Dancers take over the TV screen

By COLLEEN LONG

NEW YORK — Turn on the TV: There’s Comfort, lunging backward like it’s the forward thing to do, and Gev twirling on his head, b-boy style. Kourthi pirouettes bare foot as smooth as a turntable.

Switch channels: Football star Jason Taylor and his partner square off against figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi and her partner in a fast-break cha cha.

And if you graze again, you might find Mario Lopez introducing the kinetic moves of MTV’s dance crew competition.

Take your pick — there’s no shortage of dance on TV. Inspired viewers maybe even try out a move or two on the living room floor, or sign up for classes, secretly hoping that they, too, could hack it as a professional.

Dancing days are here again, and the ratings are soaring. Last week, for example, Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” lured 7.9 million viewers Wednesday night and 8.4 million viewers Thursday night, competing with opening night ceremonies for the Olympics on NBC, according to Nielsen Media Research. And for the two-night finale of “Dancing With the Stars” in May, 19 million people tuned in one night and 20 million the other.

Not since “American Bandstand” changed the after-school habits of teenagers in the 1960s, “Soul Train” kept kids in the house in the 1970s and “Dance Fever” dragged disco into the 1980s have so many hoofers had the chance to strut across the television screen. At least five different networks have been broadcasting dance competition shows in the past three years for both professionals and amateurs.

And Hollywood has jumped in with such movies as “Step Up,” “Stomp the Yard,” “Step Up 2 the Streets,” “Shall We Dance” and “How She Move.” Many of the latest films, such as “How She Move,” are set in downtrodden urban settings where characters dance their way to a better life.

The craze has even seeped into local studios where beginners are going in droves to learn everything from Martha Graham’s modern dance techniques to tango to hip-hop to fox-trot to tap.

Dance TV has been around for years, but why has America suddenly gone toe-tapping crazy?

Some say it’s the fascination with urban styles. Hip-hop and step is today’s version of break-dancing in the early 1980s, when movies, TV and music videos — not to mention city sidewalks — were flooded with dancers spinning on their backs and heads or doing the worm. Others say it’s just the latest reality TV craze, full of contestants and celebrities competing for something, whether a trophy or a husband.

Network executives and pop culture experts say it’s a combination of those forces, plus America’s obsession with being fit, that is making it the right time for dance.

“Dance shows always do well, but it has to be adapted for trends working on TV,” says Andy Cohen, a programming executive at Bravo. “Right now, the trend is competitive reality.” And they tend to follow the same reality TV formula: participants compete and someone is voted off the show each week until a winner (or winning couple or group) is crowned.

Without that trend, it’s not likely dance shows would have returned to vogue, pop culture experts say.

Originally, dance shows offered tips as well as entertainment. “Arthur Murray Dance Party,” taught by the famous dance couple Arthur and Kathryn Murray, offered full-on instruction in the latest dances so that people of all ages were prepared for a night on the town in the 1950s and 1960s.

During the days of “American Bandstand,” teenagers watched the show to learn the latest steps and pick up hip clothing trends. The program, hosted by Dick Clark, went off the air in 1987 after nearly 25 years. “Soul Train,” which has been around since 1970, still features the hottest in hip-hop and R&B.

The reincarnated dance show first appeared in 2005 with ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” where B-list celebrities learn how to ballroom dance with a professional partner. The show, where teams are eliminated each week and the winners get a trophy, caught fire and is the second-highest rated program with 20 million weekly viewers, behind only Fox’s “American Idol.”

“It’s quite a positive show. There’s not a lot meanness that may exist in other reality programming,” said “Stars” executive producer Conrad Green. “For a lot of people, it reminds them of the time when TV wasn’t so hostile.”

The seventh season premieres Sept. 22. Other networks have since jumped on the dance bandwagon. “So You Think You Can Dance,” on Fox, is in its fourth season, and is the “American Idol” for dancers. “America’s Best Dance Crew” is in its second season and is produced by Randy Jackson of “Idol” fame. “Dance Crew” is sort of like the Jets and the Sharks of “West Side Story.”

“You’re Mama Don’t Dance,” on Lifetime, showcased 10 professional dancers who faced off for $100,000 but had to dance with parents. And Bravo premiered “Step It Up & Dance,” where dancers learn all sorts of styles, judged by professional choreographers. The show just finished its first season.

Except for “Dancing With the Stars,” the programs are all geared toward younger viewers.

Bravo’s Cohen said the shows are so popular because dance is just plain fun to watch.

“Our show was really more about watching the creativity happen and contestants learning the choreography in a different sub-genre each week,” he said. “Dancers are dramatic and emotional and I think it’s really compelling to watch.”