"So You Think You Can Dance?" Promises 'Risky' Live Show - Interviews with Judges

[JamesG]

"So You Think You Can Dance?" Promises 'Risky' Live Performance Show
by Sharon Knolle
posted May 12th 2010


As if "So You Think You Can Dance?" hasn't switched things up completely this season with the return of judge Mia Michaels and the addition of 10 All Star dancers, the performances are now going to be live, host Cat Deeley told TV Squad at yesterday's season 7 junket.



"We're going to be live all the time," Deeley explained.

"So whereas before we've done a pre-recorded performance show, and then a live results show, this year we're doing both live, which I think is brilliant. Me, I love doing live because it gets your adrenaline going. If something big happens, there's no way we can stop it. It's going to be that real water cooler version of, 'Oh my God, did you see what happened last night on "So You Think You Can Dance?''' Whatever happens, happens, so you've just got to watch."




There have been so many changes this season, it's not surprising that even the judges aren't quite sure what's going on.

"Mary Murphy will be back, but not as a resident judge," explained Nigel Lythgoe, and she'll only be judging on the nights she isn't choreographing routines.

"Mary, hopefully, is going to be choreographing and judging. We'll be getting guest judges in, and if Mia goes to choreograph or Adam goes to choreograph, I'm going to have to replace them."




That was news to Adam Shankman who said that even if he does any choreography, he won't be giving up his judge's seat.

"I wouldn't be choreographing any of the competition numbers because I'm judging, I'll just do some of the group numbers," he explained, adding, "After choreographing the Oscars, I sort of got my mojo back a little bit. But I tend not to like to be judged."




Read on for more interviews:



NIGEL LYTHGOE






What prompted the changes this season?

Boredom. Two shows back to back. A feeling that I knew what was coming next and if I knew, I think the public probably did.

With this, I think, we're reinvesting in the talent that we found in the past. We're hopefully going to get a following for them. I'm always frightened that the public are voting for the choreography and not the dancer.

So, hopefully we'll establish the competitors better than we have done in the past.






So you'll have less contestants this time around?

Yes, so we'll get to know them better. And we'll have them for a longer period of time.

Plus, we've made a change now, where we are actually going to their homes now to tell them whether they've made it, rather than bring them to LA.






Where are you at in the production right now?

Vegas week is done. All we're doing instead of Vegas week, is when we tell them you're in or you're out, we're actually sending one judge to their homes all over America.

I'm flying straight off to Phoenix after this.






If you show up, is it a yes?

No, we're doing yesses and noes.

I did it in England and drove all the way across Ireland in storms to tell a young man that he wasn't in.






What change are you most excited about? The All Stars?

Yes. I think our routines now are going to be so much stronger.

Instead of two kids that can't do that style, there's only going to be one and they'll be with a partner who's obviously adept at doing that. It's going to strengthen the technique and it's also going to push the choreographers. They've now got to work at doing a great routine, not just making the two dancers look okay.

Sometimes you lower your standard and technique when you do that. Now they've got to lift it up.






The All Stars will always be working in their genre?

The only change really is instead of picking up the genre that they're dancing, they're picking out the photograph of the person and that will dictate what the genre is.

If you pick out Pasha, you know you're going to do ballroom. You're not sure yet if it's going to be samba or tango or paso doble but you know you're going to have ballroom.

If you pick out tWitch, you know what you're going to get. He ain't doin' the tango, that's for sure!






What other guest judges are you going to have?

Stacey Tookie, Joey Dowling, Tyce Diorio. all our resident crew.






Have you ever considered Paula Abdul?

We've asked Paula for two or three years now.
She says yes to me and then can't do it.










MIA MICHAELS






How often will we be seeing you as a judge? Not every week?

Probably not, but you'll see a lot of me.




Did you miss the show?

I did, but I was developing my own stuff and projects, so that was cool. but yeah, I'm glad to be home. It's good to see everyone.




Were fans asking you to come back?

Yes, yes, a lot, but it felt like I never left. it doesn't feel like I ever really left. it's such a part of me. I've been here since day one.




Who are you most excited to choreograph for out of the All Stars?

I want to see how they've developed before I answer that.

What they have done with since they've been off the show, that's going to be interesting to see.




What do you think of the changes, like switching partners every week?

I like it. I like all the changes.

I think they're really risky and I think that it's really uncomfortable and I think that's a great place.










ADAM SHANKMAN






Nigel says you might be doing some choreography as well as judging this season.

I don't know. it's never say never.

After choreographing the Oscars, I sort of got my mojo back a little bit. I tend not to like to be judged. I wouldn't be choreographing any of the competition numbers because I'm judging, I'll just do some of the group numbers.






But Mia is doing some of the competitive choreography?
Is that the first time you've got an arrangement like that?

It would appear so, yes.






Are you happy to return to the show?

It's good to be back. It's like my family, especially with the All Stars returning.

It's going to be a blast.






Who are you most excited to see dance, out of the All Stars?

It's such a sexy, great bunch of kids. I'm excited to see it all happen. I can't say I'm more excited to see tWitch do hip hop than I am to see Anya [Garnis] do ballroom.

It all looks great to me. It's going to be amazing, but I have to watch the contestants, not them.






How do you think the All Stars will change the show?

It's going to make the contestants work so much harder.
They can't blame the weakness of their partner now.






It's not about the partnerships at all this season.

Are you going to miss that a little bit? I know you really loved Ashleigh and Jakob last season.

No, I think this is going to make things more uneasy and more uneasy is the more exciting television.

Watching them having to create that chemistry over and over again is the more interesting. I think the 10 are going to be mind-blowing.

I think we're going to see some really interesting challenges from the choreographers.






Have you been going any out to home towns?

I haven't done that, because of my elective ACL surgery.
It depends if it fits in with my recovery schedule.






How do you feel about focusing more on their personal lives?

I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it.
If it helps America vote, it'll be so much more emotional.










CAT DEELEY






What have you been seeing in the auditions?

Everything from people who've overcome the most traumatic experiences in their lives to people doing amazing stunts.

There was one guy in New York who literally stood on the edge of the balcony and then did a flip right onto the stage.

You go to the audition and you think, "Been there. Done that. Seen it. Got the T-shirt." And then you turn around and go, "Oh God! Is he alive?"










tWitch:






Are you excited to be back?

I'm very excited to be back as an All Star, absolutely.

We talk about how we missed the performance aspect of the show and being able to dance with each other, so having it come back in this type of vehicle is nice.






Who had you rooted for before the show?

Even before I was on the show, I was a fan of the show. I was the call-in and vote guy.

Ivan [Koumaev] stands out. That was one of my strongest voting periods. I was really a fan of Ivan in season 2. I've danced with Ivan for a while and I'm still a big fan of the man. He's an incredible guy.






On this year's auditions...

I've had a couple of friends try out and I don't know where they are in the audition process. It's still up in the air.





You might get to dance with some of your friends?

Yeah, yes. absolutely.





Would that be more pressure?

No, I think we would take the pressure and make it into constructive energy rather than worry.

I think with a certain amount of pressure, you start to worry and the judges can go hard on you.






But the pressure's still on you as one of the All Stars.

We still have a certain amount of pressure. We don't have to worry about going home at the end of the week, but we certainly have to hold up our end of the bargain on a duet.

We have to perform just as well and put just as much into it as the contestants do.






What do you think of the performances now being live?

Absolutely a little bit of pressure. Gotta pull up.
But I love performing live. That's the fuel for this whole thing.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/12/so...mance%20-show/