So You Think You Can Dance revealed the identities of its Top 11 seventh-season finalists during last night's broadcast of the Fox reality competition series.
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Last Night's So You Think You Can Dance broadcast began on Day 2 of Vegas Week, which would have the 58 remaining hopefuls performing a Broadway routine. The performances continued to be judged by Lil'C, Mary Murphy, Tyce Diorio, Adam Shankman, Tony Redpath, and Nigel Lythgoe.
However the number of hopefuls dropped to 57 without the judges having to make any decisions -- as Ida Saki, an 18-year-old who auditioned in Dallas, decided to quit the competition.
"I'm withdrawing from the competition," she told So You Think You Can Dance host Cat Deeley. "I've had so much on my mind with college, and over the summer I already have so many commitments."
Breaking the news to Cat was a lot easier than telling Nigel.
"I've had the opportunity of a lifetime, and it's a scholarship program," she explained to him.
Nigel blamed Ida's decision on the "negative criticism" she had been receiving during Vegas Week.
"That is not it at all," she said. "I promise you the minute I get negative criticism is when I step it up."
She called her "poor performance" an "embarrassment."
"I don't want to be here taking up somebody else's spot," she added.
"So you're saying if you got in the Top 10 you wouldn't take it?" asked Adam.
"Probably not," she answered.
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The judges didn't believe her but wished her good luck and she left.
The Broadway routines continued throughout the day, which ended with 47 hopefuls in the running.
They were then split into groups, which picked a CD at random. Each CD contained a different style of music and the challenge for the groups was to choreograph a routine to the song on their CD before performing it for the judges the following morning.
The groups rehearsed throughout the night and began performing their routines when Day 3 commenced. Eight more hopefuls were cut following the group performances and the 39 remaining contestants began rehearsing a contemporary routine choreographed by former finalist Travis Wall.
After the contemporary routines were performed, 24 remained and made it to the end of Vegas Week. Each then performed a solo for the judges and explained why they deserved to be in the Top 10 before the panel reviewed video from Vegas Week to help form their final decisions.
However instead of the 24 remaining hopefuls learning their fate at the end of Vegas Week, they were told whether they made it into the Top 10 by either receiving a subsequent personal visit or phone call from one of the show's judges.
The 13 hopefuls that failed to make the Top 11 were Adrian Lee, Lexie Contursi, DuJuan "DJ" Smart, Bridget Krouse, Serge Ornick, Anthony Kim, Anthony Burrell, Chris Cole, Katie Muth, Missy Morelli, Cheryl Smith, Jocelyn Orli and Ryan Ramirez.
While only 10 dancers were originally supposed to continue in the competition, Adam revealed the judges decided both Billy and Robert would become finalists.
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"Billy I need to say this to you. You are super-naturally talented. You are incredible. It was an incredibly difficult decision because you're just so darn good. We really, really struggled with this. So what ended up happening is we added a sixth guy."
Fox will air a one-hour So You Think You Can Dance: Meet the Top 11 special on Thursday night at 9PM ET/PT, which will include footage of the seventh-season finalists meeting the all-star cast and performing with them in their own styles and genres.
So You Think You Can Dance's first seventh-season performance episode will air Wednesday, June 16 at 8PM ET/PT, with home viewers able to vote for their favorite finalists immediately following the broadcast.
On Thursday at 9PM ET/PT, the three finalists who received the lowest number of home viewer votes will be revealed and perform solo routines before the judges decide who will be eliminated.
So You Think You Can Dance's Top 11 seventh-season finalists -- and their Fox-supplied bios -- are:
- Alexie Agdeppa, a 26-year-old jazz dancer from Rowland Heights, CA who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA
Alexie Agdeppa is a UCLA graduate and former Los Angeles Laker Girl. She has performed in music videos for Prince, The Pussycat Dolls and Nelly Furtado. Agdeppa loves to cook, act and travel, and has been to the Philippines, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, Japan and Cuba.
- Billy Bell, a 20-year-old contemporary dancer from Palm Beach, FL who currently resides in New York, NY
After making it to the Top 20 in Season Six of So You Think You Can Dance and having to leave due to illness, Billy Bell joins this season's Top 11 finalists. A graduate of The Juilliard School, he is trained in everything from Hip Hop to Classical Ballet. Bell owns the dance company Lunge Dance Creative, and considers working with Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey on Back to Back to Broadway one of his greatest accomplishments.
- Kent Boyd, an 18-year-old contemporary jazz dancer from Botkins, OH who currently resides in Wapakoneta, OH
A recent high school graduate, Kent Boyd has been dancing since he was 8 years old. Boyd appeared in several high school musical productions, including Oklahoma! and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
- Lauren Froderman, an 18-year-old contemporary jazz dancer from Phoenix, AZ
Lauren Froderman has been dancing since she was 3 years old. At age 10, she performed with the Phoenix Rockettes. Her life's ambition is to perform on Broadway and become a school teacher.
- Ashley Galvan, a 19-year-old contemporary dancer from Visalia, CA who currently resides in Burbank, CA
Ashley Galvan began dancing at age 3. She appeared in 2009's Fame and toured with the Broadway show Wonderland. In addition to dancing, Galvan loves swimming, shopping, movies and fast food.
- Robert Roldan, a 19-year-old contemporary dancer from Thousand Oaks, CA who currently resides in North Hollywood, CA
Robert Roldan took his first Hip Hop class at age 11. After graduating from high school, he performed with the Bad Boys of Dance for a year and a half. In addition to dance, he enjoys singing, acting and fashion.
- Jose Ruiz, a 21-year-old b-boy from Miami, FL who currently resides in Pembroke Pines, FL
Jose Ruiz is a self-taught B-Boy who has never had professional dance training. He describes his dance style as "smooth, flowing and explosive." Ruiz has competed in international dance competitions and performed on cruise ships. He also enjoys yoga and plays several musical instruments.
- Cristina Santana, a 24-year-old salsa dancer from San Diego, CA
Born in Mexicali, Mexico, Cristina Santana started dancing at age 7 when a friend invited her to ballet class. Santana took up Salsa dancing six years ago after moving to the U.S. Santana enjoys singing, eating and listening to music, and counts Mikhail Baryshnikov as one of her favorite dancers.
- Melinda Sullivan, a 22-year-old tap dancer from Thousand Oaks, CA who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA
A native of Long Island, NY, Melinda Sullivan is this season's sole tap dancer. She has been dancing since she was 2 years old, and has appeared in Cats, High School Musical, High School Musical 2 and Wonderland. Sullivan is passionate about music and dance education, and is a fan of tap-dance legend Gregory Hines.
- Adechike Torbert, a 23-year-old contemporary dancer from Brooklyn, NY who currently resides in Queens, NY
Adechike Torbert was inspired to begin dancing at age 6 by his older brother, who is also a dancer. Torbert describes his style as "contemporary with a hint of flavor." In addition to dancing, he enjoys cooking and fashion.
- Alex Wong, a 23-year-old ballet dancer from Vancouver, Canada who currently resides in Miami, FL
Alex Wong is a former principal soloist with the Miami City Ballet. He was awarded his position with the ballet at age 17 after winning the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition. Wong also sings and plays the piano.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
