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So You Think You Can join the Navy

Is the Australian Navy now using So You Think You Can Dance for recruitment promotions?

“Week after week our dancers must perfect new styles working with Australia’s best choreographers and each other, all of which requires stamina, perseverance and teamwork,” said Dance host Natalie Bassingthwaighte last night.

“This year we are delighted to have the support of the Australian Navy who share our values of teamwork, fitness and endurance. So before all our guys headed to Jason’s Melbourne Studio, we set our Top 20 an unusual challenge.”

A montage followed with the Top 20 dancers being put through the wringer with Navy trainers leading exercises, a mud run, high rope obstacles, and squirting them with water. The kind of stuff we watched on Stripes or G.I. Jane, really.

So does this mean the Australian Navy will now be using So You Think You Can Dance Australia for recruitment promotions?

If it was a paid sponsorship shouldn’t it be more clearly defined with a subtitle to separate it from narrative content? Dance has previously used Optus within the show to similar effect.

I found it a little hard to believe the Navy really shares the same values as dancers, Natalie, or was that just a thin blue line from writers to tie the show and the plug together?

But back to the show itself.

Thankfully, last night’s showcase, which allowed dancers to excel in their genre without the threat of being eliminated had some exhilarating dance. The two 18 year olds Issi and Robbie were inspiring with their contemporary routine.

Wouldn’t it be an awful shame if they were lost to the dance world to join the navy instead?

They want you, they want you, they want you as a new recruit…

19 Responses

  1. A sponsor is a sponsor.
    The Navy needs young people to enlist so they sponsor a show young people watch.
    McDonalds needs more young people to eat their “food” so they sponsor a show young people watch.

    There’s no difference whatsoever.

    1. It’s fine for the navy to sponsor the show. But when the product becomes part of the show’s narrative, without a clear ID, I think it’s on shaky ground. Next week dancers flipping burgers for Maccas?

  2. i think its a great move by both parts, the navy prob needs more young people coming in and dancers seem to be able to stick to something no matter how hard it is. good on them i say!

  3. I was pretty disgusted by the blatant Navy plug. People will join if they want to, don’t use a tv show to try and boost your falling recruitment numbers and send young people off to unjust wars.

    I have also had enough of the So You Think You Can Hear God references.

    Dance show people not a propaganda show..

  4. ““Good thing they are talking of repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy !!!!

    Really? I think it will destroy morale in the US Defence force.”

    Really Bill?

    This wouldnt be the same Bill Muehlenberg who is the head of Saltshakers – the Australian equivalent of the Westboro Baptist Church? No suprise you want to hijack the comments to push your own hateful ignorant agenda!

  5. Jed – they all danced, but they were all group performances – the boys all performed a dance choreographed by Jason, the girls did one together choreographed by Matt, then each dancer danced in their own genre – so for example, there were two hip hop/krump dancers, there were four jazz (I think) dancers, so there were lots of little group performances.

    I wonder if they’ll start with the subliminal, liminal and superliminal strategies to recruit –
    Lt L.T Smash: “Hey you, join the Navy”
    Lenny & Carl: “Ok”.

  6. The Billboards through the program stated that the Navy is a sponsor…..or were you flicking channels David?!

    I think you’re being a little bit harsh in your blog: stamina, discipline, flawless execution of a plan….there’s some obvious lines that can be drawn. It’s just the environment in which both of them operate in.

  7. The exercise was first revealed on The Sunday Telegraph last week. It seems that the dancers will do exercises with Navy personnel every Monday. I think last night’s footage was taken at HMAS Cerberus naval base near Hastings.

  8. lol @ Mike! thought the exact same thing.

    I don’t know David, dance can be pretty gruelling too lol
    but I must say the whole package looked out of place and blatant product placement.

  9. i really enjoyed last night ep, the amount of talent this yr is amazing. It was great to see a dance routine done by jason and matt, i liked jason’s better. It was kool aswell to have the ep like they did and have no voting, i am wondering since the elimination is on thursdays where they will fit it in with new svu on at 8.30 and biggest loser on at 7.30??

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