document_title: So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)

question_text: who is in the finals of so you think you can dance

text: Show format[edit]

text: A typical season of So You Think You Can Dance is divided between a selection process, during which expert judges select competitors from a wide pool of applicant dancers, and a competition phase, during which these 'finalists' (more typically referred to as the 'Top 20') compete for votes from home viewers. Though it is produced over the course of months, the selection phase is highly edited and usually constitutes only the first 2–4 weeks of aired episodes, with the competition episodes forming the remaining 8–9 weeks of the season.

text: Open auditions[edit]

text: The open auditions, the first stage in determining a seasons finalists, take place in 5–6 major U.S. cities each season and are typically open to anyone aged 18–30 at the time of their audition. The cities where auditions are held change from season to season but some, such as Los Angeles and New York, have featured in most seasons. During this stage, dancers perform a brief routine (typically a solo, but duet and group routines are allowed as well) before a panel of dance experts, usually headed by series creator and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. This panel then decides on-the-spot whether the dancer demonstrated enough ability and performance value to proceed further. If the dancer exhibited exceptional ability in their performance, judges award "a ticket to Vegas" (or in more recent seasons "a ticket to the Academy"), moving them instantly one step forward in the competition. Alternatively, if judges are on the fence about the dancer, they may ask the contestant to wait until the end of that day's auditions to participate in a short test of their ability to pick up professional choreography.

text: Callbacks[edit]

text: The second stage of the selection process is referred to as "the callbacks" (the round has often been held in the city of Las Vegas and also been known as "Vegas Week" for much of the show's run, but has been called Academy Week since season 13). The callbacks consist of a several-day-long process in which the remaining hopefuls are tested for overall well-rounded dance ability, stamina, creativity and their ability to perform under pressure. The dancers are put through a battery of rounds that test their ability to pick up various dance styles; these are typically some of the more well-represented genres that are later prominent in the competition phase, such as hip-hop, jazz, ballroom, and contemporary. Additionally the dancers may be asked to perform further solos in styles of their choosing and participate in a group choreography round in which small teams of contestants must display their musicality and ability to communicate professionally by choreographing a performance to a randomly selected piece of music — this challenge is notable as being the only time competitors are asked to choreograph themselves, aside from solos. The Callbacks are often collectively portrayed as one of the most exhausting and stressful stages of the competition; each successive round sees cuts in which a significant portion of the remaining dancers are eliminated from competition and dancers are given a limited amount of time to adapt to styles they are sometimes wholly unfamiliar with while being physically taxed by the rapid progression of rounds and a limited amount of rest. At the end of this process, usually less than 40 competitors remain in a pool that final contestants are chosen from. Most seasons have featured 20 top finalists for the competition portion of the show, but Season One was represented by a Top 16, Season Seven saw a Top 11, and Season Thirteen employed a Top 10.

text: Finalist selection and showcase episode[edit]

text: Following Vegas Week—-which has, through video vignettes, made many of the dancers increasingly familiar to the audience as it observes their attempts to cope with the challenges of the week-—the judge's panel selects their finalists from the remaining dancers, breaking the good or bad news to each dancer. Since Season six, the series has also featured a showcase episode that takes place immediately before the main competition. In this episode, dancers compete for the first time on the main SYTYCD stage in Los Angeles before a live audience, dancing duet or group routines, but only in their own styles. In seasons eight through ten, the finalist announcement episode and the dancer's showcase were combined into one episode, with groups of dancers taking to the stage for the first time immediately after they are revealed. In seasons six through nine, no dancers were in danger of elimination at this point and the first round of viewer voting and judge eliminations occurred the following week. In the slightly more compact format of the more recent seasons, the dancer showcase is often the first episode to be accompanied by viewer voting and a resulting elimination.

text: Finalist Stage[edit]

text: Following the finalist selection process, the show transitions into its regular competition phase, which lasts the rest of the season. The competition stage is typically divided into 8 weeks, generally with two contestants eliminated per week. Dancers are paired-up into male-female couples that will sometimes stay paired for half of the remaining competition if neither is eliminated. These couples perform 1–2 duets per week in randomly selected styles. These duets, as with all non-solo performances at this stage in the competition, are choreographed by professional choreographers. Prior to most duet performances, a video packet of clips of the couple preparing to perform the routine is shown; these packets are intended not only to demonstrate the couple's efforts to master the routine, but also to give glimpses of the personalities of the dancers as well as to allow the choreographer to give insight as to the thematic, narrative, and artistic intentions of the piece. Following each duet performance, the week's panel of judges gives critical feedback, often emphasizing the two key areas of technique and performance value. Duets and their accompanying video packets and critiques typically take up the majority of a competition show but may also be supplemented by solos or group numbers. Each competition show ends with a quick recap of the night's routines accompanied by voting prompts--traditionally by phone, but increasingly through online voting processes. Performance shows typically last around two hours, commercials included.

text: In seasons 2-8 the show's weekly format was split between two episodes, a performance episode, as described above, and a results show which reveals the outcome of the at-home-viewer voting. Results shows typically aired on the night immediately following that of the performance show of the same week and usually opened with a group routine from the remaining contestants. The main purpose of this show was to determine which of the dancers are eliminated that week, but these episodes generally also featured guest dance performances or guest musical acts, and sometimes further video packets that provide insight on the dancers and their journey on the show. More recent seasons have moved to a one-show-per-week format, combining elements that used to be found in both varieties of show. Regardless of how many shows air per week, a "bottom three" couples (those that garnered the fewest votes from viewers--in some seasons it is a bottom three of individual dancers rather than couples) are typically revealed weekly at this stage in the competition. Each of these dancers are then in danger of elimination and must perform a solo for the judges as their last effort to impress and stay in the competition. The judges then retire briefly (typically during the night's headlining musical guest performance) to determine which man and woman (which are not necessarily from the same couple) will leave the competition. The eliminated dancers are then announced and given a brief send-off via a video montage. On very rare occasions, the judges have been unwilling to send any of the bottom dancers home on the merits of their performances that week amd have abstained from making an elimination and instead allowed all competitors to proceed to the next week (often to be followed by a double elimination the following week). Since Season 7, dancers have also been routinely paired with "All Stars", returning dancers from previous seasons who partner with the contestant dancers, but are not themselves competing.

text: The total number of hours shown in a given week during the performance phase of the competition has varied from two to four hours. In season one there was no results show and the dancers' eliminations were pre-recorded the week they occurred and then broadcast at the beginning of the next week's episode. Seasons 9-14 have also utilized one show per week, but with votes from the previous week being revealed later in the show. Voting has varied by season (and often within seasons) with regard to whether the voter selected individuals or couples. There has also been variability in how long couples are kept together and how the at-home-viewer votes are balanced against judge decisions, though ultimately at some point in every season, the judges give up their power to save dancers at this point, and eliminations are determined exclusively by viewer votes, with judges serving in only an advisory capacity. Each season undergoes one final format shake-up in its last week, which typically takes place when the show reaches a Top 4. In the final performance show, the remaining dancers typically each dance duets with all of their remaining fellow finalists as well as perform solos and participate in group numbers. The following night's season finale episode is often the most elaborately produced show of a season and features the last performances of the competitors, encore performances of many of the season's most acclaimed routines, guest dancers (including returning past season competitors and cast-members from other international versions of the franchise), musical performances and multiple video packets chronicling the course of the season's events, all culminating in the announcement of the winner of the competition, as decided by the previous night's vote. Some seasons have featured a singular winner, while others have allowed for a male and female winner. Following the closure of the season, the Top Ten dancers often go on tour for several months, performing hit routines from the season amongst other performances.

text: Judges[edit]

text: The judging panel has also varied considerably in size and composition over the run of the series. Typically a season has 2–3 permanent judges with an additional 1–2 guest judges for most episodes, with the panel ballooning up to six to nine members for Vegas Week and the finale. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is the only permanent judge on the panel for all of the seasons. Other permanent judges have included ballroom specialist Mary Murphy, film director and choreographer Adam Shankman and contemporary choreographer Mia Michaels. Guest judge positions are typically filled by choreographers who work regularly on the show—though choreographers will never develop routines for an episode on which they judge—who in rare cases may also be former contestants themselves, and by iconic names from the entertainment industry. Guest judges for the show have included: Debbie Allen, Christina Applegate, Robin Antin, Toni Basil, Cicely Bradley, Kristin Chenoweth, Alex Da Silva, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyce Diorio, Joey Dowling, Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo, Carmen Electra, Brian Friedman, Jean-Marc Généreux, Jason Gilkison, Neil Patrick Harris, Hi-Hat, Katie Holmes, Dan Karaty, Lady Gaga, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lil' C, Rob Marshall, Mandy Moore, Megan Mullally, Kenny Ortega, Toni Redpath, Debbie Reynolds, Wade Robson, Doriana Sanchez, Shane Sparks, Sonya Tayeh, Olisa Thompson, Stacey Tookey, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Travis Wall. In earlier seasons, the judges decided on eliminations until around week five of the competitive phase of the show, but in seasons seven through nine the judges decided the eliminations until week seven. Beginning with the twelfth season, Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo joined Lythgoe as permanent judges.[2] For the thirteenth season, 13-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler joined the panel as a fourth judge.[3] Season Fourteen has seen the departure of Abdul, Derulo, and Ziegler from their season-long positions of the judges panel, but introduction of Vanessa Hudgens and the return of Mary Murphy to her seat.

text: Overview of format and presentation by season[edit]

text:
Season
Dates
Host
Permanent judges
Separate results show?
Dancer showcase episode?†
Number of finalists in first live show
Number of contestants eliminated per week
Number of contestants remaining in finale
No. of winners
All-Stars included
in format?
Point at which judge eliminations end
Voting for individual dancers starting with

1
Summer 2005
(July–October)
Lauren Sánchez
Nigel Lythgoe
No
No
16
2
4
1
No
Top 8
Top 8

2
Summer 2006
(May–August)
Cat Deeley
Yes
No
20
2
4
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

3
Summer 2007
(May–August)
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy
Yes
No
20
2
4
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

4
Summer 2008
(May–August)
Yes
No
20
2
4
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

5
Summer 2009
(May–August)
Yes
No
20
2
4
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

6
Fall 2009
(September–December)
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy
Adam Shankman
Yes
Yes
20
2
6
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

7
Summer 2010
(May–August)
Nigel Lythgoe
Adam Shankman
Mia Michaels
Yes
Yes
11
1*
3
1
Yes
Top 4
Top 11

8
Summer 2011
(May–August)
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy
Yes
Yes‡
20
2*
4
1
Yes
Top 6
Top 10

9
Summer 2012
(May–September)
No
Yes‡
20
2*
4
2
Yes
Top 6
Top 20

10
Summer 2013
(May–September)
No
Yes‡
20
2
4
2
Yes
Top 6
Top 20

11
Summer 2014
(May–September)
No
Yes
20
2
4
1
Yes
Top 10
Top 20

12
Summer 2015
(June–September)
Nigel Lythgoe
Paula Abdul
Jason Derulo
No
Yes
20
2⁂
4
1
Yes
Top 14
Top 20

13°
Summer 2016
(May–September)
Nigel Lythgoe
Paula Abdul
Jason Derulo
Maddie Ziegler
No
Yes
10
1**
4
1
Yes
Top 8
Top 10

14
Summer 2017
(June–September)
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy
Vanessa Hudgens
No
No
10
1
4
1
Yes
Top 6
Top 10

text: † From its inception in season 6 and through season 10, the dancer showcase episode represented a non-competitive round with no viewer voting or subsequent eliminations, followed the next week by the first competitive round. In season 11 it was the first episode of the season upon which viewers voted.

text: ‡ For seasons 8-10, the dancer showcase episode was combined with the Top 20 reveal episode, with groups of the dancers performing immediately after being revealed as finalists.

text: * In both seasons 7 and 8, the judges decided not to eliminate any dancers on the occasion of one results show; in both cases this event was followed by the elimination of double the normal amount of contestants the following week. Similarly, for format reasons, season 9 featured two shows with double eliminations, with four dancers eliminated instead of two for each of these shows.

text: ⁂ Unlike all previous seasons, season 12 featured the elimination of one "street" dancer and one "stage" dancer each week, as opposed to one female and one male contestant (as in all previous seasons which eliminated two dancers per week).

text: °Season 13 (during which the show was subtitled 'The Next Generation') featured competitors between the ages of 9 (or as young as 8 at time of application) and 14.

text: **In season 13, the judges held the audition rounds, but the all-stars, rather than the judges, made the eliminations during Academy week to choose the top 10. After this, in episodes 7 and 8, from the two contestants with the lowest viewer votes, the judges made the elimination. In episode 9, the two contestants with the lowest viewer votes were both eliminated, and in episodes 10 and 11, the contestant with the lowest viewer votes was eliminated.

text: Dance styles and choreographers[edit]

text: Over the course of its eleven seasons, So You Think You Can Dance has featured dozens of distinct dance styles in its choreographed routines. Most of these styles fall into four categories that are regularly showcased and can be found in almost every performance episode: western contemporary/classical styles, ballroom styles, hip-hop/street styles, and Jazz and its related styles. Various other forms of dance that do not especially fall into these broad categories are seen as well, but not as regularly. The following styles have all been seen in a choreographed duet or group routine; styles featured only in auditions or solos are not listed.

text: Classical styles[edit]

text: Routines from the classically derived style of contemporary dance are the most common dances seen on the show, being seen in every performance episode of the series (and typically at least twice per episode). While contemporary, lyrical, and modern dance are typically considered three separate (if overlapping) styles, the practice on So You Think You Can Dance has been to refer to all routines in this area as "contemporary", except in the first season where the label "lyrical" was used for the same purpose. Ballet routines occur much more rarely, at a rate of one or two per season since their introduction in the fourth season.

text:
Genre
Styles

Western Classical styles

Contemporary, Lyrical, Modern, Ballet/Pas de Deux

Choreographers

Dee Caspary, Tessandra Chavez, Tyce Diorio, Joey Dowling, Justin Giles, Mandy Moore, Mia Michaels, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Garry Stewart, Sonya Tayeh, Stacey Tookey, Travis Wall, Tovaris Wilson, Keith Young, Lindsay Nelko

text: Street and club styles[edit]

text: Hip-hop routines are also present in every performance episode. While these routines frequently feature elements from many different subgenres of hip-hop (locking and popping, for example) and various "street" styles (such as breaking), they are typically all labelled under the umbrella term of hip-hop. An exception is the now frequently featured lyrical hip-hop, which is unique amongst all the styles on SYTYCD in that it is the only one that is held to have become a known distinct style at least in-part as a result of the show; the style is widely attributed to regular show choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo and the term itself to judge Adam Shankman. These two broad categories are occasionally supplemented by krump routines, which have been featured a few times a season since their introduction in season 2. Additionally the styles of breakdancing (in the sense of a full breaking routine as opposed to a hip-hop routine with a few breaking tricks), waacking, and stepping have all been featured in exactly one routine. In Season 12, there are more street style dances because of the season's new format where there are 10 street dancers which do only street styles.

text:
Genre
Styles

Street and Contemporary Club Styles

Hip-hop (umbrella term for all Popping, Locking, and New Style/Commercial Hip-Hop styles), Lyrical Hip-hop, Breaking/B-boying, Krump, Stepping, Waacking

Choreographers

Cicely Bradley, Luther Brown, Tessandra Chavez, Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo, Dan Karaty, Marty Kudelka, Lil' C, Chuck Maldonado, Todd Sams, Christopher Scott, Dave Scott, Shane Sparks, Jamal Sims, Olisa Thompson, Dana Wilson, Pharside and Phoenix, Luam.

text: Ballroom styles[edit]

text: Ballroom styles are also seen regularly in every performance episode; these dances may be traditional European-derived styles or Latin-American styles or a mix of the two.

text:
Genre
Styles

Standard or Smooth Ballroom styles

Foxtrot, Tango, Argentine Tango, Quickstep, Waltz (including Smooth Waltz, Slow Waltz, American Slow Waltz, and Viennese Waltz variants)

Latin/Rhythm Ballroom styles

Cha-Cha-Cha, Jive, American Jive, Mambo, Paso Doble, Rumba, Salsa, Street Salsa, Samba, African Samba

Choreographers

Mark Ballas, Leonardo Barrionuevo, Dmitry Chaplin, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Alex Da Silva, Sasha Farber, Anya Garnis, Jean-Marc Généreux, Jason Gilkison, Hunter Johnson, Pasha Kovalev, Melanie LaPatin, Miriam Larici, Liz Lira, Michael Mead, Tony Meredith, Tomas Mielnicki, Ron Montez, France Mousseau, Mary Murphy, Jonathan Platero, Oksana Platero, Toni Redpath, Jonathan Roberts, Fabian Sanchez, Edward Simon, Emma Slater, Heather Smith, J.T. Thomas, Louis Van Amstel, Gustavo Vargas, Glenn Weiss

text: Jazz, Broadway, and musical theater styles[edit]

text: Jazz is featured in nearly all performance episodes. While these routines are typically labelled simply "Jazz", the genre is notable as being one of the most fusional featured on the show and various style combinations and sub-categories have been referenced. Descended from Jazz but treated as a separate genre on SYTYCD, "Broadway" is analogous to the label "Musical Theater" outside the U.S.

text:
Genre
Styles

Jazz Styles

Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Modern Jazz, Lyrical Jazz, African Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Latin Jazz, Pop-Jazz/Pop

Broadway/Musical Theatre Styles

Broadway, Burlesque, Can-Can, Tap

Choreographers

Andy Blankenbuehler, Sean Cheesman, Tyce Diorio, Brian Friedman, Laurie Ann Gibson, Derick K. Grant, Charles Klapow, Ray Leeper, Spencer Liff, Mandy Moore, Anthony Morigerato, Amanda Robson, Wade Robson, Sonya Tayeh, Savion Glover

text: American social styles[edit]

text: These dance styles are featured less frequently than their ballroom relatives, but have been seen intermittently since the first season.

text:
Genre
Styles

American Social / Traditional Club Styles

Charleston, Country-Western Two-Step, Disco, Go-Go, Hustle, Lindy Hop, Rock n' Roll, Swing, West Coast Swing

Choreographers

Ronnie DeBenedetta, Carla Heiney, Brandi Tobais, Travis Payne, Doriana Sanchez, Benji Schwimmer, Kristen Sorci, Maria Torres, Nick Williams

text: Regional/traditional styles[edit]

text: In addition to the broad categories above, many more styles that are less common in the U.S. are sometimes featured. Most of these are seen only once, but the Bollywood style has been featured several times per season since the fourth season.

text:
Genre
Styles

Regional/Traditional Styles

Bollywood, African, Capoeira, Kalinka, Malevos, Tahitian, Tropak

Choreographers

Lilia Babenko, Leonardo Barrionuevo, Nakul Dev Mahajan, Miriam Larici, Tiana Liufau, Youri Nelzine.

text: Seasons[edit]

text: Grand Finalists[edit]

text:
Season
Winner
Runner-up
Third place
Fourth place
Fifth place
Sixth place

1
Nick Lazzarini
(Contemporary Jazz)
Melody Lacayanga
(Contemporary)
Jamile McGee
(Popping)
Ashlé Dawson
(Jazz)

2
Benji Schwimmer
(Swing/Latin)
Travis Wall
(Contemporary)
Donyelle Jones
(Jazz/Hip-Hop)
Heidi Groskreutz
(Ballroom)

3
Sabra Johnson
(Contemporary)
Danny Tidwell
(Contemporary)
Neil Haskell
(Contemporary)
Lacey Schwimmer
(Swing/Latin)

4
Joshua Allen
(Hip-Hop)
Stephen "Twitch" Boss
(Hip-Hop)
Katee Shean
(Contemporary)
Courtney Galiano
(Contemporary)

5
Jeanine Mason
(Contemporary)
Brandon Bryant
(Contemporary)
Evan Kasprzak
(Broadway)
Kayla Radomski
(Contemporary)

6
Russell Ferguson
(Krump)
Jakob Karr
(Contemporary)
Kathryn McCormick
(Contemporary)
Ellenore Scott
(Jazz)
Ashleigh Di Lello
(Ballroom)
Ryan Di Lello
(Ballroom)

7
Lauren Froderman
(Contemporary)
Kent Boyd
(Contemporary Jazz)
Robert Roldan
(Contemporary Jazz)

8
Melanie Moore
(Contemporary)
Sasha Mallory
(African Jazz)
Marko Germar
(Contemporary Jazz)
Tadd Gadduang
(Breakdance)

Female winner
Male winner
Female runner-up
Male runner-up

9
Eliana Girard
(Ballet)
Chehon Wespi-Tschopp
(Ballet)
Tiffany Maher
(Jazz)
Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer
(Popping/Animation)

10
Amy Yakima
(Jazz)
Du-Shaunt "Fik-Shun" Stegall
(Hip-Hop)
Jasmine Harper
(Contemporary)
Aaron Turner
(Tap)

Winner
Runner-up
Third place
Fourth place

11
Ricky Ubeda
(Contemporary)
Valerie Rockey
(Tap)
Jessica Richens
(Jazz)
Zack Everhart, Jr.
(Tap)

12
Gaby Diaz
(Tap)
Jaja Vaňková
(Animation/Krump)
Virgil Gadson
(Hip-Hop)
Hailee Payne
(Jazz)

13
Leon "Kida" Burns
(Hip-Hop)
J.T. Church
(Jazz)
Tate McRae
(Contemporary/Ballet)
Emma Hellenkamp
(Tap)

14
Lex Ishimoto
(Contemporary Hip-Hop)
Koine Iwasaki
(Contemporary)
Taylor Sieve
(Contemporary)
Kiki Nyemchek
(Latin Ballroom)

text: Season 1[edit]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: The second season premiered on May 12, 2006. The top 20 finalists were revealed on June 8, and the winner, Benjamin Schwimmer, was named "America's Favorite Dancer" on August 16, 2006 after 16 million votes were collected for the season finale. Travis Wall was the first runner-up, and Donyelle Jones was named second runner-up. There were several changes to the show's format in the second season. This season was the first to feature two episodes per week, splitting the bulk of the performances and the voting results segments between two nights. New styles of dance were also introduced, and the winning prize was increased from US$100,000 to $250,000 and also included a new car and a one-year contract to perform in a Céline Dion show then performing Las Vegas. The season was also the first followed by a live tour for the top ten dancers.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: Open auditions for season 3 began early October 2006, held in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Like the previous season, those that made the cuts moved on to Las Vegas. The taped auditions premiered on the Fox on May 24, 2007, and the subsequent shows were taped and broadcast live for a 12-week season. Cat Deeley returned as host, and Nigel Lythgoe returned as permanent judge. Joining Lythgoe permanently at the judging table was Mary Murphy; her promotion was reported by TV Guide on March 8, 2007. The prize for the winner remained at $250,000 cash. On the performance finale show (August 16, 2007), Sabra Johnson was named "America's Favorite Dancer," while Danny Tidwell (brother of season 2 runner-up Travis Wall) was runner-up.

text: Season 4[edit]

text: Auditions for Season 4 began in Texas on January 17 and took place in six locations through March 2008. The show kicked off its two-hour season premiere on May 22, 2008.[4] Cat Deeley returned as host and Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy as permanent judges. This season saw the introduction of new dance styles, including Bollywood, and new choreographers, including hip-hop duo Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo. The prize for the winner was again $250,000 cash and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" and additionally included an offer for a role in the dance film Step Up 3D. In the finale, viewers voted Joshua Allen as the overall winner, while Katee Shean was voted the top female dancer and was given a previously unannounced award of $50,000.[5]

text: Season 5[edit]

text: Auditions for Season 5 kicked off in New York City on November 13, 2008 and continued on to Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, Memphis, and Seattle. The premiere aired on May 21, 2009. Louis van Amstel joined the show's cast of choreographers and Shane Sparks returned to choreograph while on break from America's Best Dance Crew. The prize for the winner was once again $250,000 cash, the chance to be on the November 2009 issue cover of Dance Spirit Magazine, and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer." On August 6, 2009 (the finale), Jeanine Mason was given the title.

text: Season 6[edit]

text: After a low-rated special episode of Dance featuring Lythgoe presenting his and viewer's favorite dance routines from seasons 1–5, the sixth season of Dance, premiered on Wednesday, September 9, 2009.[6] Auditions were held in Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City.[7] Adam Shankman joined as the permanent judge for the first time this season. The winner was Russell Ferguson and the runner-up was Jakob Karr.

text: Season 7[edit]

text: Auditions began in Miami, Florida, on January 18, 2010, continuing through New York, Dallas, Nashville, and Chicago, ending in Los Angeles on March 26. The season premiered on May 27, 2010. This season introduced significant format changes to the show, with a Top 11 dancers instead of the traditional Top 20 and "All-Stars", contestants from previous seasons who returned to partner with the Top 11 for a portion of their routines. Lauren Froderman won this season with Kent Boyd as runner-up.

text: Season 8[edit]

text: Auditions started October 13, 2010 in Oakland, California and continued through November 15 in Brooklyn, New York. The premiere aired on May 26, 2011. This season began a new version of the "All-Star" format in which the All-Stars didn't come in until the top 10. The show returned to a top 20 with couples. This season also marks the first time that the public can cast votes online, in addition to calling in, with a limit of 50 votes per viewer. On August 11, 2011, Melanie Moore won season 8, and Sasha Mallory was named the runner-up. Together they received 79% of the 11.5 million votes.

text: Season 9[edit]

text: The ninth season premiered on May 24, 2012. Fox discontinued the results show.[8] The two winners selected on September 18, 2012 were Eliana Girard and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp.

text: Season 10[edit]

text: Season 10 premiered on May 14, 2013, in its new Tuesdays at 8 p.m. time slot.[9] The two-part premiere concluded on May 15, 2013 at 9 p.m., after the finale of American Idol season 12.[10] On September 10, 2013, Amy Yakima and Du-Shaunt 'Fik-Shun' Stegall were named the season 10 winners, becoming the first contestants to take the top two positions who had been a couple at the beginning of the live show competition. No music artists or special dance performers appeared on this season except for All-Stars who were former contestants.

text: Season 11[edit]

text: The eleventh season premiered on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. The season finale aired on Wednesday, September 3, 2014. Contemporary dancer Ricky Ubeda was the winner of the season with Tap dancer Valerie Rockey finishing as the runner-up.[11]

text: Season 12[edit]

text: The twelfth season of the show divided contestants into two equally sized teams, one representing "stage" dancers and the other "street" styles, with one contestant eliminated from each team weekly until the finale.[12] Auditions began on January 24, 2015 and took place in five major American cities.[13] Season 12 premiered on Monday, June 1. Tap dancer Gaby Diaz was the winner of the season, becoming the first tap dancer to win So You Think You Can Dance. Animation dancer Jaja Vankova finished as the runner-up.

text: Season 13[edit]

text: The thirteenth season of the series premiered on May 30, 2016, titled So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation. The season features young dancers between the ages of 8 and 13 (at their date of application). After auditions, during Dance Academy episodes, 10 All-Stars eliminated competitors until each selected one contestant to mentor and partner with in performances during the live episodes.[14] One or more finalists were eliminated each week beginning July 18, 2016.[15] 13-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler observed the Academy episodes and joined the judging panel for the live shows (also observing and commenting on rehearsals), together with continuing judges Abdul, Derulo and Lythgoe, the three of whom conducted the auditions.[3][16] Leon "Kida" Burns won the top prize of $250,000. J. T. Church was the runner-up.[17]

text: Season 14[edit]

text: On January 30, 2017, Fox renewed the series for a fourteenth season, which returned to its former contestant age range of 18-30 but keeps the All-Star partnerships. The season premiered on June 12, 2017. Contemporary dancer Lex Ishimoto was the winner of the season with contemporary dance Koine Iwasaki finishing as the runner-up and female winner, becoming the first Asian-Americans to take the top two positions of So You Think You Can Dance.[18]

text: Special shows[edit]

text: On September 2, 2009, as prelude to season 6, a special show aired featuring judge picks for the top 15 routines from the first five seasons. At the end of the show, show creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe presented his favorite performance, a contemporary piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio and performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi.

text: In March 2014, Chinese television station CCTV broadcast a promotional episode in which notable all-star dancers from the U.S. and Chinese versions of So You Think You Can Dance competed directly against one-another as teams. Titled Zhōngměi Wǔ Lín Guànjūn Duìkàngsài - Super Dancer Born Tonight, the show was shot in Las Vegas but never aired on U.S. television.

text: Ratings[edit]

text: So You Think You Can Dance premiered with over 10 million viewers in 2005. For Season 1, it was the No. 1 summer show on television. However, when NBC's America's Got Talent premiered in the summer of 2006, it took the title of "#1 summer show" and, over the following few years, broadened its lead. In summer 2009, SYTYCD premiered strong with a 3.4 rating in its target demographic, although with the start of America's Got Talent roughly a month later in the same timeslot, Dance fell to No. 4 on the ratings board. It continued to lose viewers throughout the summer of 2009 and ended up with an average of approximately 8 million viewers. Fox then moved SYTYCD to its fall 2009 schedule where its ratings continued to decline; hitting an all-time series low of 4.6 million viewers for a "special" episode hosted by Nigel Lythgoe on September 2, 2009. The move to the fall was short-lived. After dropping to an average of 6 million viewers, Fox moved SYTYCD back to the summer in 2010. With Mia Michaels replacing Mary Murphy and former contestants termed as "All-Stars" being used as partners, the ratings for Dance continued to slide to all-time series lows; dropping to just 5.6 million viewers on July 15, 2010. For Season 7, So You Think You Can Dance averaged just over 5 million viewers. After season 7, Mia Michaels was replaced on the judge's panel by returning personality Mary Murphy. The change appeared to have little effect on the ratings, and the show continued to average just over five million viewers per episode in 2011's season 8. Season 9 saw a slight uptick in ratings early on, with each of the season's first five episodes garnering between six and seven million viewers, but the rise was short-lived and the show's ratings hit a new low of 4.16 million viewers on August 29, 2012. Season 10 maintained similar numbers, averaging about 4 million viewers per episode in 2013, with a 4.3 million viewership for the last episode of the season, an all-time series low for a finale.[19]

text: In April 2014, Nigel Lythgoe appealed on Twitter to fans to share information about the show ahead of the 11th season's May premiere in an attempt to augment the show's ratings for the upcoming season and bolster its chances of renewal thereafter.[19][20] The show was renewed for a 12th season, but ratings continued to decline, with an average of around 3.5 million viewers per show. FOX renewed the show for a 13th season, but with a drastically re-worked format focused on child dancers. Ratings declined further for the new version, with only five episodes breaking the 3 million viewer mark; the finale saw a series low viewership of just 2.27 million viewers.[citation needed]

text: In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that "in general", Dance "is more popular in cities, though it hits peak popularity in Utah".[21]

text: Influence and international franchise[edit]

text: Dance competition had been a part of American television for decades before the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, but usually in the form of all-around talent searches, (such as Star Search, Soul Train, or Showtime at the Apollo). However, a season-long American Idol-like talent-search show with a sole focus on dance had never been broadcast on American network television. Producers and judges associated with the show have stated on numerous occasions, both within the context of the show and in interviews, that the series was meant to rejuvenate the visibility and appreciation of dance as an art form in the U.S. and to give exposure to struggling dancers. Series judge Mary Murphy says, for example, "Of course you hope you can make a living at it, because you don't want to give up on something that you do, but the honest truth is most dancers have to carry one or two jobs and dance as much as they can on the side -- it's a very lucky dancer who gets a full scholarship."[22] A number of dance-themed competition shows have been produced for American television since the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, including America's Best Dance Crew, Superstars of Dance, and Live to Dance.

text: In 2009, Lythgoe came together with fellow SYTYCD judge Adam Shankman as well as Katie Holmes, Carrie Ann Inaba, and others in the dance entertainment industry, in an effort to launch The Dizzyfeet Foundation, with the aim of providing scholarships and training to young dancers of limited means.[23] The foundation has been referenced sporadically on the show since. In 2010, Lythgoe, with the assistance of other SYTYCD personalities and long-time healthy lifestyles proponent Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, was successful in getting another of his dance-oriented concepts realized—an official National Dance Day, held now annually on the last Saturday of July, to promote fitness through movement.[24] This national dance day has been celebrated annually by the show since.[25]

text: Before the end of 2005, the year the series first premiered, its format had already been licensed for the first of a number foreign adaptations. To date, the resulting So You Think You Can Dance franchise has produced 26 shows representing 37 different countries and comprising more than 80 individual seasons. These adaptations have aired in Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, India, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestinian Territories, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Emmy Awards[edit]

text:
[hide]Emmy Awards and nominations

Year
Result
Category
Recipient(s)/
Choreographer(s)
Style
Music

2007
Won[a]
Outstanding Choreography
Wade Robson
Pop-Jazz
"Ramalama (Bang Bang)"—Róisín Murphy

Mia Michaels
Contemporary
"Calling You"—Celine Dion

2008
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Wade Robson
Jazz
Hummingbird and Flower/"The Chairman's Waltz" from Memoirs of a Geisha

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Jazz
Table/"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"—Eurythmics

Nominated
Shane Sparks
Hip-hop
Transformers/"Fuego"—Pitbull

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

2009
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Tyce Diorio
Contemporary
Adam and Eve/"Silence" from Unfaithful

Nominated
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
Hip-hop
"Bleeding Love"—Leona Lewis

Nominated
Mia Michaels
Contemporary
"Mercy"—Duffy

Nominated
Dmitry Chaplin
Argentine tango
"A Los Amigos" from Forever Tango

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Won
Outstanding Costumes For A Variety/Music Program Or A Special
Soyon An

2010
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Mia Michaels
Contemporary
"Koop Island Blues"—Koop feat Ane Brun

Contemporary
Addiction/"Gravity"—Sara Bareilles

Contemporary
"One" from A Chorus Line

Nominated
Stacey Tookey
Contemporary
Fear/"Two Steps Away"—Patti LaBelle

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Won
Outstanding Costumes For A Variety/Music Program Or A Special
Soyon An
Graine O'Sullivan

2011
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
Hip-Hop
"Scars"—Basement Jaxx ft. Kelis, Meleka, and Chipmunk

Lyrical Hip-Hop
"Fallin'"—Alicia Keys

Hip-Hop
"Outta Your Mind" (District 78 Mix)—Lil Jon and LMFAO

Won
Mia Michaels
Contemporary
Alice in Mia-Land/"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"—Sting

Contemporary
"When We Dance"—Sting

Contemporary
"This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Twilight"—Max Richter and Dinah Washington

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Pop-Jazz
"Oh Yeah"—Yello

Jazz
"Boogie Shoes"—KC & the Sunshine Band

Contemporary
"I Surrender"—Celine Dion

Nominated
Stacey Tookey
Contemporary
"Mad World" (Alternate Version)—Michael Andrews ft. Gary Jules

Contemporary
"Sundrenched World" (Live Session)—Joshua Radin

Contemporary
"Heaven is a Place on Earth"—Katie Thompson

Nominated
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Collide" (Acoustic Version)—Howie Day

Contemporary
"How It Ends"—DeVotchKa

Contemporary
"Fix You"—Coldplay

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Won
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Series
Robert Barnhart
Pete Radice
Patrick Boozer
Matt Firestone

Nominated
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Producers

2012
Nominated
Outstanding Choreography
Stacey Tookey
Contemporary
"In This Shirt"—The Irrepressibles

Contemporary
"Turning Tables"—Adele

Contemporary
"Heart Asks Pleasure First"—Ahn Trio

Nominated
Christopher Scott
Hip-hop
"Misty Blue"—Dorothy Moore

Hip-hop/Contemporary
"Velocity"—Nathan Lanier

Nominated
Spencer Liff
Broadway
"Whatever Lola Wants"—Ella Fitzgerald

Broadway
"Please Mr. Jailer"—Rachel Sweet

Broadway
"(Where Do I Begin) Love Story (Away Team Remix)"—Shirley Bassey

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Won
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Pete Radice
Patrick Boozer

Nominated
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Producers

2013
Nominated
Outstanding Choreography
Sonya Tayeh
Contemporary
"Possibly Maybe"—Björk

Contemporary
"Turning Page"—Sleeping At Last

Jazz
"Sail"—Awolnation

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Contemporary
"The Power of Love"—Celine Dion

Contemporary
"Wild Horses"—Charlotte Martin

Nominated
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
Jazz/Hip-hop
"The Circle of Life/Nants Ingonyama (District 78 Remix) from The Lion King"—Ella Fitzgerald

Jazz[26]
"The Lovecats"—The Cure

Jazz
The Beautiful People (District 78 remix)"—Marilyn Manson

Nominated
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Where the Light Gets In"—Sennen

Contemporary
"Without You"—Harry Nilsson

Contemporary
"Unchained Melody"—The Righteous Brothers

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Pete Radice
Patrick Boozer

Nominated
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Producers

2014
Nominated
Outstanding Choreography
Christopher Scott
Hip-hop
"Trigger (Original Mix)"—Kezwik ft. Mel Presson

Jazz
"Sand"—Nathan Lanier ft. Karen Whipple

Contemporary
"The Gravel Road" from The Village (Score from the Motion Picture)

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Contemporary
"I Can't Make You Love Me"—Mark Masri

Jazz
"Feeling Good"—Jennifer Hudson

Contemporary
"Edge of Glory (Live from a Very Gaga Thanksgiving)"—Lady Gaga

Won
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
Hip-hop
"Gold Rush"—Clinton Sparks ft. 2 Chainz, Macklemore, & D.A.

Hip-Hop
"Run the World (Girls) (Nappytabs Remix)"—Beyoncé

Hip-Hop
"Puttin' On the Ritz"—Herb Alpert ft. Lani Hall

Nominated
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Hangin' By a Thread"—Jann Arden

Contemporary
"Medicine"—Daughter

Contemporary
"Wicked Game (Live at Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ireland 2011)"—James Vincent McMorrow

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Nominated
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Producers

2015
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Wave"—Beck

Contemporary
"When I Go"—Over the Rhine

Contemporary
"Wind Beneath My Wings"—RyanDan

Nominated
Sonya Tayeh
Contemporary
"Vow"—Meredith Monk

Contemporary
"So Broken (Live)"—Björk

Contemporary
"Europe, After The Rain" —Max Richter

Nominated
Spencer Liff
Broadway
"Hernando's Hideaway"—Ella Fitzgerald

Broadway
"I've Got the World on a String"—Frank Sinatra

Broadway
"Maybe This Time"—Liza Minnelli

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

Nominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series Or Special
Sallie Nicole
Sean Smith
Dean Banowetz
Ralph Abalos
Shawn Finch
Melissa Jaqua

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special
Heather Cummings
Marie DelPrete
Amy Harmon
Tyson Fountaine
Adam Christopher

Nominated
Outstanding Reality Competiton Program
Producers

2016
Nominated
Outstanding Choreography
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Beautiful Friends"—Helen Money

Contemporary
"November"—Max Richter

Contemporary
"Gimme All Your Love"—Alabama Shakes

Nominated
Anthony Morigerato
Tap
"Dibidy Dop (Swing Mix)"—Club Des Belugas feat. Brenda Boykin

Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

2017
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"The Mirror"—Alexandre Desplat

Contemporary
"Send in the Clowns"—Sarah Vaughan and the Count Basie Orchestra

Contemporary
"She Used to be Mine"—Sara Bareilles

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Contemporary
"Unsteady (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)"—X Ambassadors

Contemporary
"This is Not the End"—Clare Maguire

Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

As of 2017, nine former SYTYCD contestants have been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. Five were nominated for their work on Dancing with the Stars: Chelsie Hightower in 2010, Travis Wall and Nick Lazzarini in 2012 (with Teddy Forance), Alison Holker in 2013 (with Derek Hough), and Witney Carson in 2015. Hokuto “Hok” Konishi, Ryan “Ryanimay” Conferido, and Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval were nominated in 2016 as part of the B-boy troupe Quest Crew for their work on America's Best Dance Crew. Dmitry Chaplin in 2009 and Travis Wall in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 were nominated for their work on SYTYCD, itself. The only former contestants to have won the Choreography Emmy are Konishi, Conferido, and Sandoval in 2016 and Wall in 2015 and 2017. [27]
^a : Wade Robson and Mia Michaels were joint-winners along with Rob Marshall and John Deluca from Tony Bennett: An American Classic.

text: Teen Choice Awards[edit]

text:
Year
Result
Category

2006
Won
Choice TV: Breakout Show

Choice Summer Series

2007
Nominated
Choice Summer TV Show

2008
Nominated
Choice Summer TV Show

Choice TV: Reality Dance

2010
Nominated
Choice Personality: Cat Deeley

Choice Summer TV Show


document_title: Tattoo

question_text: where does the word tattoo come from and what does it mean

question_tokens: where does the word tattoo come from and what does it mean

root

text: Tattoo

text: Etymology[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: The word tattoo, or tattow in the 18th century, is a loanword from the Samoan word tatau, meaning "to strike".[1][2] The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology of tattoo as "In 18th c. tattaow, tattow. From Polynesian (Samoan, Tahitian, Tongan, etc.) tatau. In Marquesan, tatu." Before the importation of the Polynesian word, the practice of tattooing had been described in the West as painting, scarring, or staining.[3]

tag: p

text: This is not to be confused with the origins of the word for the military drumbeat or performance — see military tattoo. In this case, the English word tattoo is derived from the Dutch word taptoe.[4]

text: The first written reference to the word tattoo (or tatau) appears in the journal of Joseph Banks (24 February 1743 – 19 June 1820), the naturalist aboard explorer Captain Cook's ship the HMS Endeavour: "I shall now mention the way they mark themselves indelibly, each of them is so marked by their humour or disposition". The word tattoo was brought to Europe by Cook, when he returned in 1769 from his first voyage to Tahiti and New Zealand. In his narrative of the voyage, he refers to an operation called "tattaw".

text: Tattoo enthusiasts may refer to tattoos as "ink", "pieces", "skin art", "tattoo art", "tats", or "work"; to the creators as "tattoo artists", "tattooers", or "tattooists"; and to places where they work as "tattoo shops", "tattoo studios", or "tattoo parlors".

text: Mainstream art galleries hold exhibitions of both conventional and custom tattoo designs such as Beyond Skin, at the Museum of Croydon. Copyrighted tattoo designs that are mass-produced and sent to tattoo artists are known as "flash", a notable instance of industrial design. Flash sheets are prominently displayed in many tattoo parlors for the purpose of providing both inspiration and ready-made tattoo images to customers.

text: The Japanese word irezumi means "insertion of ink" and can mean tattoos using tebori, the traditional Japanese hand method, a Western-style machine, or any method of tattooing using insertion of ink. The most common word used for traditional Japanese tattoo designs is horimono. Japanese may use the word tattoo to mean non-Japanese styles of tattooing.

text: Anthropologist Ling Roth in 1900 described four methods of skin marking and suggested they be differentiated under the names "tatu", "moko", "cicatrix", and "keloid".[5]

text: Types[edit]

text: The American Academy of Dermatology distinguishes five types of tattoos:[6] traumatic tattoos, also called "natural tattoos", that result from injuries, especially asphalt from road injuries or pencil lead; amateur tattoos; professional tattoos, both via traditional methods and modern tattoo machines; cosmetic tattoos, also known as "permanent makeup"; and medical tattoos.

text: Traumatic tattoos[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: According to George Orwell, coal miners could develop characteristic tattoos owing to coal dust getting into wounds.[7] This can also occur with substances like gunpowder. Similarly, a traumatic tattoo occurs when a substance such as asphalt is rubbed into a wound as the result of some kind of accident or trauma. These are particularly difficult to remove as they tend to be spread across several layers of skin, and scarring or permanent discoloration is almost unavoidable depending on the location. An amalgam tattoo is when amalgam particles are implanted in to the soft tissues of the mouth, usually the gums, during dental filling placement or removal. Another example of such accidental tattoos is the result of a deliberate or accidental stabbing with a pencil or pen, leaving graphite or ink beneath the skin.

text: Subcultural Connotations[edit]

text: Many tattoos serve as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, amulets and talismans, protection, and as punishment, like the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts. The symbolism and impact of tattoos varies in different places and cultures. Tattoos may show how a person feels about a relative (commonly mother/father or daughter/son) or about an unrelated person.[8] Today, people choose to be tattooed for artistic, cosmetic, sentimental/memorial, religious, and magical reasons, and to symbolize their belonging to or identification with particular groups, including criminal gangs (see criminal tattoos) or a particular ethnic group or law-abiding subculture. Although tattoos can represent solidarity with a particular group, they can also showcase the opposition of another group or concept. For example, women can challenge beauty ideals by getting a tattoo of traditional symbols of femininity but alter it into something that does not align into the expectations of femininity. Like getting a tattoo of  “...a beautiful woman, such as Marilyn Monroe, or a traditional pinup, and turning her into a zombie”. [1] Some Māori still choose to wear intricate moko on their faces. In Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, the yantra tattoo is used for protection against evil and to increase luck.[citation needed] Text-based tattoos including quotes, lyrics, personal mottos or scripture are popular in western culture. As an example some Christians might have a Psalm or verse from the Bible tattooed on their body. Popular verses include John 3:16, Philippians 4:13, and Psalms 23.[9]

text: Extensive decorative tattooing is common among members of traditional freak shows and by performance artists who follow in their tradition.[citation needed]

text: Identification[edit]

text: People have also been forcibly tattooed.

text: A well-known example is the Nazi practice of forcibly tattooing Nazi concentration camp inmates with identification numbers during The Holocaust as part of the Nazis' identification system, beginning in fall 1941.[10] The Nazis' SS introduced the practice at Auschwitz concentration camp in order to identify the bodies of registered prisoners in the concentration camps. During registration, the Nazis would pierce the outlines of the serial-number digits onto the prisoners' arms. Of the Nazi concentration camps, only Auschwitz put tattoos on inmates.[11] The tattoo was the prisoner's camp number, sometimes with a special symbol added: some Jews had a triangle, and Romani had the letter "Z" (from German Zigeuner for "Gypsy"). In May 1944, the Jewish men received the letters "A" or "B" to indicate particular series of numbers. For unknown reasons, this number series for women never began again with the "B" series after they had reached the number limit of 20,000 for the "A" series.[12] The practice continued until the last days of Auschwitz.[13]

text: Tattoos have also been used for identification in other ways. As early as the Zhou, Chinese authorities would employ facial tattoos as a punishment for certain crimes or to mark prisoners or slaves. During the Roman Empire, Roman soldiers were required by law to have identifying tattoos on their hands in order to make desertion difficult.[citation needed] Gladiators and slaves were likewise tattooed: exported slaves were tattooed with the words "tax paid", and it was a common practice to tattoo "Stop me, I'm a runaway" on their foreheads.[14] Owing to the Biblical strictures against the practice,[15] Emperor Constantine I banned tattooing the face around AD 330, and the Second Council of Nicaea banned all body markings as a pagan practice in AD 787.[16]

text: In the period of early contact between the Māori and Europeans, the Maori people hunted and decapitated each other for their moko tattoos, which they traded for European items including axes and firearms.[17] Moko tattoos were facial designs worn to indicate lineage, social position, and status within the tribe. The tattoo art was a sacred marker of identity among the Maori and also referred to as a vehicle for storing one's tapu, or spiritual being, in the afterlife.[18]

text: Tattoos are sometimes used by forensic pathologists to help them identify burned, putrefied, or mutilated bodies. As tattoo pigment lies encapsulated deep in the skin, tattoos are not easily destroyed even when the skin is burned.[19]

text: Tattoos are also placed on animals, though rarely for decorative reasons. Pets, show animals, thoroughbred horses, and livestock are sometimes tattooed with identification and other marks. Tattooing with a 'slap mark' on the shoulder or on the ear is the standard identification method in commercial pig farming. Branding is used for similar reasons and is often performed without anesthesia, but is different from tattooing as no ink or dye is inserted during the process, the mark instead being caused by permanent scarring of the skin.[20] Pet dogs and cats are sometimes tattooed with a serial number (usually in the ear, or on the inner thigh) via which their owners can be identified. However, the use of a microchip has become an increasingly popular choice and since 2016 is a legal requirement for all 8.5 million pet dogs in the UK.[21]

text: Cosmetic[edit]

text: The cosmetic surgery industry continues to see a trend of increased popularity for both surgical and noninvasive procedures.[22] When used as a form of cosmetics, tattooing includes permanent makeup and hiding or neutralizing skin discolorations. Permanent makeup is the use of tattoos to enhance eyebrows, lips (liner and/or lipstick), eyes (liner), and even moles, usually with natural colors, as the designs are intended to resemble makeup.[citation needed]

text: A growing trend in the US and UK is to place artistic titoos over the surgical scars of a mastectomy. "More women are choosing not to reconstruct after a mastectomy and tattoo over the scar tissue instead.... The mastectomy tattoo will become just another option for post cancer patients and a truly personal way of regaining control over post cancer bodies and proving once and for all that breast cancer is not just a pink ribbon."[23] The tattooing of nipples on reconstructed breasts remains in high demand, however.[24]

text: Functional[edit]

text: Functional tattoos are used primarily for a purpose other than aesthetics. One such use is to tattoo Alzheimer patients with their name, so they may be easily identified if they go missing.[25]

text: Medical[edit]

text: Medical tattoos are used to ensure instruments are properly located for repeated application of radiotherapy and for the areola in some forms of breast reconstruction. Tattooing has also been used to convey medical information about the wearer (e.g., blood group, medical condition, etc.). Additionally, tattoos are used in skin tones to cover vitiligo, a skin pigmentation disorder.[26]

text: SS blood group tattoos (German: Blutgruppentätowierung) were worn by members of the Waffen-SS in Nazi Germany during World War II to identify the individual's blood type. After the war, the tattoo was taken to be prima facie, if not perfect, evidence of being part of the Waffen-SS, leading to potential arrest and prosecution. This led a number of Ex-Waffen-SS to shoot themselves through the arm with a gun, removing the tattoo and leaving scars like the ones resulting from pox inoculation, making the removal less obvious.[citation needed]

text: Tattoos were probably also used in ancient medicine as part of the treatment of the patient. In 1898, Daniel Fouquet, a medical doctor, wrote an article on “medical tattooing” practices in Ancient Egypt, in which he describes the tattooed markings on the female mummies found at the Deir el-Bahari site. He speculated that the tattoos and other scarifications observed on the bodies may have served a medicinal or therapeutic purpose: "The examination of these scars, some white, others blue, leaves in no doubt that they are not, in essence, ornament, but an established treatment for a condition of the pelvis, very probably chronic pelvic peritonitis."[27]

text: History[edit]

text: Preserved tattoos on ancient mummified human remains reveal that tattooing has been practiced throughout the world for many centuries.[28] The Ainu, an indigenous people of Japan, traditionally had facial tattoos, as did the Austroasians. Today, one can find Atayal, Seediq, Truku, and Saisiyat of Taiwan, Berbers of Tamazgha (North Africa), Yoruba, Fulani and Hausa people of Nigeria, and Māori of New Zealand with facial tattoos.[1][29] Tattooing was popular among certain ethnic groups in southern China, Polynesia, Africa, Borneo, Cambodia, Europe, Prehistoric Age Japan (Ainu People), the Mentawai Islands, Mesoamerica, New Zealand, North America and South America, the Philippines, Iron Age Britain, and Taiwan.[citation needed] In 2015, scientific re-assessment of the age of the two oldest known tattooed mummies, identified Ötzi as the oldest currently known example. This body, with 61 tattoos, was found embedded in glacial ice in the Alps, and was dated to 3,250 BC.[28][30] In 2018, the oldest figurative tattoos in the world were discovered on two mummies from Egypt which are dated between 3351 and 3017 BC.[31]

text: It is a myth that the modern revival of tattooing stems from Captain James Cook's three voyages to the South Pacific in the late 18th century.[32] Certainly, Cook's voyages and the dissemination of the texts and images from them brought more awareness about tattooing (and, as noted above, imported the word "tattow" into Western languages), but Europeans have been tattooed throughout history.[citation needed] On Cook's first voyage in 1768, his science officer and expedition botanist, Sir Joseph Banks, as well as artist Sydney Parkinson and many others of the crew, returned to England with tattoos, although many of these men would have had pre-existing tattoos.[citation needed] Banks was a highly regarded member of the English aristocracy that had acquired his position with Cook by co-financing the expedition with ten thousand pounds, a very large sum at the time. In turn, Cook brought back with him a tattooed Raiatean man, Omai, whom he presented to King George and the English Court. On subsequent voyages other crew members, from officers, such as American John Ledyard, to ordinary seamen, were tattooed.[citation needed]

text: The first documented professional tattooist in Britain was established in the port of Liverpool in the 1870s. In Britain tattooing was still largely associated with sailors[33] and the lower or even criminal class,[34] but by the 1870s had become fashionable among some members of the upper classes, including royalty,[3][35] and in its upmarket form it could be an expensive[36] and sometimes painful[37] process. A marked class division on the acceptability of the practice continued for some time in Britain.[38] Recently a trend has arisen marketed as 'Stick and Poke' tattooing; primitive figures are permanently inscribed by the user himself after he obtains a 'DIY' kit containing needles, ink and a collection of suggestions.[39]

text: United States[edit]

text: As most tattoos in the U.S. were done by Polynesian and Japanese amateurs, tattoo artists were in great demand in port cities all over the world, especially by European and American sailors. The first recorded professional tattoo artist in the United States was a German immigrant, Martin Hildebrandt. He opened a shop in New York City in 1846 and quickly became popular during the American Civil War among soldiers and sailors of both Union and Confederate militaries.

text: Hildebrandt began traveling from camp to camp to tattoo soldiers, making his popularity increase, and also giving birth to the tradition of getting tattoos while being an American serviceman. Soon after the Civil War, tattoos became fashionable among upper-class young adults. This trend lasted until the beginning of World War I. The invention of the electric tattoo machine caused popularity of tattoos among the wealthy to drop off. The machine made the tattooing procedure both much easier and cheaper, thus, eliminating the status symbol tattoos previously held, as they were now affordable for all socioeconomic classes. The status symbol of a tattoo shifted from a representation of wealth, to a mark typically seen on rebels and criminals. Despite this change, tattoos remained popular among military servicemen, and the tradition continues today.

text: Many studies have been done of the tattooed population and society's view of tattoos. In June 2006, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology published the results of a telephone survey of 2004. It found that 36% of Americans ages 18–29, 24% of those 30–40, and 15% of those 41–51 had a tattoo.[40] In September 2006, the Pew Research Center conducted a telephone survey that found that 36% of Americans ages 18–25, 40% of those 26–40 and 10% of those 41–64 had a tattoo. They concluded that Generation X and Generation Y are not afraid to express themselves through their appearance, and tattoos are the most popular form of self-expression.[41] In January 2008, a survey conducted online by Harris Interactive estimated that 14% of all adults in the United States have a tattoo, slightly down from 2003, when 16% had a tattoo. Among age groups, 9% of those ages 18–24, 32% of those 25–29, 25% of those 30–39 and 12% of those 40–49 have tattoos, as do 8% of those 50–64. Men are slightly more likely to have a tattoo than women.

text: Richmond, Virginia, has been cited as one of the most tattooed cities in the United States.[42] That distinction led the Valentine Richmond History Center to create an online exhibit titled "History, Ink: The Tattoo Archive Project." The introduction to the exhibit notes, "In the past, western culture associated tattoos with those individuals who lived on the edge of society; however, today they are recognized as a legitimate art form and widely accepted in mainstream culture."

text: Since the 1970s, tattoos have become a mainstream part of Western fashion, common among all genders, to all economic classes,[citation needed] and to age groups from the later teen years to middle age. For many young Americans, the tattoo has taken on a decidedly different meaning than for previous generations. The tattoo has "undergone dramatic redefinition" and has shifted from a form of deviance to an acceptable form of expression.[43]

text: Protection papers[edit]

text: Protection papers were used by American sailors to prevent themselves from being taken off American ships and impressed into the Royal Navy. These were simple documents that described the sailor as being an American sailor. Many of the protection certificates were so general, and it was so easy to abuse the system, that many impressment officers of the Royal Navy paid no attention to them. "In applying for a duplicate Seaman's Protection Certificate in 1817, James Francis stated that he 'had a protection granted him by the Collector of this Port on or about 12 March 1806 which was torn up and destroyed by a British Captain when at sea.'" [44] One way of making them more specific was to describe a tattoo, which is highly personal, and thus use that description to identify the seaman. As a result, many of the later certificates carried information about tattoos and scars, as well as other specific information. This also perhaps led to an increase and proliferation of tattoos among American seamen. "Frequently their 'protection papers' made reference to tattoos, clear evidence that individual was a seafaring man; rarely did members of the general public adorn themselves with tattoos."[45]

text: "In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, tattoos were as much about self-expression as they were about having a unique way to identify a sailor's body should he be lost at sea or impressed by the British navy. The best source for early American tattoos is the protection papers issued following a 1796 congressional act to safeguard American seamen from impressment. These proto-passports catalogued tattoos alongside birthmarks, scars, race, and height. Using simple techniques and tools, tattoo artists in the early republic typically worked on board ships using anything available as pigments, even gunpowder and urine. Men marked their arms and hands with initials of themselves and loved ones, significant dates, symbols of the seafaring life, liberty poles, crucifixes, and other symbols."[46]

text: Freedom papers[edit]

text: Because these protection papers were used to define freemen and citizenship, many black sailors and other men also used them to show that they were freemen if they were stopped by officials or slave catchers. They also called them "free papers" because they certified their non-slave status. Many of the freed blacks used descriptions of tattoos for identification purposes on their freedom papers.[47]

text: Process[edit]

text: Tattooing involves the placement of pigment into the skin's dermis, the layer of dermal tissue underlying the epidermis. After initial injection, pigment is dispersed throughout a homogenized damaged layer down through the epidermis and upper dermis, in both of which the presence of foreign material activates the immune system's phagocytes to engulf the pigment particles. As healing proceeds, the damaged epidermis flakes away (eliminating surface pigment) while deeper in the skin granulation tissue forms, which is later converted to connective tissue by collagen growth. This mends the upper dermis, where pigment remains trapped within successive generations of macrophages, ultimately concentrating in a layer just below the dermis/epidermis boundary. Its presence there is stable, but in the long term (decades) the pigment tends to migrate deeper into the dermis, accounting for the degraded detail of old tattoos.[48]

text: Some tribal cultures traditionally created tattoos by cutting designs into the skin and rubbing the resulting wound with ink, ashes or other agents; some cultures continue this practice, which may be an adjunct to scarification. Some cultures create tattooed marks by hand-tapping the ink into the skin using sharpened sticks or animal bones (made like needles) with clay formed disks or, in modern times, needles.

text: The most common method of tattooing in modern times is the electric tattoo machine, which inserts ink into the skin via a single needle or a group of needles that are soldered onto a bar, which is attached to an oscillating unit. The unit rapidly and repeatedly drives the needles in and out of the skin, usually 80 to 150 times a second. The needles are single-use needles that come packaged individually.

text: Tattooing is regulated in many countries because of the associated health risks to client and practitioner, specifically local infections and virus transmission. Disposable plastic aprons and eye protection can be worn depending on the risk of blood or other secretions splashing into the eyes or clothing of the tattooist. Hand hygiene, assessment of risks and appropriate disposal of all sharp objects and materials contaminated with blood are crucial areas. The tattoo artist must wash his or her hands and must also wash the area that will be tattooed. Gloves must be worn at all times and the wound must be wiped frequently with a wet disposable towel of some kind. All equipment must be sterilized in a certified autoclave before and after every use. It is good practice to provide clients with a printed consent form that outlines risks and complications as well as instructions for after care.[49]

text: Associations[edit]

text: Historical associations[edit]

text: The Government of Meiji Japan had outlawed tattoos in the 19th century, a prohibition that stood for 70 years before being repealed in 1948.[50] As of 6 June 2012 all new tattoos are forbidden for employees of the city of Osaka. Existing tattoos are required to be covered with proper clothing. The regulations were added to Osaka's ethical codes, and employees with tattoos were encouraged to have them removed. This was done because of the strong connection of tattoos with the yakuza, or Japanese organized crime, after an Osaka official in February 2012 threatened a schoolchild by showing his tattoo.

text: Tattoos had negative connotations in historical China, where criminals often had been marked by tattooing.[51][52] The association of tattoos with criminals was transmitted from China to influence Japan.[51] Today, tattoos have remained a taboo in Chinese society.[53]

text: The Romans tattooed criminals and slaves, and in the 19th century released US convicts, Australian convicts, and British army deserters were identified by tattoos. Prisoners in Nazi concentration camps were tattooed with an identification number. Today, many prison inmates still tattoo themselves as an indication of time spent in prison.[3]

text: Native Americans also used tattoos to represent their tribe. Catholic Croats of Bosnia used religious Christian tattooing, especially of children and women, for protection against conversion to Islam during the Ottoman rule in the Balkans.[54]

text: Modern associations[edit]

text: Tattoos are strongly empirically associated with deviance, personality disorders, and criminality.[55][56] Although the general acceptance of tattoos is on the rise in Western society, they still carry a heavy stigma among certain social groups.[citation needed] Tattoos are generally considered an important part of the culture of the Russian mafia.[citation needed]

text: Current cultural understandings of tattoos in Europe and North America have been greatly influenced by long-standing stereotypes based on deviant social groups in the 19th and 20th centuries. Particularly in North America tattoos have been associated with stereotypes, folklore, and racism.[18] Not until the 1960s and 1970s did people associate tattoos with such societal outcasts as bikers and prisoners.[57] Today, in the United States many prisoners and criminal gangs use distinctive tattoos to indicate facts about their criminal behavior, prison sentences, and organizational affiliation.[58] A teardrop tattoo, for example, can be symbolic of murder, or each tear represents the death of a friend. At the same time, members of the U.S. military have an equally well-established and longstanding history of tattooing to indicate military units, battles, kills, etc., an association that remains widespread among older Americans. In Japan tattoos are associated with yakuza criminal groups but there are non-yakuza groups such as Fukushi Masaichi's tattoo association that sought to preserve the skins of dead Japanese who have extensive tattoos. Tattooing is also common in the British Armed Forces. Depending on vocation tattoos are accepted in a number of professions in America. Companies across many fields are increasingly focused on diversity and inclusion.[59]

text: In Britain, there is evidence of women with tattoos, concealed by their clothing, throughout the 20th century, and records of women tattooists such as Jessie Knight from the 1920s.[60] A study of "at-risk" (as defined by school absenteeism and truancy) adolescent girls showed a positive correlation between body modification and negative feelings towards the body and low self-esteem; however, the study also demonstrated that a strong motive for body modification is the search for "self and attempts to attain mastery and control over the body in an age of increasing alienation".[61] The prevalence of women in the tattoo industry in the 21st century, along with larger numbers of women bearing tattoos, appears to be changing negative perceptions.

text: Advertising and marketing[edit]

text: Former sailor Rowland Hussey Macy, who formed Macy's department stores, used a red star tattoo that he had on his hand for the store's logo.[62]

text: Tattoos have also been used in marketing and advertising with companies paying people to have logos of brands like HBO, Red Bull, ASOS.com, and Sailor Jerry's rum tattooed in their bodies.[63] This practice is known as "skinvertising".[64]

text: B.T.'s Smokehouse, a barbecue restaurant located in Massachusetts, offered customers free meals for life if they had the logo of the establishment tattooed on a visible part of their bodies. Nine people took the business up on the offer.[65]

text: Health risks[edit]

text: Because it requires breaking the skin barrier, tattooing carries health risks including infection and allergic reactions. Tattooing can be uncomfortable to excruciating depending on the area and can result in the person fainting. Modern tattooists reduce risks by following universal precautions working with single-use items and sterilizing their equipment after each use. Many jurisdictions require that tattooists have blood-borne pathogen training such as that provided through the Red Cross and OSHA. As of 2009 (in the United States) there have been no reported cases of HIV contracted from tattoos.[66]

text: In amateur tattooing, such as that practiced in prisons, however, there is an elevated risk of infection. Infections that can theoretically be transmitted by the use of unsterilized tattoo equipment or contaminated ink include surface infections of the skin, fungal infections, some forms of hepatitis, herpes simplex virus, HIV, staph, tetanus, and tuberculosis.[67]

text: Tattoo inks have been described as "remarkably nonreactive histologically".[48] However, cases of allergic reactions to tattoo inks, particularly certain colors, have been medically documented. This is sometimes due to the presence of nickel in an ink pigment, which triggers a common metal allergy. Occasionally, when a blood vessel is punctured during the tattooing procedure, a bruise/hematoma may appear.

text: Certain colours - red or similar colours such as purple, pink, and orange - tend to cause more problems and damage compared to other colours.[68] Red ink has even caused skin and flesh damages so severe that the amputation of a leg or an arm has been necessary. If part of a tattoo (especially if red) begins to cause even minor troubles, like becoming itchy or worse, lumpy, then Danish experts strongly suggest to remove the red parts.[69]

text: In 2017, researchers from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France say the chemicals in tattoo ink can travel in the bloodstream and accumulate in the lymph nodes, obstructing their ability to fight infections. However, the authors noted in their paper that most tattooed individuals including the donors analyzed do not suffer from chronic inflammation.[70]

text: Removal[edit]

text: While tattoos are considered permanent, it is sometimes possible to remove them, fully or partially, with laser treatments. Typically, black and some colored inks can be removed more completely than inks of other colors. The expense and pain associated with removing tattoos are typically greater than the expense and pain associated with applying them. Pre-laser tattoo removal methods include dermabrasion, salabrasion (scrubbing the skin with salt), cryosurgery, and excision—which is sometimes still used along with skin grafts for larger tattoos. These older methods, however, have been nearly completely replaced by laser removal treatment options.[71]

text: Temporary tattoos[edit]

text: A temporary tattoo is a non-permanent image on the skin resembling a permanent tattoo. Temporary tattoos can be drawn, painted, airbrushed or needled as a permanent[clarification needed] tattoo with an ink which can be dissolved in blood within 6 months of art as a form of body painting.

text: Types of temporary tattoos[edit]

text: Decal-style temporary tattoos[edit]

text: Decal (press-on) temporary tattoos are used to decorate any part of the body. They may last for a day or for more than a week.[72]

text: Metallic jewelry tattoos[edit]

text: Foil temporary tattoos are a variation of decal-style temporary tattoos, printed using a foil stamping technique instead of using ink.[citation needed] The foil design is printed as a mirror image in order to be viewed in the right direction once it is applied to the skin. Each metallic tattoo is protected by a transparent protective film.

text: Airbrush temporary tattoos[edit]

text: Although they have become more popular and usually require a greater investment, airbrush temporary tattoos are less likely to achieve the look of a permanent tattoo, and may not last as long as press-on temporary tattoos. An artist sprays on airbrush tattoos using a stencil with alcohol-based, FDA-approved cosmetic inks. Like decal tattoos, airbrush temporary tattoos also are easily removed with rubbing alcohol or baby oil.

text: Henna temporary tattoos[edit]

text: Another tattoo alternative is henna-based tattoos, which generally contain no additives. Henna is a plant-derived substance which is painted on the skin, staining it a reddish-orange-to-brown color. Because of the semi-permanent nature of henna, they lack the realistic colors typical of decal temporary tattoos. Due to the time-consuming application process, it is a relatively poor option for children. If you do choose henna temporary tattoos, ensure that they are pure henna. Dermatological publications report that allergic reactions to natural henna are very rare and the product is generally considered safe for skin application. Serious problems can occur, however, from the use of henna with certain additives. The FDA and medical journals report that painted black henna temporary tattoos are especially dangerous. Black Henna or Pre-Mixed Henna Temporary Tattoos May Be Harmful - see below for safety information.

text: Temporary tattoo safety[edit]

text: Decal-style temporary tattoo safety[edit]

text: Decal temporary tattoos, when legally sold in the United States, have had their color additives approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as cosmetics --- the FDA has determined these colorants are safe for “direct dermal contact.” While the FDA has received some accounts of minor skin irritation, including redness and swelling, from this type of temporary tattoo, the agency has found these symptoms to be “child specific” and not significant enough to support warnings to the public. Unapproved pigments, however, which are sometimes used by non-US manufacturers, can provoke allergic reactions in anyone. Understanding the types of temporary tattoos available to consumers, knowing where they are manufactured, and ensuring they come from a reliable source are keys to determining whether temporary tattoos are safe.

text: Airbrush tattoo safety[edit]

text: The types of airbrush paints manufactured for crafting, creating art or decorating clothing should never be used for tattooing. These paints are not approved for direct contact with skin, and can be allergenic or toxic. Always ask the airbrush tattoo artist what kind of ink he or she is using and whether it meets FDA approval.

text: Henna tattoo safety[edit]

text: The FDA regularly issues warnings to consumers about avoiding any temporary tattoos labeled as black henna or pre-mixed henna as these may contain potentially harmful ingredients including silver nitrate, carmine, pyrogallol, disperse orange dye and chromium. Black henna gets its color from paraphenylenediamine (PPD), a textile dye approved by the FDA for human use only in hair coloring.[73] In Canada, the use of PPD on the skin, including hair dye, is banned. Research has linked these and other ingredients to a range of health problems including allergic reactions, chronic inflammatory reactions, and late-onset allergic reactions to related clothing and hairdressing dyes. They can cause these reactions long after application. Neither black henna nor pre-mixed henna are approved for cosmetic use by the FDA.

text: Religious views[edit]

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text: Judaism generally prohibits tattoos among its adherents based on the commandments in Leviticus 19. Jews tend to believe this commandment only applies to Jews and not to gentiles.

text: There is no specific rule in the New Testament prohibiting tattoos and most Christian denominations believe the laws in Leviticus are outdated as well as believing the commandment only applied to the Israelites, not to the gentiles. While most Christian groups tolerate tattoos, some Evangelical and fundamentalist Protestant denominations do believe the commandment does apply today for Christians and believe it is a sin to get one.

text: Many Coptic Christians in Egypt take a cross tattoo in their right wrist to differ from the Muslims.[74]

text: Tattoos are considered to be haram in Sunni Islam, based on rulings from scholars and passages in the Hadith. Shia Islam does not entirely prohibit tattooing, although it may be looked down upon in Shia communities.