When I sit down to watch So You Think You Can Dance the last thing on my mind is what the dancers had to go through to learn the dances that night. I just sit there and watch a great or sometimes not-so-great performance and then critique it like I know what I’m talking about. What I don’t think about is the hours of training, the lack of sleep and the injuries the dancers suffered that week. Several times it has been aired that the dancers on the show had to go to the hospital for dehydration, sprained ankles, or broken fingers.
When these contestants go on the show, they are risking their health for their sleep and our entertainment. Also, these dancers are learning dances they have never done before in a matter of hours and with a partner who probably also has a completely different dance background. As we begin to tell these dancers apart, I think it’s important to remember what they’ve been through to get there and that they’re most likely operating on just three hours of sleep…during the week. Not only are they constantly working on their dances, but they hang out with the same people all the time. I can imagine it could get quite annoying and frustrating, especially when you link the stress factor.
Once the show has its ending, the show isn’t over yet. The first ten perform a tour of several months throughout the country traveling with the same people and in reduced spaces. When I think of all the behind-the-scenes that involves the contestants, I really appreciate more what they do and how they manage each day. And to think that when they get kicked off the show they say, “This has been the best part of my life.” He is someone who truly loves his job and what he does!