So You Think You Can Dance aired auditions from Los Angeles and Philadelphia this week.
The guest judges were Christina Applegate (in Los Angeles), and in Philadelphia, Misty Copeland (American Ballet Theatre prima ballerina - pictured above with Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe) and Billy Porter (star of Kinky Boots on Broadway).
This audition show felt long to me for some reason. Maybe a little too much contemporary dance emoting for my taste. There were some great dancers, though! They included:
Johnny "Waacks" Gibson - a returning dancer who auditioned in Season 9. He does a form of street dance called waacking. He was sent on to choreography, where he received a ticket to Hollywood.
Malene and Armen - ballroom dancers. Malene is a beautiful dancer, but she has struggled with depression. Armen appeared on the show last year but dropped his partner and was dismissed during Hollywood week. They were amazing - great chemistry! He reminded me a bit of Maksim Chmerkovskiy from Dancing with the Stars.
Amir Sanders - the "funky ballerina," as she called herself. Amir was classically trained at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She brought some funk to her ballet audition -- and was easily my favorite dancer of the night. The judges sent her to choreo, which really surprised me, since she has such strong training. However, she got a ticket to Hollywood after choreography, so all is good!
Landon Anderson - a ballroom dancer who auditioned with Jenna Johnson, who danced in last year's competition. He looks like an "aw shucks!" young Ron Howard, but danced with lots of power. He went through, and Jenna also got an invite to be an All-Star on the show this year.
Stanley Glover - a contemporary dancer with a sad back story. His mother died when he was 4 years old, and he was shuffled around until he found a loving home with a family friend. Stanley danced a fun and creative contemporary number where he portrayed a mysterious creature. He was offbeat and fun, and his choreography was terrific! His dancing reminded me a bit of former contestant Mark Kanemura.
Next week the show will be in my hometown of Atlanta. I can't wait!
Did you watch last night? Do you have favorites, or any thoughts about the show you'd like to share? I hope you'll leave a comment below.
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