So You Think You Can Dance has finally revealed who of their top five girls will be moving forward to the studio shows. Even though there were cast changes at the beginning of the season, the show seemed to go off without a hitch. Veteran judges, Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returned as familiar faces, while the show added two new faces – Laurieann Gibson and Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval – who helped to bring in a younger crowd
Every week, the dancers on So You Think You Can Dance push themselves to physical exhaustion just trying to secure a place in the finals. Dancers from all around the United States throw themselves before dancing’s best and the famous judges’ feet to try and make a name for themselves in the dancing world. For the talented dancers to be able to move forward to the top five, they must force themselves to perform in front of the judges, attempting and conquering a style of dance that would be completely outside their comfort zone.
Mariah Russell performed a strong salsa with her All-Star partner Jonathan Platero. The dancer’s technique was on point and she nailed her ambitious trick at the end which was a final flip that left her head a centimeter away from hitting the floor. Anna Linstruth was up next and danced with partner Marko Germar. This was Linstruth’s second chance after almost being sent home multiple times. Her routine was jazz-focused, helping the diamond in the rough shined through. Stephanie Sosa by far had the best routine of the night. Mandy Moore choreographed the dance for Sosa and her partner Robert Roldan that created a heartfelt performance liked by all the judges.
Two cha-cha numbers made the cut. Sophie Pittman and Madison Jordon both had the pleasure to perform this genre with their shared All-Star partner, Kiki Nyemchek. Pittman had been seen during the season struggling at the academy, but her most recent performance showed how much she had improved, while Jordan gave off the impression to viewers that she was not very comfortable on-stage dancing to the cha-cha. She did soften up a bit with a smile towards the end of her routine.
The judges had a hard decision to make on who would move forward and who would be sent home. Viewers seemed pleased with the outcome of the top five ladies and are waiting with bated breath for the studio shows to start on August 12. The top ten finalists will also make their way around America as part of season 16’s So You Think You Can Dance tour.
So You Think You Can Dance airs Mondays at 9pm EST on Fox.
