It was the year of blockbuster tours, from Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour to Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. But what would tours be without dancers?
This week, the So You Think You Can Dance dancers were asked to take their show on the road and take on the challenge of dancing on tour. “International touring is a multi-billion dollar industry,” said longtime host Kat Deeley. “And while it’s the headliner that makes the headlines, any superstar will tell you that it’s their dancers that keep the energy going in their performances.”
So how did our top 5 fare in their tour de force performance? Let’s find out.
We’ve made it to the top 5, everyone! And all these insanely talented dancers are one week closer to becoming America’s favorite dancers. They’ve dabbled in music videos, musical theater, movies — and in last night’s episode, they’ve gone on tour.
The dancers were joined by two iconic choreographers. Fullout Courtland and Kyle Hanagami. Between them, these choreographers have worked with everyone from SZA to Justin Bieber — which is to say, they’ve worked with all:. And the dancers also had the opportunity to work with another amazing artist, T-Pain!
Each dancer was asked to perform both routines. That means two sets of choreography, two sets of rehearsals and two performances, all in one week. This is the big leagues, folks!
The dancers jumped right into rehearsals for Fullout’s hip-hop performance and Kyle’s contemporary routine. Fullout chose Mariyah Hawkins for an extra-special moment front and center with T-Pain and the pressure was officially on.
In Kyle’s rehearsal, the pressure was just as intense, and it seemed to get a little to Madison Rouge Alvarado, who injured her hip during a break. But she said: “Even if it hurts, I wouldn’t let it affect my dancing.” We love the drive, but please, dancers, beware. Dancing through pain is not flexibility, we promise.
Finally it was time for the performances. And lo and behold, T-Pain has finally arrived at the “SYTYCD” studio! The dancers performed the Fullout routine alongside T-Pain and absolutely brought the house down. There was a quick minute for a quick change and then it was time for Kyle’s routine.
The judges were impressed with both performances and had feedback for all the dancers. Madison got a shout-out for dancing on her injured thigh (which we have mixed feelings about), and judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy told Dakayla Wilson that she was the absolute highlight of the performance. In the end, both Madison and Dakayla were revealed as safe, leaving Easton Maggiarditi, Mariah and Anthony Curley to dance for their lives and another week in the competition.
Easton’s solo was amazing as always and Anthony performed a routine that showed the judges his range. But Maria once again struggled with dancing out of her comfort zone and eventually the judges decided to send her home. “It was such a beautiful experience and I did exactly what I came for,” she said.
After another elimination, only four dancers remain in the competition. Who do you think will be the last to take the stage?