Ballroom Dance Channel

Good evening everyone, and welcome to So You Think You Can Dance – Phoenix Auditions.  Our judges for this Southwestern city are Nigel, Mary, and Mia Michaels.  Let’s see what kind of talent we have in Arizona!

Day 1 starts out with a pair of friends, Brandon and Demetrio, who go by the nicknames of Shorty and Biggie.  They can’t wait to show off their fun, energetic moves.  They do a Breakdance/Hip-Hop routine, which is very clever and has the judges laughing.  Nigel asks them how they met, and they tell him that Brandon dated Demetrio’s sister.  The judges all really enjoyed it, thinking that Brandon is the technically stronger of the two but together they make a great act.  Brandon and Demetrio are sent to the choreography round.

Next up is Sasha, who is very emotional because her whole family came to support her and she loves them so much.  She performs her routine with a folding chair, showing her true emotions and balletic moves.  The judges love her strong technical solo and say she is just beautiful.  Sasha is going to Vegas!

After Sasha we see two more girls that are superb dancers.  The judges love their personalities and technical abilities.  Katie and Ellie are both going to Vegas!

Allison is our next dancer, and she had Spinal Meningitis when she was 16 months old, which left her deaf.  She dances by feeling the rhythm and vibration of the music, and says you should never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something…just prove them wrong!  She performs a beautiful Contemporary routine filled with amazing moves.  Nigel tries to sign…then asks if Allison can read lips.  She can, so he tells her that if it wasn’t in his notes that she was hearing impaired, he never would have guessed it.  The judges love her face and eyes, and Mary is moved because Mary’s cousin had the same impairment and dreams of dancing and gave up…and she is also no longer with us.  Mary says that even though she is crying, Allison made her very happy.  Allison is sent to the choreography round to see how she does with a different number.

A pair of same sex dancers, Jacob and Willem, are up next.  They have won the U.S. title in same sex amateur ballroom.  Their routine is very dramatic and emotional and they dance well together and in sync.  The judges praise their great lines, strong passion, and great technique.  They decide to send them to the choreography round just to see how they dance with the girls, since they would have to do that if they made the Top 20.

Jonathan comes out to do his number, a fun routine with plenty of props.  The judges think he is entertaining, but not right for the show.  Jonathan is not moving on to the next round.

In Pasha and Anya’s choreography round, Demetrio finds that he cannot handle the ballroom moves and decides to quit.  After everyone else dances, Brandon is not moving on, but Allison, Jacob, and Willem are all going to Vegas…along with 12 other dancers.

We start Day 2 with Jarvis, who is really full of energy and EXTREMELY excited!  He does Hip-Hop with some popping and locking thrown in, and his routine is wild and fast.  The judges call it frantic but love his personality.  Mia especially loves how he danced right out of his shoes and smacked his own butt.  Jarvis is sent to the choreography round.

Following Jarvis, we see a great number of strange routines, causing the judges to think there is something weird in the Phoenix water system.  Then Kelsey comes out to dance, performing a strong Contemporary number.  Nigel decides to ask her if she’s ever been abducted by aliens…and she says just once!  Nigel loses it and walks off stage, leaving Mary and Mia to critique the performance.  They love her, and hear Nigel yelling from backstage that he’d like to see her go to choreography…so Kelsey is moving to the choreography round.

Nigel comes back to the judges’ table in time to see Jonathan, whose nickname is Legacy.  He learned to dance on the streets at age 15.  He shows off some super fast breaking and street dancing, even walking on his hands!  The judges think it was exciting and they love his personality and confidence.  Jonathan is going to Vegas!

In the choreography round, Jarvis collapses and the paramedics have to come to the stage.  He has an asthma attack and has to be helped off the stage, but is happy he made it as far as he did.  Once the rest of them dance, the judges decide that Kelsey is not moving on, but she was really close and should come back to audition next season.  5 of the dancers move on to Vegas.

Tune in next week when we get to see the Boston auditions.  Good night everybody..and keep on dancing!!!