Just in case we are not aware of it, Angry Asian Man takes it upon himself to alert you to the Asian contestants in some reality shows even when it is apparent he does not watch them himself (SYTYCD s05, SYTYCD s04). It’s always interesting to me to note when there is an under- or overrepresentation of Asians in a competition compared to general demographics. And if they deserve it, I’ll root for them staying in the competition as long as possible.
NPY and I rapidly gave up on watching So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Canada but we’re sucked back in this year with what seems like better production and dancers, and the host is hitting her stride. We might potentially get overloaded with SYTYCD, and television in general, this fall when the American version starts a new season very quickly after wrapping up the last one….
This year we watched with great anticipating as the auditions continued and a Top 20 group of dancers was selected. The harrowing and physically demanding process whittled some 200 finalists down to the top ten guys and top ten girls… and there is Asian representation in each.
Melanie Mah just turned 19 and hails from Richmond Hill, Ontario. I’ve only seen some of the audition episodes and caught the original audition on YouTube where she was heralded as “quirky” while I thought her solo was just kind of off-beat weird. Some fans have been tallying and it seems she made it through the finals without much problem, i.e., did not have to “dance for her life”, and I look forward to her ability to handle the different styles of dance and tough choreography that lies ahead. Word has it that her first partner is Cody who might be an early fan favourite, but we’ll see. (MM CTV SYTYCD page)
And then who doesn’t know Emanuel Sandhu? I was watching figure skating quite loyally during those years of his ascension on the Canadian scene and he was highly fascinating in his ups and downs. He’s an oldie, possibly at the upper age limit of the show, and I’m unsure about the following he will have. One audition clip also makes one worry that he could be an awful partner–he was, afterall, a solo star and I don’t know the extent of his partnering experience on ice. His tenacity to audition for a second year is admirable and I think he could have the flair to pull off the look of the diverse styles of dance. (ES CTV SYTYCD page)
On this day..
- Coined a new term - 2014
- Busy like so - 2011
- Home cooking : 2 for $50 dinner - 2010
I’m watching the show avidly. In fact, it’s the only TV show I actually watch with any sort of regularity.
Melanie is one of my early favourites. I’m also rooting for the Haligonian crumper. Not sure how I feel about Sandhu but he definitely looks like he can keep up and he’s already so accomplished!
Yeah yeah! It’s such a fun show to watch. Such good dancing, even in Canada. ;)
I forgot to mention in the blog two more people I’m rooting for: Corynne the ballet dancer and Natalie the crumper FROM HALIFAX. Seems that it’s the first time the Maritimes are represented in Top 20, and she’s a cool one who lucked out getting her own style to dance to kick off the season. Meanwhile, NPY is huffy because the Vancouver entries aren’t so cool. ;)
Based on the mini bios the dancers gave, it appears that another dancer, Anthony Grafton, is of Asian heritage. Or Polynesian. I thought he was Hispanic or Middle Eastern. So I’ll update this post if/when I can confirm some of the details.
i love to Figure Skate, and this has been my favorite sport ever since i was a kid.’*’
i love to see women that is doing some figure skating , they are really beautiful and gracefull.”;”