choreographed duets or group routines; styles that only appear in auditions or solos are not listed.
Routines from the classical style of contemporary dance are the most common on the show. These routines appear in every performance episode (and usually at least twice per episode). While contemporary, lyrical, and modern dance are often considered separate styles, the show typically refers to all routines in this area as "contemporary," except in the first season, when the term "lyrical" was used. Ballet routines appear much less often, about one or two times per season, since they were first introduced in the fourth season.
Hip-hop routines are also present in every performance episode. These routines often include elements from many hip-hop subgenres, such as locking and popping, and street styles like breaking. Most of these are labeled as "hip-hop." An exception is lyrical hip-hop, which is unique because it became a known style partly due to the show. This style is often credited to regular choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo, and the term "lyrical hip-hop" is attributed to judge Adam Shankman. Other styles sometimes seen include krump, breakdancing, waacking, and stepping.
Ballroom styles are also shown regularly in every performance episode. These routines may use movements from traditional International Standard styles or American competitive styles. Some routines may use street or regional variations or combine elements from different styles.
Jazz is featured in nearly all performance episodes. While these routines are usually labeled simply as "Jazz," the genre is notable for being one of the most mixed together on the show, with many style combinations and subcategories referenced. "Broadway," a style descended from Jazz, is treated as a separate genre on the show and is similar to the term "musical theater" outside the U.S.
These dance styles are shown less often than ballroom styles but have appeared sometimes since the first season.
In addition to the groups above, many other styles that are less common in the U.S. are occasionally shown. Most of these appear only once, but the Bollywood style has been shown several times per season since the fourth season.
Special shows
On September 2, 2009, a special show was broadcast before season 6 began. The show highlighted the top 15 routines chosen by judges from the first five seasons. At the end of the program, Nigel Lythgoe, the show's creator and a judge, shared his favorite performance. This was a contemporary dance piece created by Tyce Diorio and performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi.
In March 2014, Chinese television station CCTV aired a special episode to promote a show. This episode featured well-known top dancers from the U.S. and China versions of So You Think You Can Dance competing in teams against each other. The show, titled Zhōngměi Wǔ Lín Guànjūn Duìkàngsài – Super Dancer Born Tonight, was filmed in Las Vegas but was not shown on U.S. television.
Ratings
So You Think You Can Dance first aired in 2005 and had over 10 million viewers. During its first season, it was the top summer show on television. However, in 2006, NBC's America's Got Talent began airing in the same time slot and became the top summer show. Over the next few years, America's Got Talent gained more viewers than So You Think You Can Dance.
In 2009, So You Think You Can Dance returned to summer with a strong start, earning a 3.4 rating in its main audience group. However, America's Got Talent started about a month later in the same time slot, and So You Think You Can Dance dropped to fourth place in the ratings. Its viewership continued to decrease throughout the summer, ending with an average of about 8 million viewers.
Fox moved the show to its fall 2009 schedule, but ratings kept falling. The lowest rating for the season was 4.6 million viewers for a special episode hosted by Nigel Lythgoe on September 2, 2009. After ratings dropped to an average of 6 million viewers, Fox moved the show back to summer in 2010.
In 2010, Mia Michaels replaced Mary Murphy as a judge, and former contestants were used as partners. Ratings continued to drop, with only 5.6 million viewers watching on July 15, 2010. For season 7, the show averaged just over 5 million viewers. After that, Mary Murphy returned to the judge's panel, but ratings stayed around 5 million per episode in season 8.
In season 9, ratings briefly improved, with the first five episodes watched by between 6 and 7 million viewers. However, ratings fell again, reaching a new low of 4.16 million viewers on August 29, 2012. Season 10 had similar numbers, averaging about 4 million viewers per episode in 2013. The finale had only 4.3 million viewers, the lowest for a finale.
In April 2014, Nigel Lythgoe asked fans on Twitter to share information about the show to help improve ratings for the 11th season. The show was renewed for a 12th season, but ratings continued to drop, averaging about 3.5 million viewers per episode. Fox renewed the show for a 13th season with a new format focused on child dancers. Ratings fell further, with only five episodes reaching more than 3 million viewers. The finale had the lowest viewership ever, with only 2.27 million viewers.
In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that, in general, So You Think You Can Dance is more popular in cities, though it is most popular in Utah.
Influence and international franchise
Dance competitions have been on American television for many years before the first broadcast of So You Think You Can Dance. These shows often included talent searches that covered many skills, such as Star Search, Soul Train, or Showtime at the Apollo. However, a talent show that focused only on dance and lasted for an entire season had never been shown on American network television before. The producers and judges of the show have said in interviews and during broadcasts that the series aimed to increase the recognition and respect for dance as an art form in the United States and to help struggling dancers gain more attention. They also said the show would encourage other dancers to pursue their dreams. Since the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, other dance-themed competition shows have been created for American television, including America's Best Dance Crew, Superstars of Dance, Live to Dance, and World of Dance.
In 2009, Lythgoe joined with fellow SYTYCD judge Adam Shankman, Katie Holmes, Carrie Ann Inaba, and others in the dance industry to start The Dizzyfeet Foundation. The foundation’s goal was to offer scholarships and training to young dancers who had limited financial resources. Mentions of the foundation have appeared on the show from time to time. In 2010, Lythgoe, with help from other SYTYCD personalities and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who supported healthy lifestyles, successfully created an official National Dance Day. This event, held every year on the last Saturday of July, promotes fitness through movement. The show has celebrated this day annually since its start.
Before the end of 2005, when the series first began, its format had already been approved for the first of many international versions. To date, the So You Think You Can Dance franchise has produced 28 shows in 39 countries, with more than 90 individual seasons. These adaptations have aired in Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iraq, India, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestinian Territories, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
Awards and nominations
As of 2017, nine former SYTYCD contestants received nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. Five of these nominations were for work on Dancing with the Stars: Chelsie Hightower in 2010, Travis Wall and Nick Lazzarini in 2012 (with Teddy Forance), Allison Holker in 2013 (with Derek Hough), and Witney Carson in 2015. Hokuto Konishi, Ryan "Ryanimay" Conferido, and Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval were nominated in 2016 as part of the B-boy group Quest Crew for their work on America's Best Dance Crew. Dmitry Chaplin was nominated in 2009, and Travis Wall was nominated in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 for his work on SYTYCD itself. The only former contestants to win the Choreography Emmy were Konishi, Conferido, and Sandoval in 2016, and Wall in 2015 and 2017.