David Bowie Said it Right: "Dance, Magic, Dance."

I'm a massive fan of "So You Think You Can Dance." And because I didn't say that I'm a massive fan of "Dancing with the (loosely defined) Stars", it's safe to say this is Michelle and not Dawn writing. (Regarding "Dancing w/ the Stars", I admit: everyone likes a good "Comeback Kid" story. But no one wants to see Denise Richards come back from anywhere she's been.)

My affection for SYTYCD (which is what "So You Think You Can Dance" will go by from here on out because evrythng needs 2 b abbrviatd now, rght?) is due to a few things. 1) I. LOVE. DANCE. And all things dance-related. (With the exclusion of any form of dance done in the style of "country", the style of swing [if you're 72 or older, bless your heart and keep it up. If you do swing strictly because it exploded back on the scene in about 1996 as a trend and you haven't let go of it since, we probably aren't friends.], and ballroom dancing, unless it's salsa or cha-cha or some other ridiculously fast, sultry style of dance that involves spangly costumes and t-strap shoes.)

I have always adored dancing and have missed it like crazy (it's been a long time since high school dance class, folks), and finally took it up again about 10 months ago. Ahhhh, the relief! (The brief bouts of hyperactive dancing and Elaine Benes ["Seinfeld." Look it up.] impersonations at wedding receptions were all I'd had to go on, and that simply wasn't cutting it.) So, all that to say, when I watch someone dance, I remember how it felt to perform, the adrenaline rush and the constant, exhausting but thrilling feel of repeating the choreography over and over, sweating so excessively that you're flinging it on to other people's faces, and yet knowing the moment you hear the music begin again, you'll be out there dancing. Plus, it's just the most enjoyable thing to see someone dance with so much stunning grace. Or, if we're talking about hip-hop, with so much power and such a bad a$$ expression on their face. That's just filthy fun right there.

The other reason for my fan status is because the contestants on SYTYCD are all REAL people who adore dance more than life and are caught up in the fun and passion of it all. There's no motive for career revival going on. The things these people are asked to do in the amount of time they have to do it in, is unreal. They're usually starry-eyed "kids" who respect things like ballet or classic Bob Fosse style musical choreography. And the choreographers! They're also real, behind-the-scenes people; they just happen to be crazy, crazy-good at what they do. I mean, certain performances from the show have won Emmys. Someone just let me know if I missed the Emmy nomination Pam Anderson's choreographers got when she was on "Dancing w/ Fame Junkies like Kate Gosselin." Now, I can't say I've seen a single episode of the other dance show, but I think I can safely assume there's drama involved...and enough of it to land most of the "stars" on US magazine. More than once.

Here's the thing, though. My only complaint about SYTYCD (besides the stupid and not all that helpful abbreviation) is the fact that they let America choose the winner. Based on tonight's episode alone, I'm guessing the only people voting are girls between the ages of 12 and 16 whose requirements for "a skilled dancer" consist of how cute and nice-to-look-at the boy dancers are, and how much they burn with seething, angst-ridden jealousy over the girl dancers. CLEARLY, that was the only answer for tonight's decision. So, my advice to the producers? Let the judges on the show decide who should win. Judges, since they make judgements, are typically known to
be the people deciding things in the end.

But until that happens, SYTYCD, I remain faithfully yours.