SYTYCD9 | LA Auditions

So You Think You Can Dance has rolled into LA, and there are a number of auditions I want to highlight for one reason or another. Also, check out Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family as a guest judge! I'm sure he got on for his mad dance skills right? Right? -Cole Horibe (brother of Fanny Pak's Cara Horibe) has a pretty unique style, martial arts based, but with a contemporary twist. Apparently he can bring a lot more to the table, that overachiever, so check him out. -Jontel "Johnny Waacks" Gibson werkz it with a funky take on waacking. Definitely a feel good performance. -Jonathan Anzalone comes back from Season 4 and Italy with a better attitude than before, and has some power heavy/cortortionist bboying for us, as well as with some audience participation -NIck N JAmes Aragon, aka the Ninja Twins, are dancers after my own heart, for obvious reasons. They do talk quite a bit near the beginning, but they do a nice contemporary type routine to MJ's Man in the Mirror, with just enough fierce in there. Unfortunately they can't go on, but hopefully they keep going. -Caley Carr is a tapper. To be honest, I didn't really see much of his routine the first go round, if only because I was entranced by his Step Boys style moustache.

SYTYCD9 | Zombie Style to Exorcist Style

Two dancers to come out of the Texas auditions for So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 are Hampton Williams and Stephen Stewart. Both have slightly... unsettling... styles, but that doesn't mean they aren't dope! Check out the respective self-proclaimed exorcist and zombie styles below. Any other auditions you want to see featured? What do you think of these two? Leave a comment!

SYTYCD9 Auditions | Mighty Mouse

While ABDC is getting closer to the end of its season, So You Think You Can Dance is just starting up theirs. This audition lets us know that there is a lot more talent out there to see. Mighty Mouse (as I know him - go Repstyles/Philadelphia!) auditioned at New York, and will be going to Vegas. (Speaking of New York, make sure you head over to World of Dance New York later today!) If anyone else knows of any other awesome auditions (perhaps ABDC alum, or perhaps a new face) from SYTYCD, leave a comment!

Video: Russell Ferguson (SYTYCD6 winner) - Krump Fu

Russell Ferguson, winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 6, demonstrates his krumping skills in a new video called "Krump Fu - The Drunken Master". 

Watch "Mobbed" dance segments here with members of SYTYCD

"Mobbed" is a Fox series that is co-directed and choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo. It features very emotional plots of people trying to dramatize major life events (marriage proposals, pregnancy announcements, reveal of birth parentage) via flash mobs, as well as exposition on how to use flash mobs to make the occasion even more fraught with emotion and drama. Many of you will want to skip past the tears and staged drama (not to mention the ads) to get straight to the dancing. You're in luck, we watch it all for you! The latest episode involved an 'accomplice' named Ion trying to make up to 'marks' (also his daughter and wife) for abandoning them with a flash mob apology. Really. The professional dancers include alums of America's Best Dance Crew: most members of Fanny Pak, plus members of Blueprint Cru, Femme 5, and Artistry in Motion. There are also alums from So You Think You Can Dance including Neil Haskell, Jason Glover and Lauren Gotlieb. So, if you want the full episode, click here. Here are the two full dance sequences.

Congratulations to Napoleon & Tabitha D'umo on their Emmy win!

Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo (aka Nappytabs) tied for an  2011 Emmy Award in choreography. They won for their work on So You think You Can Dance for :Scars”,  “Fallin”, and  “Outta Your Mind”. Click here for "Outta Your Mind" danced by Alex and Twitch -one of my favorite SYTYCD hip hop routines ever; click here to watch "Scars" danced by D-trix and Robert.  And here's "Fallin", danced by Adechike and Comfort. 

Mia Michaels also won a choreography Emmy for her work on SYTYCD, with her "Alice in Mia-land", "When We Dance", and "This Bitter Earth/on the nature of Daylight". I am disappointed that no award was given to Stacy Tookey for one of my all-time favorite SYTYCD routines -- "Mad World" danced by Billy and Aday. Click here to watch

Congratulations to Melanie for winning SYTYCD - now help pick her G Fit ad!

Contemporary dancer Melanie Moore won So You Think You Can Dance Season 8. Among her prizes: a print ad for G Fit, an energy drink from Gatorade, to run in Dance Spirit Magazine (and probably elsewhere). Click here to vote for the ad you think should be used to represent her and the athleticism of the dance community.  Here's one of my Melanie performances -- dancing with all-star Neill Haskell to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (also available here)