EXCLUSIVE: So You Think You Can Dance Co-Creator, Executive Producer, Judge Nigel Lythgoe Breaks Down Why It Was Time For A New Generation

Jul 11, 2016 by Sarah Moffatt

Over the years, So You Think You Can Dance (aka SYTYCD) has changed its format several times – crowning two winners, pitting stage dancers vs street dancers, the All-Stars season, etc – but this season brings the biggest shakeup yet: changing the age limit from 18-30 to 8-13, giving us So You Think You Can Dance: Next Generation.

Those who have been passionate fans of the show the past 12 seasons may have been skeptical about the drastic change – after all, how could a 9-year-old compare to Twitch or Alex Wong or Katherine or Cyrus or Insert-Your-Favorite-Contestant-Here? The truth is, some of the kids we’ve seen in just the first handful of episodes are just as good – maybe even better than – the adults who have competed on... Read More

So You Think You Can Dance Has Perfect Timing With Next Generation Change

Jun 06, 2016 by Sarah Moffatt

I’ve been a dancer all my life – I even have a rather useless degree in it (useless for me, not useless in general)! I’ve experienced coaches putting bottle caps in the heels of my shoes point-end up to ensure I would stay on my toes; I knew girls who had rulers or Popsicle sticks taped to the back of their legs so they stayed straight, and suffered their ballet teacher marking the knees of their (expensive!) tights with a giant red ‘X’ in Sharpie when they didn’t have enough turnout. Being a child dancer is hard, but most kids have no issue putting up with the borderline abusive coaches if it means they not only get to dance but constantly be pushed to reach their potential… and then some.... Read More