As I know this post is a little untimely, I still would like to commend "So You Think You Can Dance" on including a classical ballet performance on Thursday, June 16. American Ballet Theatre soloist, Gennadi Saveliev, performed the dynamic and exciting "Gopak" during the results episode. I remember in past seasons when ABT dancers Paloma Herrera, Yuriko Kajiya and Jared Matthews performed for the program’s lively studio audience, and it was refreshing to see classical dance on the show after countless weeks of hip hop, contemporary and ballroom dances. I think it's important to include ballet on the program, because it opens viewers' eyes to other forms beyond popular dance trends.
Not too mention, many of SYTYCD's audience members most likely haven't seen many ballet performances, and the television show is an excellent platform to bring ballet to people of different backgrounds regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, location, or age.
I hope the producers of SYTYCD will consider including ballet in the program on a regular basis. In addition to inviting professional ballet dancers like Saveliev to be guest performers, I think it would be interesting to incorporate ballet repertoire into the competition. Viewers would see another side of their favorite dancer as it will demonstrate how difficult the art form really is. I know this may seem like an idealistic request, because it takes years of rigorous training and dedication to become a ballet dancer. As a solution, perhaps, the show could include more classically trained dancers in the competition, and those individuals would be eligible to perform the ballet category.
If incorporating ballet into the competition portion of SYTYCD is not realistic then I hope that the program will continue to include ballet dancers and companies in their roster of guest artists as their artistry and technicality should be shared with a wider audience.
