I won't lie — I was originally hesitant when I heard that Season 13 of So You Think You Can Dance would focus strictly on dancers between the ages of 8 and 13 years old. But now that the top 10 dancers on So You Think You Can Dance have been chosen by the All-Stars, I'm officially more than pumped for The Next Generation to show their stuff during the live shows. Past successful (adult) dancers from SYTYCD had to choose one young dancer to perform with and mentor during the live shows. While the elimination process was emotional for all involved — All-Stars and competitors alike were crying — the All-Stars each ended up with a massively talented kid to introduce to the So You Think You Can Dance stage.
The All-Stars started with 100 dancers to choose from that judges Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, and Jason Derulo had selected from three audition sessions in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. All-Stars Kathryn, Robert, Sasha, Jonathan, Jenna, Paul, Gaby, Comfort, Fik-Shun, and Joshua then narrowed that original 100 down over two episodes to end up with one Next Generation dancer each who specialized in their style of dance. While some early favorites from auditions were sadly cut, many made it through to take one of those ten coveted spots. Here's the list of the All-Star and Next Generation teams that will be hitting the stage during the So You Think You Can Dance live shows.
- Comfort and Tahani (Hip-Hop)
- Fik-Shun and Kida (Hip-Hop)
- Gaby and Emma (Tap)
- Jenna and Jake (Ballroom)
- Jonathan and Daniela (Ballroom)
- Joshua and Sheaden (Hip-Hop)
- Kathryn and Tate (Contemporary)
- Paul and Ruby (Ballroom)
- Robert and JT (Contemporary)
- Sasha and Jordan (Contemporary)
The Next Generation girls lead the pack with six girls and four boys being chosen by the All-Stars. Four of the female dancers — Tate, Tahani, Ruby, and Emma — have already impressed me tremendously, so I can't wait to see them perform with their All-Star counterparts. And other dancers, who have gotten less screen time during the auditions or the Academy, will get their time in the spotlight on the So You Think You Can Dance live stage.
As shown by these 10 young dancers owning their solos, mastering new choreography, and impressing the All-Stars, The Next Generation is going to put on some show when So You Think You Can Dance goes live on July 11. And if the time spent at the Academy was any indication, judges Nigel, Paula, Jason, and Maddie Ziegler are not going to have an easy time selecting who wins from this assortment of massively talented — and incredibly young — dancers.
Image: Chuck Hodes/FOX
