I am Nigel Lythgoe, judge from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. Ask me anything.

• Which audition was the most memorable for you?
  
• Did any auditions or routines make you cry?
• Which dancers made you happy when they came back for another audition after being rejected?

Which audition was the most memorable for you?

SEX, New York.

Did any auditions or routines make you cry?

The breast cancer routine by Tyce D Orio brought me to tears.

Which dancers made you happy when they came back for another audition after being rejected?

Twitch! Came back three times. And I was delighted to see him every time. And now of course, I'm so proud that he is at the top of his trade and one of the main commercial dancers in this country.

Nigel, it appears that the contestants are told not to speak too much and sometimes it's tough to get a handle on their true personalities. Do you edit out some of their comments to keep the competition based solely on their dancing ability? A follow up: What is your most memorable thing edited out of the show?

Absolutely not. Most of the contestants that have won SYTYCD do so not just on dance ability, but also on personality. We encourage them to be charismatic. And the most memorable thing that was edited out? Probably the number of breasts popping out. For the auditions mainly. It's whatever they've come in.

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Yes, I was staging the actual video and the young lady that should have been in Johnny Logan's arms was getting made up, and so while we rehearsed it, I ended up being the young lady in Johnny Logan's arms.

Is Kat that nice in person?

Cat is even BETTER in person. The great thing about her is that she is interested in you, and rarely thinks about herself.

What do you think the people could do (aside from watch SYTYCD) to make sure we get more quality SYTYCD instead of other talent less reality show trash?

Tune in and watch SYTYCD! The more the ratings are high, obviously Fox will keep it on the air. At the end of the day, success breeds success for everybody. Fox needs the commercials to make money to pay for the program, and that's the fact of life, I'm afraid. Ratings mean the success or the failure of any program.

Thank you SO much for SYTYCD! Can't express how much I love seeing dance in the average home!

How do you go about choosing guest judges? Do you approach people you think would be good or do they contact you wanting to be on the show?

We approach people that we think will be good. We approach people that we think the audience would like to see. And at times, people contact me as well.

can we expect some more twitch appearances this season? or cyrus for that matter?

Yes, keep watching, they are both in the audition shows!

What's your favorite style of dance? Mine is Lindy Hop!

I suppose, this is a tough one. I love all forms of dance is my initial response. There's something to be said for each different genre. I've got to say ballet again, really. I love tap to death, again I can watch any majors. It's a really difficult question. I love all forms of dance. GOOD dancing. Ballroom, everything.

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Justin Timberlake.

I notice nobody has asked yet about the charity you co-founded, the Dizzy Feet Foundation. What made you decide to get involved in this way, and what are some of the success stories you have seen from this organization?

I saw so many richly talented kids that we couldn't use for SYTYCD that i wanted to try and help. Since arts in the curriculum for education is no longer there, and they don't get a great deal of time to show their talents, not everybody is great at tests, so I wanted to try to find a way of helping them. So we got scholarships together for them, and with the Dizzy Feet foundation as well, we got community projects where we try to help out local community dance projects and get them the money. We've just taken 200 pairs of tap shoes to a school in New Orleans, and given another 100 pairs of tap shoes to a place called Home here in Los Angeles which deals with kids and after school projects.

Thank you for answering, and thanks for your work supporting the arts in communities and schools!

I believe that arts & education is exceptionally important. Every civilization is known for its arts and its wars. I think it's very important that we are remembered for our arts.

Will SYTYCD be available to stream this season? I'm a huge fan and would gladly pay to stream or download since we don't use cable anymore.

I don't know, to be honest with you. I know everybody asks me for DVDs, and I'm told it's just too expensive to clear the music, which is why we never see a SYTYCD DVD. It's a great show.

Thank you for your answer :) It's a fantastic show and so uplifting/positive. I truly love watching and am grateful to you for making it.

You are very kind.

IM SO EXCITED FOR SYTYCD do you have a favourite season?

Season 4 will always be remembered, because of the characters who were involved in it, Twitch and Joshua and so on.

How did you manage to quit smoking 60 cigarettes a day? Cold turkey?

I had a heart attack. I can recommend a heart attack to anybody who wants to give up cigarettes. As long as you survive the heart attack, you can give up cigarettes.

Do you still own your vineyard? What made you decide to purchase one?

It was a romantic dream. I still own it, I'm sorry. It was a romantic dream, I came from a poor background in Liverpool and all we had was a small backyard, and to own a vineyard is something very, very special to me.

What did being an EP on American Idol entail?

The choice of songs, the choice of contestants to be put through to see the judges, the choice of genres, the budget, the musical director, the employment of staff, really, you know, it was the show runner.

Do you still keep up with past contestants?

Only when I see them in shows and performances. It's really important that the judges do not become dear friends with contestants. We are not allowed to see them when we are not judging them. A number of them have joined the Dizzy Feet foundation, and we are colleagues in that.

What's your favorite part about doing the show?

The audition process. Seeing new talent, what's out there, and going 'round the country. And then watching somebody in the top 20 grow, and just get better before my very eyes.

So you think you can dance... As well as the contestants?

I've answered this, in no way, shape or form. Not now, not back in the day, never.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?

I no longer think I can dance. I remember rushing to see Rudolph Nureyev doing four or five pirouettes and being totally shocked by it. Now everybody can do between 10-12 pirouettes. It's amazing how dance has changed over the years.

Are England going to win the World Cup? :P

I'm in the car with my son here, so I'm going to get a reply from him on this one too - not in my lifetime! Hahaha! And he's a young man, and not in my son's lifetime either!

What do you plan to do beyond SYTYCD in the future?

I would like to do a documentary on Nureyev. I would like to do FAME, bring back the series of FAME. And I would like to do some broadway shows.

Thanks for doing this AMA, Nigel. Who would you say is your favorite dancer to compete on SYTYCD?

That changes every year. I'll only say from last season, and it was Fiction. He was so creative in what he did. I was never, ever expecting him to point his toes, but he continued to surprise me with his solos and his own interpretation of the music. But I loved Cyrus, I loved Twitch, I loved the invention of these characters rather than having formal training. They pushed themselves through these obstacles. I'm very proud of their creativity.

I am a huge car fanatic.

What is the fastest car you've ever owned? What was your opinion of it?

I suppose it was an S Type Jaguar. Smooth and fast.

Oh Nigel, as a car person I have to say I'm disappointed.

If Jaguar is your cup of tea, may I interest you in an F-type?

Or, if that's a bit too much flash, try a rapid but comfortable XFR.

I'm very happy with the car I have at the moment, which is a Rolls Royce.

What was the worst incident you saw where someone was injured in your whole time in SYTYCD?

I didn't actually see it, but I think it was a young man called Emilio last year, he was accepted into the top 20, and on the first day got kicked in the face, and his nose was shattered. And he was replaced by Aaron, who did so well.

What do you think the future of tap holds? Are there any new styles of dance that fuse tap and another style that we should be on the lookout for?

It's actually international tap dance week, this week. Tap dancing, I think, has become popular again, certainly now there's a lot of musicals that are including it. There's Newsies on Broadway, another show called After Midnight on Broadway, there's some great exponents of tap now, so I don't think we are going to lose it in any way, shape or form. I think it's becoming more popular. Obviously there's irish dance, which Michael Flatley brought to the fore with Riverdance, which was thrilling to watch.

What inspired you to create your show,and how did you pick your judges?

We pick our judges by people that we believe our audience would like to see. Christina Applegate, for example, Tara Lipinski, Misty Copeland, Paula Abdul, I mean tons of them, really.

What was the transition like between American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance? Was it pretty much the same judging or did you have to have a whole new perspective?

I think we had a whole new perspective, because as I previously mentioned, dancers are so passionate about what they do, and they have to dedicate so much of their live to dance. So I don't think you can dismiss them as easily as you can somebody who is totally tuneless, tone-deaf, and you certainly can't make fun of them. We try so hard to give constructive critiques, and not put downs. However sometimes people deserve a put down when they get too arrogant or too rude.

IHowever sometimes people deserve a put down when they get too arrogant or too rude.

That is wonderful to hear!

Good!

Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck?

It depends if the duck's name is Donald.

Fight a duck?! A giant duck?!?

How's the wine business going?

It could be a lot better! Really. But we have just completed building the actual winery. And Twitch and Allison got married at the vineyard.

Do you like your gig? I mean do you like your job? do you like being the head judge on SYTYCD?

I don't look on it as a job, and that's why I love it so much.

Do you keep in contact with some of the dancers that performed on this show?

I only keep in contact when I see them at performances. I don't have personal contact with them.

There are some very talented dancers out there. Another question: What do you like to do for fun?

Go and watch soccer, baseball, and play golf.

I'm a Liverpool FC fan as well. What did you think of their performance this season?

I thought Liverpool's performance was absolutely brilliant this season. I think if we improve our defense, we stand a very good chance of winning next year.

Do you feel that shows like Dancing With The Stars or Strictly Come Dancing more help or hurt the art of dance? Why do you feel that way?

I think any dance shows that celebrate dance are good for dance. Because they present additional opportunities for dance to be seen.

Be nice for a famous person to respond to my ama lol. Like your show! What made you decide to create it?

We had been successful with singing, and American Idol. And Simon Fuller suggested that we do something similar with dancing. I didn't believe we would be as successful as we have been. However, I'm thrilled. At the time that I created it, dance was not happening with America. DWTS was not there, there wasn't a single dancing program on the networks, so I was not sure it would be successful. I think what people saw in it was how athletic you have to be in order to dance nowadays, how dancers are so passionate, and how creative the choreographers are.

Other than judging, do you watch over the editing of the audition shows? Or do you leave that to other producers?

I watch the direction of it, I've got monitors by my side in every city that we go to. And then I go into the edit, and watch it being cut, yes. And then I cut out all of the times I look stupid.

What has been your favorite dance ever on SYTYCD

That is too tough a question! I have so many favourites. I think Mia Michael's Bench Routine, Tyce D Orio's breast cancer routine, Chris Scott's sand routine, Nappy Tab's Putting on the Ritz single camera routine were all outstanding. And I'm sure I've forgotten many more that I absolutely loved.

What is your guilty pleasure? Can't wait for SYTYCD! I've loved every season!

I suppose it's Liverpool Football Club. And the Dodgers. Which is where I'm going now.

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How much dancing do yo do regularly?

Very little.

How much training / working out do you do regularly, including things like yoga, stretching, core work (abs), etc?

I'm swimming, and golf, and pilates.

Who would you like to dance with (dead, hypothetically and alive) that you have never danced with ever?

Rita Hayworth!

What kind of dancing do you do for fun?

Old man's drunken dance.

Have you learned any new styles of dance recently that you're enjoying or finding challenging?

I've enjoyed watching puppetry, which you can see on this season's SYTYCD, a new form of dance, and I love animation.

What is currently your favorite dance piece to watch, either specific piece or type of dance?

I suppose it's ballet, to be honest.

Who is your current favorite dancer and choreographer to watch?

My favourite dancers are Fred Astaire, and Michael Jackson. And favourite choreographer, I suppose, would be Jerome Robbins.

Is there any choreographer you wish you had worked with?

Bob Fosse.

What is your personal favorite style of dance?

Ballet.

What is Victoria from Reddit like? She seems to handle a lot of this sort of business.

She's brilliant, thank goodness for her.

How well do you think you can Dance compared to the people on stage?

I don't. The people on the stage are far better dancers than I am now, or ever was.

Do you wear earplugs? Sitting next to the shrieking woman can't be good for your hearing!

No I don't. She rarely screams nowadays, only when she sees something really fabulous. And then I'm happy for her.

What is your favorite dance/dance song?

I think right now it's Happy by Pharrell, and Blurred Lines.

What is your favorite song to dance to?

Blurred Lines.

Hey! My family are huge fans!

No question; just send a shoutout to my wife, /user/gingertiger?

Hi /u/gingertiger! I hope you're going to watch our premiere tomorrow night at eight o'clock on Fox!

I will TOTALLY watch! I always do! The incredible athleticism of the men and women that are chosen for S.Y.T.Y.C.D. is something that inspires me, and makes me believe that anything is possible with enough effort. :)

Excellent.

How in the world are you able to sit next to that crazy lady that screams and yells all the time? I would want to shove a sock in her mouth. Is she paid extra to act like that?

She speaks from the heart, her emotions she wears them on her sleeve, and she cares a great deal and is passionate about the dancers. That matters to me a great deal. I will put up with people yelling in my ear, if they care as much as Mary Murphy.