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February 11, 2012
 
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'So You Think You Can Dance Canada': On to the Top 20

by Sarah Kelsey, posted Aug 19th 2010 10:22AM

I don't know what all of you out there in TV land are thinking, but the season so far, to me, has been less than stellar. I feel bad saying it, but I can't seem to find that one person I'll remember... at least not yet.

Which got me thinking: Am I being too hard on the teens and young adults who've taken the time to audition in each city? I found myself drifting off to sleep during the Toronto, Halifax and Calgary auditions. So where, exactly, has all of the Canadian dance talent gone? Vancouver or Montreal, perhaps?

Vacant in Vancouver

Oh, Vancouver. I love you as a city. Your beaches. The people. Your restaurants. But your dancers? Not so much.

My first major concern? All of the repeat/returning dancers who took the stage. I have nothing against 'try, try again.' In fact, I'm a firm believer that you have to fail in order to accomplish anything in life. But, really!? Shouldn't there be some first-time auditions? The city can't be that starved of talent.

My hands-down favourite (or should I say hands-up?) of the night was Jonathan. Strangely, he isn't even from British Columbia, but Ontario. In season two, he tried out despite having a serious blood vessel problem that caused migraines and seizures. This season, to the amazement of his doctors, he took the stage with a clean bill of health. His dancing was fluid and full of emotion. You could see how serious he was about dancing.

Then there was Sasha from North Battleford, Sask. (props to my dad's hometown!), who did so many pirouettes I could barely focus on what he was doing. Keep those grooves going, Prairie boy, and you may land in the Top 20.

I won't even address the ridiculousness that is "Spandy." (Side note to CTV: I get you're hoping it's funny for people to see this guy on camera, but enough is enough. He can't dance. Stop giving him screen time; especially when he's doing handshakes with his I-want-some-screen-time-too friend. Showcase a dancer that actually deserves some exposure. Seriously.)

Manic Montreal

J'adore Québec. So I was more than happy to wrap up audition week in Montreal, one of Canada's most eclectic cities. It was here that we finally started to see some seriously hot dancing action. From Bollywood to tango to ballroom, Montreal's dancers stole my heart (and it wasn't just because they were charming me with their accents).

There was Ariela and Yuri, two dancers that stood out with their fast-moving... er... moves. And then the whole b-boy/hip-hop crew; all of them were awesome, stellar, earth-shatteringly impressive.

And then there was Sebastian from Toronto, who moved and grooved his way through his routine; he blew my mind and almost brought me to tears -- along with guest judge Mia Michaels. He is literally, as Jean-Marc Genereux put it, unstoppable.

Other impressive dancers of the night included Olga -- who recently came to Canada from Latvia -- who "danced like no one was watching"; Justin, the tap dancer with personality (I hate feet, but the way he moved his tootsies turned me on); Sarah, the best hip-hopper of the evening; and Luca, whose show-closing performance brought me to tears.

Next up, we'll find out who our Top 20 contestants are. Catch it on CTV on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 9PM.

Random Thoughts:

-- The different dancing fashions between the coasts is something we should all pay attention to. On the west coast anything goes; dancers wear sweats and T-shirts to their auditions. On the east coast, especially in Toronto, we find a horrible layered mix of leggings, boob tops and collared shirts. I'm still having a hard time figuring out which look is better.

-- My favourite part of these two episodes? Listening to our English hosts attempt French pronunciation. Failure never sounded so hilarious.

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