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 Diversity takes centre-stage in a hot new reality series, says a relieved David Knox.
I was so indifferent to the first US season of So You Think You Can Dance that I didn’t even visit the second. That American habit of continually re-capping what had happened just before the break sent me loopy. But the exercise in summer programming worked well enough for TEN to greenlight a local series – and thank god they did.
Produced by FremantleMedia, the same company behind Australian Idol, this is proving an exhilarating, passionate and emotional piece of television - the best of its kind since The Choir of Hard Knocks.
As A Chorus Line proved thirty years ago, the dancer’s life is a rollercoaster of highs and lows. To put our youth front and centre in such a visual medium is the ultimate win/win. Their physicality, combined with personal stories, makes for dynamic television.
It’s hard not to be moved by their struggles. One Queensland dancer escaped civil war in El Salvador. Another triumphed over bulimia and anorexia. A young Aboriginal man struggles to accept his rightful place among more trained, Anglo-Saxon peers.
So You Think You Can Dance is already the most multicultural reality show ever shown on Australian screens. Compared to shows like Big Brother, this is brimming with diversity. There are Asian and Islander dancers skilled in street, hip hop, ballroom, jazz and contemporary styles. We have, necessarily, openly gay males (including on the judging panel) dancing strong and proud. And did I mention the hot, shirtless boys?
What it communicates is a community, where identity is celebrated and spirit is embraced.
The early episodes of the show also demonstrate a seemingly-conscious decision by producers and judges not to annihilate reality contestants. There were fewer ‘car-crash’ auditions. Amongst the judges Jason Coleman, Bonnie Lythgoe and Matt Lee, none has yet adopted the stereotyped ‘nasty’ role. I can only presume it’s because all three are themselves dancers.
So far, it’s Coleman that’s taking charge of the audition process and deftly dishing out the tough love. At this stage he threatens to overshadow the hosting duties of Natalie Bassingthwaighte, whose talents will presumably be drawn upon for the ‘live’ performance shows (they’re pre-recorded; only the Verdict show is truly live).
As we look to the Top 20 to find Australia’s ‘favourite’ dancer, it isn’t hard to see why Daryl Somers bowed out of the tired ‘celebrity’ equivalent. These kids absolutely rock.
I’m so hooked, I’m going to have to stop myself from voting.
So You Think You Can Dance? airs 7:30pm Sunday & Monday on TEN.
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