SYTYCD ~ And The Top 20 Are…

Tonight, during So You Think You Can Dance’s 200th episode, we will learn the Top 20 of Season 9. With each reveal, we’ll get to see them dance in their styles with choreography from some of the show’s best. In honor of the episodic milestone, we listed some of our favorites over the years, so check them out. Below, we’ll be live blogging and updating as the Top 20 are revealed!

Top 10 Females

Alexa Anderson
Amber Jackson
Whitney Carson
Lindsay Arnold
Eliana Girard
Tiffany Maher
Audrey Case
Janelle Isis
Janaya French
Amelia Lowe

Top 10 Males

George Lawrence II
Will Thomas
Nick Bloxsom-Carter
Chehon Wespi-Tschopp
Daniel Baker
Matthew Kazmierczak
Dareian Kujawa
Cole Horibe
Brandon Mitchell
Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer

Top 20 Dances:

Alexa, Amber, George, and Will, Contemporary ~ “We Found Love” by Tyce Diorio

A beautiful, fluid soulful take on finding love. Using the bench as more than just scenery, the choreography from Tyce showcased the strengths of each and every one of these four contemporary dancers. Most eyes were probably on Alexa from her Vegas track record, but the other three deserved just as much as attention. Those leaps from George are going to continue to impress as the season goes on.

Nick, Whitney, and Lindsay, Ballroom ~ “Dance Again” by Jason Gilkison

First of all, can we just interject that if Cat Deeley doesn’t win an Emmy this year, I don’t know what is right in this world. Now on to the dancing. Nick was the weakest of the three, if we had to choose, but that’s also likely because it was very hard to take our eyes off of the sizzling vibe from Whitney and Lindsay. As the season goes on, they are going to have to work hard to distinguish themselves from one another, but these two definitely earn the term hot tamales. Jason played to their strengths and showcased the footwork. Anyone else think for a moment that Nick would get kicked in the head accidentally? Glad we didn’t have an injury on our hands already.

Eliana, Daniel, and Chehon, Classical ~ “Romantic Inclinations/Like a Shot/Fury” by Desmond and Dwight

First of all, does anyone want to try and say Chehon’s last name? Go, I’ll give you a second. Heck, no. Forget that, let’s talk about the dancing because that was breathtakingly awesome to watch. From the turns, lines, jumps all the way to that awesome group hug at the end, these three will be a force to be reckoned with. You have to wonder how intimidating having two professional dancers in Daniel and Chehon will be, but I think they will be an added plus to the show in terms of quality, not that SYTYCD has ever lacked in quality. Next to the boys, Eliana looked a little bit weaker than her auditions, but that’s not to say she can’t stand out and wow America this season. Don’t count her out.

Tiffany and Audrey, Jazz ~ “Sail” by Sonya Tayeh

Janelle was ill and advised to sit out. She WILL be alright for the first live show on July 11. Zooey actually hit it on the head between Tiffany and Audrey. Tiffany was obviously stronger and seemed more able to hold her own during the routine, but the support between the two was also very obvious. Sonya never fails to amaze and give the dancers awesome choreography to work with. I wonder how the routine would have been different with Janelle on stage, but these two can hold their own. Based on the performances tonight, though, I’m not sure for how long without stepping up their game a little bit.

Matthew, Dareian, Janaya, and Amelia, Contemporary ~ “Modern Drift” by Stacey Tookey

First off, Stacey painted such an awesome picture right there with that routine. Giving these dancers enough to show their emotion and fluid moves is how choreography should be. You know, because I’m such an experienced choreographer myself. Amelia did not give the judges any indication to believe that they made the wrong decision there. She channeled the emotion necessary for the routine, although I wonder if Janaya’s lines were a little bit more fluid and cleanly showcase. Brick feet? Didn’t see them Dareian. And Matthew, to me there seemed to be a SLIGHT hint of Travis Wall in there, no?

Cole, Brandon, and “Glitch,” Hip-Hop ~ “Resolve” by Christoper Scott

Alright, when you consider who these guys are, that routine was superb. A martial artist with little to no formal training. An animator with little to no formal training. And a stepper. Bring in legendary Christopher Scott, a baseball theme (with commentary and all) and you’ve got a home run. Ya, I had to. But seriously, these guys demonstrated that they can handle choreography and can do it with grace and the swag needed to succeed. Their stories might keep America voting them through week after week but they will also have the dancing to back it up.

Remember folks, National Dance Day is July 28! Visit Fox.com/Dance or DizzyFeet.org for the details!

Top 10 Girls (minus Janelle), “Where The Light Gets In” by Travis Wall

Amen, Uncle Nigel. Praise Travis Wall. It is well deserved. To go all the way from almost winning season 2 to joining the choreography team and giving us more new things to drop our jaws at is a mark of a true talent. Now, on to the girls. With that many girls on stage and the wide camera angles, it’s tougher to pinpoint any one girl over the other. But we will say this – no one girl looked weak or unable to hold her own on that stage. You could watch that routine 9 times, focusing on a different girl each time and still walk away glimmering with hope at the talent we have to oogle over this season.

Top 10 Guys, “Precognition” by Sonya Tayeh

There is nothing like watching the satisfaction in a choreographer’s face upon the conclusion of the routine. Knowing these guys rocked it just like Sonya wanted makes it that much sweeter to have seen. Watching George fly across the stage just set the stage for this competition. At this level, the guys are going to have to bring the blood, sweat and tears that Sonya wants to see week after week. The pack of wolves, again difficult to pinpoint one dancer over the next in a routine like this, need to be on top of their game after this. America loves great routines. We love great stories and we love to see the work put in. That’s what sets this show apart from many other competition series on television today. There looked to be a few guys out there who had SLIGHT difficulty with some lifts but we’re not even going to focus on those. This is a celebration of dance. Criticism … another day.

Top 20, “Eyes” by Mia Michaels

I’m usually not a sucker for a massive group on stage, especially when we’re just meeting them for the first time. Too much to pay attention to, but this was superb. Welcome home Mamma Mia, as Uncle Nigel says, indeed. The choreography was unlike what we’ve come to expect from the awesome bunch on the show. For this one, I am just going to let the dancing do the telling.

What did you all think of tonight’s Top 20 reveal? Any favorites early on? How about those routines? Sound off in the comments below! Don’t forget, SYTYCD competition continues July 11. There will be NO episode July 4.