So You Think You Can Dance - Yeehaw Utah!

Auditions - Salt Lake City, UT and Dallas, TX - Ep. 402

Judges in Salt Lake City, Utah: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Mandy Moore
Judges in Dallas, Texas: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Adam Shankman

So I just came from a FABULOUS opening night performance of Cinderella at the National Ballet of Canada so I'm especially on a high but I'm also probably going to be particularly picky after seeing some amazing dancers already tonight. (And I hopefully will have a review of the ballet tomorrow).

Salt Lake City Utah! The place where I've had the best Mexican mole ever yet, and the best fish tacos (not a durogatory term). Who knew?

Chelsea Hightower has 5 brothers. You know, just to emphasize the stereotype that every family in Utah can form their own dance company AND supply the audience members.



Oh wait. Michael Moore (not THE MM) has HOW many brothers and sisters? And his family IS it's own dance company called Morning Star. I was seriously kidding above. He doesn't make it through so I'm not going to waste my (and your) time.

Meanwhile, there's a figure skating dancer. (Oddly enough, I was sitting behind Canadian figure skating Olympic medalist Brian Orser and Kurt Browning was just a few rows over at the ballet tonight!) Gev Manoukian sort of combines contemporary with hip hop/breaking and it's pretty cool. I like the style and though it seems like it needs to be tamed a bit by a good choregrapher, this guys got potential. Here's the video clip:




Lyndsay Judkins makes it through and she's all smiles and facial expressions:




Then they show CONTESTANTS with tons of kids. They aren't part of the huge bundle of kids. They HAVE them. Okay, I seriously was just kidding when I made that comment above. I didn't actually think they were going to run with it?

Kelli Baker was in High School Musical as one of those side throwaway characters and she's the daughter of a dancer so she's got some stuff to live up to, and maybe she got the right song selection, but she did her contemporary routine pretty well. I think she TOTALLY picked the right song. Mia Michael's would have been proud:




After the choreography auditions for SLC Day 1 (with TRAVIS WALL!!! as the choreographer), Gev and 17 others make it through to Vegas! Sadly, we again weren't shown most of them yet.

On day 2 in Salt Lake City:

Ryann Race is a strip club DJ and seems like a WEIRD person but he has some decent breaking/hip hop moves:




Matt Dorame has this weird skating/swimming move but he has pretty good technique and jumps and he's cute enough!:




Thayne Jasperson seems far more graceful than his buff gym body and face make him out to be. He looks like he'd be a bouncer but he moves like a butterfly. It's a little odd to watch but kinda hot:




Kortney Pearson is a hot mama (literally, with a 1 year old) and she hip hops pretty girl for a blonde while girl but I'm not sure I'm totally impressed yet, but there could be something to work with here.

Kortney makes it though, then her friend Michelle Stringham goes next. Another hot blonde and while her socks fail her, she's a pretty hot dancer too. Here's the video clip of both auditions:



After the choreography from Day 2, a total of 42 go on to Vegas, including Ryann Race and Kortney and Michelle but that's about all we saw.

So onto Dallas Texas! YEEHAW!!! Recent home to my first serial commentator/reader/fellow SYTYCD addict LinzMcC! Sadly, very few in Dallas impressed me with their dancing skills. Here were the few that did:

Joshua Allen is a big black guy who does big (black?) popping! He looks like your local high school football jock but boy can move on the dance floor!:




Arielle Coker and John Dix audition together and for a big guy, he's pretty good and strong and she's so pretty. The judges mention the beauty and the beast thing and it kinda was, though he's more a big cuddly cute bear as opposed to beast.



There's yet more montages of the good dancers, none we really get to see (ARGH) and more dancers make it to Vegas, but I guess we will have to wait a few more weeks before we get to that point. And THIS is why I try not to get too attached at this point in the show.

There was also Paige Jones but she looked more like a stripper than a dancer to me. Sorry. Sadly, SHE makes it but John Dix (the "beast") doesn't. Oh well, I'm still not showing the clip of the stripper. Okay fine, but this is only for you to judge for yourself. Try NOT to make snarky comments. I challenge you:




So, that's it for Dallas and Salt Lake City! I think I was more impressed with Salt Lake City dancers but maybe because every family has 10 kids that there's bound to be a good dancer with the higher percentage birth rate.

Next episode this week: Washington DC and Charleston, South Carolina!

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So You Think You Can Dance - Season 4:

Auditions:
Los Angeles

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 3:
Live Tour - Toronto, Pasha's Solo Video, Neil's Solo Video
Finale - Winner Result
Top 4 Performances - Finals
Top 6 Performances, Top 6 Results
Top 8 Performances, Top 8 Results
Top 10 Performances, Top 10 Results
Top 12 Performances, Top 12 Results
Top 14 Performances, Top 14 Results
Top 16 Performances, Top 16 Results
Top 18 Performances, Top 18 Results
Top 20 Performances, Top 20 Results

For So You Think You Can Dance Season 2:
Favorite Video Clips
Song List
Live Tour 2006 - Toronto
Live Tour 2006 - Buffalo, Pics, More Pics