After hundreds of auditions (of which we saw a small portion), 42 contestants made it to the Choreography Round of So You Think You Can Dance. This week, those dancers competed in three rounds of quick choreography, proving their skills and versatility to become the Top 12.
Did you miss last night’s episode? Here’s what happened.
Choreography Round: Genre Groups
Ahead of the round, JoJo told the contestants she wanted to see “Someone who is on a mission.” Long-time fans of the show know that working with choreographer Mandy Moore is no joke.
The dancers were broken up into genre groups before their first performances. Contemporary guys went up first. The group included Matthew Deloch, Samuel McWilliams, Waverly Fredericks, and Thiago Pacheco. All four dancers brought it, but tWitch held Waverly back to remind him not to get lost on stage. All four made it through!
Contemporary dancers Mia Mellican, Jaliya “Juicy” Kersten, Madison Moser, and Maci Montes, were the next group we saw fully perform for the judges. After a performance that left the judges with some concerned faces, Madison and Maci were sent home.
Hip hop group Essence Wilmington, Sarah Ito, Madina Beisekeyeva, and Brianna Grey had all three judges smiling, but they didn’t all bring the welcoming upbeat feelings that the judges wanted. Brianna was sent backstage to prepare a sola routine to dance for her life.
We didn’t see every group perform in this genre round, but we did see Rachel Lockhart, Zyiasia Knighton, Armando “Decoy” Muñoz, and Dakota Pizzi get sent home.
Brianna’s Solo
Do you know what time it is? Brianna’s solo dance brought the fire and energy that the judges were missing in her choreography group performance. It was a no from JoJo who thought something was missing, but tWitch and Matthew sent Brianna on to the next choreography round.
Choreography Round 2
While past seasons have featured different choreographers for every round of this big cut, Mandy Moore returned for round two of choreography to push the remaining 32 dancers to prove their partnering skills.
Beau Harmon with Jaliyah and Alexis Warr with Thiago Pacheco were the first two pairs to show off their moves. All four dancers proved their chemistry and choreography ability and moved forward.
Madina Beisekeyeva and Andrew Park Matthew Deloch and Brianna Grey
Brianna returned partnered with Matthew Deloch. They performed alongside Madina Beisekeyeva and Andrew Park. Madina and Andrew were corrected by both JoJo and tWitch for looking down and getting lost. Matthew was immediately sent forward, but Madina was sent home. Andrew and Brianna were also sent home.
Brianna’s boyfriend James “Lord Fin” Thomas partnered with Virginia Crouse was next on stage with Jordan Betscher and Waverly Fredericks. tWitch was impressed by Waverly’s ability to stay low and match his partner’s height, and while the judges wanted Virginia and Lord Fin to be a little more in it, all four dancers when through.
Jojo Lokhorst with Samuel “Hooliboy” Kyei and Essence Wilmington with Samuel McWilliams were up next. Essence and Samuel were out of their element, and while Essence proved herself, Samuel went home. Jojo and Samuel were pushed to the next round of choreography.
Choreography Round 3
The last two rounds narrowed the group down to 24 dancers. After one enormous group routine, half of those dancers would be sent home. The judges wanted to see sparks fly in this last chance to prove themselves.
Before the performance, Mandy Moore told the group to “dance your faces off.” SYTYCD fans know that solos, partnering, and group performances are all so important to progress through the show.
The judges gave the contestants feedback in small groups before making their final cuts. For some dancers, like Essence, this meant major praise, but for others, there were some heavy critiques.
In a surprise twist, the Top 12 dancers were not revealed this week! Next week, when the show returns, the dancers that survived the Choreography Round will be revealed. Until then, we’ll just have to guess. (And it looks like JoJo already has an idea of which dancer will be America’s Favorite dancer!)
So You Think You Can Dance airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on FOX.