document_title: Genpei War

question_text: the minamoto and taira claimed status from their relationship to the

text: Genpei War

text: Background[edit]

text: The Genpei War was the culmination of a decades-long conflict between the two aforementioned clans over dominance of the Imperial court, and by extension, control of Japan. In the Hōgen Rebellion[3] and in the Heiji Rebellion[4] of earlier decades, the Minamoto attempted to regain control from the Taira and failed.[5]:255–259

text: In 1180, Taira no Kiyomori put his grandson Antoku (then only 2 years of age) on the throne after the abdication of Emperor Takakura. Emperor Go-Shirakawa's son Mochihito felt that he was being denied his rightful place on the throne and, with the help of Minamoto no Yorimasa, sent out a call to arms to the Minamoto clan and Buddhist monasteries in May. However, this plot ended with the deaths of Yorimasa and Mochihito.[5]

text: In June 1180, Kiyomori moved the seat of imperial power to Fukuhara-kyō, "his immediate objective seems to have been to get the royal family under his close charge."[5]:284

text: Beginnings of the war[edit]

text: The actions of Taira no Kiyomori having deepened Minamoto hatred for the Taira clan, a call for arms was sent up by Minamoto no Yorimasa and Prince Mochihito. Not knowing who was behind this rally, Kiyomori called for the arrest of Mochihito, who sought protection at the temple of Mii-dera. The Mii-dera monks were unable to ensure him sufficient protection, so he was forced to move along. He was then chased by Taira forces to the Byōdō-in, just outside Kyoto. The war began thus, with a dramatic encounter on and around the bridge over the River Uji. This battle ended in Yorimasa's ritual suicide inside the Byōdō-in and Mochihito's capture and execution shortly afterwards.[5]:277–281[6]

text: It was at this point that Minamoto no Yoritomo took over leadership of the Minamoto clan and began traveling the country seeking to rendezvous with allies. Leaving Izu Province and heading for the Hakone Pass, he was defeated by the Taira in the battle of Ishibashiyama.[5]:289 However he successfully made it to the provinces of Kai and Kōzuke, where the Takeda and other friendly families helped repel the Taira army. Meanwhile, Kiyomori, seeking vengeance against the Mii-dera monks and others, besieged Nara and burnt much of the city to the ground.[7]

text: Fighting continued the following year, 1181. Minamoto no Yukiie was defeated by a force led by Taira no Shigehira at the Battle of Sunomatagawa. However, the "Taira could not follow up their victory."[5]:292

text: Taira no Kiyomori died from illness in the spring of 1181, and around the same time Japan began to suffer from a famine which was to last through the following year. The Taira moved to attack Minamoto no Yoshinaka, a cousin of Yoritomo, who had raised forces in the north but were unsuccessful. For nearly two years, the war ceased, only to resume in the spring of 1183.[5]:287, 293

text: Turning of the tide[edit]

text: In 1183, the Taira loss at the Battle of Kurikara was so severe that they found themselves, several months later, under siege in Kyoto, with Yoshinaka approaching the city from the north and Yukiie from the east. Both Minamoto leaders had seen little or no opposition in marching to the capital and now forced the Taira to flee the city. Taira no Munemori, head of the clan since his father Kiyomori's death, led his army, along with the young Emperor Antoku and the Imperial regalia, to the west. The cloistered emperor Go-Shirakawa defected to Yoshinaka. Go-Shirakawa then issued a mandate for Yoshinaka to "join with Yukiie in destroying Munemori and his army".[5]:293–294

text: In 1183, Yoshinaka once again sought to gain control of the Minamoto clan by planning an attack on Yoritomo, while simultaneously pursuing the Taira westward. The Taira set up a temporary Court at Daaifu in Kyūshū, the southernmost of Japan's main islands. They were forced out soon afterwards by local revolts instigated by Go-Shirakawa, and moved their Court to Yashima. The Taira were successful in beating off an attack by Yoshinaka's pursuing forces at the Battle of Mizushima.[5]:295–296

text: Yoshinaka conspired with Yukiie to seize the capital and the Emperor, possibly even establishing a new Court in the north. However, Yukiie revealed these plans to the Emperor, who communicated them to Yoritomo. Betrayed by Yukiie, Yoshinaka took command of Kyoto and, at the beginning of 1184, set fire to the Hōjūjidono, taking the Emperor into custody. Minamoto no Yoshitsune arrived soon afterwards with his brother Noriyori and a considerable force, driving Yoshinaka from the city. After fighting his cousins at the bridge over the Uji, Yoshinaka made his final stand at Awazu, in Ōmi Province. He was defeated by Yoshitsune, and killed while attempting to flee.[5]:296–297

text: Final stages[edit]

text: As the united Minamoto forces left Kyoto, the Taira began consolidating their position at a number of sites in and around the Inland Sea, which was their ancestral home territory. They received a number of missives from the Emperor offering that if they surrendered by the seventh day of the second month, the Minamoto could be persuaded to agree to a truce. This was a farce, as neither the Minamoto nor the Emperor had any intentions of waiting until the eighth day to attack. Nevertheless, this tactic offered the Emperor a chance to regain the Regalia and to distract the Taira leadership.[5]:297

text: The Minamoto army, led by Yoshitsune and Noriyori, made their first major assault at Ichi-no-Tani, one of the primary Taira camps on Honshū. The camp was attacked from two directions by Yoshitsune and Noriyori, and the Taira not killed or captured retreated to Yashima. However, the Minamoto were not prepared to assault Shikoku; a six-month pause thus ensued during which the Minamoto took the proper steps. Though on the retreat, the Taira enjoyed the distinct advantages of being in friendly, home territories, and of being far more adept at naval combat than their rivals.[5]:297–299

text: It was not until nearly a year after Ichi-no-Tani that the main Taira force at Yashima came under assault. Seeing Yoshitsune's bonfires in their rear, the Taira had not expected a land-based attack and took to their ships. This was a deceptive play on the part of the Minamoto, however. The Taira improvised imperial palace fell, and many escaped along with the Imperial regalia and the Emperor Antoku.[5]:301–302

text: The Genpei War came to an end one month later, following the battle of Dan-no-ura, one of the most famous and significant battles in Japanese history. The Minamoto engaged the Taira fleet in the Straits of Shimonoseki, a tiny body of water separating the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū. The tides played a powerful role in the development of the battle, granting the advantage first to the Taira, who were more experienced and abler sailors, and later to the Minamoto. The Minamoto advantage was considerably enhanced by the defection of Taguchi, a Shikoku warrior who went over to the Minamoto side in the middle of the action. Many of the Taira nobles perished, along with Emperor Antoku and the widow of Kiyomori.[5]:302–303[8]

text: Consequences of the Genpei War[edit]

text: The defeat of the Taira armies meant the end of Taira "dominance at the capital". In December 1185, Go-Shirakawa granted to Yoritomo the power to collect taxes, and "appoint stewards and constables in all provinces". Finally, in 1192, after Go-Shirakawa's death, Yoritomo was granted the imperial commission Sei-i Tai Shōgun. This was the beginning of a feudal state in Japan, with real power now in Kamakura. However, Kyoto remained the "seat of national ceremony and ritual."[5]:304, 318, 331

text: Aftermath[edit]

text: The end of the Genpei War and beginning of the Kamakura shogunate marked the rise to power of the warrior class (samurai) and the gradual suppression of the power of the emperor, who was compelled to govern without effective political or military power, being effectively reduced to a purely symbolical and ceremonial head of state, until the Meiji Restoration over 650 years later.

text: In addition, this war and its aftermath established red and white, the colors of the Taira and Minamoto standards, respectively, as Japan's national colors.[citation needed] Today, these colors can be seen on the flag of Japan, and also in banners and flags in sumo and other traditional activities.

text: Battles[edit]

text:
1180 First Battle of Uji – regarded as the first battle in the Genpei Wars, the monks of the Byōdōin fight alongside Minamoto no Yorimasa.
1180 Siege of Nara – the Taira set fire to temples and monasteries, to cut supplies to their rivals.
1180 Battle of Ishibashiyama – Minamoto no Yoritomo's first battle against the Taira, who are victorious.
1180 Battle of Fujikawa – the Taira mistake a flock of waterfowl for a sneak attack by the Minamoto in the night, and retreat before any fighting occurs.
1181 Battle of Sunomatagawa – the Taira thwart a sneak attack in the night but retreat.
1181 Battle of Yahagigawa – the Minamoto, retreating from Sunomata, attempt to make a stand.
1183 Siege of Hiuchi – the Taira attack a Minamoto fortress.
1183 Battle of Kurikara – the tide of the war turns, in the Minamoto's favor.
1183 Battle of Shinohara – Yoshinaka pursues the Taira force from Kurikara
1183 Battle of Mizushima – the Taira intercept a Minamoto force, heading for Yashima.
1183 Siege of Fukuryūji – the Minamoto attack a Taira fortress.
1183 Battle of Muroyama – Minamoto no Yukiie tries and fails to recoup the loss of the battle of Mizushima.
1184 Siege of Hōjūjidono – Yoshinaka sets fire to the Hōjūji-dono and kidnaps Emperor Go-Shirakawa.
1184 Second Battle of Uji – Yoshinaka is pursued out of the capital by Yoshitsune and Noriyori.
1184 Battle of Awazu – Minamoto no Yoshinaka is defeated and killed by Yoshitsune and Noriyori.
1184 Battle of Ichi-no-Tani – Minamoto no Yoshitsune attacks and drives the Taira from one of their primary fortresses.
1184 Battle of Kojima – Taira fleeing Ichi-no-Tani are attacked by Minamoto no Noriyori.
1185 Battle of Yashima – the Minamoto assault their enemies' fortress, just off Shikoku.
1185 Battle of Dan-no-ura – Minamoto no Yoshitsune decisively defeats Taira forces in naval battle ending the war.

text: Major figures in the Genpei War[edit]

text: Minamoto Clan (also known as "Genji")[edit]

text: The Minamoto were one of the four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period (794-1185). They were, however, decimated by the Taira in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. Minamoto no Yoshitomo had been the head of the clan at this time; upon his defeat at the hands of Taira no Kiyomori, two of his sons were killed and the third, Minamoto no Yoritomo, was banished. Following the call to arms of Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa in 1180, the clan would gather together and rise to power again. The Genpei war would see the Minamoto clan defeat the Taira and take command of the entire country.

text:
Minamoto no Noriyori (源範頼), general, younger brother of Yoritomo.
Minamoto no Yorimasa (源頼政), head of the clan at the beginning of the war.
Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝), head of the clan upon Yorimasa's death.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経), younger brother of Yoritomo, chief general of the clan.
Minamoto no Yukiie (源行家), general, uncle to Yoritomo.
Allies and vassals:

Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河), cloistered (retired) emperor.
Prince Mochihito (以仁王), Imperial Prince.
Benkei (弁慶), sōhei (warrior monk), ally of Yoshitsune.
Hōjō Tokimasa (北条 時政), head of the Hōjō clan (北条), father-in-law of Yoritomo.
Kajiwara Kagetoki (梶原 景時), officially an ally of Yoshitsune, in fact a spy for Yoritomo.
Kumagai Naozane (熊谷 直実), vassal of Yoritomo.
Sasaki Moritsuna (佐々木 盛綱), vassal of Noriyori who commanded the assault at the battle of Kojima.
Taguchi Shigeyoshi (田口 重能), Taira general who turned to the Minamoto camp upon seeing the tide turn at the battle of Dan no Ura, thus ensuring Minamoto victory.
Nasu no Yoichi (那須与一), celebrated archer and Minamoto ally.
Yada Yoshiyasu (矢田 義康), vassal of Yoshinaka and commander of Minamoto forces at the battle of Mizushima.
The sōhei (warrior-monks) of Mii-dera and other temples. Three in particular are mentioned in the Heike Monogatari for their part in the first battle of Uji:

Tsutsui Jōmyō Meishū (筒井 浄妙 明秀), who fought a last stand on the bridge over the Uji, taking over sixty arrows and still fighting.
Gochi-in no Tajima (五智院 但馬), called Tajima the arrow-cutter, and famous for deflecting the Taira arrows with his naginata, upon the bridge over the Uji.
Ichirai Hoshi (一来 法師), who is famous for having jumped ahead of Jōmyō Meishū and led the Mii-dera monks to battle.

Partisans of Minamoto no Yoshinaka (源義仲), cousin of Yoritomo, who supported his rebellion:

Tomoe Gozen (巴 御前), a female samurai warrior.
Imai Kanehira (今井 兼平), who joined Yoshinaka in his escape to Seta.

text: Taira Clan (also known as "Heike")[edit]

text: The Taira clan was one of the four great clans which dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period (794–1185). As a result of the near-total destruction of their rival clan, the Minamoto, in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160, Taira no Kiyomori, head of the clan, initiated the Genpei War at the height of his power. The end of the war, however, brought destruction to the Taira clan.

text:
Taira no Atsumori (平敦盛), young samurai killed by Kumagai Naozane who, because of his youth and innocence, became quite famous in death.
Taira no Kiyomori (平清盛), head of the clan at the beginning of the war.
Taira no Koremori (平維盛), grandson of Kiyomori.
Taira no Munemori (平宗盛), son and heir of Kiyomori; head of the clan for much of the war.
Taira no Noritsune (平教経), a Taira samurai.
Taira no Shigehira (平重衡), general, son of Kiyomori.
Taira no Tadanori (平忠度), general, brother of Kiyomori.
Taira no Tokiko (平時子), wife of Kiyomori who committed suicide at the battle of Dan-no-ura.
Taira no Tomomori (平知盛), general, son of Kiyomori.
Taira no Yukimori (平行盛), general, commander of the Taira forces at the battle of Kojima.
Taira no Kagekiyo (平景清), a Taira samurai, adopted from the Fujiwara clan.
Allies and vassals:

Emperor Antoku (安徳), Emperor of Japan and grandson of Taira no Kiyomori.
Ōba Kagechika (大庭景親), vassal of the Taira.
Saitō Sanemori (斎藤実盛), former vassal of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, switched sides and became a vassal of Taira no Munenori.
Senoo Kaneyasu (妹尾兼康), vassal of the Taira who commanded at the Fukuryūji fortress.
Taguchi Shigeyoshi (田口重能), Taira general who turned to the Minamoto camp upon seeing the tide turn at the battle of Dan no Ura, thus ensuring Minamoto victory.
The sōhei (warrior-monks) of Enryaku-ji (延暦寺), at least in theory, on account of their rivalry with the Mii-dera sōhei, who were allied with the Minamoto.

text: Genpei War in literature[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Many stories and works of art depict this conflict. The Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari, 平家物語) is one of the most famous, though many Kabuki and bunraku plays reproduce events of the war as well. Ichinotani futaba gunki (Chronicle of the battle of Ichi-no-Tani) by Namiki Sōsuke may be one of the more famous of these.

text: "Shike" by Robert Shea features a somewhat fictionalised account of the wars, as seen from the perspectives of his two main characters, the Zinja Monk Jebu, and the Noblewoman Lady Shima Taniko. The names of the two rival clans have been changed, "Minamoto" to "Muratomo" and "Taira" to "Takashi".

text: Another fictionalized account of the conflict forms the central plot of Civil War (also known as Turbulent Times), the ninth volume of Osamu Tezuka's celebrated Phoenix series.

text: The Genpei War is the backdrop for much of Katherine Patterson's young adult novel, Of Nightingales That Weep.

text: Genpei War in popular culture[edit]

text: On September 27, 2011, The Creative Assembly released a DLC pack for Total War: Shogun 2 entitled "Rise of the Samurai", which allows players to play as members of the Taira, the Minamoto, or the Fujiwara families. Through a complex system of province building, diplomacy, research, and combat, players can decide the outcome of the Genpei War for themselves.

text: Cinemaware's 1989 Amiga title Lords of the Rising Sun features the Genpei war.

text: The conflict between the Genji and Heike gangs in the 2007 Japanese Western film Sukiyaki Western Django mirrors that of the actual Genpei war, albeit "a few hundred years after."


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

question_text: who are the judges of so you think you dance

root

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.

tag: p

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

tag: table

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