August 11, 2010. Lauren Froderman was the Season 7 Finale winner of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). It could have been ‘tween idol’ Kent Boyd or heartthrob Robert Roldan. But it was the dynamic blonde Lo Fro who took the figurative crown. As judge Adam Shankman said this last Tuesday, she is the music. Whatever the music is, Lauren is. Judge Mia Michaels said that if she were to dance again, she wants to dance the way Lauren does.
When host Cat Deeley made the winner announcement, Lauren lived up to the excitement with her frenetic energy and brilliant smile. Once last season’s winner, Russell Ferguson, handed over this year’s representation of a crown (a new nice touch, à la beauty pageant procedure), a bottle of Gatorade-Lauren shot around the stage with it screaming. The hundreds of thousands of dazzling falling confetti, many star-shaped and lit by lights, were in slo mo compared with Lo Fro.
Everyone seemed to go crazy. Third-place winner Robert Roldan, in his Bollywood costume-since the three finalists were stuck with whatever costume they wore for their last routine of the festive night-whisked up second-place winner Kent Boyd (clad in a wife-beater and pants), who was shoved off-stage at first with his consolation flowers, and carried him to the crowd surrounding Lauren (in a gringo outfit with fake ammo), who then dived for Robert and gave him a huge hug. There were multiple huggings on stage.
The judges said this-and it seems to be true-Lauren, Robert, and Kent comprised the best group of finalists that the show has ever had. And it’s surprising that this can be said without the super-fantastic Alex Wong who had to drop out due to his long-term injury-a detached Achilles tendon from the heel bone, since repaired by surgeons with a three-month minimum of rehabilitation and recovery.
Why was Lauren handed a bottle of Gatorade? If you don’t know, it’s because you missed the episode whereby Gatorade has accepted dance as a sport. A team of health professionals quantified the physicality of Lauren, all-star tWitch Boss, and a few other dancers. They determined that they were right up there with top athletes-tWitch was said to be right there with the top football athletes. And while football does take talent, one has to take into account that dance moves are far more complicated than those in football.
As the show’s winner, Lauren has not only won a quarter of a million dollars, she also won a Gatorade deal to be their first dance athlete in their G Series advertising campaign. She will also be featured on the cover of the magazine Dance Spirit. She will go on tour this fall with the Top 7, Russell, Ferguson, and a few of the all-stars.
So You Think You Can Dance has a bright future ahead with their constant harvesting of fresh unique talent and with their new procedure of bringing in the all-stars to partner with them-along with innovative choreography by some of the best choreographers in the business. The new talent partnering with the seasoned dancers is increasing their experiential growth and talent faster than it was when contestants only partnered with each other.
With 2010 being the first year of National Dance Day, on July 31, and with dance being recognized as a sport, the American nation’s interest in dance, and worldwide interest, should grow exponentially. Maybe not everyone can dance to win a competition but everyone can dance. Dance is not only uplifting, it’s healthy, physically and emotionally. So, let’s boogie on to Season 8 of SYTYCD. Yeah!
Related articles:
Who’s Gonna Win? the Prince, the Girl, or the Tween Idol?;
July 28-29; What, No Sexy Cat Fight? Who’s Androgynous? Who’s Bollywood?
Injured Alex Wong Couldn’t Dance; Lauren & Kent Best;
Cristina & Pasha Hot; Jose & Kathryn Do Bollywood;
Partner W/ All-Stars June 16; Alex Wong Raises Standard;
