So You Think You Can Dance (UK TV series)

So You Think You Can Dance
Genre	Dance competition
Created by	Simon Fuller ; Nigel Lythgoe
Developed by	Simon Fuller
Directed by	James Morgan
Presented by	Cat Deeley
Judges	Nigel Lythgoe; Arlene Phillips ; Louise Redknapp ; Sisco Gomez
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	19
Production
Executive producer(s)	Nigel Lythgoe; Andrea Hamilton
Producer(s)	Anna Meedows; Gareth Davies; Ed Booth
Production location(s)	Various (auditions); ExCeL London ; (Choreography camp); BBC Television Centre ; (live shows)
Running time	120 minutes
Production company(s)	19 Entertainment ; Dick Clark Productions ; BBC
Release
Original network	BBC One
Original release	2 January 2010 –; 11 June 2011
External links
	Website

Last updated May 30, 2019

So You Think You Can Dance is a televised dance competition and reality show that launched in the United Kingdom in January 2010 with a format based on an American show by the same name. The show was broadcast on BBC One. The presentation of the show is similar to that of the Pop Idol series of singing competitions, also created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe. The show focuses not only on the dancers' talent, but also showcases new works by notable choreographers, crafted specifically for the dancers and the show.

BBC One is the first and principal television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution. It was renamed BBC TV in 1960, using this name until the launch of the second BBC channel BBC2 in 1964, whereupon the BBC TV channel became known as BBC1, with the current spelling adopted in 1997.

Pop Idol is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer in the UK based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast, one in 2001–2002 and a second in 2003. Pop Idol was subsequently put on an indefinite hiatus after series judge Simon Cowell announced the launch of The X Factor in the UK in April 2004.

Simon Fuller is an English entrepreneur, artist manager, film and television producer. He is best known for being the creator of the Idol franchise, which was first seen in the UK under the name Pop Idol, and includes American Idol in the U.S. Fuller is also the executive producer of several shows and films including So You Think You Can Dance, Q'Viva, Spiceworld The Movie, My Generation starring Michael Caine and others.

Program history

So You Think You Can Dance is hosted by British entertainer Cat Deeley, also the host of the U.S. version since season 2.^[1]

Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter, actress, singer and model based in the UK and the United States. From 1998 to 2002, she hosted the children's programme SMTV Live and its spin-off chart show CD:UK. In 2001, she won a BAFTA Children's Award for hosting SMTV Live. She has also hosted Fame Academy on the BBC, and the 2004 Brit Awards.

In the initial televised audition phase of the show, contestants dance in front of the judges – Nigel Lythgoe, Louise Redknapp, Arlene Phillips and Sisco Gomez – in the hope of getting through to the "choreography camp" round. After a further selection process, the judges decide who they would like to perform during the live finals of the competition, during which the public vote for their favourite act following a weekly live performance by a celebrity performer.^[2]^[3]^[4] The show does not have a specific type of dance, contestants can do what dance style they choose. However, they will be asked to learn other dances throughout the competition. The first dancer to win the title of "Britain's Favourite Dancer" was Charlie Bruce, who won in 2010.

Louise Elizabeth Redknapp professionally known as Louise, is an English singer, songwriter and media personality. She was a member of Eternal, an R&B girl group which debuted in 1993 with their quadruple-platinum studio album Always & Forever. In 1995, she departed the group for a solo career, in which she released the platinum-selling albums Naked (1996), Woman In Me (1997) and Elbow Beach (2000). Redknapp has sold over 5 million records in the UK, and 15 million records worldwide.

Arlene Phillips, CBE is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, television judge and presenter, and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment.

Francisco Javier Gomez-Aspron, known professionally as Sisco Gomez, is an English dancer and choreographer. He was awarded the Best New Choreographer award at the UK satellite version of The Carnival: Choreographer's Ball in 2005.

It was initially announced that season two would have Alexandra Burke as a guest judge throughout the auditions and choreographer camp, to pull in more of the viewing audience.^[5] However, it was later announced that all four judges from season one would return as the main judges.

Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is an English singer, songwriter and actress. Burke won the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008. She has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syco Music.

So You Think You Can Dance first premiered on 2 January 2010, beginning with one audition show, introducing the top 14 and others at audition. Five elimination rounds were followed by a final, with performances and results shown on the same night. The winner would receive a prize, and would earn the title of "Britain's Favourite Dancer". The winner received £100,000 cash and a trip to Hollywood, where the winner performed in the U.S. season finale.

The pound sterling, commonly known as the pound and less commonly referred to as sterling, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the British Antarctic Territory, and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence. A number of nations that do not use sterling also have currencies called the pound.

Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California, notable as the home of the U.S. film industry, including several of its historic studios. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the industry and the people associated with it.

The show was axed by BBC One due to the second series' low ratings and buying the broadcasting rights for the UK version of The Voice.

The Voice UK is a British television talent show created by John de Mol and based on the concept The Voice of Holland. It began airing on BBC One on 24 March 2012. There are five different stages to the show: producers' auditions, blind auditions, battle phase, knockouts, and live shows. The winner receives £100,000 and a record deal with Republic Records. There have been eight winners to date: Leanne Mitchell, Andrea Begley, Jermain Jackman, Stevie McCrorie, Kevin Simm, Mo Adeniran, Ruti Olajugbagbe and Molly Hocking.

Format

Auditions

The contestants would be held at a "producers" audition before getting to the second round, which is known as the "judges auditions" this is to help limit the number of auditionees. During the second round dancers would auditions one by one in front of the panel of judges. This will make the judges decide if they would like to put the contestant through to the second round of the competition known as "choreography camp". The auditions are held around the UK in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast. In order to find the next "British Favourite Dancer". However, a selection of auditions would only be shown on television. Judges will nominate whether they would like the contestant to continue in the competition. If three of the judges were to say "yes" and one judge to say "no" the contestant would go through. However, if two judges said "yes" and two judges said "no" you would not continue in the competition.

Choreography camp

The acts which the judges sent through to the next round would face "choreography camp". This part of the show would consist of whether the judges would like the contestant to continue in the show, to the live finals. The top 50 dancers are assigned to groups. Which they would be giving the time to spend and choreograph a type of performance the judges would ask for, (e.g. hip-hop, jazz, etc.). At the end of which the choreographers and judges chose the top 16. This would consist of the performances they give for the judges. They would be told straight after their performance if they would continue in the show. This is usually done gradually over the course of the entire week, with many dancers being cut from the competition on the very first day, and several more being cut each day, as the contestants are put through many different rounds to test their dance skills as well as their adaptability, learning speed, and stamina. Most rounds consist of the entire group of remaining dancers being taught a dance in a specific style (hip-hop, Broadway, and ballroom are among the most frequently-seen styles), and then performing the dance in front of the judges, a handful of contestants at a time. Another round consists of group work, where randomly chosen groups of four to six dancers are given a CD with a different song on it. Each group's members must then work together to create a choreographed group number for that song, and dance to it the next morning for the judges. At the end of this week of auditions, the judges meet and discuss each remaining dancer, to determine who will be chosen for the audience-vote portion of the competition (generally referred to as that season's "Top 20").

Live finals

During the live finals stage, each remaining contestant will perform a dance for the judges and the live audience, week after week. The public would get choose who they want to remain the competition by voting. The bottom two will perform again and then the judges will decide which act they would like to see again in the competition. The season finale consists of the top 4, and in addition to their solos, each also dances several other numbers, while being paired or grouped with the other finalists in such a way that "everyone dances with everyone." In addition, during the grand finale, contestants who were eliminated that season come back, and that season's favorite dances are showcased. At the end of the finale, the winner (the competitor with the highest number of audience votes from the night before) is revealed.

Judges and presenters

Judges

Show creator and producer Nigel Lythgoe, who also judges on the American version of the show, formed the original core judging panel with former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips. Lythgoe and Phillips were the only permanent judges in the audition process for the series, but guest judges Sisco Gomez and Louise Redknapp remained on the panel as permanent judges in the live shows.^[6] During the second series, Alexandra Burke featured as a guest judge throughout the auditions and Choreographer camp. John Barrowman also appeared as a guest judge on one live show, during the absence of Lythgoe.

Presenters and other personnel

Disc jockey and TV presenter, Cat Deeley, who also hosts the American original signed on to present the UK version in both series. The shows executive producers are former judge and creator Nigel Lythgoe and Claire Bridgham, and the producers of the show are Anna Meadows and Gareth Davies.

Series

Finalists

Season	Year(s)	Time	Winner	Finalists			Host	Judges	Guest judges
1	Winter 2010	January–February	Charlie Bruce (jazz)	Tommy Franzén (hip-hop)	Lizzie Gough (hip-hop)	Robbie White ² (contemporary)	Cat Deeley	Nigel Lythgoe, Arlene Phillips, Louise Redknapp, Sisco Gomez	Priscilla Samuels
2	Spring 2011	March–June	Matt Flint¹ (tap)	Luke Jackson (contemporary)	Katie Love (contemporary)	Kirsty Swain¹ (jazz)	Cat Deeley		Alexandra Burke John Barrowman

Series 1

The preliminary auditions for the first series of the show were held in major cities throughout the UK in October 2009. Participants for the show had to be aged between 18 and 35 and could be amateur dancers or professionals who are not currently engaged in a professional contract. The BBC promoted auditions for the show via its official website.

The first series of So You Think You Can Dance began on 2 January 2010 and was hosted by Cat Deeley. The first episode showed the auditions from London, Manchester, choreography camp and the top 14 were revealed. Permanent judges at the start of the auditions were Nigel Lythgoe and Arlene Phillips, they were joined by Sisco Gomez, Louise Redknapp and Priscilla Samuels] as guest judges during the audition process. Louise Redknapp later became a permanent judge and joined the panel at the 'choreography camp' stage of the show.

The next 6 shows where the live shows, Sisco Gomez became a permanent judge at this stage of the competition. Every week 2 dancers (one boy and one girl were eliminated from the competition until there were 4 contestants left (2 boys and 2 girls).

The finale of the first series of So You Think You Can Dance was held on 13 February 2010. Robbie White was injured, and could not perform. Lizzie Gough finished third, Tommy Franzén was the season runner-up, but female jazz dancer Charlie Bruce ended up as the winner. Judge Nigel Lythgoe said that Bruce absolutely was the best contestant of the season and to watch "small" dancers Bruce and Franzén grow across the series was fabulous.

Series 2

A second series was confirmed, the show hosted auditions in Manchester on 17 October 2010, Glasgow on 19 October 2010 and London on 21 and 22 October, according to the website, contestants also auditioned in Cardiff and Belfast. Arlene Phillips, Sisco Gomez, Nigel Lythgoe and Louise Redknapp all returned to the panel for series two. Series two has Alexandra Burke as a guest judge during the auditions and choreography camp. On the second part of the choreography camp, after Burke left the panel, John Barrowman was brought in as guest judge. Matt Flint was the winner of the series.

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Nigel Lythgoe OBE is an English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He was the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol and is the creator and executive producer of, and a regular judge on, So You Think You Can Dance. He also created the 2009 competition Superstars of Dance.

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So You Think You Can Dance, an American dance competition show, returned for its eleventh season on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. The commission of an eleventh season was first announced by series creator Nigel Lythgoe on the September 10, 2013, telecast of the season 10 finale. The season again features Lythgoe, who also serves as executive producer, and ballroom expert Mary Murphy as the two permanent members of the judge's panel while Cat Deeley continues in her role as host for a tenth consecutive season.

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So You Think You Can Dance, an American dance competition show, returned for its fifteenth season on Monday, June 4, 2018. The season's judge panel once again features series creator Nigel Lythgoe, as well as the return of ballroom expert Mary Murphy, and Vanessa Hudgens, while Stephen "tWitch" Boss is the new fourth judge during the auditions and the live shows. Cat Deeley continues in her role as host for a fourteenth consecutive season.

References

↑ "BBC - Press Office - Cat Deeley to host UK So You Think You Can Dance". www.bbc.co.uk.
↑ Midgley, Neil (17 September 2009). "Nigel Lythgoe on So You Think You Can Dance: interview" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
↑ "Louise Redknapp joins 'Dance' panel". 1 January 2010.
↑ "Series 1, So You Think You Can Dance - BBC One". BBC.
↑ Tetteh, Sarah (1 April 2011). "X Factor winner Alexandra Burke debuts as a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance".
↑ 17 February 2011, 09:58 GMT (1 January 2010). "Music - News - Louise Redknapp joins judging panel". Whats on TV. Retrieved 1 January 2010.

External links

So You Think You Can Dance at BBC Programmes

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[1] "BBC - Press Office - Cat Deeley to host UK So You Think You Can Dance". www.bbc.co.uk.

[2] Midgley, Neil (17 September 2009). "Nigel Lythgoe on So You Think You Can Dance: interview" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.

[3] "Louise Redknapp joins 'Dance' panel". 1 January 2010.

[4] "Series 1, So You Think You Can Dance - BBC One". BBC.

[5] Tetteh, Sarah (1 April 2011). "X Factor winner Alexandra Burke debuts as a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance".

[6] 17 February 2011, 09:58 GMT (1 January 2010). "Music - News - Louise Redknapp joins judging panel". Whats on TV. Retrieved 1 January 2010.

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v t e So You Think You Can Dance (UK)
Series	1 2
Winners	Charlie Bruce