Opening Credits over the Years

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The major overhaul of the opening credits prompted me to ponder which opening credits I liked the best.

 

S1 credits: I think this is my favorite because they showed a variety of different dance styles and dancers.

 

S4 credits: These are mostly the same as S1 but they added more recent clips from routines in the background:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNs81Yy9j7Q

 

S6 credits: To be honest, I really disliked this set of credits because as much as I liked Jeanine Mason, I did not need to see her and Kayla featured through out the entire opening credits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE8XkAwmBas

 

S11 credits: this is the biggest overhaul they've done to the credits since S6.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elQ_EVKQzMs

 

As I said in the audition thread, this intro reminds me a lot of a routine done by a Japanese dance company:

 

I think the S1 credits will always be my favorite because you could tell who each dancer was and each little shot showed a specific style of dance so there was a lot of variety overall. I didn't like when they changed the credits in S6 to add all the footage of Jeanine wearing that black foofy skirt and Kayla. I know she won S5 and all, but who else got to have that much air time in the opening credits? Plus I felt like they kept showing Jeanine in a similar position.

 

The reason I dislike the S11 credits is that again, they found something they like and they used it several times in the credits. Do we really need to see girls launching themselves into the air three times in 30 seconds? One would suffice. I also don't like that I feel like we are getting poses and moments instead of clips of dancing. I don't know if that makes sense, but watching this version doesn't make me want to dance the way that the other intros from previous seasons do. And as cool as the mathematics and graphics are, I find them a bit distracting because I'm trying to read all the angle numbers instead of watching the (very little) dancing that they are showing.

 

These were the only opening credits I could find on youtube, so if anyone else finds better versions (or others that I didn't find), feel free to post them here.

Edited June 2, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Princess Sparkle]

S6 credits: To be honest, I really disliked this set of credits because as much as I liked Jeanine Mason, I did not need to see her and Kayla featured through out the entire opening credits.

 

 

I hate the S6 credits, just because I thought it was extremely douchy to have Ade and Phillip (even though I like both) in them over Evan, considering they had the other top 4 dancers in the opening.  I mean, I know Nigel didn't really want Evan in the top 4 to begin with, but I found it asinine they didn't include him.

[ToxicUnicorn]

What a great way to start a thread, ElectricBoogaloo.  Thanks for all the links.

 

I loved the S1 credits for the same reason: you could see the dancers doing their thing clearly, and it was inspirational.  I loved the S4 credits, too.  By that time, my enthusiasm was at an all-time high and a remake of the credits felt earned and joyful.

 

The S6 credits felt like a slap in the face.  They threw out all the references to the older seasons, which had built my loyalty to the show.  Kayla was my favorite girl that season, but I had no need to see her that much, and it felt like they were shoving the others in my face.  Also, a big boo to having so much of the credits filmed specifically for the credits and not taken from performances on the show.  Those credits just served to create distance for me, although I got used to them.  

 

These new credits are so different, so much slicker and more startling.  I think I like them, though!  Frankly, I've thought the last few seasons have been so bad that anything that changes up the direction and signals that the show might still have some life left in it seems hopeful to me.  I really like that there's more ballroom in these, and that they are emphasizing highlights from actual performances.  I like that we're seeing pairs, individuals, and even a little group work - it's much more representative of the show.  I also like that there are some all-stars included ... instead of feeling like it's completely divorced from previous seasons, it gives a feeling of more continuity.

 

The more I think about it, the more I give this new set a big thumbs up.

[NextIteration]

I like the new ones a lot as well, but the originals will always be my favorite.  I'd have been fine with them doing the "originals" every year featuring that season's Top 20 too, the Season 6 change was annoying as it lasted so very long and was so season specific.  The reason I was fine with the originals is that they were representative of so many styles of dance.

[romantic idiot]

I really love the Season 11 credits. It made me feel for the first time I've understood what the judges mean when the talk about dance, and the beautiful symmetry they've highlighted. 

 

Having said that, I still mourn (and have been mourning for 5 years) the loss of the Season 1 onward credits, which they'd edit every season for clips of the previous one. i remember waiting for Season 7 to see what they made of Season 6, and nothing. Boo to that. I'm glad that's over at least. Though they've basically decided to do away with a choreographer and just used clips and a good editor this time. 

[shimarella]

I was a little startled by the S11 changes at first but its cool and interesting. Just as you think they are taking The Physics of Dance, Y'all! thing too seriously, they end with FikShun flexing his pecs and getting the geometry stats on that, so I ended up laughing :)

[netlyon2]

I'm definitely down with the new credits, but those dancer-cutout transitions need to go! They're so odd and abrupt.

[Kromm]

You know, whatever they do, they're never gonna make the phrase "Shoobie Doobie Doo Dance" into a "thing" though!

 

That said, it's miles better than the Idol music.

[Anothermi]

You know, whatever they do, they're never gonna make the phrase "Shoobie Doobie Doo Dance" into a "thing" though!

 

That said, it's miles better than the Idol music.

Have they been trying to make that phase a thing?  I didn't notice.  What I have noticed is that dancing to that phase at the end of many/most DFYL bits has been a "thing" and may not even be gone now (we just don't get as many DFYLs).  I don't remember when the show stopped adding the "dance, dance, dance" ending, but the contestants continued to choreograph movement for it - and not just in the US.  They've done it in Canada and Australia too. It's one of those things you hear even when it's not there.  

[romantic idiot]

I thought it was So You Think You Can Dance? So that shows how deaf I am. 

[Anothermi]

I thought it was So You Think You Can Dance? So that shows how deaf I am. 

 

Hee!  I wasn't sure if the poster was being literal about the words or was referring to the musical "phrase" which is why I asked if anyone was trying to make a "thing" of it.  The musical phrase has definitely been made a "thing" in my mind - to the point of the "dance, dance, dance" part being heard and danced to even when it's not there.   Otherwise, I don't actually know what the poster means by "Shoobie Doobie Doo Dance".  

 

I guess I wasn't clear. 

[tvloserlife]

This is actually the first time I have heard anyone other than my husband say "shoobie doobie doo dance"!  I didn't know if it was a thing - they are definitely saying "so you think you can dance" but I know my husband always hears it the other way.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This video reminds me of the opening credits!

[poppy-]

So nice to see the S1 credits! I don't know how many years it's been but I can still remember the contestants.  That's Blake,  Ryan, Jamal,  Artem, Allan (!! last and only obese dancer, sadly), Kamilah, Snow, Ashle, plus two guys I don't remember.  No Nick (not there that day?) and that blonde B-Boy wasn't on the show.  It would be wonderful if every year was a showcase of the top dancers.

[Anothermi]

I didn't notice it last episode, but I see we've got another version of the opening credits. That makes, what, four different versions?

This is the 1st one since Season 1 where the current dancers/participants are featured in the credits.

ElectricBoogaloo has 5 different ones listed in the opening post, but the changes by Season 4 were only to highlight the previous year's cast in the screen behind the S01 dancers.

The Season 6 changes WERE controversial and they were my least favourite. I always believed it was a way of compensating the cast of S05 for having their year of fame cut short by the misguided foray into Fall prime-time for Season 6. S05 didn't get their own tour and Janine was "Winner" for only a few months. I hope they got residual payments every time the thing showed, but somehow I doubt it. I, too, was pissed off that Evan was left out.

I was good with the Season 11 changes mostly for the geometry tie-in.  I'm not sure why they've decided to make the change this year. It's occurred every 5 years to this point, but this year only make 4 years since the last change. Don't like them as much. They're monochrome (black & white) and, at least at present, I can't tell one dancer from another easily.

I'm getting the "compensation to the participants" feel from this. It feels like a goodbye statement. But I don't know anything and would still enjoy the shadow of the-show-this-used-to-be over no show at all.

[Jobiska]

Yeah, my son had to tell me the last words were "So you think you can dance-dance-dance-dannnnnce" and not "shoobie doobie doo dance....." too.  Glad I'm not alone!

[crowceilidh]

I think part of the change is reluctance to show last season's participants. which would be confusing in the larger picture.

[SyracuseMug]

On 8/17/2017 at 5:44 PM, Anothermi said:

The Season 6 changes WERE controversial and they were my least favourite. I always believed it was a way of compensating the cast of S05 for having their year of fame cut short by the misguided foray into Fall prime-time for Season 6. S05 didn't get their own tour and Janine was "Winner" for only a few months.

Season 5 had a tour. I attended the show in Newark, NJ, and was lucky enough to get a backstage pass for the meet & greet arranged personally by Janette. During the season, I befriended some of her family members on a message board. It turned out that they had been following my posts for months, and appreciated the fact that I'd been a huge Janette fan since her audition in Season 4. So that evening in Newark has always been a wonderful memory.

Anyway, it was the cast of Season 6 who missed out on a tour, although Kathryn and Russell were able to join the Season 7 tour. Kathryn because she had been an S7 all-star, and Russell ostensibly because he was the winner of S6.

I might add that I hated the S6 changes to the opening credits as well; and that cavernous new stage didn't help matters any.

[Anothermi]

Thanks for setting me straight, SyracuseMug. I remember now. I did think the new credits for S06 were a kind of compensation for the short "reign" of S05 but then it turned out that the cast of S06 got the short end of the stick! I still don't understand how that came to pass.

Lucky you with your S05 tour experience. I probably read the thread with posts about the tour, but my memory requires help from Wikipedia now and I didn't bother looking it up before I posted. Mores the pity.

[realdancemom]

I might be remembering wrong but I thought the kid season had their own opening.  It featured the kids and it was really colorful.  So it was a contrast to this year's opening.  I also remember a lot of bubble messages that showed Twitter messages.  By bubble messages, I'm talking about something that you would see in comics and I'm not sure what the exact term is called.  The bubble messages might be during the show and not during the opening.  Does anybody else remember this?

[Anothermi]

Hee. I remember reading that many posters were annoyed by that pandering to social media. I do vaguely remember what you are describing, but I spent more time reading about that season than watching it. I'd youtube any dance that sounded interesting.

So that would make 6 different opening Credits to date (if you don't include the tweaks added to the S01 credits in S04.) Maybe they decided it wasn't a good idea to remind viewers of what the show used to be?

Personally, I blame Fox for the most egregious changes.  >.<

[Mumbles]

I gotta say I have always found the credits of this show really cheesy, esp the song. Very public access cable.

And the title of the show is unnecessarily confrontational. I missed the first few seasons in this show because I misunderstood the title to be about people who really can't dance but think they can either being mocked for their lack of skills, or being taught how to dance. It didn't help that the commercials for the first few seasons would show deluded people at auditions fighting with the judges about their lack of skills (a la bad American Idol auditions, which I also hate.)