History Series / SoYouThinkYouCanDance

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Cat Deeley.

* Nigel Lythgoe (Season 1-16), who served as the sole regular judge for the first couple of seasons until he was joined by Mary. While often critical in comparison to the others, he's nowhere near as acerbic (anymore) as Creator/SimonCowell.

* Stephen "[=tWitch=]" Boss (Season 15, 17), the runner-up in season 4 and the Team Street captain in season 12.

* '''[=JoJo=] Siwa''' (Season 17), teen singer, dancer, and [=YouTuber=] who achieved fame after appearing on ''Series/AbbysUltimateDanceCompetition'' and ''Series/DanceMoms''.

* '''Creator/LeahRemini''' (Season 17), an actress and competitor in season 17 of ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'', where she placed 5th.

* '''Stephen "[=tWitch=]" Boss''' (Season 15, 17), the runner-up in season 4 and the Team Street captain in season 12.

The show covers a wide variety of dance styles, including waltzes, UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}}, contemporary and [[HipHop hip-hop]], turning it into a somewhat unlikely but welcome showcase for the art and culture of dance. It also, at least in the beginning, adhered pretty closely to the ''Idol'' format with some interesting variations. Auditionees who aren't either sent to the next stage of the competition or rejected are asked to stick around and show they can pick up some basic choreography, after which a final decision is made on them. This is followed by Hollywood Week, a boot camp where all the dancers are tested in ballroom, contemporary, and hip-hop styles (as well as a few other challenges depending on the season) to prove their worth and earn a spot on the live show.

Creator/{{Fox}} commissioned this [[RealityShow reality/talent contest]] from the people behind ''Series/AmericanIdol'' in 2005 in an attempt to get lightning to strike twice. The show's eventual executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe (himself a former dancer) thought [[ItWillNeverCatchOn it would never work]]. And, although the series wasn't the pervasive cultural juggernaut that ''Idol'' became, it became a significant success in its own right.

The show, at least in the beginning, adhered pretty closely to the ''Idol'' format with some interesting variations. Auditionees who aren't either sent to the next stage of the competition or rejected are asked to stick around and show they can pick up some basic choreography, then a final decision is made on them. This is followed by Hollywood Week, a boot camp where all the dancers are tested in ballroom, contemporary, and hip-hop styles (as well as a few other challenges depending on the season ) to prove their worth and earn a spot on the live show. Once contestants make it to the Top 20, they're paired up into couples of one guy and one girl. If any couple lands in the bottom three for the votes, each individual performs a solo and the judges make the decision of which guy and which girl goes home that week. This continues until they have 10 contestants remaining, then the couples are determined by the girls picking a guy's name from a hat, or vise-versa. Also, once the Top 10 is established, voters now vote for their favorite individual dancers, and the judges get no more say on who goes home. Said Top 10 contestants also get to perform in a tour following the end of the season, which gives the judges a vested interest in making sure the best qualified dancers don't wind up voted off too early. Sometimes some dancers who are popular but didn't make the Top 10 will also be on the tour; for example Chelsea Traille, who was eliminated in Week 3 of Season 4.

Season 7 followed a different format, where there was only a top ten (what actually happened was a top eleven) and instead of being paired up with other contestants, the hopefuls were paired with "All-stars": fan favorites from previous seasons. The judges and the fans both seemed to enjoy the format, though injuries wreaked havoc with the season. Season 8 returned to the top twenty formula, but when the competition narrowed down to the top ten, the All-stars were brought back. The judges now continue to make decisions beyond the top 10. In season 9 and 10, a Favorite Boy and Favorite Girl were crowned winners, but season 11 returned to a single winner.

Season 12 made a considerable departure from previous seasons' formats. The season was referred to as "Stage vs. Street", and instead of a Top 20 of even girls and boys, they were split into the 10 members of Team Street and Team Stage. Team Street, led by [=tWitch=], had dancers representing various hip-hop genres (krump, breakdance, animation, etc.); Team Stage, led by Travis Wall, was made of dancers representing contemporary, ballet, tap, etc. The bottom three of each genre were announced at the beginning of the episode, and those watching the show's live broadcast (in US Eastern and Central Time Zones), had the ability to save a dancer from elimination by way of voting on Twitter. The show's judges then could save one of the other bottom three, resulting in one member of each Team, regardless of gender, being eliminated.

Season 13 returned to a Top 10, and also had the subtitle "The Next Generation", and had young dancers aged 8 to 13, each of whom was partnered with an All-star to be mentored by and dance with throughout the season. Though season 14 returned to the original age range, the format of having the same All-star partner throughout the season stayed in place. Season 15 returned to the rotating All-star model, which stayed in season 16.

Season 17 was announced after a three-year hiatus brought on due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, with an extended age rage (up to 32, when previous seasons went up to 30) and a Hollywood studio to hold all auditions, and a Top 12 instead of 10 or 20.

Like ''American Idol'', the shows judges gained popularity - but notably, many seats on the panel rotated between the show's choreographers, sharing their own insights on weeks when they were not presenting numbers of their own (usually). Those in '''bold''' are the current permanent judges.
* Nigel Lythgoe (Season 1-16), the producer and was the sole regular judge for the first couple of seasons until he was joined by Mary. While often critical in comparison to the others, he's nowhere near as acerbic (anymore) as Creator/SimonCowell.

* Mia Michaels (Season 7), who had already done contemporary choreography for the show and had a reputation for her numbers being difficult to pull off but especially powerful when done right.
* Music/JasonDerulo (Season 12-13), pop and r&b singer, songwriter, and dancer.
* Music/PaulaAbdul (Season 12-13), famous pop star most notable for her former ''Idol'' judging stint for it's first decade.
* Creator/MaddieZiegler (Season 13), a young dancer who achieved fame for her collaborations with Music/{{Sia}}. She was brought on to help judge the child-focused season 13.
* Creator/VanessaHudgens (Season 14-15), singer, dancer, and ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' star.
* '''Stephen "[=tWitch=]" Boss''' (Season 15-Present), runner-up in season 4 and Team Street captain in season 12.

* Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval (Season 16), former contestant from season 3.
* '''Jojo Siwa''' (Season 17), teen singer, dancer, and [=YouTuber=].
* Creator/MatthewMorrison (Season 17), former Broadway and ''Series/{{Glee}}'' star. Was removed from the show between Callbacks and Top 12 after sexually harassing a female contestant.
* '''Creator/LeahRemini''' (Season 17), actress and competitor in season 17 of ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'', where she placed 5th.

With dance styles ranging from various Waltzes to UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}}, and from Contemporary to Hip-Hop, the show has become a somewhat unlikely but welcome showcase for the art and culture of dance. A number of spin-off shows in other nations were spawned; unfortunately most were cancelled after a few seasons, though standouts like Turkey and Ukraine lasted a good while and the Polish version is the only one still ongoing alongside the American.

* RatedMForManly: What happens when you have [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MfCQ218Qm0 a Paso Doble with two men]].

* BareYourMidriff: At least once a show.
** Standard solo outfit for most female contemporary dancers.

Like ''American Idol'', the shows judges gained popularity - but notably, many seats on the panel rotated between the show's choreographers, sharing their own insights on weeks when they were not presenting numbers of their own (usually). Those in ''bold'' are the current permanent judges.

* ''Stephen "[=tWitch=]" Boss'' (Season 15-Present), runner-up in season 4 and Team Street captain in season 12.

* ''Jojo Siwa'' (Season 17), teen singer, dancer, and [=YouTuber=].

* ''Creator/LeahRemini'' (Season 17), actress and competitor in season 17 of ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'', where she placed 5th.

* TheMeanBrit: Nigel played this somewhat close to straight early on, but has eased up considerably. Just don't do terribly in your audition then claim to be a teacher.

The show adheres pretty closely to the ''Idol'' format, but with some interesting variations. Auditionees who aren't either sent to the next stage of the competition or rejected are asked to stick around and show they can pick up some basic choreography, then a final decision is made on them. Once contestants make it to the Top 20, they're paired up into couples of one guy and one girl. If any couple lands in the bottom three for the votes, each individual performs a solo and the judges make the decision of which guy and which girl goes home that week. This continues until they have 10 contestants remaining, then the couples are determined by the girls picking a guy's name from a hat, or vise-versa. Also, once the Top 10 is established, voters now vote for their favorite individual dancers, and the judges get no more say on who goes home. Said Top 10 contestants also get to perform in a tour following the end of the season, which gives the judges a vested interest in making sure the best qualified dancers don't wind up voted off too early. Sometimes some dancers who are popular but didn't make the Top 10 will also be on the tour; for example Chelsea Traille, who was eliminated in Week 3 of Season 4.

Season 7 followed a different format, where there was only a top ten (what actually happened was a top eleven) and instead of being paired up with other contestants, the hopefuls were paired with "Allstars": fan favorites from previous seasons. The judges and the fans both seemed to enjoy the format, though injuries wreaked havoc with the season.

Season 8 returned to the top twenty formula, but when the competition narrowed down to the top ten, the Allstars were brought back. And even though it was never made a big out of, the judges now continue to make decisions beyond the top 10.

Season 9 made some changes to the voting and elimination process on the show. And instead of naming one winner, two were crowned- America's Favorite Boy and America's Favorite Girl.

Season 11 returned to crowning a single winner as America's Favorite Dancer.

Nigel Lythgoe was the sole regular judge for the first couple of seasons, as the other two spots were filled with a rotating group of choreographers who taught the contestants their dances on weeks they weren't acting as judges. In season 3, the histrionics-prone Mary Murphy, a ballroom choreographer, became the second regular judge, effectively making her a louder but more sensible version of Music/PaulaAbdul to Nigel's not nearly as acerbic (anymore) version of SimonCowell. Beginning with season 6, Adam Shankman is also a permanent judge. In season 7, Mia Michaels replaced Mary as a permanent judge. Mary came back as a judge in season 8 with Shankman absent due to working on a Tom Cruise film.

Season 12 made a considerable departure from previous seasons' formats. First is the departure once more of Mary Murphy from the show. Secondly, pop star Jason Derulo and Paula Abdul joined Nigel Lythgoe as permanent judges throughout the audition process and entire season, with no guest judges. Most notably, the format was referred to as "Stage vs. Street." Team Street consisted of 10 dancers representing various hip-hop genres (krump, breakdance, animation, etc.); and Team Stage, which consisted of 10 dancers representing contemporary, ballet, tap, etc. Each team had a returning All Star as a captain, Team Street led by tWitch, and Team Stage led by Travis Wall.

Moreoever, it was no longer 10 guys and 10 girls, but 10 stage dancers and 10 street dancers. The bottom three of each genre were announced at the beginning of the episode, and those watching the show's live broadcast (in US Eastern and Central Time Zones), had the ability to save a dancer from elimination by way of voting on Twitter. The show's judges then could save one of the other bottom three, resulting in one member of each Team, regardless of gender, being eliminated.

With dance styles ranging from various Waltzes to UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}}, and from Contemporary to Hip-Hop, the show has become a somewhat unlikely but welcome showcase for the art and culture of dance and has spawned a number of spin-off shows in other nations (curiously, the most successful translations thus far are the Polish, Turkish and Benelux versions - the British one was axed after two seasons).

!!"So you think you can trope":

* CatchPhrase: Mary Murphy's "Hot Tamale Train" ("WOOOO-HOOOO!") for dances she really likes.

* {{Adorkable}}:
** The oft-kooky Cat Deeley, especially in that she towers over most dancers and oddly pronounces certain words.
** Guest judge Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
** Season 10 winner Fik-Shun often smiled, winked, and pulled face at the audience, and it worked perfectly. When he returned in season 11 for an all-star dance with Zack, it was part of the choreography.

*** Played straight in their respective solos, with Travis' solos being primarily raw technical power with minimal emotional performance, where Benji's mostly relied on fun, lighthearted performance and audience connection, to make up for not having a partner.

* AnnoyingLaugh: Mary's laugh is enough to grate on your ears from time to time.

** That was bucc!

* NoIndoorVoice: ''Oh'' boy, Mary sure likes to scream a lot.

* CatchPhrase: Mary Murphy's "Hot Tamale Train" for dances she really likes.

* CatchPhrase: Mary Murphy's "Hot Tamale Train" and her over the top screaming for dances she really likes.

Season 12 made a considerable departure from previous seasons' formats. First is the departure once more of Mary Murphy from the show. Secondly, pop star Jason Derullo and Paula Abdul joined Nigel Lythgoe as permanent judges throughout the audition process and entire season, with no guest judges. Most notably, the format was referred to as "Stage vs. Street." Team Street consisted of 10 dancers representing various hip-hop genres (krump, breakdance, animation, etc.); and Team Stage, which consisted of 10 dancers representing contemporary, ballet, tap, etc. Each team had a returning All Star as a captain, Team Street led by tWitch, and Team Stage led by Travis Wall.

* NoIndoorVoice

** As [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN5tqkfcLJE seen here]], where it also counts as a CrowningMomentOfFunny

* EasyModeMockery: Occasionally, dances will be panned by the judges for not being challenging. Quite often, they're Broadway routines, which often rely on personality instead of ability.

** According to Nigel, the same could be said for her choreography.

* TakeThat: There have been so many dancers from this show who have gone on to be featured in ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'' that Nigel remarked that the show should be renamed ''Dancing With the Stars of "So You Think You Can Dance"''

* MsFanservice: Many

* EasyModeMockery: Occasionally, dances will be panned by the judges for not being challenging- quite often they're Broadway routines, which often rely on personality instead of ability.

* RetCon: Sometimes Nigel doesn't let the facts get in the way of a good story. He fell in love with the idea of an "untrained" dancer winning during season four, and talked as if Joshua was this, even though it was pretty clear that Joshua had had a lot of training. (And certainly the judges would have known for sure.) This was especially galling since Joshua already had a heartwarming, inspiring, and ''truthful'' story (namely, his perseverence in dance despite growing up in football-crazed Texas).

** Season 4 had Chelsea/Chelsie and Kourtni/Courtney. Ironically, it was the only season in the first eight without a girl named Ashley or some variation of the name.