Season 3
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 3 premiered on SABC1 on Saturday 17 August 2013, at 18h30. New episodes broadcast weekly, with Results Show episodes beginning on Monday 23 September, at 19h00.
Season 3
This year's show promised viewers exciting new changes with the judging panel this time around consisting of the following popular Mzansi personalities: the tried-and-tested Harold Van Buuren; Themba Nofemele (Muvhango) and Lorna Maseko-Lukhele (Top Billing).
So You Think You Can Dance is a reality dance competition that is now in its 3rd season on SABC1. The show kickstarted with a series of country-wide auditions held in Durban on July 13th (BAT Centre); Cape Town on the 20th (Academy of Performing Arts), and the final auditions in Johannesburg on the weekend of 28 and 29 July (UJ Arts).
Thirty-five contestants were selected by the judging panel to attend callback auditions in Johannesburg, where they are given the opportunity to work with choreographers, learn different dance styles and perform these dances to stay in the competition.
Sixteen contestants were then chosen during this phase to take part in the live performance shows of the competition, where they will compete as pairs but also as individuals for the title of South Africa's most talented dancer.
The next phase of the show consisted of performance and results shows. The top 16 contestants were randomly paired up and selected a dance style which they performed in front of a live audience and the judging panel.
Choreographers from different dance disciplines were at their disposal for the duration of the training week. After the performance show viewers had an opportunity to vote for their favourite dancer and the results were announced during the result show.
Dance continues to be one of the fastest-growing sports in South Africa and with dance styles ranging from Latin to Hip Hop and Sbujwa to Contemporary, So You Think You Can Dance provides a fantastic canvas on which to present our country's most exciting and entertaining dancers and showcase the vibrant art and culture of dance Mzansi has to offer.
It's still a competition though and the dancer with the most impressive ability to adapt to different dance-styles and wow the judges and the public will walk away with R250,000 in cash.
A refresh on the cast, a few new faces amongst the choreographers and the inclusion of one or two different dance styles this season promised to deliver thrilling entertainment.
The live shows started airing on Saturday 17 August 2013, at 18h30. The first three shows captured the excitement of the regional auditions.
Every Saturday evening saw eight dance couples (16 contestants) compete in a variety of dance styles – ballroom, ballet, salsa, hip-hop – and viewers were given an opportunity to vote via sms for their favourite dancers.
The Result Show broadcast every Monday at 19h00, starting on the 23rd September 2013. The voting results see the elimination of two dancers (one male and one female) every week by the judging panel.
The Top 4 will compete in pairs as well as individually until the winner is chosen to walk away with the title and the grand prize.
About the Show
Dancers skilled in everything from ballroom and ballet to salsa and hip-hop compete to be named the best dancer in South Africa.
The show starts with a nationwide casting call where dancers must impress the judges with their moves and routines to survive the auditions. Those who do are invited to a dance 'boot camp' where they're put through their paces by top choreographers.
Only the best 20 move forward to the studio shows where they learn challenging routines and dance their hearts out individually and in pairs to impress the panel of judges and audiences, who play their part by voting.
The winner receives prizes to the value of R250,000.
The show was hosted by Sade Giliberti in Seasons 1 and 2 and by Sinazo Yolwa in Season 3. The judges are as follows:
Season 1
Harold van Buuren
Adele Blank
Didi Moses
David Matamela
Debbie Rakusin
Season 2
Harold van Buuren
Adele Blank
Didi Moses
David Matamela
Season 3
Harold van Buuren
Themba Nofemele
Lorna Maseko-Lukhele
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.
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