So You Think You Can Dance Australia
Encyclopedia
So You Think You Can Dance Australia was an Australian version of the American reality dance-off series So You Think You Can Dance
. The show is hosted by Natalie Bassingthwaighte
, with Jason Coleman, Matt Lee and Bonnie Lythgoe
acting as the judges.
The first season began airing on Sunday, 3 February 2008 at 7.30 pm and continued on Sundays and Mondays until the final on 27 April 2008. The program's second season began airing on Sunday, 1 February 2009 and continued on Sundays and Mondays until the final on 26 April 2009. The third season began on 31 January 2010 and continued on Wednesdays and Thursdays until 21 April 2010.
Through telephone and SMS text
voting, viewers have chosen nineteen year old Broadway dancer Jack Chambers (Entertainer)
, eighteen year old Ballet dancer Talia Fowler
and eighteen year old Contemporary
dancer Robbie Kmetoni as Australia's Favourite Dancer. The eligible age-range for contestants is currently 18–35 years old.
In July 2010 it was announced Network Ten had cancelled So You Think You Can Dance Australia in favour of a new musical/dancing format for 2011. However, Network Ten says they are in continual discussions with production company FremantleMedia Australia
regarding the format's future.
In October 2011, Ten began airing ads for So You Think You Can Dance Australia implying it would be returning soon, but Ten were yet to release details on when.
1 These contestants are the only ones to have never been in the bottom three couples or the bottom four dancers throughout the entire season.
, Brisbane
, Melbourne, Adelaide
and Sydney. After being selected, through either an impressive initial audition or after a choreography workshop, the top 100 finalists spent a week in Sydney for more auditions, ultimately forming a Top 20. Auditions began on 9 October 2007 in Brisbane, Queensland and ended in Sydney, New South Wales on 6 November 2007. A 600 seat arena was constructed in Sydney for the finals. Jack Chambers was announced as the winner on 26 April 2008. Chambers won $
200,000 prize money and the title of Australia's Favourite Dancer, while Demi Sorono came 4th place, then Kate Wormald came 3rd place, while lastly Rhys Bobridge
was named runner-up
Several finalists later performed during the 2008 Australian Idol
grand final, as well as Ten's New Year's Eve broadcast.
. Talia Fowler was announced the winner on 27 April 2009. Fowler received $
200,000 prize money, the title of Australia's Favourite Dancer and the opportunity to perform at the finale of America's version of So You Think You Can Dance (Season 5)
, while Ben Veitch came 4th place, then Amy Campbell came 3rd place, while lastly Charlie Bartley was named runner-up.
Nigel Lythgoe
and Mary Murphy
made separate appearances in this season as guest judges.
200,000 prize money and the title of Australia's Favourite Dancer. Furthermore, he will have the opportunity to choose from three exclusive dance contracts (including Australian Dance Theatre
, Hairspray
and Burn the Floor) to perform throughout Australia and overseas, While Phillipe Witana came 4th place, then Ivy Heeney came 3rd place, while lastly Robbie Kmetoni's secondary college friend Jessie Hesketh was named runner-up.
After its debut, the weekly performance show averaged around 1.5 million viewers. The series one finale averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.2 million viewers nationwide. Over 50 per cent of Ten's key 18–49 age demographic had tuned into the show.
As of season three, ratings have slumped to a below million average.
a promenade
. Eliminated contestant Marko Panzic also accused Coleman of playing favourites. Critics also cite a possible conflict of interest due to Coleman's external business relationship with choreographer Kelly Aykers.
Coleman has responded to these criticisms, saying: "Mate, this is just nit-picking. With this show a pivot is the same thing as a promenade. In my world it's called a promenade, in the ballroom dancing world it's called a pivot. I'm aware of the differences but I don't have time in my minute-and-a-half speech to explain that." In response to the Aykers issue, he said: "Kelly Aykers has delivered three great routines. I would never put myself in a position where I would compliment a person's work because they are my friend. If the work deserves a compliment it will receive it, if it does not, it will not."
The show has also received criticism from the Australian dance community and mainstream media over the representation of the art of dance on the show. In one example, commentator Valerie Lawson observes that "So You Think You Can Dance Australia goes further. Its very success ... is compromising dance as a performance art. The audience is led to believe that the most obvious effort, the most athletic of tricks, and the most vulgar of moves, represent dance at its best. As hips swivel, the studio audience cheers. When a guy lifts a girl with as much finesse as a forklift truck the audience roars its approval."
On two occasions the show has accidentally broadcast profanities during the PG-rated live show. On the first occasion, Ten issued an apology for a "indistinct and muffled" profanity uttered during the first elimination show, and promised that "efforts [have been] redoubled to prevent such an incident happening again." Nonetheless, when Sermsah Bin Saad was making his speech after being eliminated, he accidentally swore on national television, saying, "You guys are so fucking awesome!". At that time, Sermsah didn't realise that it was on live and apologised after finding out his mistake. In this case the profane word was censored during broadcast.
would not recommission So You Think You Can Dance Australia for a 2011 season. It follows media speculation the show had been cancelled, and talks Ten had a new “shiny floor” format to reveal. Ten advised FremantleMedia Australia
that it would opt out of format, but didn't rule out a future return.
Instead Ten was to develop a local version of British talent show Don't Stop Believing
, inspired by the success of Glee
. Don't Stop Believing was instead to be produced by Shine Australia, which is headed by former FremantleMedia Australia executives. Plans were halted late 2010, with the show cancelled before starting. Host Natalie Bassingthwaighte
and series Judges are believed to be off contract with Ten.
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
. The show is hosted by Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian actress, singer-songwriter and television personality. She began her career as an actress on the television series All Saints. She then starred in the American television movie Counterstrike...
, with Jason Coleman, Matt Lee and Bonnie Lythgoe
Bonnie Lythgoe
Bonnie Lythgoe is a former British dancer who, since the 1990s and 2000s, has been the producer and director of various theatre productions, including pantomimes....
acting as the judges.
The first season began airing on Sunday, 3 February 2008 at 7.30 pm and continued on Sundays and Mondays until the final on 27 April 2008. The program's second season began airing on Sunday, 1 February 2009 and continued on Sundays and Mondays until the final on 26 April 2009. The third season began on 31 January 2010 and continued on Wednesdays and Thursdays until 21 April 2010.
Through telephone and SMS text
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
voting, viewers have chosen nineteen year old Broadway dancer Jack Chambers (Entertainer)
Jack Chambers (entertainer)
Jack Chambers is a dancer, singer, actor & choreographer, from Brisbane Australia. Jack is best known as Australia's Favourite Dancer.-Early life:...
, eighteen year old Ballet dancer Talia Fowler
Talia Fowler
Talia Fowler is a dancer who won the 2009 So You Think You Can Dance Australia.Born in Brisbane, Queensland, she started ballet and jazz dance at the age of three. After entering the Queensland Ballet, she stayed there for three years, being the youngest student ever to have been there.She left...
and eighteen year old Contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
dancer Robbie Kmetoni as Australia's Favourite Dancer. The eligible age-range for contestants is currently 18–35 years old.
In July 2010 it was announced Network Ten had cancelled So You Think You Can Dance Australia in favour of a new musical/dancing format for 2011. However, Network Ten says they are in continual discussions with production company FremantleMedia Australia
FremantleMedia Australia
FremantleMedia Australia is the Australian arm of FremantleMedia and was formed in 2006 by the merger of two great names in Australian television industry - Crackerjack Productions and Grundy Television, who had been both acquired by FremantleMedia....
regarding the format's future.
In October 2011, Ten began airing ads for So You Think You Can Dance Australia implying it would be returning soon, but Ten were yet to release details on when.
Seasons
| Male contestant | Female contestant |
| Season | Year(s) | Winner | Runner-Up | 3rd Place | 4th Place | Host | Judge(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 So You Think You Can Dance Australia (season 1) Season one of So You Think You Can Dance Australia, the Australian version of the American reality dance-off series So You Think You Can Dance, is hosted by Rogue Traders vocalist Natalie Bassingthwaighte, with Jason Coleman, Matt Lee and Bonnie Lythgoe acting as the judges... |
2008 | Jack Chambers Jack Chambers John "Jack" Chambers was a Canadian artist and filmmaker. Born in London, Ontario, Chambers' painting style shifted from surrealist-influenced to photo-realist. He began working with film in the 1960s, completing six by 1970... 1 (Jazz/Funk/Hip Hop) |
Rhys Bobridge Rhys Bobridge Rhys Bobridge, also known as Rhys, is an Australian pop singer, dancer and make-up artist based in Sydney, New South Wales.-Early life:... 1 (Contemporary/Jazz Contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement... ) |
Kate Wormald (Commercial Jazz) |
Demi Sorono1 (Hip-Hop) |
Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian actress, singer-songwriter and television personality. She began her career as an actress on the television series All Saints. She then starred in the American television movie Counterstrike... |
Bonnie Lythgoe Bonnie Lythgoe Bonnie Lythgoe is a former British dancer who, since the 1990s and 2000s, has been the producer and director of various theatre productions, including pantomimes.... Jason Coleman Matt Lee |
| Season 2 So You Think You Can Dance Australia (season 2) Season two of So You Think You Can Dance Australia, the Australian version of the American reality dance-off series So You Think You Can Dance, is hosted by former Rogue Traders vocalist and solo artist Natalie Bassingthwaighte, with Jason Coleman, Matt Lee and Bonnie Lythgoe acting as the judges.... |
2009 | Talia Fowler Talia Fowler Talia Fowler is a dancer who won the 2009 So You Think You Can Dance Australia.Born in Brisbane, Queensland, she started ballet and jazz dance at the age of three. After entering the Queensland Ballet, she stayed there for three years, being the youngest student ever to have been there.She left... (Ballet) |
Charlie Bartley1 (Hip-Hop) |
Amy Campbell (Contemporary Contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement... ) |
Ben Veitch (Jazz Jazz dance Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance... ) |
||
| Season 3 So You Think You Can Dance Australia (season 3) Season three of So You Think You Can Dance Australia, the Australian version of the American reality dance-off series So You Think You Can Dance, was hosted by former Rogue Traders vocalist and solo artist Natalie Bassingthwaighte, with Jason Coleman, Matt Lee and Bonnie Lythgoe acting as the... |
2010 | Robbie Kmetoni (Contemporary Contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement... ) |
Jessie Hesketh (Contemporary Contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement... ) |
Ivy Heeney (Jazz/Ballet) |
Phillipe Witana (Hip-Hop) |
1 These contestants are the only ones to have never been in the bottom three couples or the bottom four dancers throughout the entire season.
Season 1
Auditions for the first season were held during July and August 2008 in PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Melbourne, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Sydney. After being selected, through either an impressive initial audition or after a choreography workshop, the top 100 finalists spent a week in Sydney for more auditions, ultimately forming a Top 20. Auditions began on 9 October 2007 in Brisbane, Queensland and ended in Sydney, New South Wales on 6 November 2007. A 600 seat arena was constructed in Sydney for the finals. Jack Chambers was announced as the winner on 26 April 2008. Chambers won $
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
200,000 prize money and the title of Australia's Favourite Dancer, while Demi Sorono came 4th place, then Kate Wormald came 3rd place, while lastly Rhys Bobridge
Rhys Bobridge
Rhys Bobridge, also known as Rhys, is an Australian pop singer, dancer and make-up artist based in Sydney, New South Wales.-Early life:...
was named runner-up
Several finalists later performed during the 2008 Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
grand final, as well as Ten's New Year's Eve broadcast.
Season 2
Auditions for the second season were held during September and November 2008. Dancers auditioning were requested to bring pre-approved copyright music CDs because of music licensing issues. Judges hoped that season 2 would see more industry dancers auditioning after the favourable response to the first season of the show. Repeats of the performance and results show aired a week later on MuchMusicMuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
. Talia Fowler was announced the winner on 27 April 2009. Fowler received $
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
200,000 prize money, the title of Australia's Favourite Dancer and the opportunity to perform at the finale of America's version of So You Think You Can Dance (Season 5)
So You Think You Can Dance (season 5)
So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season five premiered on May 21, 2009, with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returning as permanent judges and Cat Deeley returning to host...
, while Ben Veitch came 4th place, then Amy Campbell came 3rd place, while lastly Charlie Bartley was named runner-up.
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...
and Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (choreographer)
Mary Ann Murphy is a ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...
made separate appearances in this season as guest judges.
Season 3
The third season premiered on 31 January 2010. Robbie Kmetoni was announced the winner on 21 April 2010. Kmetoni received $Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
200,000 prize money and the title of Australia's Favourite Dancer. Furthermore, he will have the opportunity to choose from three exclusive dance contracts (including Australian Dance Theatre
Australian Dance Theatre
The Australian Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman,...
, Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
and Burn the Floor) to perform throughout Australia and overseas, While Phillipe Witana came 4th place, then Ivy Heeney came 3rd place, while lastly Robbie Kmetoni's secondary college friend Jessie Hesketh was named runner-up.
Comparison with US version
- In the US version, two main judges (Nigel LythgoeNigel LythgoeNigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...
and Mary MurphyMary Murphy (choreographer)Mary Ann Murphy is a ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.-Biography:...
) and a guest judge appear each week on Performance and Results night. Australia has three main judges (Jason Coleman, Bonnie LythgoeBonnie LythgoeBonnie Lythgoe is a former British dancer who, since the 1990s and 2000s, has been the producer and director of various theatre productions, including pantomimes....
and Matt Lee) who appear in each episode, with the odd exception when a fourth judge (such as Mary Murphy from the American version and Australian choreographer Kelley AbbeyKelley AbbeyKelley Abbey is an Australian actress, choreographer, singer and dancer. She has been a leading performer and choreographer in TV, film and musical theatre for more than 20 years....
and also Jason Gilikson) joined the panel for one week. - During Australia Season 1, "Surprise Challenges" were given out as well as their normal dances. Surprise challenges include the couple making their own dance choreography to a selected song and having all the females or males dancing together.
Ratings
The 3 February 2008 premiere of So You Think You Can Dance Australia attracted a peak audience of 2.15 million viewers. The show was the night’s top-rating program, averaging 1.83 million viewers over its timeslot. The following two audition episodes also put up respectable figures, peaking at 2.04 million and 1.94 million viewers respectively. The Sunday night Top 100 show averaged 1.6 million viewers to become the most watched program of the night.After its debut, the weekly performance show averaged around 1.5 million viewers. The series one finale averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.2 million viewers nationwide. Over 50 per cent of Ten's key 18–49 age demographic had tuned into the show.
As of season three, ratings have slumped to a below million average.
Controversy
Jason Coleman has been questioned over his position as judge on the show, with members of the dance community accusing him of being under qualified, and using incorrect jargon on the show, calling a pivotPivot turn
The term pivot turn or simply pivot refers to certain turning dance steps which may differ in different dance styles, with common character that the turn is a rotational movement of the whole body around one's own vertical axis, as if around a pivot. During the turn the foot swivels on the floor...
a promenade
Promenade (dance move)
Promenade is a basic dance move in a number of dances such as English Country Dance, contra dance, and square dance. The name comes from the French word for “walk”, and is a good basic description of the dance action.-Dance position and handholds:...
. Eliminated contestant Marko Panzic also accused Coleman of playing favourites. Critics also cite a possible conflict of interest due to Coleman's external business relationship with choreographer Kelly Aykers.
Coleman has responded to these criticisms, saying: "Mate, this is just nit-picking. With this show a pivot is the same thing as a promenade. In my world it's called a promenade, in the ballroom dancing world it's called a pivot. I'm aware of the differences but I don't have time in my minute-and-a-half speech to explain that." In response to the Aykers issue, he said: "Kelly Aykers has delivered three great routines. I would never put myself in a position where I would compliment a person's work because they are my friend. If the work deserves a compliment it will receive it, if it does not, it will not."
The show has also received criticism from the Australian dance community and mainstream media over the representation of the art of dance on the show. In one example, commentator Valerie Lawson observes that "So You Think You Can Dance Australia goes further. Its very success ... is compromising dance as a performance art. The audience is led to believe that the most obvious effort, the most athletic of tricks, and the most vulgar of moves, represent dance at its best. As hips swivel, the studio audience cheers. When a guy lifts a girl with as much finesse as a forklift truck the audience roars its approval."
On two occasions the show has accidentally broadcast profanities during the PG-rated live show. On the first occasion, Ten issued an apology for a "indistinct and muffled" profanity uttered during the first elimination show, and promised that "efforts [have been] redoubled to prevent such an incident happening again." Nonetheless, when Sermsah Bin Saad was making his speech after being eliminated, he accidentally swore on national television, saying, "You guys are so fucking awesome!". At that time, Sermsah didn't realise that it was on live and apologised after finding out his mistake. In this case the profane word was censored during broadcast.
Cancellation
In July 2010, it was announced Network TenNetwork Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
would not recommission So You Think You Can Dance Australia for a 2011 season. It follows media speculation the show had been cancelled, and talks Ten had a new “shiny floor” format to reveal. Ten advised FremantleMedia Australia
FremantleMedia Australia
FremantleMedia Australia is the Australian arm of FremantleMedia and was formed in 2006 by the merger of two great names in Australian television industry - Crackerjack Productions and Grundy Television, who had been both acquired by FremantleMedia....
that it would opt out of format, but didn't rule out a future return.
Instead Ten was to develop a local version of British talent show Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing is a British television talent show that aired on Channel 5 in summer 2010. It was inspired by the musical comedy-drama Glee, which airs in the United States on the Fox network. The series featured live shows in which musical performance groups competed against each other, with...
, inspired by the success of Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
. Don't Stop Believing was instead to be produced by Shine Australia, which is headed by former FremantleMedia Australia executives. Plans were halted late 2010, with the show cancelled before starting. Host Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian actress, singer-songwriter and television personality. She began her career as an actress on the television series All Saints. She then starred in the American television movie Counterstrike...
and series Judges are believed to be off contract with Ten.