Last night, Season 2 of NBC’s World of Dance premiered with incredibly talented dancers from around the world. This season dancers from four divisions, Upper, Upper Team, Junior, and Junior Team will compete to win a million dollar prize. Last night, the competition began with dancers putting everything they had into the first round. Their goal? Score an average of 80 or more points to qualify for the next round: The Duels. 7 acts from the Upper and Junior divisions competed in the first episode of The Qualifiers. Let’s look at who made it through.
The Junior Division
The Junior’s kicked off the qualifiers with a bang with Showstopper Sparkle Society member Kaycee Rice and her partner Sean Lew. Sean and Kaycee were one of this season’s major points of excitement with their blindfolded routine going viral with almost five hundred thousand views on YouTube. Their performance brought the judges to their feet and brought out the first of J Lo’s tears for this season. With an average score of 96, we’ll be seeing more of this hip hop fusion duo in The Duels.
The next Junior competitor to take the stage by storm was contemporary dancer Jaxon Willard. Before Jaxon took the stage, he moved us all with a story about his experiences with bullying. Performing his own choreography, Jaxon told his story through dance and sent everyone running for tissues. It’s no surprise he will be moving on to the next round with an average score of 94.
Canadian hip hop group Flip also competed last night as the first Junior Team act on the show. Surviving The Qualifiers with an average score of 82, the girls were strongly advised by the judges to bring it otherwise their lack of competitive edge would send them home.
The Upper Division
Four incredible Upper division acts took the stage last night, but only three made it through. First to impress the judges was Indian hip hop group Desi Hoppers. One of the best-known hip hop groups in India, they were determined to bring their culture and their style to the stage, and they succeeded. With an average score of 96 for a performance that almost made J Lo lose her braid, Desi Hoppers are moving on to The Duels. They couldn’t go wrong combining hip hop, Bollywood dance, and Ed Sheeran.
Before the season premiere, we knew some familiar faces would be returning to the competition. S-Rank, created by a member of Season 1 competitor Chapkis Dance Family, brought their “Superior Rank” dancers to the stage with choreography that would earn them an average score of 91 and a place in The Duels. Like Chapkis Dance Family, this group is ready to be the best of the best.
Last season we saw legends like The Jabbawockeez and Kinjaz take the stage to compete, and Season 2 is no different. Competing in the Upper division were Japanese locking legends Hilty and Bosch. Dancing together for 20 years, this duo has some moves and the renown to back them up. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t think they had the competitive edge necessary to take them to the next round. With an average score of 78.3, Hilty and Bosch were eliminated.
The highest score in the competition’s history was revealed last night. Chilean ballroom dynamos Karen and Ricardo owned the stage with a dynamic routine that received an average score of 99.7. Obviously, these two are moving on to The Duels, but what we really want to know if they will be the ones to achieve the perfect score teased in this season’s promos.
