By: Mary Cavaliere

Here we are…..it’s Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance.  If this is the first time you’re tuning in I’ll give you a little background.  The show is aired on Fox and is produced by the American Idol producer Simon Fuller.  One of the two main judges, Nigel Lythgoe is also a producer on American Idol.  Mary Murphy, the other main judge, is a ballroom dance champion and choreographer.  Every week there is usually a guest judge (my personal favorite is Mia Michaels).

I read a short article in TV Guide this week which provided us a short blurb on where Seasons 1 through 4 winners are at this point in their careers.  Season 1’s winner Nick Lazzarini co-founded the Evolution Dance Company in Los Angeles and toured nationally with the JUMP dance conventions.  Next month he’s scheduled to teach at the Columbia City Jazz Summer Dance Intensive in South Carolina.  Season 2’s winner Benji Schwimmer recently made an appearance on Dancing With The Stars where his sister is now a pro.  He will be starring in the upcoming film “Love ‘N Dancing” and the Christina Aguilera video “Candyman”.  Season 3’s winner Sabra Johnson is a member of New York’s Cedar Lake Dance Company and sometimes teaches with the New York City Dance Alliance.  She recently performed at the St. Louis Auto Show and at the annual “Evening Of Dance” in Alabama.  Season 4’s winner Joshua Allen moved to Los Angeles and landed a Honda commercial and an MC Little Boots’ video.  He shoots “Step Up 3-D” next month and teaches hip-hop dance.

What I think is really exciting is that some of the contestants from this show have made it onto Dancing With The Stars as pros.  They are Lacey Schwimmer, Chelsie Hightower, and Dmitri Chaplin.  I’m not sure why Dancing With The Stars went through this whole competition this season to select a new pro when they simply could have once again pulled from this show, especially since the contestants from this show have already proven their popularity by making it into the finals.

The first episode kicked off with auditions in Brooklyn, New York.   Stand-outs for me were Gabi Rojas, Maksim Kapitannikov, Arielle Taylor, Nina Estrina and her partner Igor Zabrodin, and Kellin Stancil (who brought me to tears with his story about his aunt and the umbrella). Of course we don’t see everyone that auditions or everyone that makes it through, but that’s just the way it is with this type of reality competition at the beginning.

Then it was off to Denver, Colorado for more auditions, although there seemed to be more bad ones than good ones.  Stand-outs for me in the mile-high city were Kayla Radomski, Elias Holloway, Natalie Reid, and Brandon Bryant.  Natalie also auditioned last season and made it to Vegas, but when it came time for the Top 20 to be selected, her best friend Katie was chosen over her.  Many of us loved Katie last season, but it looks like this season is Natalie’s turn to shine.  Brandon also auditioned last year but this time he managed to bring Mary to tears and she said “If you don’t make it to the Top 20 I’ll just die this year.”  

Preliminary auditions continue next week in Miami and Memphis…….