Season 2
So You Think You Can Dance is a South African version of the American dance reality competition created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and produced locally by Rapid Blue which has a similar premise to the American Idol series of singing competitions, with nationwide auditions leading to the discovery of the next big South African dance star.
So You Think You Can Dance premiered on SABC1 on Saturday 9 August 2008, at 18h30. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 2 premiered on SABC1 on Saturday 24 July 2010, at 18h30. There are 20 episodes in the second season. See "Season 2 Times" below for episode lengths and transmission times.
Season 2
This year's Top 16 contestants face a gruelling season and a much tougher final round with the dreaded judges to impress, before one of them walks away with the grand prize of R250,000.
Holding it all together once again is returning host Sade Giliberti.
The first episode of So You Think You Can Dance 2 sets the standard against which this year's contestants must measure themselves - a look back at the highs, the lows, the tears and the joy of Season 1.
It features up-to-date interviews with returning judges Didi Moses, David Matamela and head judge Harold Van Buuren.
This highlights episode revisits the choreographers, judges and contestants, and the moments of humour and drama that made Season 1 a hit.
Viewers will be given the opportunity to catch up with the four finalists - Ashley, Kim, Thabiso and Elizma - as they relive their big moments, and send shout-outs to the new season's contestants about the journey that awaits them.
Also appearing on the first episode will be South Africa's first So You Think You Can Dance winner, Elizma Wildschutte.
In the second week we turn our attention to this year's wannabe winners as we focus on the gruelling auditions which took place around the country and attracted thousands of hopefuls determined to walk away with the title of the country's favourite dancer.
Prepare yourself for a smorgasbord of talent and abs, sweaty bods and thrills and spills with all the hottest moves in town.
The live performance shows begin on Saturday, 28 August, with the top 16. This marks the start of the countdown to the crowning of South Africa's new dance king or queen.
Following performances by the eight dance couples each Saturday night - in a variety of dance styles, from ballroom and ballet to salsa and hip-hop - viewers will have the chance to vote via SMS for their favourite dancers.
On Wednesdays at 18h30, the moment of truth arrives as the voting results are broadcast – and each week, two dancers, one male and one female, will be eliminated by the judging panel.
Once only four hopefuls remain, they perform in pairs as well as undertaking individual routines, until the winner is chosen in the finale. He or she will waltz away with the prize of R250,000 and the title of "South Africa's Favourite Dancer".
Auditions
These were the audition dates and venues for Season 2:
Durban
Date: Saturday, 8 May 2010
Venue: BAT Centre
Johannesburg
Dates: Saturday, 15 May and Sunday, 16 May 2010
Venue: Alexander Theatre Braamfontein
Cape Town
Date: Sunday, 23 May 2010
Venue: The Waterfront Theatre School
Season 2 Times
The competition phase begins on Saturday 28 August with Episode 6, when the Top 16 perform. The first Results Show is on Wednesday 1 September.
Saturday episodes are an hour long and Wednesday episodes half an hour. Two episodes are 90 minutes: the first live performance show (Episode 6) and the finale.
Episode 1: Season 1 Recap
Saturday, 24 July
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 2: Auditions 1
Saturday, 31 July
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 3: Auditions 2
Saturday, 7 August
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 4: Auditions 3
Saturday, 14 August
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 5: Auditions 4
Saturday, 21 August
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 6: Live Show (Top 16)
Saturday, 28 August
18h00 – 19h30
Episode 7: Results Show 1
Wednesday, 1 September
18h30 – 19h00
Episode 8: Live Show (Top 14)
Saturday, 4 September
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 9: Results Show 2
Wednesday, 8 September
18h30 – 19h00
Episode 10: Live Show (Top 12)
Saturday, 11 September
18h30 - 19h30
Episode 11: Results Show 3
Wednesday, 15 September
18h30 – 19h00
Episode 12: Live Show (Top 10)
Saturday, 18 September
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 13: Results Show 4
Wednesday, 22 September
18h30 – 19h00
Episode 14: Live Show (Top 8)
Saturday, 25 September
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 15: Results Show 5
Wednesday, 29 Septemer
18h30 – 19h00
Episode 16: Live Show (Top 6)
Saturday, 2 October
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 17: Results Show 6
Wednesday, 6 October
18h30 – 19h00
Episode 18: Live Show
Saturday, 9 October
18h30 – 19h30
Episode 19: Results Show 7
Wednesday, 13 October
18h30 – 19h00
Episode 20: Live Finale
Saturday, 16 October
18h00 – 19h30
Show Format
Producers travel around the country looking for the best dancers at casting sessions in major cities across the nation.
At the casting sessions, each dancer must perform their own routine in front of a panel of judges, who then decide immediately who is good enough to continue.
Those chosen to stay work on a routine as a group, and after a further round of eliminations followed by a choreographed routine with a partner, the final 50 are selected to move on to the Dance Boot Camp.
At the Dance Boot Camp, each of the dancers is put through their paces by 5 choreographers, who take them through a variety of dance styles.
At the end of the camp, the group is immediately cut down, 20 of whom will be chosen to move forward to the studio shows after one-to-one interviews with the choreographers. This group is then cut down to a final 10.
Each studio show is structured the same way. As contestants are eliminated the remaining participants are randomly paired together, and the dances they need to perform the following week are drawn from a hat.
We follow each couple as they learn their routine by a top choreographer, before performing that routine in front of the panel of choreographers, and a live studio audience.
Once all the couples have performed, the panel identify the 3 weakest couples (or in later shows, 2 weakest couples) to go up for elimination by the public who vote for their favourites to stay.
Each dancer has an opportunity to encourage voters to keep them in the competition by dancing a solo routine for 45 seconds immediately before the phone lines are opened.
Each week, one guy and one girl is eliminated until only 4 dancers remain.
After performing for the last time, all 4 dancers are put to the public vote and it is the public who decide the final winner.
Related Articles
Confirmed: So You Think You Can Dance 2
Back! So You Think You Can Dance SA
Reminder! SYTYCD Jozi Auditions
So You Think You Can Dance 2 Leaps To Life
Gallery: SYTYCD 2 Cape Town Auditions
Winners
Season 1: Elizma Widschutte
Season 2: Lulu Mlangeni
Season 3: Sibahle Tshibika
Seasons
Series exclusive to SABC1
Season 1
Premiere: 9 August 2008 | Finale: 1 November 2008 | Sat, 18h30 / Tue, 19h00
Season 2
Premiere: 24 July 2010 | Finale: 16 October 2010 | Sat, 18h30 / Wed, 18h30
Season 3
Premiere: 17 August 2013 | Finale: 9 November 2013 | Sat, 18h30 / Mon, 19h00