- Season 7 auditions continue in Los Angeles at the Orpheum theater, with Nigel Lythgoe, Hi-Hat and Adam Shankman critiquing, and then on to Chicago. Stacey Tookey joins Nigel and Shankman in Chicago. Some contestants share their stories.
- The second audition episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" took us to Los Angeles, the city that has yielded the most talent in the show's previous six seasons. Would Season 7 find as much fortune?
Nigel Lythgoe was joined on the judges' panel by regular judge Adam Shankman and first-timer Hi-Hat, a renowned hip-hop dancer and choreographer.
Lauren Froderman, 18, from Phoenix promised a sexy dance that would still be appropriate for the kids. It was some kind of cross between overly sexual with some legitimate dance moves mixed in. The judges were impressed enough to give her a ticket directly to Vegas.
An eccentric Asian fellow calling himself "Hella Hung" tried to make some moves on host Cat Deeley before taking the stage and offering up some pretty rudimentary and awkward hip-hop and breakdancing moved. Adam cowered in his chair as he watched and later called Hella Hung "extraordinary." He said he was a "great entertainer, not really right for this show."
Rachel Girma, 18, a rhythmic gymnast who took on straight-forward dance about two weeks before the audition. She was training for the Olympics, she said, until she injured her foot. She wanted to prove to the judges that you didn't need formal dance training to make it. Nigel said a particular turn she did was something he'd never seen before. He loved it and called her "amazing." Hi-Hat didn't want the audition to end. Adam called it brilliant but wondered whether if it would correlate to other choreography. She got a ticket to Vegas.
Rachel kicked off a run of at least a half-dozen California girls who wowed the judges.
Christina Santana, a dancer who nearly made it to the finals last season, was back with her partner Pepe Alvarez, who was auditioning this year (last year he went to the audition, but purely in a supporting role). This time wasn't much different, in the judges' opinion. Adam thought Christina was fantastic, but said Pepe's presence wasn't felt. Nigel recommended Pepe continue into the choreography and Christina got a ticket straight to Vegas.
Taylor Costello, 18, said she was adopted and her birth mother died when she was 11. Although she never met her birth mother, she learned that her mother loved to dance. She became emotional in her intro package talking about the love and support she gets from her adoptive family. She quickly wowed the judges on stage (they each literally said, "wow."). Taylor said her birth mother was shot in her apartment, and she was her inspiration. Nigel said her dancing was "slightly manic" and that she had to control that a bit. Nigel and the judges put her into choreography.
Pepe decided to quit before performing in the choreography, but Taylor stuck around to take it on. Nigel and the judges decided her performance wasn't good enough, but encouraged her to come back next season. In all, 13 dancers from Day 1 in L.A. made it to the Vegas callbacks.
Alexie Agdeppa came back after coming just short of the Top 20 last season, bound and determined to make it this time. Nigel didn't think her performance was as good as it had been in the past -- but then said, "That is how you tell lies." He was kidding, and encouraged the other judges to send her to Vegas, which they did.
Once again, the girls rules in L.A., and another montage of ladies getting tickets to Vegas followed.
The tap dancing representative for the season -- the first one, anyway -- was 22-year-old Melinda Sullivan, who got her inspiration from Gregory Hines, among others, who she met at a young age. Adam said she was "pretty amazing." Hi-Hat enjoyed that Melinda was interesting. Nigel said he wasn't sure if he liked what she did, but said he liked her. Nigel gave her a nod for choreography.
A montage of bad male dancers served to show us the disparity between the sexes in L.A.
Ryan Ramirez, 18, said Mia Michaels discovered her and was the real reason she continued to dance. She wanted to make it on the show to prove to her family that all the time and effort was worthwhile. The judges thought she was great but encouraged her to make more of a connection with her audience while performing.
At the end of the day, Melinda and Ryan -- and 26 others -- returned for choreography. Melinda danced just fine without her tap boots on, and Ryan did enough to earn a ticket, as well.
On to Chicago: For the first time in three years, the show returned to Chicago, where Nigel and Adam were joined by choreographer Stacey Tookey.
The first dancer in Chicago was 18-year-old Kent Boyd from Wapakoneta, Ohio, who knew he'd have to leave his small town behind if he wanted to make a career in dance. The judges teased Kent about his small-town life and he said he gets out to the big city, now and then -- like Columbus, Ohio. They decided to put him through to choreography.
Andrew Phillips, 18, whose fraternal twin brother suffered from spina bifida, said he was dancing for both him and his brother. Nigel said it was important for the judges to separate the story from the dance critique. Adam said Andrew was still growing, but was inspiring and he wanted to see more. Stacey agreed that Andrew has "just touched" his potential. They put him into choreography.
Malinda Jacobson, 28, wanted to present her own creation, which she called "hick-hop," a combination of breakdancing, hip-hop, country line dancing and square dancing. Her act certainly provided for some humor. The judges agreed she was unique, but the dancing wasn't up to par. Malinda left, figuring she really had to get her nerves under control.
Malinda kicked off a montage of some of Chicago's worst offerings.
Adrian Lee, 20, ended the first night in Chicago with an impressive display of contemporary dance that Stacey called "the best contemporary dancer we've seen" that day. She said he was perfect for this competition. Adam said Adrian had the potential to be great.
Kent and Andrew returned for choreography. Kent made it through, and Nigel told Andrew that the judges put him through to choreography for the experience even though they knew he wouldn't be right for Vegas. "We were wrong," Nigel said, handing Andrew his ticket to the next round. Three more dancers made it through, Cat said.
Kellen Borchers, 25, was out for some respect for his form of freestyle hip-hop dance. His awkward demonstration left the judges a little puzzled, not to mention laughing hysterically. Stacey encouraged him to keep dancing for himself and for his friend at the bar.
A locker and popper named Christopher Gilbert came in dressed in an Erkel type of outfit, but rocked some interesting moves that kept the judges entertained. Nigel referred to Christopher as "spider legs." Adam liked it and said Christopher's ability to turn the music into his physical movements. Nigel invited him to return for choreography.
No tickets to Vegas had been given on the second day, despite a lot of performers being sent through to choreography. Jarrod Mayo, 20, was looking to change all that. Nigel said Jarrod was amazing and surprised him. Stacey and Adam loved Jarrod's sweet personality. Nigel invited Jarrod's mother onto the stage. But Nigel warned her that she'd have to let go -- because Jarrod was bound for Vegas.
Jarrell Robinson, spoke through an interpreter -- because he's deaf. He wanted to inspire the deaf community and make them believe they could do anything. Adam was amazed. Stacey said she was inspired, but his "vocabulary" of moves was a little light for this competition. Adam agreed and said Jarrell was an inspiration. Nigel encouraged Jarrell to keep dancing, but this competition wasn't going to be the outlet.
When choreography came around, Christopher didn't make it but vowed to come back next year. Four lucky ladies moved on to the next round, though, making for a total of eight dancers from Chicago's two days.
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