So You Think You Can Dance

This is my favorite show of the summer. I've been watching since the first season and it just keeps getting better. So You Think You Can Dance is basically the American Idol for dancers. Since I was a dancer, it hits all of my happy buttons. There are some really great dancers on this show.

My cousin Alyssa also danced and we got to reminiscing about our dance days while I was in Florida. I say I was a dancer but maybe I can give some perspective. I hate just saying I was a dancer or listing my years of dance because, well, years of experience do not necessarily equal a good dancer (as you'll quickly learn if you watch the show). Now, I am not saying I was great but I could hold my own. I could not have made it on this show but I was decent, if that makes sense. I found some old pics from my dance years.........

I did competitions (more than I can count) and did things like dancing at Disneyland and in the Pregame show for Superbowl XXX. I taught at each studio I danced at and choreographed some competition pieces. I actually did several professional dance gigs, which most people don't know about. I danced at 2 clubs my freshman year of college as a go-go dancer. That's the best term I can think of to call it. To be clear, this was clothed dancing! We were just there to promote the clubs and get people on the dance floor. I was also a dancer in an Elvis impersonator show. Yes, seriously. It still gives me the creeps to think about having to fawn all over that Elvis (think later years Elvis). Me in the Superbowl XXX Pregame show in Phoenix:

I had my own business for a short time in college teaching after school dance classes to elementary school kids. That was a lot of fun. I actually started college as a double major in Dance and Business. Yup. It took me almost 2 years to figure out that Engineering was really my calling. I can't imagine where I'd be right now if I'd finished the dance degree.

Back to the show. The best part of watching this show is that I've taken class with several of the choreographers. One of the guest choreographers in previous seasons is Brian Friedman. If you check out his Bio, you'll find that he's actually from Phoenix, where he had a studio called Dance Source. I took class with him for several months but unfortunately, his studio had cement floors (yes dancers, feel free to gasp in horror). I decided my knees deserved better and switched studios.

We also used to take an annual trip during spring break each year to L.A. and the EDGE Performing Arts Center. Many of the choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance have or do teach at this studio, like Mandy Moore and Alex Da Silva. So I guess the show is just extra interesting to me since I've had the joy of taking class with these amazing choreographers.