May 13, 2026 3:11pm IST
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Ends After 18 Seasons: Lauren Gottlieb And Terence Lewis Discuss How It Impacted Dance Shows In India (EXCLUSIVE)
It's a wrap for the popular dance show “So You Think You Can Dance,” (2005-2024), which ran for 18 seasons on Fox Network. Rob Wade, Fox Network’s president, states that no new season is being planned anywhere in the near future. The reality show celebrated the dance and dancers on a large scale. Choreographer and actress Lauren Gottlieb, who was a contestant on the show 14 years ago, shares her memories with Variety India. From hip-hop to contemporary, she showcased a range of dance styles on “So You Think You Can Dance.” It also gave her a chance to meet her dance idol, choreographer Wade Robson, who worked with Britney Spears and NSYNC.
Lauren Gottlieb recalls, “My favorite performance was with my all-time favorite choreographer, Wade Robson. As a school kid, I kept his photos in my book. He choreographed my performance on “Waiting for the World to Change,” and the judges had such great things to say about my act.”
She also reveals how she ended up at the “So You Think You Can Dance” auditions at the last minute. Lauren, who was a dance teacher at Millennium Dance Studio in Los Angeles, was unaware of the upcoming auditions for the show. Lauren shares, “I had a dance assignment in the morning, so I wasn't going to be able to make it for the auditions early. Everyone would line up for the auditions at 5 am, but I could reach by 2 pm.”
Lauren prepared her dance routine for the audition overnight, but was the first to qualify for round two in Las Vegas. Her dance routines leading up to the main act were choreographed within a six-hour period.
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Reflecting on the cultural impact of the show, she says, “I think ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ was the start of dancers being stars and being respected in that aspect. I never looked back, and I don't think the world has looked back. There's still such a cultural importance to that show.”
She recalls around fans holding up placards for her when she was on a world tour with Remo D’Souza. She says most people in the crowd remembered her from “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Choreographer Terence Lewis, who was a judge on the Indian adaptation of “So You Think You Can Dance,” also endorses Lauren’s feelings about how the show put dancers on a pedestal, celebrating their craft. He says, “Heartbroken is the right word to describe my emotions on hearing this news. For me, as someone who has spent decades trying to elevate dance as a serious art form, the loss of a show like this is more than nostalgia. It was proof that the world wanted to watch dance done with rigor and soul. That proof matters. Every time a show like this disappears, we have to fight that battle again.”
He also praises how the team of “So You Think You Can Dance” never compromised on the scale of production, saying, “The choreography was genuinely ambitious — you’d see a contemporary piece that could hold its own in any theatre, right there in prime time. The show discovered talent that went on to become major stars — Ariana DeBose, Tate McRae, Witney Carson and Lauren Gotlieb, who has worked extensively in India.”
Terence feels the show was an inspiration to Indian shows like “Dance India Dance” (“DID”). He says, “I remember being very influenced by Mia Michaels and Travis Wall during DID seasons, alongside hip-hop pioneers Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo (Nappytabs) and Sonya Tayeh. They are celebrated for crafting emotional, Emmy-nominated routines that defined the show's legacy.”
He opines that “So You Think You Can Dance” exemplified how a show around dancing could be the main event and also created a foundation for dance shows in India. He says, “Its format was adapted in over 40 countries, and India was a part of that wave. ‘Dance India Dance,’ which I’ve been deeply associated with, carries that DNA. ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ and ‘Nach Baliye’ brought in the celebrity dimension, but kept dance at the centre. What I hope is that this cancellation doesn’t signal a global retreat from serious dance content because the audience is there. They always were.”
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