Excuse me if I get a little too excited and do a happy dance of my own now that Fox’s So You Can Think You Can Dance is back! It’s the 15th season and we’re quite a bit away from the finals when you’ll have odds as to who you think might win, but for now, we can enjoy some of the auditions.
So here are some highlights of this week’s edition:
Twitch is a judge! He’s a former contestant on SYTYCD and mentor and now he’s a judge. Sweet. I think he’s going to be a better judge than Vanessa Hudgens, who doesn’t say one negative word. Wow, it’s been 10 years?
Weirdly, So You Think You Can Dance also opens with a montage to “This is Me,” one of my favorite songs ever from The Greatest Showman (America’s Got Talent did the same recently). We’re starting in Beverly Hills where the dancers try to get to the Academy. No choreography round this year! If you don’t go through, you’re going home. Wow, that’s a switch.
Marina Mazepa, 20 years old from Ukraine, opens the show with a Cousin It impersonation? Or some sort of funky interpretative dance? It takes her a while to show her face. Weird, but kind of mesmerizing. My husband said “she’s in the wrong competition” and doesn’t believe it’s dance. Nigel said the whole concept was amazing. Vanessa calls it performance art. Judges: All four judges say yes.
Well, that's one way to make an entrance. 😎 #SYTYCD pic.twitter.com/okgrM7QgAK
— SYTYCD (@DANCEonFOX) June 5, 2018
Gaevin “Rated G” Bernales, 18, from Las Vegas, Nevada: A breakdancer, G talks about how he was inspired by Twitch. Kid is great and has great control of his body. Twitch: The confidence you bring is second to none. I would love to see you package the moves a little more, but still strong. Mary: I still feel like you held back a bit, but for 18 you are super talented. Judges: All four judges say yes.
The threesome of Marcus Nyemcheck, Magda Fialek, and Allen Genkin are up next and are doing a salsa. Marcus is Kiki’s brother from last year. Allen tried out for season 12 and got injured and couldn’t keep going. Her hair getting in her face was driving me a bit crazy. It’s good, but I feel like they had so many moments they could’ve added something other than slow walking. Of course, Magda has sex appeal, so that helps. Mary: Allen you have improved. Magda, you are the ‘it’ girl. Nigel: Allen, your dancing is sharp. Marcus, your dancing was too quiet for me. Even though they thought Marcus was weaker, they all got passes.
A montage of ballroom dancers who got through So You Think You Can Dance shows next.
Apparently, no one has come further to audition than Taylor Haines from Anchorage, Alaska, who is up next. She is missing half a leg from a genetic disorder. I think she’s a beautiful dancer. Vanessa: Your extensions are so beautiful. Twitch: Thank you so much for the inspiration; we all feed off of that. Mary: It’s a no for me, because I think you’re not strong enough yet. The other judges agree, and she doesn’t get through.
Jay Jackson, a drag queen, is up next in heels I could never wear. The choreography isn’t so great, but she has the abilities. Nigel: You made my eyes water three times. Vanessa: You have an amazing spirit. Twitch: I’m proud of the confidence of which you represent your community, but the jazz isn’t strong. Vanessa says yes, Twitch says yes. Mary says yes and she gets through. Nigel is shaking his head.
YAS GAWD @LaganjaEstranja!!! You bettah twirl on ‘em, Queen!!! Rooting for you!!! #SYTYCD #DragRace https://t.co/0GB5sQRPm1
— RuPaul’s Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) June 4, 2018
Alexis Gilbert, 23, is back this season after auditioning last year. She was on Jenna’s team, but got cut. Her moves are very smooth. Twitch: You’ve just come back stronger. Nigel: When God created the human body, he didn’t even realize what you could do with it. She goes through.
Last is Eddie Hoyt, a tap dancer and I love tap dancers. Nigel stands up for his performance. Twitch loves his tap. They get into an impromptu fun ‘battle’ which absolutely is awesome. Love this kid. He goes to the Academy.
👞🕺👞 #eddiehoyt #SYTYCD https://t.co/Rdd9JzfpCC
— Mook®🦉 (@escribitionist) June 5, 2018
We’ll be bringing you more recaps of who got through as the weeks go by and we’ll be following the show all the way to the finals.
