#SYTYCD 16.2

Can Dance is well into the New Generation season & I have been impressed by the level of commitment of these young dancers – some with amazing technique & emotional expressiveness. It didn’t take them long to learn the classic contemporary gesture – the hand reaching out to the distance while the eyes search for – Toy R’Us? After all these are under 15-year-olds – they can’t be searching for spiritual fulfillment, yet.I’ve been happy to see that the children weren’t being used as props but as equal partners. The choreographers clearly have scaled things a little to encompass the limited knowledge & experience they have to work with. Seeing these kids tackle Fossy was sublime & they pulled it off. That a 10-year is unsure of his cha-cha isn’t unreasonable.There is still a bit too much of ‘kids say the darnedest things’ in the interview sections. I don’t envy the judges – that an eleven-year-old’s jive kick wasn’t as sharp as it could be isn’t surprising – but they are treating the dancers like adults. The ballroom pieces remain problematic for me – the contestants look more like Toddlers In Tiara’s overdressed & sexualized than young girls. In fact all the girls look like young women, while the boys always look like young boys.Ultimately the show sells personality with a healthy dose of talent. So far the contestants eliminated have failed to connect with the public – i.e. not enough personality. The recent double-elimination was done so swiftly I can’t tell who was sent packing, which is a sing of how little they registered as personalities. I just hope they have some serious grief support as the two who were eliminated were stunned & did’t even seem to understand what had happened before the giantess came over to hug them goodbye.For me front-runners are: the youngest JT with surprising technical ability and great screen presence – his contemporary routines have been emotionally resonant; also the tapper Emma – the Salute number was fierce & entertaining.