Limes with Orange

I've been watching the audition shows for the Canadian version of So You Think You Can Dance, because I got quite caught up in the American version this summer (and if Katee couldn't win it all, I'm glad the title went to Joshua). I was impressed that the show actually included some world dance this season, in the form of Bollywood routines and a Russian trepak with its impressive kazotskys. I hope they continue that concept in the Canadian version but expand on it... after all, we have some fabulous "world dance" right here in North America.

There's a movement in Native American dance that is taking off at the moment: dancers are combining traditional Indigenous dance practices with contemporary techniques and creating an exciting fusion of form. I would LOVE to see someone like Santee Smith of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre on the show as a guest dancer or guest choreographer. (Speaking of guest choreographers... I thought Sonya was a fabulously fierce addition to the SYTYCD arsenal.) I also hope to see some Celtic flavour included in some of the routines. This is Canada, after all, and whether you're from the Maritimes or you're Métis, Highland dance and jigging are part of the Canadian identity as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, I certainly hope that the show's producers here in Canada will continue to expand on the tradition started by their American counterparts this season and incorporate more world dance into the So You Think You Can Dance repertoire.

Labels: dancing, pop culture, tv