So, given my obsession with all things dance, it’s no surprise that I love Fox TV’s So You Think You Can Dance, not least because i get to hear the dulcet tones of fellow Midlander, Cat Deeley twice a week. Oooh, those flat vowels and unfortunate abbreviations, like music to my ears. And she has some nice outfits too. Anyway, i digress…

So. The dancing. I LOVE. That’s a given. Mia Michael is a twisted genius and i love her too. I’ve watched some of my favorite routines on You Tube millions of times, and we all know which ones i mean. Even this season’s Mia moments are already classics, such as the infamous ‘butt’ number a few weeks ago. I mean. Really. Genius.

But for me, what makes the dancing really spectacular is the amazing choice of music, which for any choreographer, has to be the heart and soul, the starting point, and the end point for any routine. Get the music right, and even the simplest choreography can sing, or the most complex story be eloquently told. And watching four seasons of the show has made me huge fans of songs that i would never have discovered by myself, that make me go straight to iTunes while i’m watching the show, or that make my boyfriend go, “really? we have to listen to that now?”. Case in point Celine Dion. And i’ll explain! really, let me explain. It was just that one song, that one time… Even the most generic R&B can be elevated in your mind by a great routine, or the weirdest track will suddenly make perfect sense. That’s the beauty of the show and one of the reasons I get so crazy about dance and musicality.

So, for fun, here are a few of my favorite dance/music pairings from SYTYCD. Don’t be a hater – you know these routines were made by the music choice. What were some of your highlights? (Click the link to watch the YouTube video of each routine).

1) “Calling” by Celine Dion. Don’t judge! Just watch this beautiful number and tell me I’m wrong. Mia’s Emmy winning routine. – http://tr.im/sJmn

2) “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles. From this season, Mia AGAIN

3) “Belief” (Stripped version) by Gavin DeGraw. Yep, Mia again. This time just in qualifying rounds though, so no YouTube link

4) “Sexy Love” by Ne-Yo. Yes, a generic R&B love song. Made memorable by the sweetest ever hip hop routine.

5) “Sexy Back” by Justin Timberlake. A very obvious track, but not an obvious routine from Wade Robson. Sadly, no link available, but safe to say, it had a satisfying touch of the macabre, which i’m always a fan of. If we need a little macabre, check out this Wade Robson routine, which i love for it updated Thriller moves

What do you think? Did i miss any obvious magical pairings out?