So You Think You Can Dance judge Jason Gilkison thinks he might be getting as much out of the reality show as the contestants.
Gilkison, who has his own dance company Burn The Floor and spends most of the year working on two international reality shows, says it's refreshing to watch emerging artists.
The Australian choreographer says a benefit of working on the Network Ten series is watching and learning from new routines and moves, no matter how small or different they are.
"I find choreography is a two-way street," Gilkison tells AAP.
"Coming back here is kind of refreshing because you do learn and see what is possible."
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Gilkison spends about eight months a year working on the hit UK reality series Strictly Come Dancing. He also works on the US series of So You Think You Can Dance.
He is back in Australia to be on the judging panel of the Network Ten series, alongside Paula Abdul, Aaron Cash and Shannon Holtzapffel.
Gilkison says Australian dancers are admired internationally because they're prepared to push boundaries to get noticed.
Because there are so few opportunities to make a decent living out of dancing here, Australian performers keen to stay in the industry often need to make an impression overseas.
"The dancers are so courageous because they come up with their own stuff, and you can always tell an Aussie dancer auditioning in New York because they just put it out there," Gilkison says.
He expects to see some envelope-pushing routines on Thursday's show, thanks to a twist in the series' format.
The remaining dozen dancers - six men and six women - have been paired with same-sex partners for the first time in the show's history.
It will change the dynamic and the requirements of their routines - something that Gilkison thinks might favour the males.
"It's particularly easy for the men, when you think hip-hop or urban, or for the Broadway routines if you think Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire dancing together.
"When you have a guy and girl dancing they highlight the other, but this way (same-sex partners) you are going to able to judge them directly against each other."
He expects emotion will take a back seat to power and energy in Thursday's choreography.
"They have done a lot of emotional scenes until now, and obviously they can't do a romantic routine or a boy-girl routine, so it's going to push the choreography as well," he said.
*So You Think You Can Dance airs on Thursdays at 7.30pm on Network Ten
