Although the Season 14 premiere of So You Think You Can Dance is full of international dancers, one of the strongest performances of the new season comes from not one, but two, international dancers. Twin sisters Anastasiia and Viktoriia perform a duet on So You Think You Can Dance during the Los Angeles auditions that just might make modern fans out of viewers. While the dance competition show has featured plenty of styles of dance over the years — like contemporary, hip-hop, ballroom, tap, and ballet — I can't remember a time when a modern dancer impressed the judges as much as Anastasiia and Viktoriia. After the June 12 episode, these two may inspire you to read up on Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham since they make modern fun.
Traditionally, duets on So You Think You Can Dance are performed by one male and one female, so the blonde-haired Russian twins make a statement before they get to dance in the season premiere. But once the movement starts, the pair is even more entrancing. Anastasiia and Viktoriia's dance is refreshingly entertaining and impressive without the fancy, applause-inducing tricks that often go along with dance competition TV shows. And their modern performance moves Mary Murphy and Vanessa Hudgens to tears, even though the judges are unable to articulate exactly why.
Modern dance isn't everyone's cup of tea, but Anastasiia and Viktoriia are able to make it accessible to the So You Think You Can Dance audience, which is a pretty major feat. While I'm unsure how far they will be able to go — as a team and individually — come the Academy when they must learn other styles of dance, these two seem to have traditional dance training that could enable them to continue in the competition. But no matter how their future on the show goes, I'll continue to be grateful to them. Because, for this fan of modern dance, their performance during the Season 14 premiere showcases the wide range of engaging dance that exists out there in the world.
