So You Think You Can Dance revealed the identities of its Top 20 fourth-season finalists during last night's broadcast of the American Idol-like reality competition series on Fox.
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Thousands of hopefuls auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance's fourth season by attending open casting calls in Dallas, Charleston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Milwaukee or Salt Lake City -- from which 203 contestants were invited to attend the "Las Vegas Round."
During last night's pre-taped Las Vegas Round broadcast, the hopefuls performed a variety of choreographed group routines and duets before the Top 20 -- 10 males and 10 females -- were selected by regular So You Think You Can Dance judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, as well as choreographers/guest judges Napoleon and Tabitha D'Umo, Debbie Allen and Mia Michaels.
So You Think You Can Dance's first fourth-season performance episode will air Wednesday, June 11 at 8PM ET/PT.
The Top 20 finalists will be paired into 10 couples and learn a choreographed dance routine from a variety of genres -- including hip-hop, Broadway, disco and ballroom, among others -- before performing during the two-hour performance episode. Home viewers will be able to vote for their favorite couples immediately following the broadcast.
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The following night at 9PM ET/PT, So You Think You Can Dance will air its first live fourth-season results show -- in which the three couples who received the lowest number of home viewer votes will be announced. Each dancer in those three couples will then be given one last chance to impress the judges with his or her solo routine.
After all six dancers have performed, the judges will send one male and one female finalist home, revealing the Top 18.
In addition, Thursday night's broadcast will also feature The Pussycat Dolls performing their new single "When I Grow Up" and a performance by popping dance team The Electric Boogaloos - Popin Pete and Shonnie.
Once the Top 10 fourth-season finalists are selected, it will be solely up to home viewers to decide who remains in the competition.
So You Think You Can Dance's Top 20 fourth-season finalists -- and their Fox-supplied bios -- are:
Joshua Allen, a 19-year-old hip hop/popping dancer from Fort Worth, TX
Allen hopes to be a professional dancer and recording artist.
Rayven Armijo, a 28-year-old contemporary/ballet dancer from La Puente, CA
Armijo is a mentor to children and assists them with their educational goals and in dance. Armijo is proud that many have gone on to attend LA County High School for the Performing Arts.
Jamie Bayard, a 22-year-old West Coast swing dancer from Palm Springs, CA who currently resides in Norwalk, CA
Bayard graduated from the Orange County High School of the Arts. He was the U.S. Swing Dance champion in 2000 and 2002 and is a professor of Swing and Salsa at Loyola Marymount University.
Twitch Boss, a 25-year-old freestyle dancer from Montgomery, AL
A career highlight for Boss was performing "Thriller" with Wade Robson on The Wade Robson Project in 2003.
Marquis Cunningham, an 18-year-old lyrical/contemporary dancer from Cumberland, NC who currently resides in New York City
Cunningham began dancing at 14 and trained at the Robin Dawn Academy. He is a graduate of Florida's North Fort Myers High School.
Matt Dorame, a 22-year-old contemporary dancer from Glendale, AZ
He studied for two years at Odyssey Dance Theatre in Salt Lake City.
Comfort Fedoke, a 20-year-old hip-hop dancer from Lagos, Nigeria who currently resides in Dallas, TX
She is a graduate of Booker T. Washington Performing Arts High School. Fedoke was a featured performer for the past few years on Dallas Dance Club 21, the local Dallas dance television show.
Courtney Galiano, a 19-year-old contemporary dancer from Commack, NY
Though she specializes in contemporary, Galiano also loves to dance hip-hop. She appeared in the music video for Kat De Luna's "Whine Up" and is a dancer for the New York Knicks.
Susie Garcia, a 25-year-old Latin/salsa dancer from Miami, FL
Garcia graduated with a B.F.A. from New World School of the Arts. She is a high school teacher who previously was a dancer with the Miami Heat for six years. Garcia has performed at the Billboard Latin Music Awards and Latin Grammy Awards, and danced on Shakira's "Oral Fixation World Tour."
Chelsie Hightower, an 18-year-old Latin dancer from Las Vegas, NV who currently resides in Orem, UT
Hightower has worked with many world-renowned choreographers. She was a U.S. Worlds finalist in 2005 and competed on Team USA.
Chris Jarosz, a 21-year-old lyrical/contemporary dancer from Gaithersburg, MD who currently resides in Dallas, TX
Jarosz grew up training at the Dawn Crafton Dance Center in Gaithersburg and then moved to Dallas in his sophomore year to train at Top Hat Dance Center. Jarosz is now a dance major at Southern Methodist University.
Thayne Jasperson, a 27-year-old contemporary dancer from Springville, UT
Jasperson was a featured dancer in High School Musical and High School Musical 2. He danced five years with Odyssey Dance Theatre in Salt Lake City, but has only been dancing six years.
Mark Kanemura, a 24-year-old contemporary dancer from Honolulu, HI
Kanemura trained with 24-7 Dance Force in Honolulu and danced at Tokyo Disney. He also directed and choreographed performances on Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Jessica King, a 23-year-old contemporary dancer from Myrtle Beach, SC
She is currently attending Coastal Carolina University studying Fine Arts with a minor in Art History. King also teaches dance and performs in local theater.
Kourtni Lind, an 18-year-old jazz/contemporary dancer from Forest Lake, MN who currently resides in Sherman Oaks, CA
Lind began training in her mother's dance studio at 3-years-old and graduated high school at age 16 so she could begin her career.
Gev Manoukian, a 21-year-old hip hop/break dancer from Kazakhstan who currently resides in Centerville, UT
Manoukian was a featured dancer in High School Musical 2.
Kherington Payne, an 18-year-old contemporary/jazz dancer from Placentia, CA
Payne will graduate from El Dorado High School this summer. She is an avid soccer fan who has played for many years.
Katee Shean, a 20-year-old contemporary dancer from San Jose, CA
Shean is a graduate of Pioneer High School and currently attends Chapman University in Orange, CA. She is pursuing a double major in leadership and dance and is active in many volunteer organizations. Shean trained at the Team Dance Company and Atlas School of Dance.
Chelsea Traille, a 23-year-old jazz funk and contemporary dancer from Houston, TX who currently resides in Flower Mound, TX
Traille graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Marketing from the University of Texas, Dallas. She was a dancer with the NBA Mavericks during the 2006-2007 season.
Will Wingfield, a 21-year-old contemporary dancer from Nashville, TN
Wingfield started dancing at age 9 at DC Dance Factory in Nashville, and later moved to Los Angeles to train under Debbie Allen at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.
(Photo credit Joe Viles/FOX)
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio