Sabra soars: America thinks you can dance

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‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ which just wrapped up its third installment, grows in popularity every season, which is a good thing because it might be the best competition show on prime-time television. On what other program are viewers treated to a pool of talented contestants working as hard as they can on a beautiful art form, knowledgeable and caring judges, and noteworthy performances each and every week?

This season’s winner, Sabra Johnson, typified everything that is wonderful about the show. A powerhouse pixie who only began dancing four years ago, she brought sparkle to the stage with every performance, whether in a spicy disco routine, a moody hip-hop number or her joyous solo dances. She may be most known for her petiteness, short Afro hairstyle or the way she leaped about the stage as if it had less gravity than Earth. But her workhorse personality made her easy to root for. She may not have been the biggest goofball or diva or sexpot, but that was never a liability, which says a lot about her talent and the show.

Like any TV competition, though, the ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ finale came with its low points as well as its highs. We saw no shortage of clip reels and slow-motion tears, plus the obligatory useless celebrity cameo as judge Nigel Lythgoe gave a nod to one of his favorite dancers ... Paula Abdul (not surprising since Lythgoe also produces ‘American Idol’ and Abdul did apparently dance once upon a time before she was famous for other things).

Many viewers were actually looking forward to the promised dance between Glamazon host Cat Deeley and wise-guy judge Lythgoe (who has a dance background), but were given the old bait and switch with a silly, not even funny Jibjab.com video. The episode ended abruptly in an explosion of confetti as Sabra was announced the winner, denying runner-up Danny Tidwell -- and the audience -- his moment of reflection upon the season: a handsome, graceful, proud dancer, he would have been perhaps the most touching to watch.

Perhaps the most egregious addition was the performance of Nicole Scherzinger from ‘The Pussycat Dolls.’ It seemed like a slap in the face to the actual talented individuals on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ to have to share the stage with someone who mainly gave the audience stomping and heavy breathing. It would be nice if such singers, meanwhile, at least tried to perform songs that didn’t rely so much on heavy mixing and backup vocal tracks. Even if Bette Midler didn’t give it her all on ‘American Idol’s’ season finale, at least she seemed to be doing it live.

However, the majority of the finale provided plenty of what audiences have come to expect: lots of fun. Instead of relying on the hall of shame moments of the open auditions, as ‘American Idol’ does, some of the most memorable first-round contestants were brought back, including a male clog dancer who unexpectedly brought glamor and attitude to the genre. The choreographers and judges reflected upon their favorite moments of the season, and some of the most noteworthy performances were given encores, such as breakdancer Hok Konishi and lyrical dancer Jaimie Goodwin’s beautiful hummingbird and flower contemporary dance and the jazzy yet full-of-attitude West Coast swing performed by hip-hop girl Sara VonGillern and ballroom dancer Pasha Kovalov, as choreographed by last year’s winner Benji Schwimmer.

The finale, for those tuning in (very) late in the season, served up a visual montage of all the talent the show has to offer, but also gave the top 20 contestants a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. Third runner-up (and sister to Benji) Lacey Schwimmer exemplified the grit and spark the dancers brought to the stage: She couldn’t help the tears streaming from her eyes when she was eliminated, but she grinned as she cried, and she meant it.

-- Claire Zulkey

(Photo: Kevork Djansezian / AP)