Last week, the judges let the final dancers through the solo auditions round. This week, those 35 dancers came back to prove they had what it takes inside and out of their comfort zone. This choreography round was their chance to make it into Season 18’s Top 10.
“Dancers, are you ready?”
In the first cut, the dancers had one hour to work with and learn a routine from choreographer Galen Hooks. After that, they performed in groups to show they can take direction and match it to their personalities and styles. With this choreography, the judges would bring the group from 35 to 16.
The first group of five incldued Easton, Lihi, Jainil, Macy, and Kenidee. While the dancers gave it their all, only Easton made it through to the next part of the round. Darielle, Nathan, Delaney, Ali, and Mariyah were next to face the judges together. Of that group, two dancers impressed the judges enough to make it through. Ali and Mariyah were pushed forward.
Julie and Kiley were next to make it through from their group of three. They were followed by Roman and Katie, leaving only nine spots left in the first cut. Unfortunately, this meant saying goodbye to King Wavy, Victor, and Halani. Madison and Anthony joined the dancers moving forward.
The judges had to weigh their favorites against each other to create the perfect group for Season 18. Jake, Dakayla, and Olivia were sent through, but this episode was a short goodbye to Kaylee and Cole. We also saw Olivia, John, and Adrianna leave. Avery and Braylon (ankle injury and all!) made it through.
The final group included Jaylin, Andrew, Jin, Gracie, and Dakota. While you might expect the final group to be a big wow, the judges were disappointed. Off-beat and off-kilter, Comfort had to give these dancers some harsh critiques before revealing the final two dancers making it through the first cut. Jaylin and Andrew were the ones moving on.
“One More Excruciating Cut”
The second choreography round was a duet. Back in the studio with Galen, the Top 16’s first task was picking a partner who could help take them to the top. Six dancers would say their goodbyes after this fast-paced jazz duet. The contestants performed in groups of four, and the judges watched every duet before revealing their feedback and cuts.
Easton, Braylon, Olivia, Mariyah, Anthony, Dakayla, Madison, and Roman were the first contestants Cat sent in to receive their feedback. Allison called Easton one of the best technical dancers of the season but said he was hiding during choreography. Max thought Olivia also fell short of her solo work during the duet portion of the choreography round. Braylon faltered during the duets and fell behind his partner. Mariyah received compliments from Comfort, but she was also told that she lost her personality in the duet. Max connected with Roman over their shared hardships, but Max still wants him to open up more. Allison shared that Madison was one of her top picks, but she hasn’t seen her challenged yet which concerns her. Comfort complimented Matthew’s technique while commenting that she hadn’t seen his personality in his dance. Dakayla struggled more with each round of the competition so far. All eight of these dancers made it through.
Sending the entire first group through made the second cut much harder. With only two spaces left in the Top 10, the judges gave their feedback to the remaining dancers. Julie, Andrew, Avery, Katie, Kiley, Jake, Jaylin, and Ali. Katie’s confidence and strength got her to this point, but Comfort didn’t see her connection during the duets. Andrew was another dancer who lost his place in choreography only to redeem himself during the duets. Max complimented Julie for bringing passion. Kiley’s Broadway solo was a favorite of Allison’s, but the choreography round wasn’t her strong suit. Avery however received compliments from Comfort for actually amping up during the two choreography rounds despite her injured foot. Max questioned who Jake was as a dancer rather than someone performing the moves. With the opposite problem, Jaylin’s personality was overshadowing the choreography the dancers were assigned. Allison wanted Ali to have depth and passion not only in her work but in choreography as well.
Julian, Kylie, Andrew, and Katie were brought forward first and sent home. Ali, Avery, Jaylin, and Jake faced the judges next. Allison revealed that the two dancers rounding out the Top 10 would be Avery and Jaylin.
The Top 10
The Top 10 dancers for Season 18 of So You Think You Can Dance are Easton, Braylon, Olivia, Mariyah, Anthony, Dakayla, Madison, Roman, Avery, and Jaylin.
The Top 10 return April 15 to perform for the new judges panel, and we’ll get to see what it’s like for them to live and compete together. SYTYCD returns at 9pm ET on FOX.
