After watching six seasons of So You Think You Can Dance (I missed the first one), I think it is time that I came to terms with the fact that the show is, at its core, sexist, a rigid enforcer of gender binaries, and sometimes just out and out creepy (thanks executive producer Nigel Lythgoe a.k.a Creepy Uncle Nigel, I think I'll dedicate an entire post to you at a later date).
Part of the problem is that I want so badly for the show to live up to my expectations. That isn't to say that the show does not have moments of beauty and magic, from time to time it does. Some of that comes from the dancers, some of that comes from the choreographers, sometimes its a combination of things. More often that not however, I am finding myself wanting to throw something at the tv in disgust at something a judge said, horribly sexist choreography, or even just the horrific costumes. Are those occasional moments of beauty worth sitting through the rest of the show? Possibly, but I am getting closer and closer to getting fed up and saying no.
Let's break down some of the recurring themes that drive me so crazy
1) The "sexy seductress" storyline
There is some variation on this story, but generally speaking at least one (if not more) routines a performance night will be based around the idea of this bombshell sexual woman somehow seducing her clueless/ignorant/dorky partner. Sometimes, this is ok, and there have been routines that I thought were fun that did follow this theme...but it gets old. It also puts a strain on the female contestants to -be- that crazy sexual, beautiful woman, a strain not placed on the male contestants. But speaking of the men...
2) Men Must Dance Like Men
This has been a common theme over the various seasons, as a critique thrown at men on the show who either dance too "femininely" (whatever that means), or without enough maturity. I can understand comments about maturity, though that tends to be an issue when you compare 18 year olds with twenty-somethings, but the comments on dancing "femininely" drive me crazy. There are times when a male partner must have strength, and act the macho man (ie, the paso doble, which I hate), however this is not always necessary. Why can't the male dancers display more delicacy, if that is the expression of their dancing and their bodies' capabilities? The reverse of this is also thrown at women who get into trouble for being "too strong," but that happens less frequently and not as vehemently as with men.
3) Women Must Wear Revealing Costumes, Especially for Ballroom.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. It is also a requirement that Creepy Uncle Nigel comment on how sexy a woman looks as part of his critique on her dancing. For ballroom I can quiet down the inner feminist (I feel like she needs a name, any suggestions?), but when female dancers are made to wear sparky bras during hip hops routines while their partner is normal street clothing, I get more than a little cranky. (See the picture posted a few days ago).
4) America Loves Your Butt
Whether it's a dance entirely focused on a woman's behind (thanks Mia Michaels, season 5), girls shaking/popping their rump as a significant part of a hip hop routine (all seasons, especially when Shane Sparks choreographs), a male contestant being forced to show off his backside, and his father doing the same, SYTYCD has an obsession with their contestants' backsides. I'm never a fan of diminishing people to a body part, and this is a reoccuring theme for both male and female contestants.
5) Add a Little Violence to your Samba
"even the spank was with the music" ~ Creepy Uncle Nigel
Violence against women is a tricky subject for SYTYCD. On one hand, it can be used tastefully, and for the purpose of telling a bigger story. Mia Michael's Addiction dance from season five is indicative of that - yes, it implied abuse, but it treated the subject with dignity and proper solemnity. Yet for every respectful treatment of the subject, there is a hip hop dance that shows a woman getting strangled (season five), or spanked (multiple seasons, most recently last week with Kent and Comfort), or any other variation. Even the respectful treatment sometimes borders on being uncomfortable for me, in that it is a theme that comes up too often - what is is about abuse that makes it such a great story? And lets be clear, its pretty much all male against female - the only reversal of this I can think of would possibly be the alien dance between Jason and Caitlin...but that also falls into the "seductress" category mentioned earlier.
6) Where Are the Female Hip-Hop Dancers?
The last time a female hip hop dancer made the show was Comfort in season four. Now in season seven, it doesn't seem too much to ask that there would be another female popper or bgirl? I cannot imagine that there are none that audition that are capable of making the show. I'm always nostalgic for Sara from season 3...surely she can't be the only bgirl out there that is capable of doing other things? It's not like the standards are that high - bboy Jose from the current season is certainly not very good at anything outside of his style.
I always watch SYTYCD looking for artistry and beauty...and fairly often just feel nauseous, or upset. There is a new web series, LXD (The League of Extraordinary Dancers0, that may fill the void left by SYTYCD. Dance is an artform that can fufill many roles...why does it have to uphold patriarchy?
