SYTYCD Season 4 Top 20 Chosen 6/05/08

SYTYCD Announces the Top 20
Who Are the Top 10 Guys and Girls to Vote On?
FOX 8/7c Thursday 6/05/08

Tonight’s showdown was full of surprises right from the start. The dancers who were invited to Las Vegas were in for the toughest week of their dancing lives. Over three hundred kids started the Las Vegas auditions to compete for twenty spots by completing five rounds of choreography. Talk about grueling.

The choreography was broken into categories, and dancers were cut after each session. First Hip Hop, then the Fox Trot, followed by a 5 person group performance (choreographed by the group), a Mia Michaels Contemporary routine, and for the few that were left, a solo in their own style. I was tired just typing all of that!

The shockers started right off with Popper Robert Murraine of YouTube.com fame pulling out of the competition before it really started. I did not expect Robert to make it to the Top 20, most Hip Hop and Poppers don’t, but I did expect him to try. Nigel Lythgoe called Robert to the stage when he heard the buzz about him wanting to quit and asked if he would like to solo for the judges. Mr. Murraine gladly obliged and wowed us again, Mia Michaels told him, “You’ve been given a gift, don’t ---- on it!” Robert chose to leave the tryouts, not wanting to hold a partner back.




Several Hip Hop and Poppers did make the final cut, including two of my favorites Joshua Allen and his friend from Dallas, TX, Comfort. Both were worried beyond words prior to the Fox Trot choreography, they should not have been. Graceful to the core, they looked like they were born to ballroom dance.

Stephen “Twitch” Boss was a favorite to go straight through to the television Top 20 from the start. On Season 3 of SYTYCD, Twitch made it to the final two guys before losing to Hawk (so he came in 21st ). He took the year and got some professional training, boy did it pay off, he did go straight to the Top 20.

Debbie Allen sat in on tonight’s SYTYCD judging, but will not be asked to continue. What? Debbie Allen got cut? Well, sort of. Her protégé, William Wingfield a hugely talented Contemporary dancer, was accepted into the Top 20. Nigel Lythgoe explained that to assuage any thoughts by the public about Ms. Allen being involved and knowing a contestant personally, she would step aside and let him dance. “Now you are representing Tennessee and Debbie Allen”, Nigel told William.

In the same sort of position was Kelli Baker. Her mother is famed choreographer Bonnie Story, of High School Musical. Kelli was in the movie in a supporting role. I and many of the remaining contestants voiced that though Kelli was every bit strong enough on her own dancing merits, her mother’s fame may have been her downfall. Kelli Baker was not chosen for the Top 20 with really no explanation from the judges. She will still be a professional dancer, obviously.

Brandon Bryant was the other big shocker of the evening for me. I still can not believe they picked Hip Hop dancer Gev over Brandon’s Contemporary brilliance. Brandon took the news like a man, stating he would definitely be back next year. I guess thinking about it may have been his build that was his downfall. While absolutely gorgeous and all muscle, sometimes the bulk is hard for a partner to cope with. I can’t wait to see what Brandon Bryant brings to the SYTYCD stage next year.

The So You Think You Can Dance judges are:
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy

Choreographers:
Mia Michaels
Dan Karaty
Tabitha & Napoleon
Jean Marc Genereaux
Tyce Diorio
Mandy Moore

And the So You Think You Can Dance - Season 4 Top 20 are:
Gev M.
Kourtni L.
Joshua A.
Raven A.
Matt D.
Courntey G.
William W.
Katee S.
Twitch B.
Kherington P.
Jamie B.
Chelsie H.
Chris J.
Jessica K.
Mark H.
Susie G.
Marquis C.
Chelsea T.
Thayne J.
Comfort F.

Live shows start next Wednesday, see you there!



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Here's how it all went down, enjoy!

SYTYCD Auditions Go To Charleston and Washington D.C. 5/29

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of SYTYCD Week 2 Auditions
Charleston and Washington D.C.
FOX Thursday 8/7c 5/29

Tonight the crew from So You Think You Can Dance took the auditions to Charleston and Washington D.C. Gaining another talented group of under 30 year old dancers (age seems to be a theme this year).

The good ones were, as always, phenomenal. The bad were, as usual, appalling. The ugly speak for themselves.

Most notable SYTYCD Charleston audition, or actually auditions, would have to be twin brothers Anthony and Antwain Hart. Antwain came out first and did a freestyle club type disco solo that failed to impress anyone. I could tell he was a good dancer and so the judges stated, but he looked thoroughly amatuer. His identical twin brother Anthony stepped out on the SYTYCD audition stage next and performed a well rehearsed hip hop routine that showed all of his strengths.

The judges were amazed at the difference in the Hart brothers, and Anthony explained that Antwain had not shown his best performance ability. Nigel Lythgoe called Antwain back to the SYTYCD stage and had them do a number together. They were great!



Other SYTYCD contenders for the Las Vegas ticket included:

Sheila Kaiser, 18, from Atlanta, Georgia.



Jeremiah Hughes, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Excellent!



B.J. Harris is a student from the Performing Arts School in New York. The school principal held a fund raiser to get the money to send B.J. Harris to the SYTYCD auditions in Charleston. B.J. Harris should come back next year for the SYTYCD auditions because he was good, he just couldn't get the choreography.



Courtney Galiano from New York had an incredible lyrical/modern audition. She traveled to Charleston with two of the coolest, loving grandparents that I've ever seen. Courtney earned a ticket to Las Vegas without waiting for choreography.



Claire Calloway returned this year after a making it to Las Vegas in season 2 of SYTYCD, then injuring her ankle/foot. She spent time with her new baby during season 3, the judges had told her they would put her right through if she auditioned. So now she had to really prove herself. She did not, at first. Nigel Lythgoe did finally give Claire Calloway a ticket to Vegas this season, but it was almost begrudgingly.



Now for the bad auditions, skip down or avert your eyes if you can't take it!

I'll start with Abigail Furman, while not a good dancer, what a great sport. Abigail was sadly one of those that did not know she sucked. Until confronted by the judges, then reality hit. When Abigail referred to herself as a loser, Nigel Lythgoe responded, " You're not a loser, you're just a shitty dancer!...but you are a great sport."

Stay tuned for video!

Erin Mansour & John Tabarian

Stay tuned for video!

Syddah King



Shamika Robinson

Stay tuned for video!

Jason Looney (the name says it all!)



And then it was on to the capital city, Washington D.C., where the SYTYCD auditions seemed endlessly filled with bad to marginal auditions. Then, finally, came the standouts.

The most notable of the D.C. auditions is definitely Brandon Bryant. The now 18 year old dancer first auditioned for the show in season 1, the problem was Brandon was only 15 (clearly for this competition you must be 18). Brandon's mother pointed out that he was under age, and made him apologize and back out. Look at him now!



Megan Campbell, on her first audition ever, did a phenomenal comtemporary routine that wowed the judges into a trip to Vegas. Megan told Nigel Lythgoe that her aunt was with her and lined up the audition, he went and gave the aunt a hug and kiss!



Marcus Shield was dancing in memory of his mother. He lost her close to Christmas and it obviously upsets him to this day. That wound heals so slowly. Marcus auditioned an excellent hip hop routine, but looked angry during the performance. Nigel Lythgoe picked up on the emotions and was not convinced about Marcus, so he sent him to choreography. Thankfully, Marcus Shield pulled it together and got his ticket to Las Vegas.



Showing off their D.C. Swing talents were Marcus Smith and Deonna Ball.



Anthony Bryant is a talented young man with a great big chip on his shoulder. You can sense it in every step he takes, he dares you to judge him. There is no passion for the music, it's sad.



And then there was Derek "Dancing D" Bradley. Let's just say... well watch.

Stay tuned for video!

See you next week for another round of on the road auditions for Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance.

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Here is the whole video story as it becomes available: