Best of: So You Think You Can Dance

I haven’t watched So You Think You Can Dance the last couple summers, but there was a time when I was totally obsessed with the show. I’ve never been into Dancing With the Stars; I don’t care to see people learning how to dance. I want to see professionals who are stretched beyond their expertise, but who definitely have an expertise to begin with. I love the different styles of dance, and the way different choreographers portray a variety of emotions through movement.

And I love Mark Kanemura. His audition intrigued me, his weirdness endeared me, and then this dance absolutely blew me away.

How in the world has a dance about a workaholic stayed with me so long? It’s just so good. Mark’s composed demeanor is made all the more callous in light of Chelsie’s rage and pain and desperation. The way they mirror each other’s movements without actually looking at each other gives me goosebumps. And his final choice to manipulate her, to pull her into the position he wants so that he can take her heart and walk away–AAHHH. It’s brilliant. Choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha are geniuses, and Mark and Chelsie brought it to life so well that I’m writing a blog post about it five years later.

Just to lighten the mood a little, I’ll leave you with my second favorite dance. “Boogie Shoes,” performed by Billy and Lauren, choreographed by Mandy Moore, is just fun. I find it completely adorable, and it’s a good palate cleanser after the emotional devastation of “Bleeding Love.”