I'm a balletperson and SYTYCD is great, but to me it's a lot of the same kind of dance. They are looking for versatile dancers, but I miss to much REALLY different dancestyles, like folkdancing, tapdancing and of course ballet. (I'm watching the Dutch version, don't know if there is tap in the USA version. Here it is a lot of hiphop/jazz/show with some modern. I got that it isn't that much different with you.)

How about a SYTYCD Ballet version? With choreographies like 'Vaganova style', 'RAD style', neoclassical ballet, ballet lyrical, pointes, modern ballet, caractere?

Just a dream.

I would totally watch a SYTYCD ballet version - But it would have to have truly qualified judges trained in ballet.

The United states version is way to much ballroom. Which don't get me wrong is a beautiful dance form - but when more then 50% of the show is ballroom it gets tedious. They've never done tap and have done ballet only once and then by a dancer who's specialty was ballet. I would like to see some Tap.

I would watch it too, Ballet's my main thing too, I think what they're really trying to find in SYTYCD is a Hollywood style dancer, it annoys me when they throw out a dancer because they're too technical and yes, it's the same here in Canada, hip hop, jazz, ballroom and lyrical modern that they like to call contemporary.

I love just watching people move period, and they show takes some of the joy out of it for me. They start with a bunch of awesome movers and then cut and cut until everyone looks EXACTLY the same. The finalists are all 19 year old studio trained contemporary competition circuit dancers. I still love it, but it's all the same!

I would definately watch SYTYCD ballet. As a ballet teacher, I also find that after awhile all the dances look the same, sort of a lyrical/jazz/modern. Even some of the ballroom stuff ends up looking like lyrical. I watch the Canadian and American versions and both have the same kind of dancing.

Absolutely agree with all of the above comments, even though I just got to see this show (for the first time the other night) thanks to the YouTube link supplied here. I work every night, but based on the past reviews I read about this show, I didn't feel like I was missing very much, dance education-wise.

The main reason I wanted to see it was one of my best preteen ballet students quit my studio after being "seduced" by this show. She dreams of being a competitor, I've been told, and missed our tap and ballet classes, so she could stay home and watch it. She did an intensive week of lyrical dance over the summer, but didn't return in the fall, despite my permanently adding a lyrical teacher, just for her and the other teens.

Now that I've finally seen "season 6" I feel that the show is meant to build a following based on the profiles of the dancers' personalities and the choreographers' clever tricks. It's not about dance, as much as flashy effects and the elimination suspense, although the dancers are certainly very capable. The set looks like "Who wants to be a Millionaire." All of the dancing incorporates high-strung athletics, to the degree that a gymnastics background would be mandatory, IMO. Even the ballroom dancing veers too far away from the basics, and is more like show dancing, for groups, rather than a traditional couple.

I was most disappointed by the lack of older contestants - only two were over 20? I knew not to expect ballet, but there was really no tap, nor traditional ballroom. It was mostly jazz-pizzazz pablum, with hip hop toppings. All of the rehearsal video clips were MTV snippet style, and didn't give you a sense of artistry, or any emphasis on building technique. It was a bunch of high-energy kids selected to get the "instant gratification" of working with a name choreographer, who was there to make them look good, while having them do "rolling-on-the-floor stunts." A show such as this can be more a hindrance, than a help, in the promotion of dance.

I would watch it, too, but it is not one that would have a huge, general audience, so I doubt that it will ever happen. How nice it would be to show the world true ballet and true versatility in dance.

Count me in. I am always looking for traditional ballet pieces that have been dead for years and that need to be revived. I am pretty bored with all the contemporary and the showy ballroom with little pieces of cloth to resemble dresses (sorry this gets to me). I grew up in a latin country and watching those costumes make me shudder. How about this new season, three major tappers. Let's hope people appreciate the beauty of creating music with their feet. I am a Ballet teacher, but my sons were tappers and I learned to appreciate the musicality of tap. Not to mention the fact that I can't tap, I have put it in my bucket list, a must do.

^^^ I teach ballroom to mostly beginners (wedding couples and older adults) and I like to dance it, too, but I don't want to affiliate with other ballroom studios because I hate the dresses. When did half-a-dress become the fashion for comps? It is SO distracting to see the dresses, that are engineered to fall off (but don't, because they're glued on) - instead of the steps. To me, it's repulsive, and I would think it would turn off a lot of adults from taking ballroom. The dancers look like caricatures, especially with the lacquered hair, and dark, shiny make-up.

I can understand their wanting to draw attention to themselves when they're competing on an open floor with other couples. But when they dance solo, it would be great to see a normal dressy dress - like you see in the old movies.

When I watch the latest video clips of "Dancing with the Stars" they are doing more "Broadway" style dancing, complete with character costumes. But there's always at least one female pro in an overdone cut-out dress, vamping it up.

I love, simple and classy. I, too, believe the dance and the dancers should be the showpiece, not the costume. When I had my prom, in 1972, I designed my dress, very simple, yet elegant, from a Ginger Rogers style. Back then, what was in style did not do it for me and I heard about it for weeks after, how much everyone loved it, even though it was not in style at that time.

I know that they do it for the sex appeal part, but my husband, who loves a good body on a woman says that those costumes do nothing for him. Legs... okay, in Rhythm dances, but I do not see ballroom dancing in almost leotards and booty shorts.

" but I do not see ballroom dancing in almost leotards and booty shorts."

ha ha-always good for a laugh! I agree though that featuring the different styles of ballet would make a great show! I am Royal ballet trained and my current studio teaches Cechetti so we find ourselves laughing occasionally at different versions of the same step. Tires of the same ol' same ol' on SYTYCD!

I would love to see a ballet version of SYTYCD. I miss seeing classical ballet with beautiful pointe work. It never comes to my part of the state and I need to go to the city if I want to see it. I would love to see all the different styles and schools represented although I agree that it wouldn't draw a large television audience.

So, how do we get this wish known at the SYTYCD organisation?
A longer list of supporters helps to be taken serious!

^^^ I wouldn't count on SYTYCD to champion a ballet competition for us. I would start by contacting Rhee Gold who has his own Dance Studio Life channel online, and build a following there. If there's sufficient interest (proven by viewer clicks), then SYTYCD might listen. They may also run out of steam with their current repetitive choreo, and be desperate enough to try another dance form.

I'm not familiar with the American tv-things (me from Europe). No idea who or what Rhee Gold is.
Anyone willing to do something with this? (Because when it works, it will fly over the ocean to us )

I agree with everything that's been said here. But I am confused concerning needing a ballet competition: there are many ballet competitions around, from Varna to Lausanne to Shanghai to Moscow, etc. They are mostly televised and can also be surely found on Youtube. So why do another one or did I miss something? Thanks!

^^^ The issue is to raise the visibility of ballet, for the general public's education. Otherwise, they think dance is just jazz/hip hop with stunts, like they see on SYTYCD. And with a few weeks of dance training, and clever choreography, you too can be "Dancing Like a Star." We're not looking to start another ballet competition, for the sake of another comp.

Ballet aficionados would love to see more ballet on SYTYCD too. I'm aware of all of the worldwide ballet competitions, but I have yet to ever see them publicized or broadcast on regular TV. Not even the 200+ USA dance comps can be easily found and seen, except as snippets you might stumble upon on YouTube. Think of what the Olympics coverage have done for Gymnastics.

vfdt wrote:

^^^ The issue is to raise the visibility of ballet, for the general public's education. Otherwise, they think dance is just jazz/hip hop with stunts, like they see on SYTYCD. And with a few weeks of dance training, and clever choreography, you too can be "Dancing Like a Star." We're not looking to start another ballet competition, for the sake of another comp.

Ballet aficionados would love to see more ballet on SYTYCD too. I'm aware of all of the worldwide ballet competitions, but I have yet to ever see them publicized or broadcast on regular TV. Not even the 200+ USA dance comps can be easily found and seen, except as snippets you might stumble upon on YouTube. Think of what the Olympics coverage have done for Gymnastics.

Agree to raise the visibility of ballet! That would be great. But how?

I guess it depends on your location to not have a ballet competition televised though. Most countries that have the top ones do televise them fortunately.

PS: I think everyone wants a SYTYCD but a ballet version, is that what is meant? If so that would be interesting. I just wasn't sure what was meant, that's why I asked about the competitions.