by Gina Scarpa

 

Tonight, on So You Think You Can Dance, it's time to unveil this season's Top 20 dancers. As the dancers are revealed, they will take to the stage to perform in front of a live audience - and America, of course! Robin, Tyce, Lil C, Mary, and Nigel are sitting on the panel tonight and Nigel reveals that all-stars will make a comeback when it gets down to the Top 10. I'm liking it!

Throughout the two hours, 31 dancers were whittled down to 20. Notable cuts included Natalia Mallory, Lil' O, Bryce "Professor Lock" Johnson, and Jeremiah Hughes. Without further adieu, here are your Top 20 and their intoductory routines!

 

Dancers: Ricky Jaime, Miranda Maleski, Melanie Moore, Sasha Mallory
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Song: "In This Shirt" by The Irrepressibles
Stacey choreographed a beautiful routine that definitely highlighted the strong, technical ability of these four dancers. Beyond that, though, they all performed with lots of emotion and passion. It was definitely a great way to start the evening.

 

Dancers: Chris Koehl, Wadi Jones, Tadd Gadduang, Robert "Woo Man" Taylor

Style: Hip Hop
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Song: "Everyday (Coolin')" by Swizz Beatz feat. Eve
It is so nice to see four hip hop dancers in the Top 10. I'm not a huge fan of Dave Scott's choreogrpaphy and this piece didn't get me excited. That being said, there's no denying they all did a great job. I may just be partial to NappyTabs!

 

Dancers: Iveta Lukosiute with special guest Pasha Kovalev
Style: Ballroom
Choreographer: Jason Gilkison
Song: "Ven A Bailar (On The Floor)" by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
I'm so glad the show brought back Pasha, of season 3 fame, to partner Iveta. If you're going to have a ballroom partner given to you, he would be the one you want! In this fiery and energetic routine, Iveta proves why she's both a world champion and deserving of being in the Top 20.

 

Dancers: Clarice Ordaz, Marko Germar, Jordan Casanova, Missy Morelli
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Song: "Vanguardian" by Steed Lord
Four more energetic, fesity, technically impressive dancers hit the stage. You knew this routine was going to be good when Marko leaped over all three girls in the first ten seconds. Watchng this routine makes me realize just how serious this season is going to be - everybody is so good!

 

Dancers: Jess LeProtto, Nick Young
Style: Broadway/Tap
Choreographer: Christopher Scott
Song: "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter" by Nina Simone
Though I'm a fan of tap as a style, it has never quite translated well on So You Think You Can Dance. Jess and Nick do their best but the routine lacks some of the excitement that the previous routines had. That seems to just be my opinion, though - the crowd went crazy for it!

 

Dancers: Caitlynn Lawson, Ashley Rich, Mitchell Kelly, Alexander Frost, Ryan Ramirez
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Song: "Moth's Wings" by Passion Pit
Nothing warms my heart like a good Travis Wall routine and in this performance, he certainly didn't disappointment. The last five to be named to the Top 20 danced across the stage, which was adorned with flowers. The dane was full of life, joy, and heart. As the last small group routine of the night comes to a close, it's literally impossible to choose a frontrunner.

 

The night ended with fabulous performances from the Top 10 guys, the Top 10 girls, and the Top 20 as a group. It may sound cheesy or cliche to say but it really does look like this is the strongest group yet!

 

Don't miss the Top 20 take the stage for your votes on So You Think You Can Dance, Wednesday at 8/7c on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa