Illness Causes Billy Bell to Leave “So You Think You Can Dance”

Top 20 dancer Billy Bell has left SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE due to illness and will be replaced by Brandon Dumlao, 21, a Hip Hop dancer from Concord, CA. Dumlao will join the Top 20 this week as they compete on the first two-hour performance show Tuesday, Oct. 27 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

“We are disappointed that Billy cannot continue dancing in the competition on the advice of his doctor and wish him a speedy recovery,” said executive producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe. “However, we are fortunate that Brandon Dumlao has agreed to return.”

Dumlao joins previously announced finalists Phillip Attmore, Channing Cooke, Ariana Debose, Ashleigh Di Lello, Ryan Di Lello, Russell Ferguson, Mollee Gray, Karen Hauer, Kevin Hunte, Jakob Karr, Noelle Marsh, Pauline Mata, Kathryn McCormick, Legacy Perez, Bianca Revels, Peter Sabasino, Ellenore Scott, Victor Smalley and Nathan Trasoras as they compete to become Americas Favorite Dancer.

(courtesy Fox)

Adam Shankman Joins “So You Think You Can Dance”

Acclaimed producer, director and choreographer Adam Shankman has joined SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE as a third judge. Shankman, who has been a guest judge and choreographer on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE since 2007, will sit alongside Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe and draw upon his expertise to critique the dancers throughout the competition.

The all-new fall season of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE airs Tuesdays (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesdays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Shankman, who serves as a guest judge on this season’s audition episodes, will join the judges’ panel beginning with the Top 20 performance show Tuesday, Oct. 27 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

“SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE is one of the most important things to happen in the last decade for the art form,” said Shankman. “Choreography is how I found my way into this business, and I’m proud to be a part of the show. As a filmmaker, it’s an honor to be able to recognize choreographers and dancers, and to be able to bring all of this amazing work into America’s homes. These kids challenge themselves every week, and it’s great for people to see how terrific these dancers are.”

“I am extremely happy that Adam has agreed to be a resident judge,” said Nigel Lythgoe, Executive Producer/Co-Creator, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. “We love bantering and bickering, and yet he still finds a way of capturing the sensitivity of every story told on stage. He is a consummate professional with a passion for dance and a discerning eye, which makes him perfect for us. Plus, it must be remembered, it takes a slightly crazy person to work with me and Mary.”

Adam Shankman is a master of comedy and one of the most loved and commercially successful filmmakers of his generation. His recent credits include “Bedtime Stories” starring Adam Sandler and Keri Russell, “17 Again” starring Zac Efron and “Hairspray,” the feature film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. Shankman also directed the hit viral video “Prop 8: The Musical” for FunnyorDie.com, which was honored by GLAAD and has been viewed over 4 million times.

Shankman’s directorial debut was “The Wedding Planner” starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. He followed that project with “A Walk to Remember” starring Mandy Moore and Shane West and “Bringing Down the House” with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. His other credits include “The Pacifier” starring Vin Diesel, “Step Up,” “Step Up 2″ and “Premonition” with Sandra Bullock. Shankman’s upcoming films include “Step Up 3-D,” “Going The Distance” starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long and “The Last Song” starring Miley Cyrus.

So You Think You Can Dance Star Charged With Rape

Choreographer Alex DaSilva accused of sexual assault

Alex DaSilva, one of the stars of the hit dance competition show, So You Think You Can Dance, was arrested on August 18 and charged with four counts of sexual assault.

DaSilva, who is a choreographer and dance instructor, is accused of four counts of forcible rape, two counts of assault with attempt to commit rape, and two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object. The alleged incidents took place between 2002 and 2009.

So You Think You Can Dance, Where Are They Now?

With this season of So You Think You Can Dance heating up I thought would be a good idea to take a look back at last seasons winner, Joshua Allen. Check out the video below to find out what he’s been doing since his victory last year.

So You Think You Can Dance holding auditions in NYC

While Season Four winner Joshua Allen and the other Top 11 dancers are traveling the nation on their celebrated live tour, the hit summer competition series SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE begins its search for America’s Favorite Dancer Thursday, Nov. 13 in New York City. Producers will also travel to Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami and Seattle in search of dancers who best represent the rhythm of the nation.

Audition information for New York City is as follows:

WHEN: Registration begins at 8:00 AM on Thursday, Nov. 13

WHERE: Mark Morris Dance Center

3 Lafayette Ave.

Brooklyn, NY 11217

Additional dates and venues for Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami and Seattle will be announced shortly.

Registration will begin at 8:00 AM at each venue. Auditioners traveling to cities for the open calls should make arrangements to stay for at least two days following their initial audition in the event of a callback.

For the latest information, auditioners should log on to fox.com/dance.

Contestants must be: (a) U.S. citizens, (b) legal permanent residents of the U.S., (c) possess a valid Employment Authorization Card enabling them to seek employment freely (i.e., without restrictions as to employer) within the U.S., OR (d) be in the process of obtaining an Employment Authorization Card that will enable the person to accept unrestricted employment in the U.S. on or before the first day of Las Vegas callbacks, which are currently scheduled to begin on or about April 1, 2009.

Joshua Wins So You Think You Can Dance

After two hours of performances, an overabundance of kudos, and much ado about everything, Cat Deeley announced that Joshua is America’s Favorite Dancer and $1 million richer. After the show received 60 million votes, Joshua has become the first street-dancer to win. His mother was shouting (and I mean that in the Baptist sense) in the audience. Joshua tells the world to never let anybody tell you that you can’t do anything and that with God you can do everything.

The show’s producers have also added a twist where there is a top girl and a top guy. Katee wins the top girl slot and $50,000 to boot. She was exceedingly happy. So that’s all folks, the end until next year.

Some of the night’s highlights include performances of the judges’ favorite routines from the season. These included:

Courtney and Gev’s Rumba routine

Katee and Joshua’s Bollywood and Lyrical Hip Hop routines

Will and Katee’s Pas Des Deux routine

Twitch and Kherington’s Vienese Waltz

Twitch and Katee’s Contemporary routine

Then the judges decided to jump in on the action, Mary Murphy, who is not as chunky as she appears sitting behind the judges table, performed with Dmitry from Season 2 and Nigel performs a tap dance routine with dancers from the Debbie Allen School of Dance. He actually kept up with those little kids.

They also had the world’s first live-televised popping battle between Phillip Cheeb, who came down with pneumonia during auditions and couldn’t continue, and Robert Murraine, who got scared and quit. They battle to “Closer” by Kanye West. Phillip was smooth and musical, but Robert is a freak of nature who managed to make fun of Phillip’s style even while doing his own. He won hands down.

So, that’s all folks, the end, until next year.

The Final 4 Are Picked On So You Think You Can Dance

(Press Release)

THE FINAL 4 DANCERS ARE REVEALED AND TWO CONTESTANTS ARE ELIMINATED LIVE ON “SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE” THURSDAY, JULY 31, ON FOX

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE continues its search for America’s favorite dancer tonight when two finalists are voted off. Watch some of the country’s best dancers, skilled in everything from jive and hip-hop to contemporary and jazz, test their luck with the judges and find out who will keep dancing and who will go home in the “2 of 6 Voted Off” episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE airing Thursday, July 31 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

So You Think You Can Dance Top 8 Results

My heart aches. This results episode was pretty emotional. Will, the most talented dancer this season is no longer on So You Think You Can Dance. On the girl side, Comfort has left.

When Kat told Will he was in the bottom two, you could see his heart crash to the floor. The crowd literally gasped. Twitch and Courtney were also in the bottom four. When Twitch found out he was in the bottom, he bent down to the floor. Cat bent down with him and comforted him until he gathered himself. Everyone had to dance their solos before finding out their fate. Comfort did her usual, Twitch was interesting and creative, Courtney was passionate, and Will danced with no energy whatsoever. I guess the most ironic thing was that he performed to the song “Closer” by Goapole. The song is all about getting closer to your dreams, and here he was, possibly further away. In any case, I’ve never seen Will, who throughout this season has been perpetually upbeat, look so deflated. I suppose, when you really consider his rankings, his popularity levels have never been particularly high. He has consistently been in the bottom throughout the season—the only thing keeping him in for the most part was the judges’ respect for his technique. He didn’t have the mojo to get America voting, however.

On second thought, his song choice wasn’t so ironic. I wouldn’t be surprised if an abundance of dance companies weren’t calling him right now trying to get him to sign a contract for when the SYTYCD tour is over.

So You Think You Can Dance Update: July 23

by Lakiya Emerson

I know I’m a week late and 10 dollars short, but America? Comfort over Kherington? Really? My fellow SYTCD-ers, I was out of town last week with limited access to a computer, but I found a television, and as much as I like Comfort, I was exceptionally disheartened to see Kherington go. My 52-year-old Dad can point his feet better than Comfort. I know this because he tried, though he didn’t quite follow through on that pirouette. But that’s not the point. The point is you folks need to rock the vote. I’m not anti-Comfort, just anti-limitations in talent and Comfort hit a brick wall several shows ago. Okay, enough of my tirade, and on to this week’s Top 8.

Tonight, every dancer performs twice and does a solo. They also tell the story of how they began dancing. Toni Basil, an award winning choreographer who is working with Bette Midler, rounds out the judges’ panel in this episode. All she needs is fruit headgear and she’d look like the Chiquita lady, but I respect her.

Will and Courtney open tonight’s performances with a samba choreographed by Jean-Marc Generoux. They dance to “I Fell In Love with the DJ” by Che’Nelle, and wardrobe continues to dress Courtney in such a way that she is vertically naked. This time she looks like Big Bird’s pole-dancing cousin. Nigel says they were great and that their performance made him feel high. He also says that Will look like something out of 300. Mary said they have great chemistry and Toni says she enjoyed it.

Will and Courtney’s second dance is a slow hip hop routine choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha. Its theme is based on getting a second chance to see someone who has died. Will is like Patrick Swayze in Ghost and Courtney is Demi Moore. They dance to “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” by Alica Keys, which is one of my favorite songs. The problem with favorite songs is you tend to be hyper-critical of what other people do with them, and consequently I’m probably one of the few people in the world who didn’t like the choreography. However, the judges disagreed with me. Nigel said he felt emotionally touched by the performance. Mary says they blew her expectations. Toni says she started as an original pop and locker, and that she’s glad to see street dancing becoming an accepted dance form.

Will was inspired to take up dance lessons because he had to lift Chelsea at least ten times. Debbie Allen saw him in L.A. and gave him a scholarship to her dance school. Let us all do a silent bow to Debbie Allen for such a profound find. Will’s solo is set to “Get Up Offa That Thing” by James Brown. He wears a black pin-striped suit and a wig, and proceeds to execute a few of James Brown’s signature moves. He was so convincing I bet he could join the long line of people who claim that they are owed money from Brown’s estate because he was their father.

Courtney started dancing when she was very young and since, according to her, a dancer’s window of opportunity is very short she decided to take the plunge and audition for SYTYCD. Her solo was good, just not particularly memorable.

Twitch and Katee knew each other before the show, though Katee said she never thought they would be partners. Their first performance is a contemporary routine choreographed by Mia Michaels. It is danced to the song “Mercy” by Duffy and involves a door which Katee, playing a crazy ex-girlfriend, tries to break down. She is seriously in character and Twitch, who plays the cool cucumber boyfriend, just keeps slamming it in her face. They even kiss in the beginning. I’m sure Joshua was livid.

Nigel said their performance was so fantastic that it was hard to critique the dancing. He said they did their best work, and that they’re wonderful characters. Mary says they’re two of the best dancers on the stage. Of course all the gushing could not go on without mention of Mia. I seriously think this woman stands in her mirror and practices the facial expressions she gives for when people tell her how awesome her choreography is. I mean, she must know that we know that she knows that most folks think she’s one of the top contemporary choreographers ever. I think she might have faces “one”, “two”, and “three” that she cycles in and out of rotation, according to the level of adoration she is receiving from her colleagues.

In Katee and Twitch’s second routine, Katee plays a woman on the hunt for a man, and she’s got Twitch on the menu, though he has no interest in her. Tyce Diorio choreographs this Broadway routine set to Sweet Georgia Brown for them. It’s fun and upbeat. Nigel loved it and said that he felt like it could be done on Broadway. He also points out the Twitch is the least trained dancer but is consistently able to follow through on routines. Nigel goes on to tell Katee that there isn’t one routine that he hasn’t enjoyed watching her perform. Mary agreed with Nigel and said they were terrific. Toni said that Twitch dances from the inside out, but that Katee didn’t dance up to the sound of the singer’s voice.

The two dancers’ solos are great. Twitch reveals that he didn’t start seriously dancing until his senior year of high school. He went on to dance in L.A. and in some Korean videos. Katee started out tap dancing at age four, but she was awful. She stuck with her training, eventually finding her niche in contemporary dance.

Mark and Comfort get together to perform a hip hop routine by Tabitha and Napoleon. First off, can I take a moment to point out that Comfort appears to be wearing a Howard University jacket, which is my alma mater, where I attempted to audition for the dance department and the dance squad, and was soundly rejected. But that’s neither here nor there, and I still make up dance routines in my living room when no one is looking. But back to the performance: Comfort reveals why she was picked for the show in this performance. The dance is fast and intricate, and they do a lift where he flips her over his head from a seated position on the floor. Nigel points out what many of us have noticed—that Comfort dances so much better when she’s given choreography. Mark was also great. Mary says they did a great job, and that Comfort is a great dancer and that she didn’t care that she can only do one style. Really? I thought that the point of the show was to choose versatile individuals, but then again, I’m not part of the judging panel.

Tina says that Mark and Comfort were rooted in the music and the beat.

Their next routine is a Foxtrot performed to the song “Lady Luck”. Mark is actually more graceful than Comfort, though Nigel called their performance amateurish. Nigel said Lady Luck walked out of the room when they got the Foxtrot. Mary agreed and called it the worse foxtrot she’d ever seen on the show. Toni reiterates their hip hop routine was fabulous

Comfort attempts to convince America that she has some technical training before she does her solo. Apparently, her father put her in a performing arts school. Unfortunately for her, she played a little too much in class and didn’t soak in enough. Her solo is dry to say the least. Mark tells us that he was as a weird of a child as he is an adult. He started dancing after seeing a musical and ended up being the only boy in his musical theater school. His solo was as amazingly odd as usual, and he really danced like he wanted America to know that he needed to be there.

Joshua and Chelsea first performance is an Argentine Tango choreographed by DMitry Chaplin, who was a top 10 finalist in Season 2 of SYTYCD. The dancers perform to the song “A Los Amigos” from Forever Tango and once again Joshua’s bottom is a lead character in the performance. Nigel asked Mary if Joshua needed to tuck his bottom, but Mary informed him that Joshua’s butt was tucked. Nigel said they chose the most technical of the dances and that Chelsea has the best legs. He found it enjoyable. Mary says it translated in the right way and that Joshua’s flicks were believable instead of looking silly. She said their chemistry was great. Toni says the tango should look spontaneous and torrid and that they had accomplished just that. Their next dance is a disco to “Everlasting Love” by Gloria Estefan. Joshua’s strength was front and center in this performance as he had to lift Chelsea at least ten times. He’s tired at the end, and I was pretty sure he was going to drop her in the last movement, where he swung her over his head and she ended up upside down. They also do a Superman Lift where he lifts her straight up in the area from a standing position. Nigel talks at length about the length about how fabulous it is that he’s so strong, since many dancers cannot do what he does. Mary agrees with Nigel. Toni said that Joshua captured the spirit of the disco era

Chelsea, who turned nineteen last night, started dancing because she was shy and wanted some friends. At fourteen she began competing in the junior ballroom. She danced to “Damaged” by Danity Kane. Usually the ballroom dancers are pretty boring soloists, but she did some interesting moves that kept my attention. Joshua started dancing because he wouldn’t stop dancing in his third grade classroom. His teacher Mrs. Wyatt had to kick him out of class because he wouldn’t sit still. She sent him home with a permission slip to audition for Pepito’s Story, which his mother signed.

That’s it folks. I’m off to vote. Now that the judges aren’t mediating, everything’s up for grabs and you’ll really have to come back tomorrow for the results, as anyone could be unceremoniously cut from the show.

So You Think You Can Dance 2 of 8 Voted Off This Week

Don’t forget to watch So You Think You Can Dance this week as we get down to the wire in the search for the best couple. This week two of the eight dancers left will be going home to leave the top six dancers to dance another week on the Hot Tamale Train!

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