So You Think You Can Dance is an American
dance competition and
reality show that airs on
Fox in the
United States.
The series first premiered on July 20, 2005 and has a similar premise to the
American Idol series of singing competitions, with nationwide auditions leading to the discovery of the next big star. The show was created by
Idol's Simon Fuller and
Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and
Dick Clark Productions. A mixture of contestants are chosen for the show, ranging from unknown street dancers to winners of national championships. All contestants have to work their way through a rigorous audition process. By the end of this process, 20 dancers of various styles are chosen to compete on national television. Over the course of the show, dancers are assigned different dance styles and partners each week to test their versatility.