'So You Think You Can Dance' cuts 64 during initial Vegas rounds

The So You Think You Can Dance journey ended for more than half of the seventh season's 122 Vegas Week hopefuls during last night's broadcast of the Fox reality competition series.


Sixty four contestants were cut during the first two days of Vegas Week, leaving 58 contestants in the running for So You Think You Can Dance's 10 seventh-season finalist slots -- five guys and five girls.

Vegas Week began with each of the hopefuls performing a solo routine for the judging panel, which consisted of Lil'C, Mary Murphy, Tyce Diorio, Adam Shankman, Tony Redpath, and Nigel Lythgoe. 

Included among the hopefuls were two dancers who made Vegas Week without having auditioned for the seventh installment -- Alex Wong, who was disqualified from So You Think You Can Dance's fifth-season Top 20 due to a contract with the Miami City Ballet, and former sixth-season Top 20 semifinalist Billy Bell, who was forced to withdraw due to injury.

"I haven't done my solo yet for the judges this season, so I'm just going to try my best and that's all I can do," said Wong.


"It's really exciting to be able to have that second chance to really show myself again," said Bell.

Once all the hopefuls performed their solo routines, the judges made their first round of cuts. While 26 dancers were eliminated by 3:30PM on Day 1, 14 others -- including Wong and Bell -- received a "special mention" from Lythgoe and advanced.

The 96 remaining hopefuls then participated in the hip-hop group performance round, with their routine choreographed by Tabitha D'umo.

"This week, you will have to do it quick, you will have to do it fast, and you will have to stand out immediately," she told the contestants.

After the hip-hop performances, the judges individually gave each contestant either a yes or a no -- with three yeas or more advancing them through to the next round and anything less sending them home.


With the hip-hop performance round in the books by 6PM on Day 1, 26 more dancers were eliminated.

The second day of Vegas Week commenced the next morning, with 69 dancers remaining in the competition for the ballroom performance round. Each contestant would have only 90 minutes to master the routine, which was choreographed by Redpath -- who was extremely hard on the hopefuls.

"Tony's kind of like a Nazi Barbie," quipped Bell.

After the remaining hopefuls performed their ballroom routine, 11 more dancers were eliminated.

Fifty-eight hopefuls advanced, including Nicole Knudson, an 18-year-old from North Ogden, UT, and Adechike Torbert, a 22-year-old from Queens, NY -- who were each given an additional chance to perform for the judges at the end of Day 2.


So You Think You Can Dance's next seventh-season episode will air Wednesday, June 9 at 8PM ET/PT and begin with the 58 remaining hopefuls performing a Broadway routine and conclude with the Top 10 finalists being revealed.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio